Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I have read lots of post regarding the issues of using Tramadol after surgery..what should I expect for complications if any from tramadol? Moses was on it once before for another leg injury but it was many doggie bones ago!
Thanks!
Hello,
Tramadol is really safe to take. The downside to it is it makes them goofy as all get out! I usually only give a quarter to half of what is prescribed. On a whole 50mg tablet, my Comet can't walk she's so dopey.
Call me crazy, but if the medicine given to Comet is people safe, I try one. I've taken a tramadol and it's like taking a mild pain pill (Loritab). The effects are short lived and I felt a little giddy for about 20 minutes. But since it's only thing vet's like to give, there's not much choice.
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
I haven't noticed any ill side effects with Denali. I know others have had issues with it though.
I will say call around for pricing on it though! Prices here ranged (90 tabs 50mg):
Grocery Store: 43.99
Drug Store: 27.49
Drug Store: 26.79
Walmart/Target/Sam's Club: 6.00 (yes SIX dollars!!)
~~~~ Denali ~~~~
June 9, 2010 OSA suspected
June 17, 2010, July 14, 2010 Clear X-rays – no mets
July 1, 2010 Amputation
July 9, 2010 OSA Confirmed
November 23, 2010 Cancer took you from me - Never forgotten, Always Loved - Forever
Supporting the Fighters, Admiring the Survivors, Honoring the Taken, And never, ever giving up Hope
Hi, I like Cometdog have always started with a smaller does than prescribe and then adjusted. I never observed any side effects other than maybe some drowsiness and as Comet said goofiness. Follow your Vets advice and monitor of course. Give Moses a big hug for me and Fortis.
ForitsDad
Comet, You ARE crazy! 
Jenni hope you don't mind that I moved your post but it's definitely a treatment question than a "share your story" topic.
Some dogs are more affected by tramadol than others. Here's a good description I recently found:
The brand name of Tramadol is “Ultram.” This is a non-addictive, non-sedating pain reliever that can be used in conjunction with NSAID medications. It is considered safe for dogs with kidney and liver issues.
Side effects are considered rare but can include upset stomach, panting, pupil constriction, decreased heart rate (usually not a life-threatening problem), constipation, sedation and bizarre behavior. If this happens, call your vet immediately to discuss reducing the dosage.
Do not use Tramadol with:
- SAMe, a liver and joint support nutraceutical (not enough studies have been done to prove this combination is safe)
- L-Deprenyl (to control Cushing's syndrome or senility)
- Psychoactive drugs such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, or monoamine oxidase inhibitors. If you are not sure if your pet is on one of these medications, check with your veterinarian
- Amitraz, the active ingredient in the Preventic tick control collar, Promeris Canine, a flea and tick control product and also used to treat demodectic mange.
Comet's right; it's actually a human pain med, something akin to Vicodin but much milder. And good going Denali, yep, Hellmart has it in generic form for cheap!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Jenni
Catie didn't have any serious side effects, but she was definitely loopy and drowsy after taking Tramadol.
Catie -
Birthday – November 4 2003
Amputation – January 13 2010
Crossed the Bridge – June 2 2011
Tai was kind of neurotic on it. She panted, paced and was generally restless. She acted like she was "seeing spiders" or hearing whispers one minute and then the next was all dopey. I think it's kind of a necessary evil for the initial pain control. We used it in conjunction with Metacam (NSAID) but backed off the Tramadol about day 3 cause she was just too wacked out. I had my other dog on it for some back pain and he was perfectly normal so I suppose it's a very individual thing.
Laura and Tai
Tai – 9 yr old lab. Diagnosed Osteosarcoma Dec 18/09. Front right leg amputated Dec 21/09. Started chemo Jan 7/10. Lung mets discovered Sept 16/10. Valiant to the end on Oct 26/10 when cancer reappeared in a leg and we made the decision to set her free. Forever in my heart where not even cancer can take her from me.
As with so many of these chemicals, each dog behaves differently. I would like Emily's Mom to speak for Emily's reaction, but I know that they had to take Emily off the drug. Cherry reacted very badly to the Tramadol. She had uncontrolled convulsions that started about an hour after her dose, after peaking about four hours after the dose, they died away only to resume the cycle after the next dose. This went on for three cycles when I removed her from the drug and all such symptoms disappeared. Again, each behaves differently and one should not "expect" any particular reaction for their pup. Just observe.
Also, it should be remembered that Miss Cherry's chemotherapy started just hours after her amputation – just after her body temperature returned to "normal" after they chilled it for the surgery. Thus, she was a hopping chemical dump when she got home from the surgery. Her reaction may have been more to a bad reaction from the Tramadol mix with one of the others, but removing it definitely stopped our difficulties.
Spirit Cherry's Dad
PS: Recient studies have shown that the "best" prices for perscription drugs are COSTCO and Wal-Mart. Also, if you do have a COSTCO in your area, you do not have to be a member to use their prescription service. Cherry was registered with the local COSTCO and it was clearly marked that she was a K9.
tai09 said:
Tai was kind of neurotic on it. She panted, paced and was generally restless. She acted like she was "seeing spiders" or hearing whispers one minute and then the next was all dopey. I think it's kind of a necessary evil for the initial pain control. We used it in conjunction with Metacam (NSAID) but backed off the Tramadol about day 3 cause she was just too wacked out. I had my other dog on it for some back pain and he was perfectly normal so I suppose it's a very individual thing.
