Today has been an up and down day. Rocky didn’t sleep much last night. No real signs of pain. I think he slept too much yesterday. Also he probably had to pee but did not want to go out. We got up and he went out. Small episode of yelping while out. I put a little pressure over the amputation site and he recovered well. He even stood to eat breakfast. That was a first. He has gotten up a few time and had two more episodes of yelping. The pressure trick helped but went right back to his bed. We are now waiting him out to get him to potty again. He is passing gas but no poop yet. Meds changed a bit. Fentanyl patch was due to come off. I spoke with the surgeon and we added amantadine. Hopefully that will help with the yelping. He did stand to eat part of his diner tonight. So, all in all, not a bad day. We just want the pain gone but that may take a while given two surgeries in 3 weeks.
Not sure why they would add amantadine. It looks like it’s an anti-Parkinson’s medication, also anti-viral and sometimes used for the flu. It doesn’t look like it’s used for pain.
Passing gas is a sign that the bowels are moving, so that’s good 🙂
Resting is good! Especially if he had back surgery just before his amputation, I would say that sleeping is healing.
Donna
Thanks Donna. The amantadine is supposed to help block some of the pain receptors. All I know is he seems to be in less pain right now and that is a good thing.
Donna, amantadine has the same pain relief properties as Gabapentin. It’s part of the latest pain management protocols recommended by AAHA and often tossed into the mix when other drugs aren’t doing the trick.
Sounds like a good day for day 3. Glad he is able to get up more. Just keep focused on the fact that most dogs do remarkably well once the staples come out (about day 10). You have three or so more days that will be intense, then will start to see improvement. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Hang in there!
Thanks for that. I am praying that the sharp pains go away. It is very disheartening to hear him yelp like that.
Oay,we have a YAY! YAY FOR STANDING TO EAT BREAKFAST!! Again, any improvement is a HUGE improvement!!
Can’t remember, is Rocky on Gabapentin? If he is having phantom limb pain, that should help. The phantom pain is when the nerves are still firing off to the leg that is no longer there. Eventually they get the message and stop. Generally, a dog will give a loud yelp out of the blue and try and “move away” from the pain. The “episode” lasts for maybe twenty to thirty seconds.
Before getting Rocky up to potty, try gentle massage all around his neck, up and down his spine, gently massaging his legs a d s@ow@w stretching them. Gently massage AROUND the incision…very gently and not touching the incision itself.
You may see a bit more alertness when the patch is off…or not! Every dog is different!
For my Happy Hannah it took me three weeks before I coukd say I did this FOR her and not TO her! Getting the stitches out was NOT the turning poi t…it took another week. I merely say that so you won’t be let down if stitch removal is a huge pick up for Rocky!
Oh, and YAY for standing to eat is dinner!
Hugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Thanks Sally. Rocky is on gabapentin. I have been doing massages through out the day. The massages around the incision seem to help with the phantom limb pain.
Really, really glad to hear that your vet is so willing to work with you on pain control. Rocky is definitely on the right recovery path. I know it’s scary and frustrating, but you are both doing great. Hang in there!
Thanks Jerry. I feel blessed by the surgeons at MedVets. They have been so helpful and eager to get Rocky better