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PAIN MANAGEMENT
Zani was on 2mgs of Torb every 8-9 hours and then 2.5mgs at nite which
would take her through the nite, 12-14hours. She was alert, happy,
eating well, going out, walking around to lie under her favorite tree or
on the beach on average 1/2 mile per day in small doses, sleeping w/ me
on my futon the latter 1/2 of the nite per usual and on the floor on both
her right and left ("bad") sides, and was perfectly ok most of the time
w/ my carrying her up/down steps. Not to say she didn't run or jump off
the couch/futon or fly down the steps occasionally, especially to greet
me but, for the most part, she waited for me as she had been taught to.
My fear then was that she would rebreak her leg which would have meant I
would have had to do the inevitable. While she was well and happy, I was
loathe to do so. I knew that day would be in the future and I was
determined to keep that future moment far off.
Torbutral (Butorphanol) is extremely tricky to dose. If too little is
given, there is little pain relief; if too much, the dog is knocked out.
ANXIETY AND HARP MUSIC
Wait for the Sunset and Noah's Harp are 2 CDs (or tapes) by Susan
Raimond, www.petpause.com, which I discovered via Tuft's Whole Dog
Journal (highly recommend subscription). Zani was anxious due to storms,
vet visits, police car lights (we lived in NYC), and riding in cars.
After reading the YOUR DOG, Tufts University School of Medicine, January 2003, Volume IX,
Number 1
, I ordered the
CDs. Zani was the calmest she had been since the onset of her high blood
pressure. And I was able to adjust her pain meds (Torbutral) by
lengthening the intervals between doses. Researching harp therapy on the
web, I discovered various studies describing the merits of harp music.
One such study specifically targeted breast cancer patients who had
diminished perceived pain when listening to harp music. Later I learned
that harp music was used during the Middle Ages to relax those traveling
their last days/hours in the physical world. I played the music non-stop,
making tapes that I could play on auto reverse that would take us through
the night. I tried switching to other music, Chopin's Nocturnes on
piano, 'Tranquillity' types of music, but as soon as I changed the music
during the night, Zani would wake up and quiet down only when I put her
harp music back on. I used the music in the car for her trips to AMC and
for the first time in her life, she settled down quietly. During her AMC
visits, we played her tape (I bought a portable tape deck--try to get a
dog to use a walkman!), and she was so relaxed she laid down to go to
sleep in the examining room. When Dr. Huber took her for blood pressure
checks or x-rays, she was fine as long as the music played; when it went
off, she became anxious. I even found when I played it in the waiting
room, noisier dogs quieted down and became noisy again when the music
left w/ Zani. I sent news of it to all my vets and was told by Dr.
Goldstein's office that they used it all the time. I have to admit, I
slept more soundly finally--maybe because I was more relaxed about Zani
for whom I always slept w/ one eye open trying to anticipate her every
need or maybe because the music was having a therapeutic effect on me as
well. After oversleeping her pain pill, I began to set the alarm to make
sure I was up in time to ward off her coming down off her Torbutral.
Holistic VeterinarianMy research finally led me to make the decision to
invest in a holistic vet via phone consultation. I worked w/ Dr. Robert
Goldstein, brother to Martin Goldstein, DVM, of The Nature of Animal
Healing (excellent resource guide). After careful analysis of her dx,
diet, preexisting conditions, he prescribed Poly MVA, MGN-3,
kidney/adrenal/pituitary drops, Immune System drops, ....
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Pills & Peanut Butter
Pilling doesn't have to be awful for either dog or person in this
scenario. Pills do NOT taste good. When possible, syringing is
preferred method of pilling but not all pills come in liquid form. Zani
loved peanut butter, superchunk, plain, or w/ chocolate bits in it--no,
chocolate is not good for dogs but we aren't talking about megadoses.
Most of the time, I would sit down w/ Z and her pills (and there were
many and more than once per day), put them in a glob of peanut butter and
she would eat the globs. When she was less cooperative, especially as
the number of pills increased, I would gently pry her mouth open and
slide the glob to the inside of her mouth so that she would eat it off
the roof/side of her mouth. Rarely did I have to hold her mouth closed
or put anything down her throat. Cheese whiz, sliced deli meats, sliced
cheese, spam, quality canned dog food...anything the puppy likes to eat
can be used to hide pills. Another trick is to have 2 hands ready so
that the puppy is waiting for the second one while wolfing down the first
one w/ the pills.
RUGS
Non-skid rugs, those w/ rubber backing, such as bathroom rugs, are a
necessity on wooden or tiled floors. If a dog w/ OSA slips and breaks
her/his leg, then it is almost guaranteed doomsday. Although not
ecologically correct, wall-to-wall carpeting is probably the best but
most expensive rug alternative. I bought different size rugs to literally
make a path throughout my mother's and my apartments, where Zani spent
all her time. At first, she tried to dance around them but quickly
learned that she was not as steady on her feet, particularly at a run,
and would come to a standstill and wait for me to 'connect' her to the
next safe place.
SLINGS
Zani weighed 25lbs during her bout w/ cancer. Although not much, 25lbs
can be heavy to carry long distances. We tried various slings. The
least useful is the one they 'give' you after biopsy--flimsy, hospital
blue, collapses, therefore, can't be very comfortable. Ordering them is
tricky (as is just about everything else to do w/ C...!) because the
inches listed for different sizes are not on any ruler/tape measure I
used, or they tend to have handles that are too short--made for taller
than cocker size dogs. I finally sewed two red velour scarves together
the long side which, incidentally, looked great w/ her white coat. I had
ordered a very expensive one from www.K-9carts.com made of neoprene and
lined w/ sheepskin, handles were too short (they sent me extensions) and
we unfortunately did have to use it the last month when Zani had trouble
getting up on her own but still wanted to walk. Also, it was useful for
supporting her weight when she had to potty--she would almost put herself
into a flying position, balancing on her front legs.
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TASKS OF GRIEF