Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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rear leg on a 15 yr old, 8kg mix breed. I just moved to The Netherlands 2 months ago and the vets here don’t give much info. They gave what they said was morphine for pain and gave me some tablets for later that are just everyday pain tablets. Also told me to clean wound with Biotex which is a laundry cleaner people use for cuts and scrapes. Lottie is not eating so not sure how I can give him pain tablets. Trying to navigate this with vets limited English. Any advice?
Hello Lottie and family, welcome. I see you are in the Tripawds Chat ? I'm there too, hop on over to say hello OK?
Meanwhile, first you should know that you have great English writing skills! Don't be shy.
I have lots of questions so hang on!
Why did Lottie have an amputation? When was it?
What is the name of the pain tablets? Is there a label on the bottle? I'm just curious so that we can help figure out how it works for Lottie (I assume a female dog?).
The morphine could be causing the lack of appetite. How much did they give you, and for how many days?
I looked up BioTex stain remover. Wow that seems kind of harsh, I've never heard of it being given to a new amputee. Most pets in our community who have amputations don't need their incision area cleaned with anything more than a bit of water on a gentle, warm wash cloth. And never over the incision itself, just around it if there is leakage.
To help her eat, try anything like scrambled eggs, soft meats, canned pumpkin pulp or different cheeses. The stronger the aroma of the food the better to stimulate her appetite.
Focus on keeping her hydrated. Drinking water is super important. How is she doing with water intake?
Sorry I hope I don't have too many questions but the more you can tell us the more we can help you. Hang in there! Things get better!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
So I guess my English is not so good 😊 I’m American and just moved to Netherlands in August. The vet’s English is fine but they just don’t share info. I have to ask 3 times to get an answer.
Lottie is surprisingly a boy (long story). He fell and injured his leg. Xrays showed a tumor and a weakening of the entire leg bone. While monitoring he fell again and was in great pain so went in for the choice of emergency surgery or euthanasia. Lungs, stomach were clear no all other legs and hips looked good so went for surgery
Looking at the receipt I see two meloxicam injections with quantity .3 (no units). no mention of morphine but maybe that is it?
tablets are onsior robenacoxib
10 mg
still not eating. Tried eggs cheese chicken pasta. No luck
drinking pretty well but just vomited (mostly water). First pee just now too (18 hr post surgery)
Hey there, sorry to hear he is still not eating. My guess, and I'm not a vet, is that he needs to have his pain medication adjusted. What they gave you is good but it's clearly not enough for Lottie. That's not unusual, many dogs need much more, even tiny dogs. Based on what we have learned from vets through the years...
Onsior (robenacoxib) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory that only lasts 3 days after surgery. That's good, he needs that, and for a dog his sie it's perfect, but it's probably worn off by now. Here is what pain expert Stephen Cital told us about Onsior:
here is a drug that I kind of prefer in our cats because it works a little bit more locally than systemically, which adds to its safety profile and it’s called Onsior. And the generic name for that is called robenacoxib. And that is a drug that is going to work at the local side of inflammation rather than systemically.
Bupracare is not morphine. It is also known as Buprenorphine and is a good short-term drug but it only works locally and only lasts 3 days. Again, it's probably worn off by now.
Most dogs are on pain medications for at least 10 days, and sometimes longer after surgery. That is normal and it's what they need according to vets we have interviewed.
I'm sorry about having to contact the vet over and over again, but don't give up! Be that PITA American! Let them know that you understand pain signals in dogs and you want more medication. He is not eating, that is probably a sign that he is hurting. It's a vicious circle but if you can get his pain under control he will eat again. Is he drinking water?
Advocate for Lottie to get additional pain medications, he really needs you right now. You can do this!
I don't know about the availability of pain medications in the Netherlands, but you can try asking for the most common three post-op pain management drugs after amputation surgery:
- Gabapentin (also known as Gralise, Neuraptine, Horizant, and Neurontin)
- Amantadine (also known as Symmetrel)
- Tramadol (also known as Ultram).
Do not let them give you Tramadol by itself, you want it to be used with Gabapentin as it works better in conjunction with that medication and is often worthless without it according to the latest Tramadol findings.
So it sounds like he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma? If so, you did the right thing by getting rid of the bad leg. Once recovery is over you will get your Lottie back and he will be happier than ever.
