The vet said that Tramadol can be kind of hit and miss with dogs and I think Cole is one of those unlucky ones who it doesn’t help much. It was fine when he had the Bupivacaine catheter but as soon as that was taken away, he became increasingly more uncomfortable. We told her we never see much of a difference with the Tramadol other than that one desperate moment the first night when they told us we can give him an extra tablet. We are stopping the Tramadol and they put a Fentanyl patch on him and gave him an injection to hold him over until the patch kicks in. He is doing much better now and is resting after he ate dinner. He seems much more comfortable.
He has some fluid along the bottom of his ribs but not under the incision but doctor said it is ok, keep an eye on it but this amount is not out of the ordinary and she doesn’t think she needs to intervene unless it gets much worse. We will keep up with the icing and other medicines and I will keep updating as we go.
You must have been so worried when Cole showed signs of distress! A lot of dogs seem to have trouble w/ Tramadol. For our Ellie, it was like she was on a bad acid trip, seeing bugs crawling on the walls and hearing things we couldn’t hear. She panted and was very anxious and would just stand and stare off into space. In any case, I’m glad you got Cole something that would help him. He’s a big boy and he’s had a big operation so try not to worry too much. I’m sure you feel awful that he feels awful, but this is just a little backward step before he starts moving forward again.
We didn’t see any signs of funny side effects, only that it doesn’t work very well for him if at all. I can empathize with him, I am really resistant to pain medications and have to take almost twice the usual dose to even make a dent. I’m really glad there is an alternative for him. He was feeling pretty good last night lol. The vet also gave us some anxiety medication so he can be nice and squishy and relaxed.
YAAAAAAAAAY FOR COLE PORTER!!!!!
Management of pain, especially on big cuddle bears with smoochable mugs, can be difficult!
I’m sooooo glad he’s home! And I know Cole is relieved! I bet his first thought bubble when he got home was to count his legs and make sure the Vet didn’t keep another one!
Thanks for the update! Just love this guy!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too
I think his first thought was “wow, look at all those pink elephants” lol. We had to hold his head up so he could take his pills and prop his feet up on a pillow because they were hanging off the bed. He is doing great now and got some sleep last night.
Yay so glad hes in a better place with his pain. I think Tramadol is one of them with people to. I take Tramadol for Cancer myself, but my father in law was prescribed it and had a funny turn with it.
Bless Cole and WEll DONE to you as well not always easy to spot these things, when they happen.
YAY COLE! Your a super star!!!! <3
Lots of Love from Leo and Me xxx
Thank you! He is a super star in my book too 🙂
OH you guys, I’m so sorry you’ve been on such a rough road. I just now had a chance to catch up and what a relief to see that he’s home and doing better but MAN I’m so sorry. You are all rock stars and doing great, he has awesome care and I’ll bet that in a couple weeks you will feel such a huge sense of relief when his old sparkle comes back.
If you need anything, just want to vent, whatever, please don’t hesitate to call us on the helpline OK? 844-TRIPAWD. xoxo
How is that sweet boy doing?
He’s doing great! Posting an update now. Thank you for checking in 🙂