Hit a *bump* in the road 1/26/13
Sorry I have been absent a few days. Between the kiddos and Bubs, I’ve had my hands full.
Well, Wednesday after Grandma Coffee came to visit, Bubs started showing signs of being in pain. She let out a good yelp that night and scared the crap outta me. Needless to say, I didn’t get much rest, and by Thursday she wasn’t comfortable at all. She would take her “mediciney” cheese balls, but I hardly got some more kibble and yams down her throat, and she drank water. She would whimper and let out a cry here and there while getting comfortable, started panting ever so often, and I noticed that evening she was trembling. Friday morning I gave the vet a call and let them know what was up. Her doctor had us stop the anti-inflammatory meds because it was probably causing stomach upset, and we upped her codeine a half tablet. Again, some more yams and kibble that day, and I was hoping the codeine increase would help her out.
Saturday morning, (today), she was whimpering with every move, didn’t want to go potty, and I brought her water over to her. So, yeah, I called the vet again. Her doctor decided it would be best to have us bring her in so he can examine her.
Above is a pic of Bubs acting a little more herself.. after taking an elephant size poo (all of em had been a little firm and small since coming home), in the lobby of the vet. How embarrassing!
Her doctor came in, checked her pulse, checked her eyes, her hydration, and pushed around her belly and incision site. She showed no signs of pain! Conclusion: possible muscle spasms/soreness. He explained to us that having this been such a major surgery, her body is now feeling some trauma. Think of it as a car accident and you get awful whiplash. You don’t generally feel any soreness or pain until a couple days later. For dogs it may take some time, especially after getting off the fentanyl patch, but thats probably whats going on with Bubs. Other than the fact that he thinks she’s hallucinating from all the drugs. He observed her and feels like she’s still very much drugged up and a little out of it. Now the lack of appetite is basically Bubs holding out for cheese balls. I had a feeling that may have been it, since I’ve experienced this during my years of being a trainer, but I was concerned it was related with her amputation. He offered her some real bland Rx dog food there at the vet, and she showed interest though she didn’t eat it. That there was a sign that she still very much has an appetite. Bubs, just wants cheese balls.
He sent us home recommending we stop the codeine and start being more stubborn with her meals. I will be offering her her bowl of kibble for 10 minutes, then take it away until the next meal time. He’s sure she’ll break within 48 hours. Also, no more cheese balls. Spoiled Bubs will now have to take her antibiotics in plain toast. Another option for us is the Rx of a muscle relaxer. He wasn’t positive she would absolutely need it at the time of her visit tonight, so we will observe her through the night, and decide when he gives us a call in the morning. Bubs may just need to be weaned off the drugs, and she’ll start to feel a bit more like herself.
I missed a few days because there really hasn’t been much change since day 5, but below is what Bubs’ incision looked like at the vet tonight on day 9. Very clear, nice and dry, and her staples aren’t looking as “tight” anymore. Also, she went into the vet the VERY first time at 53 lbs. The day of her surgery, she weighed in at 50 lbs, and today she weighed 48 lbs. I still think she will drop a couple more lbs, but all that will take some time as she gains a little more strength too.
January 27th, 2013 at 5:42 pm
Bummer. You’ve had your hands full over there. I hope it gets worked out soon! In human medicine, codeine is known to cause poo-problems. It’s a drug that I haven’t read on here yet for dogs. I wonder why your vet has her on it? I’m no vet, but given our experience and others, I’d see about getting her off codeine and on tramadol. Tramadol isn’t without side effects either, but I think it has less of an impact on the GI tract than codeine. Good luck, Bubs, getting all your foods….and without those tasty cheese balls. Mmmmm, cheese balls….
January 27th, 2013 at 8:39 pm
Well, I think the reason behind the codeine is because Bubs had bad reactions to their “basic” antibiotics and pain control meds while she was at the vet post-op. Apparently, she doesn’t tollerate really any medicine well, and bulldogs are infamous for that. =/ It is a bummer, but at the same time her doc let us know that by this far into recovery, most dogs don’t need pain management anymore. This is just the process of getting weaned off the strong stuff and back to being drug free. And yes! The codeine definitely didn’t help her bowels- poor thing was so backed up! We’ll be back to beggin’ strips once she realizes mommy isnt giving in to specialty gourmet meals anymore! We need to keep the weight down! Lol. Thanks!
January 27th, 2013 at 5:58 pm
Great to see Bubs acting more like her usual self. If she can be relaxed like that at the vet’s office, she ought to be getting back to her old self in no time! Being a Super Mom and taking care of needy “kids” can be exhausting, so do take care of yourself too and keep us posted of Bub’s progress when you can.
January 27th, 2013 at 8:41 pm
Thats what I thought too! She felt much better after her large dump in the lobby, then sprawled out like this in the exam room. She’s been good through the night with some small whimpers, but I haven’t heard her complain yet today and its almost 1pm. Woohoo! I will continue updating!
January 27th, 2013 at 11:26 pm
Do dogs have to be taken off of codeine gradually, like humans sometimes do? I’d never thought of that.
Dakota was always miserable about taking pills. He knew they were hidden, always. I only had success by hiding his pills in bread balls. I would buy that cheap junky white bread that is all doughy and squeeze balls around the pills. Smaller than a ping pong ball, bigger than a marble. I wouldn’t want to eat it, but he did.
I think Dakota came off all pain meds on day 11, so Bubbles is right in the time frame that most dogs start giving it up. And as we say so often here, too little and too much can look identical. I’m glad she’s able to be off the meds, because she’ll get her personality back 100% and get her bowels straightened out, too.
Keep us posted!
Shari
January 29th, 2013 at 5:28 pm
Shari, I thought that too so I asked her doctor, but he didn’t think it would be an issue with her at all. So far, we have seen great signs of improvement. She is acting so much more like herself, complaining a little here and there, but she is doing much better. I’ll be posting a little later tonight with a more thorough update!
January 30th, 2013 at 6:29 am
Well cheese balls will make any dog perk up. Bubs has got this down!
I’m glad to hear she’s doing better. That incision is looking great.