Please keep us posted OK? We are here for you.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks! This is super helpful. I will go ask for the new pain meds in the morning. I have been giving the Onsior by crushing tablets in water and squirting in his mouth with a syringe. I was told one tablet every 24 hr. I’m giving it around every 12 because not all is going in his mouth
Today he still wasn’t eating so I took him back to vet. They kept him and started IV. They just called to “kidney levels are high” and they will continue to flush with IV and hope they come down. They say this is unexpected and they are not sure what to do besides flushing his system with fluids. If anybody had any experience with something like this I would appreciate any advice you can give
Oh poor Lottie, I'm sorry he had to go back. But, at least they are taking care of him and helping him overcome this challenge.
I know there have been many instances when something like this happens, and in my limited experience it could just be that Lottie's kidneys weren't handling the Onsoir very well. Non-steroidals can do that and generally with some TLC from the vet the issue can be resolved just by switching medications. I would ask the vet if this could be related to the Onsior.
Also, it would be a good idea to ask them: what is your plan for helping him if the kidney values don't get better? Any good vet will have some kind of plan and timeframe for which to decide how to approach treatment, even if they don't know what is causing something. My guess is your vets will be able to tell you, you'll just need to dig further for information.
Good luck today, we are thinking of you and your sweet pup and hoping for a speedy recovery. Keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Just want to jump in and send best wishes to your precious Lottie. We love celebrating seniors around here. Loki sounds like a tough doggy.
The Vet did bloodwork before surgery, right? If the kidney blood levels were normal, maybe this is just something that showed up as a result of the meds, the hospital meds, etc? Seniors can have issues pop up quickly. Good for you for getting Loki back to the Vet.
Fluids will not only help Loki feels better, they are a great "treatment " to help stabilize the kidneys. It should help with Loki's appetite too. It may take several days of fluids, so hang in there.
(((((((((((((HUGS )))))))))))))
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
LOTTIE!! Please accept my apology for not calling you by your right name!!! LOTTIE!!! Such a great name for a spunky pup😎
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Thanks all. He is doing a little better and finally ate a little too. He is home now and tomorrow we will repeat the day long IV then do another blood test. Right now the vet says if that doesn’t work he doesn’t have a clear plan for such an old dog. If anybody can suggest options if IV doesn’t work please let me know. That should give you an idea of what I’m dealing with here.
The plan is to stop the onsior and actually hold off on all pain meds until the next blood test (unless he shows obvious pain). He had an injection of pain meds this morning. I guess the kidneys are top priority over pain right now
Ohhhhh. I'm glad he's home. We will keep our paws crossed that he gets better. I feel so bad for you guys.
Is there any way you can get an opinion from another vet in the area? Do any exist nearby? Where did you and Lottie live before moving to the Netherlands? Is there any way you can contact your old vet for some general guidance?
It's really hard for me to say "tell your vet to do this or that" because I'm so unfamiliar with the practicalities of vet medicine in different countries (if you were in the states it would be different). But to give up on a dog just because he is old and they can't figure it out goes way beyond language limitations or borders, it's just not right in my book.
There are better vets around, based on what you are describing about your existing one. A good vet will consult with others in different practices or at a nearby university teaching hospital. These institutions are always at the forefront of good medicine, wherever one lives.
Is the university of Utrecht nearby? They have a vet medicine hospital.Contact them and see if they can help guide you to someone who can give feedback on Lottie's case.
Also, the European Board of Veterinary Specialists may be able to help. Search the directory to find an internal medicine specialist near you.
I hope this helps even just a little. We are thinking of you and your sweet doggie and hoping for improvement. Keep us posted!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Test results were good today. Not sure of the units but normal range is around 60-140. Yesterday he was 960! Today 180. So not quite normal but much better. I need to keep him hydrated this weekend and test again Monday
Oh, that really is good news!!! I know Lottie is glad to be home! Are you continuing fluids at home (subQ)? Yeah, anyway you can keep him hydrated, is good thing! Adding sodium free chicken broth to his water may help.
Keep us posted. Just so thrilled Lottie is better and home. I know all pain meds have been withheld for now, so if he's not feeling like having a party, it's understandable.
BOTH of you get some rest!
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Oh thank dog!!! Go Lottie! You’ve got this!!
Yes whatever you can do to entice him to drink. Even just draining a can of tuna water into his dish, or freezing up no sodium broth into ice cubes can help.
Let us know how things are going.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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