Osteo Thread

[BauersMom]

Also - I have him on pepcid AC already but I can't give that within two hours of the gabapentin. Should I see if immodium is OK to add?

 

We're on the amicar for 10 days post surgery - is this what most do?

[NeylasMom]

I looked over to the pen yesterday and he was roaching. He did it twice, actually!

 

He has diarrhea - it started when we started the amicar two days before the surgery and I'm sure adding all the other meds hasn't helped. I told the vet about the diarrhea with the amicar but she still wanted him on it. I'm not sure what to do - he's already on a bland diet and I don't want to fast him and have to give him the meds on an empty stomach.

Are you giving pepcid already? If not, pepcid 20-30 minutes before his meal, then his meal, then his meds. You might also try metamucil wafers with his bland. All the dogs that have come through my house have loved the apple cinnamon flavor. I do 2 in the first meal, then 1 in each meal after that until things improve. It's not unusual for the stool to be orange or look gel-like after giving them, just so you aren't concerned.

 

If none of that does the trick, then I would talk to the vet about whether adding in flagyl or carafate would be appropriate.

[BauersMom]

I looked over to the pen yesterday and he was roaching. He did it twice, actually!

 

He has diarrhea - it started when we started the amicar two days before the surgery and I'm sure adding all the other meds hasn't helped. I told the vet about the diarrhea with the amicar but she still wanted him on it. I'm not sure what to do - he's already on a bland diet and I don't want to fast him and have to give him the meds on an empty stomach.

Are you giving pepcid already? If not, pepcid 20-30 minutes before his meal, then his meal, then his meds. You might also try metamucil wafers with his bland. All the dogs that have come through my house have loved the apple cinnamon flavor. I do 2 in the first meal, then 1 in each meal after that until things improve. It's not unusual for the stool to be orange or look gel-like after giving them, just so you aren't concerned.

 

If none of that does the trick, then I would talk to the vet about whether adding in flagyl or carafate would be appropriate.

 

 

Metamucil is a good idea - I have some of the plain stuff on hand I've used with pups before that I can mix into his meal.

 

We must have been posting about the same time - I am giving pepcid, but the scheduling is all screwed up because I can't give it within two hours of gabapentin... and since he gets that twice a day, I'm sort of at a loss as far as a good time to give it.

 

Here's the current schedule as far as meds:

AM - gabapentin, amicar, tramadol, deramaxx

mid-day - pepcid AC then amicar

PM - gabapentin, tramadol

before bed - amicar

(We usually end up with another tramadol dosage sometime around 3am or so, too, when he gets restless)

 

The other thought I had is to give the pepcid very first thing in the AM, then breakfast and meds two hours later?

[greysmom]

Dude only got the amicar for a couple days post-surgery. He was off it completely by the time we brought him home. Same for the pain meds. He never was on tramadol - only codeine and *one* dose of ace (plus antibiotics and anti-inflammatory).

 

I'm not sure if Pepcid will help with diarrhea. Most likely, it's all the meds. Dude also had weird poops for several days after he came home and the doctor said it was his body clearing out all the post surgery stuff. You might try adding some sweet potatoe to his food. It's good for adding fiber and bulk, and also has cancer-fighting nutrients.

[NeylasMom]

I looked over to the pen yesterday and he was roaching. He did it twice, actually!

 

He has diarrhea - it started when we started the amicar two days before the surgery and I'm sure adding all the other meds hasn't helped. I told the vet about the diarrhea with the amicar but she still wanted him on it. I'm not sure what to do - he's already on a bland diet and I don't want to fast him and have to give him the meds on an empty stomach.

Are you giving pepcid already? If not, pepcid 20-30 minutes before his meal, then his meal, then his meds. You might also try metamucil wafers with his bland. All the dogs that have come through my house have loved the apple cinnamon flavor. I do 2 in the first meal, then 1 in each meal after that until things improve. It's not unusual for the stool to be orange or look gel-like after giving them, just so you aren't concerned.

 

If none of that does the trick, then I would talk to the vet about whether adding in flagyl or carafate would be appropriate.

 

 

Metamucil is a good idea - I have some of the plain stuff on hand I've used with pups before that I can mix into his meal.

 

We must have been posting about the same time - I am giving pepcid, but the scheduling is all screwed up because I can't give it within two hours of gabapentin... and since he gets that twice a day, I'm sort of at a loss as far as a good time to give it.

