Advice for post op pain please?

[ratbagcatbag]

I'm so annoyed right now :(

My mad 13 yo staffy x had to have his spleen and testicles removed yesterday due to tumours. The incisionis big as the spleen tumour was 9cm long and weighed 1kg.

Dogs mental in car, even going home today, he's just awful and bouncy, so needs to be avoided at all costs.

Dog is a wuss, total wuss, he stubs a paw and cries, so he's definitely in the feeling sorry for himself catagory. Problem is he hardly slept at the vets last night and is so exhausted now he keeps swaying on his legs, but when he lies down he cries then gets up again. Just rang my vets to be informed vets now look after our of hours and they don't have access to medical records, so need me to take dog in, I've explained it's a really bad idea and we just need pain relief to be advised nothing they can do.

I'm so annoyed with my vets who were happy to take £1100 for surgery off me, but then can't share details so my dog is put though the trauma of yet another car trip or a sore night.

Any suggestions on how to make him more comfortable?

No advice on what to do tonight ( hopefully a vet will be along soon ) but tomorrow I would be ringing the vets and complaining about not being sent home with pain relief .Poor dog ,hope he gets well soon , perhaps a heat pad would help

I am a vet. Was he not sent home with any pain relief?

Something like metacam or rimadyl perhaps?

He had metacam anyway? Is that pain relief? The way he's glaring at us all its not working.

Thanks you both by the way. :)

We took him in on Friday with swollen testicles (testes?!?) and that's when they gave him metacam, but I assumed that was anti inflammatory rather than pain relief?

Metacam is both anti-inflammatory and pain relief. But it only lasts 24 hrs. I would have expected that he would have come home with some oral solution as well? (it is in a purple box)

Sorry, didnt explain well,he's got liquid metacam which he had at six pm on a few biscuits, I'm unsure of the dose (dogs my responsibility for bills but lives with my mum nd brother) he's got enough to last until check up on Friday evening.
Are we able to give him an extra dose? He weighs 18kg now big tumour removed.

I wouldn't give an extra dose.

If he is really sore then the ideal would be to get another drug such as an opiate but I really don't think VetsNow would give that to you without seeing him (it is against prescribing guidelines for a dog that you have not seen). So you would need to weigh up the benefit of the extra painrelief over the stress of the car journey. An opoid (like morphine) would make him sleepy too though.

As a last resort you can use paracetamol alongside metacam. For an 18kg dog you could give a 400mg dose and repeat after 8hrs (although I guess you can get back to your own vets tomorrow morning which would be better)

As an extra note NEVER ever give any paracetamol to a cat as it is highly toxic.

It is also contraindicated in dogs suffering from heart, liver or kidney disease and in dogs with stomach ulcers or bleeding disorders so avoid if any of the above apply.

Thanks bounty, ill text mum and see how he is, if we can get through the night ill ring the vets tomorrow morning nd get them to tell me what to do. If he's still awful tonight, ill advise on paracetamol. I did ask vets now about that, but they still suggested I brought him in. Interestingly they have seen my dog as ge was in their care last night post op as they manage the overnight patients for my vets, but that doesn't count apparently.

Again massive thanks. :)

As already said Metacam is a painkiller and apparently the dose has to be very exact as its easy to overdose, dosage is actually measured by weight rather than volume anyway - so he'll more than likely have had 15 which is for 15kg of dog, not just ml or whatever.

There are other painkillers that can be given as well, but he'd need to be seen.

Ask vetsnow for some tramadol and say they can prescribe it as they've examined him last night. Don't tell them I said to though

Seriously though if you were one of my patients and phoned in the day with the same issue provided it was not contraindicated for your dog I would leave it at reception for you to collect. It's kind of the same thing. Except vetsnow might have different prescribing rules. But you are in a better position as they have at least seen your dog and must know about his surgery given as they provided the post op care

For what it's worth my dog reacts like that after anaesthetic...so it might not be pain that's the issue.

Just spoke to mum, dog is fairly settled and sleeping so long as she doesn't move, she's sleeping on the sofa do she's downstairs with him, advised her about paracetamol as an absolute emergency but he's that exhausted he may just be ok now until the morning.

If he's even worse I would take him in, but the wounds clean no weeping etc, its just sore for him.

What are the chances of vetsnow not charging me £135 call out to get the prescription if I need it?

Tabs, my dog really really really is the wussiest dog ever, this will feel like the end of the world for him, he alternates between wanting our attention then glaring at us. :)

Glad he's more settled

I have no idea what they'd charge you as we still go our own out of hours so sadly I still have to work some nights

It sounds like wait and see might be the best bet if your mum is happy to sleep on the sofa with him. Has he eaten and drunk and passed urine?

Yes to all three, not passed stools yet though, my mum said it seemed he did a bit, but pushing hurt. :(
He's also still begging for food bad owners when mum was having tea, he's just complaining a lot too :)

I'm gutted my vets moved to vetsnow for ooh. Ill be changing vets because of it. :(

Well that's good if he's begging for food. Perhaps he's enjoying the sympathy vote too. Give him the paracetamol if he needs it though. I'm off to bed now :)

And he might not have much motion to pass yet if he was starved pre op