Hello everyone. Its been a very very long time since I've posted.

Last Thursday my dog, Ludo, a 120lb Cane Corso was struck by a truck. He broke both right legs (femur in rear, ulna and radius in front), had 2 surgeries and is finally today back home.

I'm looking for any advice from those whom may have dealt with a dog in this situation. He is VERY uncharacteristically grumpy and growls when touched. He's never tried to bite me until today. I'm really worried about him. He's got bottles full of antibiotics and pain meds but they really upset his stomach. Whats worse is that I live alone and in the middle of nowhere so I have no assistance with this.

Any advice would be very appreciated. Thank you so much.

So sorry to hear this. I don't have much advice but did you call your vet and tell him what's going on at home? Maybe there are different meds for pain that he can tolerate?

Please keep us posted.
Lynn

 Quote: Antone Jones

Hello everyone. Its been a very very long time since I've posted.

Last Thursday my dog, Ludo, a 120lb Cane Corso was struck by a truck. He broke both right legs (femur in rear, ulna and radius in front), had 2 surgeries and is finally today back home.

I'm looking for any advice from those whom may have dealt with a dog in this situation. He is VERY uncharacteristically grumpy and growls when touched. He's never tried to bite me until today. I'm really worried about him. He's got bottles full of antibiotics and pain meds but they really upset his stomach. Whats worse is that I live alone and in the middle of nowhere so I have no assistance with this.

Any advice would be very appreciated. Thank you so much.

More info.

He cannot walk on the cast(s)? What exactly are the bottles of meds? How are you doing potty?

What kind of touching do you mean? Do you mean that he growls if you touch, say, his back?

P.S. Which is upsetting his stomach? An NSAID or the antibiotic?

If it's an NSAID triggering diarrhea or vomiting, that's a clear warning that this dog may not tolerate NSAIDs, in my book. I would have to see about going with something else.... maybe Ultram (Tramadol)?

I had a 15-year-old mixed breed who was hit. She was so old, the car knocked her down easily and there were no major injuries. She was really sore and stiff - I think all her muscles probably hurt from the whiplash type shock. This is probably what is going on with your dog on top of the broken bones.

What kind of pain meds are they? The above dog I mentioned could not take Metacam because it made her throw up immediately, before it could be absorbed. (Apparently this is common). If it is Metacam, and your dog is sick from it, see if you can switch to another NSAID medication. (There are many) or maybe Cortisone.

Phone your vet and ask if it is OK to give Tylenol (acetomenaphin) to your dog in the meantime and what the dose is. Don't give your dog ibuprofen (Advil) - it is toxic.

EDIT: I was typing while Connie was typing. She is right - it is possible your dog can't have NSAIDs at all (mine could). There are a lot of pain medications to choose from, so you need to phone your vet.

I'm not sure what NSAID is but the vet told me to try separating the 2 meds (the pain and the antibio) by 1hr to see if it helps. After 3 attempts, he finally got the food down. I just hope the meds sat in his gut long enough to kick in. It was only 10mins or so after he took them. The doc said I have to assume he got them and wait until the next scheduled application.

He's on...
Tramadol
Cephalexin
Deramaxx

The touching is just general touching when he's laying down. If we're outside walking around the yard, he's fine. I think he's very terrified that I'm gonna poke and prod him like they most likely had to do at the vet, which I'm positive wasn't enjoyable.

Someone correct me if I am wrong but, I don't think you should ever give Tylenol to a dog as it is toxic.

Try feeding the dog a little bit of food before giving the meds and then give the meds with some more food. I often wrap the meds in ground meat or Velveeta cheese.

Hope he's better soon, sounds like a horrible ordeal.
Debbie

 Quote: Angela Burrell

Phone your vet and ask if it is OK to give Tylenol (acetomenaphin) to your dog in the meantime and what the dose is. Don't give your dog ibuprofen (Advil) - it is toxic.

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/acetaminophen-toxicity-in-dogs/page1.aspx
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_you_give_a_dog_Tylenol

 Quote: Antone Jones

I'm not sure what NSAID is but the vet told me to try separating the 2 meds (the pain and the antibio) by 1hr to see if it helps. After 3 attempts, he finally got the food down. I just hope the meds sat in his gut long enough to kick in. It was only 10mins or so after he took them. The doc said I have to assume he got them and wait until the next scheduled application.

He's on...
Tramadol
Cephalexin
Deramaxx

The touching is just general touching when he's laying down. If we're outside walking around the yard, he's fine. I think he's very terrified that I'm gonna poke and prod him like they most likely had to do at the vet, which I'm positive wasn't enjoyable.

What exactly was the intestinal distress? Vomiting or diarrhea? Was it after the Deramaxx? It's an NSAID, and probably the most likely of them to cause intestinal problems. It's better than most of the NSAIDs for dogs, but some dogs get bleeding ulcers from NSAIDs and intestinal distress is Sign #1.

Personally, I would explain the intestinal problem and the worries about the NSAID, and I would discuss using only the tramadol, which is narcotic-like but non-narcotic. I find that it's the only pain med I can take that doesn't do all the things that the opioids do (fuzzy brain, constipation, nausea). It has a similarly pretty good history with dogs. (No pain meds are perfect.)

I would guess that he needs this moderate level of relief rather than OTC meds (light relief). Also, as others have said, be VERY careful about OTC meds for pain with dogs; aspirin, for example, is nowhere near as safe for dogs as it is for us.

I would have the dog on fish oil and E because if you give up the NSAID, then you lose its anti-inflammation benefit. Fish oil is a less-immediate anti-inflammation agent, but at least it's extremely safe.

Anyway, I'd discuss all this carefully with the vet.

I'm not a health professional; this is all JMO.

P.S. The top and bottom ones you listed are the pain meds.