Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with neuropathic pain after limb amputation for soft tissue
By M.G.P.A. Ferreira et al.·Published in Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia·2019·View original on DOAJ →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Neuropathic pain and prognosis of a dog submitted to limb amputation after diagnosis of soft tissue sarcoma - case report
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog with a tumor on its left front leg was brought in for treatment, and after surgery to remove the growth, it was diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma. Unfortunately, the tumor's margins were not clear, leading to the decision to amputate the leg. After surgery, the dog showed signs of neuropathic pain, like compulsive licking, which didn't improve with standard pain medications. However, once the vet switched to a tricyclic antidepressant called Amitriptyline, the dog's symptoms resolved. Five years later, the dog remained healthy with no signs of cancer returning.
People also search for: dog leg amputation pain management · soft tissue sarcoma in dogs · Amitriptyline for dog neuropathic pain
Abstract
ABSTRACT Neuropathic pain occurs when there is a lesion or a dysfunction of the nervous system. Humans and veterinary patients may develop neuropathic pain, but in veterinary it is not often reported probably because of its mistaken diagnosis. A canine patient was admitted to the Veterinary Hospital of UNESP-Jaboticabal-SP, Brazil with a nodule on the left thoracic limb. The nodule was surgically removed, and histopathological analysis demonstrated the tumor was a soft tissue sarcoma (STS) and the margins were not clean. Based on the patient’s health condition and the lack of suitable equipment, the next procedure was limb amputation. The patient received analgesic medication in the post-surgery period; nevertheless, clinical signs of neuropathic pain were present, such as compulsive licking and other behavioral disorders. Medications were administered for forty days, but clinical signs ceased only when replaced with a tryciclic antidepressant drug, Amitriptyline. Therapeutic management of the patient in this report can be considered effective, since five years after the end of the treatment there was no recurrence or presence of metastasis.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4162-10778