 

Here's the current schedule as far as meds:

AM - gabapentin, amicar, tramadol, deramaxx

mid-day - pepcid AC then amicar

PM - gabapentin, tramadol

before bed - amicar

(We usually end up with another tramadol dosage sometime around 3am or so, too, when he gets restless)

 

The other thought I had is to give the pepcid very first thing in the AM, then breakfast and meds two hours later?

I've never heard of needing to give the Gabapentin away from the Pepcid. I gave them near each other at times. Can you give the Gabapentin later rather than at the same time as the other meds? Spacing them out might give him better pain control anyway and allow you to lower dosages sooner. My guess is it's likely the deramaxx and/or the amicar giving you issues (aside from the other possibilities like overall stress, recovering from surgery, etc.) so if you could work out being able to give the pepcid before those meds, it may help. I also think it's pretty important to give it before Deramaxx simply because of hte potential for stomach ulcers, but I've become a little neurotic abotu the risks of nsaids despite many people using them without ill effects.

 

Anyway, if you don't want to change things around, yes, I think you could at least give the pepcid first thing. It may not do much, but it certainly doesn't hurt.

 

The other thing you might consider is adding a probiotic to his regimen. That may take a bit longer to help, but I've actually seen some pretty solid results using them for some of my fosters and with Neyla. I tend to stay away from teh stuff you have to get from the vet, but in this case I actually like Forti-Flora, which I believe is made by Purina and your vet could provide to you. I think you can also get it online though for less. It's a powder in individual packets you just sprinkle over the food. With all of the meds, stress, anesthesia, etc. I'm sure his gut is out of whack.

[BauersMom]

Here's the info on gabapentin and pepcid.

http://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/gabapentin-with-pepcid-complete-1147-0-467-602.html

 

This is for pepcid complete, not pepcid AC. I had thought both had an antacid, so maybe the easy answer is to just get some of the non-antacid version. Won't cure the diarrhea, but hopefully can buffer his system a bit until we can pull him from the meds.

 

I thought there were a few other pups from the last thread going in for amps last week - how is everyone else doing?

[krissn333]

So glad that Berk is doing well-is he sleeping through the night without problems?

 

I hope his diarrhea will resolve soon

[joejoesmom]

I looked over to the pen yesterday and he was roaching. He did it twice, actually!

 

He has diarrhea - it started when we started the amicar two days before the surgery and I'm sure adding all the other meds hasn't helped. I told the vet about the diarrhea with the amicar but she still wanted him on it. I'm not sure what to do - he's already on a bland diet and I don't want to fast him and have to give him the meds on an empty stomach.

 

OSU had me give famotidine (pepcid) without the antacid. Joe got Amicar for 5 days, not 10. I believe that the primary role of pepcid is to help protect the stomach, not to relieve diarrhea. OSU has had me give peptobismol caplets with meals, but I know that not all vets agree with giving pepto. It can turn the stool almost black which can be alarming. Since blood in the stool also makes the stool black, if you give pepto you will not have this clue if there is a larger problem. I definitely would call your vet to see if he wants you to give Flagyl (metronidazole). It can work wonders for diarrhea. You also might want to ask again about the need to keep on Amicar if it is causing diarrhea. Has your pup had some bleeding or significant bruising causing the need to continue it longer?

 

OSU starts chemo 14 days after the amputation, if the dog doesn't have any complications to prevent this. Your vet should be contacting OSU about now to get the free chemo drugs.

 

So glad to hear that he is roaching!

 

Jane

[BauersMom]

No bleeding or other issues - that's just their 'standard' length of time for Amicar. To me, it looks like he has pretty minimal bruising, especially compared to other photos I've seen. I emailed the vet last night and should hear back today and hopefully we can just stop it altogether. He got the non-antacid pepcid last night, in addition, and I'm starting to pull back on his pain meds just a bit.

 

He's been getting up once during the night each night - usually a little restless. A bathroom trip and some pain meds and he's usually good until we get up. Last night was the first night he didn't need any additional pain meds.

 

Here's what I woke up to:

[NeylasMom]

That is awesome! Go Berkeley!

[greysmom]

Berkeley!

 

 

Have been having an issue with Dude. He threw up yesterday morning early - I figured it was just normal, empty-stomach barfing since it was all bile. He ate breakfast like usual with no problems, then threw up four times around midday. (yuk) Acted fine and even ate dinner. Bathroom habits are normal, no temperature, activity level fine. Barfed again in the middle of the night. {{{{{sigh}}}}}

 

Our onco is on vacation this week, but her tech said to give him some metoclopramide. We fasted him this morning, and I just gave him one pill. We'll see how he does this afternoon. He's not going to be happy if he doesn't get dinner either!

