hurtin' pup
April 15, 2011 10:26 PM Subscribe
My dog had oral surgery today and had six teeth out; all went normally. Sent home with pain meds, and has taken them. She has been whining all night, and I know I would too if I were her, but I'm running out of ideas. What else can I do to help both of us sleep?
(When she had back pain and surgery last year, she almost never whined; she just acted sad and withdrawn. Now it's as if she wants me to do something for her and doesn't know what. Noms? Cuddles? Outside? Bed? NO NO NO! Poor kid.)
(When she had back pain and surgery last year, she almost never whined; she just acted sad and withdrawn. Now it's as if she wants me to do something for her and doesn't know what. Noms? Cuddles? Outside? Bed? NO NO NO! Poor kid.)
Response by poster: I just stumbled on a web page with a secondhand report of a vet saying that whining is a side effect of tramadol, which she was given for pain. Explains something, perhaps -- I'll call the office and ask in the morning.
posted by Countess Elena at 10:42 PM on April 15, 2011
posted by Countess Elena at 10:42 PM on April 15, 2011
Call your vet in the morning and see if maybe you can get more pain meds. When my cat had all her teeth pulled, she was miserable until I mentioned possibly getting her more painkillers, and the vet promptly gave her more of the good stuff. She was fine after that (although a little doped up!)
As for tonite, I have no idea. What your pup most likely wants for you however, is to make the pain go away. It's heartbreaking, I know... Is there anything you can do that would distract her a bit?
posted by cgg at 10:42 PM on April 15, 2011
As for tonite, I have no idea. What your pup most likely wants for you however, is to make the pain go away. It's heartbreaking, I know... Is there anything you can do that would distract her a bit?
posted by cgg at 10:42 PM on April 15, 2011
Do you have a 24-hour emergency vet nearby that you could call for advice? They may be able to prescribe a few extra pills to get her through the night or have some suggestions on making her more comfortable.
Good luck! Hope she feels better soon.
posted by lucysparrow at 10:47 PM on April 15, 2011
Good luck! Hope she feels better soon.
posted by lucysparrow at 10:47 PM on April 15, 2011
Are the pain meds the same ones she had before? My dog had to have some teeth pulled a year or so ago, and the experience of being on the pain meds was actually very upsetting for her. I stopped giving them to her after the first couple of doses because once they started to kick in, she would get very distressed until she fell asleep, and as they wore off she'd get distressed all over again. Once they wore off all the way, she wasn't quite her normal self, but she was much more chipper.
If it helps, my dog seemed totally unperturbed about the whole experience by the next day, except that she didn't want to play tug of war for a while!
On preview: I'm pretty sure tramadol was the medication they gave my dog too.
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 10:47 PM on April 15, 2011
If it helps, my dog seemed totally unperturbed about the whole experience by the next day, except that she didn't want to play tug of war for a while!
On preview: I'm pretty sure tramadol was the medication they gave my dog too.
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 10:47 PM on April 15, 2011
Response by poster: I counted the hours and it turned out that just now was exactly time enough to give her another 25 mg of tramadol, according to the bottle label, so I did. She slept for a short while after she had the first dose, so maybe that will help her catch a nap.
posted by Countess Elena at 10:57 PM on April 15, 2011
posted by Countess Elena at 10:57 PM on April 15, 2011
IIRC, Tramadol made my dog stop pooping for a couple days. You might want to give yours some canned pumpkin or something like that to keep things moving if it seems like that might be an issue.
posted by thirteenkiller at 7:10 AM on April 16, 2011
posted by thirteenkiller at 7:10 AM on April 16, 2011
Whining after anesthestia is pretty common. It's unlikely to be anything whatsoever other than dysphoria (i.e. she feels weird and is telling you about it). Keep up with her pain meds, and try to just ride it out.
posted by biscotti at 11:04 AM on April 16, 2011
posted by biscotti at 11:04 AM on April 16, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for weighing in, biscotti. I went this morning, talked to the vet and got her an extra Deramaxx prescription. That made her pretty comfortable for a while. She's whining again, but she just got her next scheduled tramadol, so she should be relaxing a little. I just put her on my lap, which may have been what she wanted anyway . . . she's been using her "I want something" whine, which makes it so confusing and pitiful!
posted by Countess Elena at 1:55 PM on April 16, 2011
posted by Countess Elena at 1:55 PM on April 16, 2011
She may benefit from going for a little walk or something physical like that. Some dogs snap out of that feeling faster if they do something physical, get some fresh air.
posted by biscotti at 5:37 PM on April 16, 2011
posted by biscotti at 5:37 PM on April 16, 2011
How big of a dog are we talking about because 25 mg is a very low dose.
Also, one of our dogs, a german shepard mix, gets whiny when she's on it regardless of her pain level- it's just what she does when she's on it.
posted by TheBones at 5:54 PM on April 16, 2011
Also, one of our dogs, a german shepard mix, gets whiny when she's on it regardless of her pain level- it's just what she does when she's on it.
posted by TheBones at 5:54 PM on April 16, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by MidSouthern Mouth at 10:35 PM on April 15, 2011