Reo's amputation

[bossmare]

Hello all: We have a JRT/rat terrier mix that had to have his left front leg taken off at the elbow on Tuesday. He ran in front of the tractor and I hit him with the sickle bar mower and it took his leg off at the wrist. The screaming was the most horrible part, but we got him to the vet in time and they saved his life. I still feel awful about running him over but I just couldn't stop in time.

Reo is doing quite well, the day we brought him home he went right up the stairs and jumped on the bed, which is pretty high. He got to chase a deer out of the yard last night which made him a VERY happy dog.

The question I have is this. He is on morphine and I was wondering if animals hallucinate on it. He looks really glassy eyed at times and can give you a very funny look. Other than that he is getting around a lot better than I expected. He plays with his cat buddy and still tries to chase a ball. We don't want him over doing it the first week out so we are trying to keep him quiet. Thanks

[Mary and Roxy]

OOOOOOuch..I'm just takeing a guess here. but ill bet if its the right dose, hes just got a good buzz going..
And chaseing deers,Roxy says.. sounds like a cool place to live.
Best of luck.... Mary and Roxy

[tessa]

i don't know if they do hallucinate. xena was given methadone for pain...and with the first dose, she certainly did get pretty happy looking. but over the next few days, the drug stopped working for her and i'll bet she would have preferred to have a few good hallucinations than the pain.

sorry to hear how traumatic the accident was. yes, the screaming, i know it well. it is unforgettable. i'm sorry it happened...but i do know that reo will do all the things he used to do in quick time. best wishes to you both.

[Amy]

Sorry to hear about what happened to Reo. As much as we try to protect our pets, accidents happen. I think the morphine does cause them to hallucinate. My Tyler just had his leg amputated. When he had the biopsy done a couple months ago to determine what was going on, they put him under and then gave him a dose of morphine. When I brought him home his eyes were very glassy and he was acting like he was seeing things. he was really out of it. When he had the amputation my vet commented that he will be seeing "pink elephants" from the pain medicine so I think the morphine does cause them hallucinate, just like it would in humans. Best of luck to you and Reo as he recovers.

[bossmare]

Yeah, he might be seeing "pink elephants" since he has acted very strange a few times. Mostly stalking stuff that isn't there or staring off into the distance. He will be off the drugs in a couple of days so we'll be more able to gauge his pain. The vet told us to call if he needed more so we'll see.

He is using the cat door when he really wants in the house, it's a bit small for him now and we need to get a bigger one. He is doing quite well, eating good, jumping up on the bed, going up and down stairs. He gets sort of over balanced going down the stairs at times but catches himself before he falls. We are getting him a raised set of dishes to eat and drink out of so he won't fall in his food. He is a trooper.

[Amy]

I'm so glad to hear Reo is doing well. It's amazing how quickly they adapt. I have always loved my dog like he was my child but since his amputation I have so much more respect for him. He is such a trooper and just so happy and doesn't seem to be the least bit phased about what he has been through . It sounds like you are seeing that with Reo too. I hope you can wean him off the morphine. I would think dogs can become addicted just like people can. Best of luck to you and Reo.

[bossmare]

Reo gets his sutures out today. He has been doing very well since his amputation and we got him off the morphine and on Rimadyl. We only had him on the Rimadyl a week and took him off when he started vomiting. I hated like #### to give him that drug and we have switched him to aspirin. Hopefully with the stitches and staples out he won't need either. He did get stung about 5 times by wasps yesterday and had to have benadryl. Poor guy, I guess we'll have to rename him Jinx. He has had a tough life for a dog not even a year old yet. He is walking easier now but still tires quick so we try not to over do it, we may get him a pet stroller so he can get in that when he gets tired. They look stupid as #### but if we go for a long walk we want our dog along too.

[critters]

Old Charlie LOVED his backpack. It was a freebie from a yard sale, and I pinned the leg holes so he wouldn't fall out. I then put his harness on and put the seatbelt through that. I could shop or whatever, and he never took a header! http://www.handicappedpets.com/Gallery0303/charlie.htm You can also adapt a baby stroller for a lot less than buying a critter stroller.

[bossmare]

Yeah, good idea. Reo is a bit heavy though, he weighs in at about 30 pounds. I was thinking we could either do a wagon or a stroller of some sort. As much as he likes to ride in the car I'd think he's like a wheeled conveyance of some sort.

[critters]

You're right--30 would be a bit much in a backpack!!

[Amy]

I'm so happy to hear Reo's stitches are out. We saw a big improvement with Tyler once that happened. He is almost back to his normal length of walks, we go a little further each day. I hope Reo will be there soon too. The wagon sounds like a great idea.

[bossmare]

Yeah, my husband took him and he said you could hear him all over the clinic. They also trimmed his nails since he scratched the tech. He hates to have his nails trimmed and tries to bite so it's time for us to buy a small muzzle so we can do that at home. He is one big wussy dog but we love him. He's such a funny guy and was playing with his knee bone at lunch trying to throw it up into the air. He also wanted to take on all the other dogs at the park.

[tessa]

quite obviously...it is only human culture that believes someone with an injury or disfigurement is diminished in any way. xena certainly doesn't. she still tries to have a go at other dogs just like reo. some things will never change...but it would be good if the human mind did.

[Amy]

Thats a good point you bring up the nail clipping. My vet told me it was important now more than ever that I keep Tyler's nails trimmed. I guess with the way they hop there is more of a chance of injury to the nails if they get too long. While I did trim them often I don't ever get them as short as the vet does. Tyler lets me do it but I am always so afraid and never get them real short. So from now on I will take him in to the vet to have that done.

[bossmare]

Yeah, my former bosses wife lost her leg and she says that people will look at her weird but you can't tell she's got a prothesis unless you know. It looks real in color etc. and she gets on great with it. After watching a lot of sci-fi I don't really notice people to much because I guess I'm used to seeing weird things and just blow it off as normal to them.