Laura and Tai
I think this sums up most folks complaint about the drug. Trouble has never had a problem with it, but I keep her doses on the low end as well. I use it for general pain maintenance is she seems achy, but only 50mg which is about 1/3 her full dose.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
Mackenzie was on tramadol before her surgery (3 X a day and mega doses) and she didn't have any side effects from it. Tells me that she was in a lot of pain because she was prescribed so much of it prior to her surgery. She also took gabapatin which is another pain med that's often prescribed. Then following her surgery, she was prescribed a lesser dose and yet the side effects were so strong- she became listless, lost her appetite and was not my dog. Once I took her off the tramadol, she made a complete turnaround. I sometimes wonder if maybe she was overmedicated but she sure did seem like she was in a lot of pain following her surgery. So it's really a balancing act with these pain meds. You just kind of have to monitor it on a daily basis - definitely need the pain meds following this kind of surgery but you also have the risk of these side effects which can be very unpleasant too.
Speaking of the best prices, I took out a prescription of tramadol at my local Rite Aid and was charged a whopping $85! Then I checked out Target and they charged me a whopping $16 for the exact same quantitiy and dosage. Yes, there was a huge difference so definitely shop around (they told me it's because of the different brand of generics they use but it's all the same) Walmart, Costco and Target do seem to have the best prices around.
Kami (Mackenzie's Mom)
My sweet golden Mackenzie. She became my angel on Dec 29, 2010 at the age of 8 1/2 although she was always my angel from the time we brought her home. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in Sept 2009 and officially became a tripawd (front leg) on Nov 5, 2009. She will be forever in my heart and now she's running free with all of our other tripawd heroes. I love you Mackenzie!
Jake was on 150mg tramadol twice a day for the first week post op, then slowly weaned off of it afterwards. Luckily, he had absolutely no problems with it... He weighed 85 pounds.
Angel Jake and Wolfie's Mom
Jake, 10yr old golden retriever (fractured his front right leg on 9/1, bone biopsy revealed osteosarcoma on 9/10, amputation on 9/17) and his family Marguerite, Jacques and Wolfie, 5yr old german shepherd and the newest addition to the family, Nala, a 7mth old Bengal mix kittie. Jake lost his battle on 11/9/2009, almost 8 weeks after his surgery. We will never forget our sweet golden angel… http://jakesjou.....ipawds.com ….. CANCER SUCKS!
I didn't care for Charlie on Tramadol. Prior to the amputation he was prescribed 100mg every 8-12 hours and Amantadine (spelling, I am sure is off). The Amantadine is for bone pain and once he had the amputation, it was no longer needed. His affect was way off on the Tramadol and his oncologist prescribed Codeine at 60mg every 8 hours (I still did 12 hour intervals). Much better. Same ol' Charlie. I weaned him off within a week after the surgery.
He didn't have any 'physical' side effects that I noticed (he had been on it before, for what, I can't remember) just the weird affect.
I never even thought about shopping around for cost! The vets have always given me everything (except for the Amantadine and I think that was about $40 at Target) and I never noticed the cost as it doesn't matter, the bill is always high! 
"I don't know where I am."
Gus didn't get along post op with tramadol, after about 4 days I took him off and could see an immediate positive reaction. After that he was on Gabapentin and rimidyl.
My buddy Gus had a left front amputation on April 7, 2010 and lived a great life until July 26,2010
Boomie was on Tramadol pre-op, and then post-op after his patch was removed. There was a period of time, I don't remember how long, that he was off of it altogether, but as his remaining back leg began to have more trouble, we put him back on it. I don't really know if it's pain or just weakness (how do you tell?) but I didn't want him to be in pain. So at this point, he's been on 150 mg. of Tramadol twice a day for about a year. No side effects that I can see, but even so I've been considering reducing the dose, just to see how he does on less.
Cindy and Boomie
Boomie's leg was amputated due to osteosarcoma on May 15, 2008. He enjoyed over two and a half years of life after that, one day at a time. He died on Feb. 21, 2011.
Like Tai, Rusty was on Tramadol & Metacam immediately after surgery; he received 50mg Tramadol tablets 4 times a day for the first two weeks and then twice a day for the next four weeks. He did not show any noticeable side effects from the medication; he slept almost continuously the first week after surgery but acted normal when he was awake. They kept him on the Metacam (NSAID) for 4 months as Dr. Macy said that it would help with the Chemo treatments in addition to pain management . Rusty experienced some minor phantom pain for a couple weeks after we took him off Metacam, but now is doing fine.
I take 50mg of Tramadol twice daily for my severe arthritis without any noticeable side effects. If my pain gets too severe I take 100mg of Ultram, the expensive version of Tramadol, and that makes me a little dopey at times.
Chuck & Rusty
Rusty is a Labradoodle who was diagnosed with level 3 Fibrosarcoma on January 16th, 2010 and had his left hind leg amputated on January 25th, 2010 five days before his 18 month birthday. Please see Rusty's blog @rusty.tripawds.com. He is putting up one heck of a fight against this terrible disease.
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