Two months post amp becoming more fearful

[Gardenrosakim]

Skip has always had a fear of floors. He was a foster fail for us after he was bounced from his adoptive home due to that fear among other issues of timidity and nervousness. We have wood floors in our home so when we started fostering him, we put down rugs everywhere for him to walk on. Once we adopted him, we kept the rugs but always thought we could work with him and he might overcome his floor phobia. He never did do we kept the rugs (a variety of non-matching, different sizes, our house looks like a rug store 😀). 

5 years later, age nine, Skip had his back leg amputated two months ago due to bone cancer. He is exactly 2 months post surgery today and has been doing well. 2 weeks post amp he was fine with our floor/rug set up and was hopping up three steps in our backyard. Suddenly in the last week he has become so fearful that he hesitates to go up even one step let alone three. He won’t cross bare floor between rugs of even 12 inches. If his water dish is across that chasm he simply will go without water. We reconfigured the rugs this morning to cover every inch we could but…

I am wondering if others have experienced this with their post-amp greyhound. Since he was always had this issue I want to think that his vigilance has been pushed to high alert because he feels vulnerable but my worst fear is that he has pain somewhere in another limb. He doesn’t limp but he didn’t limp before his leg broke 2 months ago either. He is taking normal walks and will even hop up on the sofa. He shows no visible signs of pain. Has anyone else had a Tripawd that became more fearful with daily movements? Thanks, Kym

[FiveRoooooers]

Your boy is so handsome. I haven't had a tripod but sat for some a few years ago. My first thought is similar to yours, that Skip is feeling pain somewhere. Have there been xrays of his remaining hind limb, hip or lower spine? How much pain medication is he currently receiving? With Gabapentin you have a lot of room to increase the dosage and given his dx of osteo you'll not want to be stingy with his meds. It's great that you're so mindful about placing the rugs where he needs them. (Punkin isn't a tripod but hasn't and never will walk on an uncovered floor; yoga mats are our friend).

Hang in there with sweet Skip. I'm sure others with more experience will chime in.

[Gardenrosakim]

Thank you so much! He is due to have chest X-rays at the three month mark but I can see if I can have that sooner and ask about a fuller set of films to include other limbs etc.

I smile hearing about Punkin. We really thought Skip could conquer his fear eventually. We consulted with a trainer and tried our best but he was having none of it. We used clicker and treats but anytime you ask Skip to do something for a treat he immediately becomes suspicious and then worried. We gave up and put down more rugs…

[ramonaghan]

Yes, we had a very similar experience with Sweep. She was 11 when she had her amp, so it coincided with some age-related hind end weakness, and she became much more timid about getting around in general. We actually purchased her a 16-foot runner from Overstock so she could have her "runway" to and from the back door. She basically stayed in our living room for her last 7–8 months, which was sad for us (she didn't supervise meal prep or join me in my office anymore) but didn't seem to bother her one bit. She played musical beds and had her old lady zoomies outside. She was never in any pain that we could tell; we let her go 15 months after diagnosis due to lung mets.

[Gardenrosakim]

That is helpful to hear. Skip also seems to be limiting his footprint in the house. He stays in our family room mostly but used to come down the hall to be with me when I was sewing. He won’t do that anymore either. He is really fearful of the steps to the yard now, and we can take him down the hall to go outside comfortably with no steps—which he doesn’t like either.  I don’t want him to be fearful or worried many times a day so we’ll keep trying to figure out how to make things work for him.

[greysmom]

It's pretty common for them to become more protective, especially if they experience even a minor slip or trip.  Is he currently on a pain regimen??  Most do well on a combo of a tolerated nsaid, a true pain reliever such as codeine sulfate, and gabapentin which is a multiuse drug for nerve pain and anxiety.  You might talk with your vet about upping or adding the gabapentin.  Or adding in another actual anti anxiety drug.  Some people have also used Amitriptyline, which is an anti depressant, but it increases seratonin production and helps other drugs act more effectively.  It can also act as a pain reliever instead of an opioid.  It's especially useful for nerve pain.

[gracegirl]

Our Tessie is 8 month post amp and is much more cautious of our hard woods as well. She forgets to be fearful if there’s something exciting going on like a walk, car ride, or treats. I figure she’s had life altering surgery, so our floors are covered with rugs and runners. 

[MP_the4pack]

Unless you've seen him 24/7 he could have slipped on the floor. Not necessarily fallen but slipped enough to have given him a fright.  Besides rugs, I believe there is a product you can put on their feet to make them stickier. Maybe that might help. 

[BatterseaBrindl]

Agree.  Skip may have had a little slip that you didn't even notice and now he's being extra careful.

Our Mario was 9 when he had his LF amp and we got him 6 weeks later.  He could not manage at all on our lamiate and we quickly put down non-slip carpet everywhere.  

Joshi had her RF leg amputated when she was only 8 months old. We got her last July when she was 15 months and she has had zero issues with any of our laminate/hardwood flooring and the vast majority of the carpets were removed shortly after her arrival.

Perhaps it's an 'age thing' 

Skip is older, as was Mario.  Joshi is a carefree, not-quite 2 year old.

[Gardenrosakim]

Thanks everyone for your helpful replies. I am wondering now if something happened to scare him because no matter how we take him outside he freaks out. After breakfast this morning I took him out the back door to avoid the steps in the yard and he was just a wary and panicked, and it caused unsteadiness for him because of his fear. Maybe an anti-anxiety drug would be helpful. Once he is in that mode of wariness, it is hard to overcome it. 
 

Thanks for sharing stories of your houses with rugs and runners decor. Nice to know we are not alone in that. 

[ramonaghan]

We did not try them with Sweep, but when our newbie Willa went through a "the floors are lava" phase after a slip, we used Dr. Buzby's toe grips and they worked well. They're a pain to get on, but once they're on, they stay on quite well (and that's with a  4-year-old, so I'm sure they'd do even better for a 9-year-old tripod). Please keep us posted on Skip's progress!  

Edited March 16, 2023 by ramonaghan
busby, buzby, whatever