Hudson:
Hello again!
I am not going to lie, today was rough. I haven’t been able to sleep much. I was up several times throughout the night. I would yelp out in pain. Sometimes I don’t even know why. I wouldn’t even be doing anything that would make me hurt. Mommy and Eddy think I might have phantom limb pain. Sounds pretty spooky to me, so maybe thats it?
In addition to these yelps, I was restless nearly all night/day after 3:00am. I could barely sleep a wink all day. I kept pacing back and forth on the kitchen floor. When I did sit, it was only for a few seconds, then I would be back to my pacing. When I was finally able to lie down, it was only for a maximum of 30 minutes.
The only joy I had today was going outside to use the bathroom. I enjoyed the warmer spring day, taking frequent sits in the sun and people/puppy watching. Inside, not even brand new chews would cheer me up.
I hope tomorrow will be a better day. I will let Mommy post a little bit today, as I don’t have much to report today.
Love, Hudson.
Hudson’s Mommy:
It has been a very tiring and stressful day today for myself and Hudson’s Eddy. We woke up several hours of the night trying to get him to calm down and settle. We finally gave up around 5:00am and took him outside. He seemed much happier to be out in the cold morning air.
The rest of the day was much the same for Hudson. Pacing, yelps, excessive panting, inability to sit still or lie down. He had seemed to be doing so well with his recovery up to this point, that today was really discouraging. As the day progressed his tail was down between his legs. It made us so sad to think that today high quality of life was not very high. But, doing some research on the Tripawds forum showed us that this is an all too common occurrence for resent amputees and their pawrents.
We called the vet several times to ask for advice. From those talks he was prescribed to have Tramadol given more frequently at a slightly higher dose to help manage his pain better. We are really hoping this change will help him get back to the bed rest he so desperately needs.
We got really nervous tonight when we saw that his front right paw that is supporting the front of his body seemed to be bent at a more severe angle than usual. But, this is probably due to being on this paw all day long, as well as him not having the strength he needs to fully support himself.
I called the vet again tonight to ask for some tips for getting Hudson to settle tonight, and they suggested we bring his big crate into the bedroom to confine him more and hopefully force him to lie down. Voila, it has worked… for now.
Here’s hoping we have a happier pup tomorrow… as well as two more well rested pawrents.
Love, Huddy’s Mommy.
I’m so sorry you guys had a rough day. I read before Pandora’s surgery that it can be really common for pets to go through a rough patch a few days after surgery – this is when the long lasting pain meds they give them at surgery leave their system. It sounds like you’re doing the right things to take care of Hudson! I am very much wishing you guys an amazing nights sleep and a better tomorrow.
Confining Hudson to his crate worked wonders! He never even yelped out last night at all. Now he doesn’t want to get up. I think he definitely overdid it yesterday. His other legs are probably so sore.
Erica,
Is Huddy on any other medications other than the tramadol? Adjusting the dosage and time increments on that med will hopefully help him, is he taking gabapentin and rimadyl also? If not, you might want to ask your vet about this. Gabapentin is used to combat phantom limb pain and it works very well. The rimadyl has anti inflammatory and pain relieving properties. If one of his good legs is sore, that will help that discomfort also.
I hope you have a better night!
Hudson,
Stay chilled puppy! Eat, sleep, potty, repeat! Bedrest, lots of bedrest ❤️
You can’t over do it right now, you got lots of healing to do.
Hugs,
Jackie and Huckleberry ❤️
Hi Jackie and Huckleberry!
I was so sleepy after yesterdays craziness with Hudson that I forgot to mention everything else he is on. Hudson’s no adjusted med schedule is as follows (Hudson is only 43lbs):
-Tramadol every 8 hours-75mg
-Gabapentin every 12 hours-200mg
-Metacam every 24 hours- not sure amount, but it is drawn to the 20kg weight mark for his weight
He slept all through the night last night (thank goodness!) and is still sleeping in his crate. I think he is realizing how much he overdid it yesterday.
I hope the sleeping arrangements help ease poor Hudson’s mind and body a bit. It must be so hard for these dogs to understand what has happened to them. Here’s hoping some good rest and healing. Rough days happen, but the better days are to come.
Let us know how the night goes!
Tina, Tyson & Co.
Thank you very much Tina, Tyson & Co. for the well wishes. Hudson got a great sleep last night and is still out now, even after I woke him up for his next Tramadol dosage and breakfast in bed (I know we aren’t supposed to baby them by bringing the food to them, but his day yesterday was pretty rough. So I am going to break the rules and take a dog that is lying down right now 😛 )
I agree with Jackie – Tramadol is not enough. When Murphy had his surgery, he came home on Tramadol (narcotic), Rimadyl (anti-inflammatory) & Gabapentin (helps with nerve pain). Gabapentin seems to be what helps most often with the sudden outbursts of pain – those are symptoms of phantom limb pain. You can also apply an ice pack, wrapped in a cloth, to the incision for 10-15 minutes a couple of times a day.
I’m so sorry you’re going through this. You both will be stronger in the end!
<3 Donna
Hi Donna!
I was pretty sleepy after yesterdays craziness with Hudson that I forgot to mention everything else he is on. Hudson’s adjusted med schedule is as follows (Hudson is only 43lbs):
-Tramadol every 8 hours-75mg
-Gabapentin every 12 hours-200mg
-Metacam every 24 hours- not sure amount, but it is drawn to the 20kg weight mark for his weight.
i have also been trying to apply cold packs too him. It is hit and miss. Sometimes he is fine with it, but yesterday he wasn’t taking staying in one spot. We even got him one of those self cooling mats yesterday. But, again he was squirming around too much to know if that will help. Have you had any experience with those working?
Thanks for you comment 🙂
Certainly sounds like a normal thing for him to go through. Too bad you didn’t expect it though… You certainly are doing all the right things. I hope you all have a better night tonight. Love you all.
Martha (mom)
It definitely was pretty stressful. It was reassuring to know that this isn’t unheard of, but still hard and frustrating. You know he has to rest, but he just wont do it!
Thankfully he lay down throughout the whole night last night, and is having a sleep in after his morning meds and breakfast in bed! So today is starting more rested for us, and definitely more rested for Huddy!!
<3
Totally normal, the meds our dogs need really are very personal. Otis didn’t need tramadol for very long but stayed on gabapentin and his NSAID (metacam) for a full month to help him with phantom limb pain. Otis also had major setback in week two of recovery with an infection, and I was so discouraged, but try to stay positive. Everyone will sleep through the night again soon, really! Be strong! Wishing all the best for Hudson!
Hugs to Hudson! My golden, Winston, is 1 month out from his amputation, and I remember the first week so well. It was really heartbreaking to hear his yelps and cries from phantom limb pain. In addition to Tramadol, the Gabapentin helped him with the pain even though it made him very sleepy. He liked the security of being covered with a soft blanket also. Hugs to all of you…..you are taking such good care of your sweetie. Shelly and Winston
Hudson and Furmily,
You are doing a brilliant job you guys! I’m sorry to hear that You all had a couple of ruff nights… sorry to say, but that can be a common occurrence around here! Stewie had the added issues of a Seroma, but with the help of our incredible vets, we all pulled through.
It’s a tough time, but it sounds like a brilliant suggestion to bring in the big crate. Our pups don’t realize that they have just had MAJOR surgery and need help to rest.
Wishing you all the very best
Petra, Stewie and his Kittens.
http://stewie2017.tripawds.com/
Glad to hear he is resting more comfortably.
I just checked, and learned I misled you earlier. Casey, at 54 pounds, took 100 mg of Tramadol every eight hours. I think I’d said 200mg.