 

Hugs to all.

[robinw]

Julia, how is James doing today?

 

Emma, Berk looks fantastic!! Absolutely amazing!

 

Jane, I'm so sorry about Twister

[krissn333]

Berkeley it sounds like he is just sailing through recovery, especially considering he's had a front leg amputation (seems the front leg amputees sometimes take a bit longer to figure out how to move around and get comfy with their new setup)...just absolutely great!

 

Hugs for Dude, hope it's just sour tummy and resolves very soon

[BauersMom]

Awww, Dude, feel better soon buddy!! Poor fella. Is he able to keep water down ok?

 

Berk jumped on the couch today. Uhhhh? Bud, you aren't even a week out of surgery! He's going to give me (more) gray hair....

 

And we had a firm(ish) poop today! Metamucil did the trick.

Edited July 27, 2011 by BauersMom

[Charlies_Dad]

Chris, is it possible that Dude ate anything outside that my have disagreed with him? We have had this issue with Charlie, latest was chicken poop and he threw up which of course worries the heck of you. I hope Dude is feeling better today.

 

Way to go Berk!!! Keep it up buddy...getting on the couch, that is awesome! Charlie was on our bed (which he is not allowed to do) a few days after his amp.

 

I hope James is okay. Waiting patiently for an update from Julia.

[MP_the4pack]

Awww, Dude, feel better soon buddy!! Poor fella. Is he able to keep water down ok?

 

Berk jumped on the couch today. Uhhhh? Bud, you aren't even a week out of surgery! He's going to give me (more) gray hair....

 

And we had a firm(ish) poop today! Metamucil did the trick.

 

Um yup! That's what I found with Diamond. She started to do things that I didn't think she was ready for and really had to rein her in. But I much prefer them trying to overdo it than not being doing well. Way to go Berk.

[Guest juliagulia630]

With a very heavy heart, it is time to let James go. I can't fool myself any longer. He is struggling. I told myself at the beginning that I wanted to let James go peacefully before he suffered. Before his amputation we had made a list of 5 things that make James, James. We are only down to 2 things that he still enjoys. He rallies all the time, I think for my benefit. I know he doesn't want to leave us so he puts on a brave face when I am in the room. But he is withdrawling from the rest of the family. He bit my husband last night as he was getting pet and has been sleeping in another room from where the family is.

I know I won't feel 100% confident about timing. It is just an awful thing we have to do as pet owners. But it is the most important thing. I owe it to James to give him permission to let go.

[Batmom]

I'm so sorry you're at that point. I hope your husband is OK.

 

Give James a scritchie and a treat for me, will you?, and tell him how handsome he is.

 

Keeping you in my thoughts.

[BauersMom]

With a very heavy heart, it is time to let James go. I can't fool myself any longer. He is struggling. I told myself at the beginning that I wanted to let James go peacefully before he suffered. Before his amputation we had made a list of 5 things that make James, James. We are only down to 2 things that he still enjoys. He rallies all the time, I think for my benefit. I know he doesn't want to leave us so he puts on a brave face when I am in the room. But he is withdrawling from the rest of the family. He bit my husband last night as he was getting pet and has been sleeping in another room from where the family is.

I know I won't feel 100% confident about timing. It is just an awful thing we have to do as pet owners. But it is the most important thing. I owe it to James to give him permission to let go.

 

I'm so sorry. The greatest gift we can give them is a peaceful passing, even though it royally sucks.

[MP_the4pack]

I'm so sorry to hear that James' time on earth is over.

 

I have 5 at the Bridge and it's never gotten any easier.

 

 

has anyone heard from Pam (bertnlil) about her Lily? Last I heard was 2 weeks ago.

[greysmom]

No barfs for 24 hours so we're back to doing good. I have really no idea why he was barfing in the first place, but the metocloprimide did the trick.

 

Julia, I'm so sorry for you and your family. If James is withdrawing from the family it's likely he knows it's time. Please know we'll be thinking of you all.

[krissn333]

I'm so sorry about James

[robinw]

I'm so sorry about James

[lovinggreysslp]

I am sorry to hear about James.

[Guest azlorenz]

 

I am so sorry to hear about James.