General Question Fentanyl Patch

[cali baker]

Has anyone had their bully on this fentanyl patch? it's a strong narcotic in a patch form that delivers pain relief for 72 hours. Finn had the patch placed on him after the surgery on Thursday and it will last until Sunday, then on Monday, I take him to the vet's to get the patch removed. The only thing is, Finn has been rather agitated and since 3:30am today has been pacing around the house. He also threw up 3 times

I know fentanyl can cause confusion and agitation in dogs (as well as humans), but I just wanted to know if anyone else has had experience(s) with this medication and if I should continue to keep him on it or not. I'm afraid that if the patch is taken off early, he will suffer from pain. But if the patch is causing this agitation, then he is again suffering in that way. He also keeps licking the area where the patch is (hind leg), b/c i think he might be getting some skin irritation. He's also on Rimadyl and Tramadol (as needed), so he does have pain relief back-up if the patch is to be removed.

As far as the vomiting…I think I gave him too much food yesterday. He's also on all these pills that require him to have food with it (plus he won't take a pill w/out it hidden in liver or cheese). So, I'm going to ease up on the feeding today and see how he does.

I will be giving the vet's office a call once they open in 3 hours too...

 

[Pati Robins]

My hubby use it -,as far as im aware they use it in cancer patients too -so sorry i never had to use it on a dog but i can make you fell ill but if it is causing irritation it should be removed i would take it off after contacting vet for an advice

 

[2BullyMama]

Nitschke had this patch twice.... But all it did was make him sleep,I think outside of eating all he did for those three days was sleep and poo

 

[ddnene]

Henny, I have never been on a patch… but I know that when my daughter was on a patch (and she has extremely sensitive skin) it left a red area that she complained was very itchy. We used vaseline to get the sticky residue off her skin as well… I would ask the vet and she what she recommends. Maybe it would be best to take him off of it if it's driving him crazy?!! I would say the vomiting is the result of the meds & the anesthesia… Poor Finn, I hope he can settle down & get some rest today. Sending hugs & prayers… keep us posted!!!

 

[cali baker]

Just back from the vet's office. They took off the fentanyl patch. I got some chlorhexidine and an antibiotic/steroid ointment for him too. His butt is all red and looks irritated. I'm going to have to get a bigger medicine cabinet for all of Finn's drugs!

 

[Pati Robins]

Hope Finn will feel better soon xxxxx

 

[cali baker]

Thanks Pati and everyone!

He's been throwing up this morning. I'm sure it's from all the pills he is taking. I was supposed to get my haircut today but I cancelled that b/c i don't want to leave him alone. Tate's at day camp today b/c this will help Finn rest more (hopefully). So my raggedy hair and split ends will have to wait. Oh, I need a bath too. And a nap!

 

[dolphin]

I feel kind of stupid as I didn't know that patches were prescribed for pooches. I hope he starts to feel better and his stomach calms down its got to be quite a shock to his system having all of the different meds in such a short span of time.

 

[brutus77]

I hope he can settle down and rest. I know Fentanyl is a really strong narcotic so it really could have upset his tummy. Give him kisses from us and get some rest.

 

[Manydogs]

Wondering how Finn is doing today?

 

[cali baker]

Finn is doing a lot better, thank you!

Since removing that patch yesterday, he hasn't been acting agitated and pacing around. And, he actually slept for a few hours straight last night, not waking up til almost 4am..woohoo!!
[MENTION=9370]brutus77[/MENTION], yes, fentanyl is very powerful and i think it just wasn't suiting him.
No more throwing up either; actually, i think it was more of a regurgitation than true vomiting. He was burping a lot so i think he was having some gastric reflux. You are right [MENTION=6717]pdolphin27[/MENTION], all those meds for him (for anyone really), could potentially mess up with his system. I didn't need to give him his rimadyl today and only one tramadol yesterday. His butt where they shaved him shows some "diaper rash" looking spots so i just cleaned them with chlorhexidine and put some antibiotic ointment on.

Hoping the next few days his sleep will be more regular (and longer), and he will be back to his old, naughty self!

 

[dolphin]

Finn is doing a lot better, thank you!

Since removing that patch yesterday, he hasn't been acting agitated and pacing around. And, he actually slept for a few hours straight last night, not waking up til almost 4am..woohoo!!
@brutus77, yes, fentanyl is very powerful and i think it just wasn't suiting him.
No more throwing up either; actually, i think it was more of a regurgitation than true vomiting. He was burping a lot so i think he was having some gastric reflux. You are right @pdolphin27, all those meds for him (for anyone really), could potentially mess up with his system. I didn't need to give him his rimadyl today and only one tramadol yesterday. His butt where they shaved him shows some "diaper rash" looking spots so i just cleaned them with chlorhexidine and put some antibiotic ointment on.

Hoping the next few days his sleep will be more regular (and longer), and he will be back to his old, naughty self!

Thats great news! Good to hear he got some solid sleep, I hope the diaper rash clears up.

 

[brutus77]

Your a great mommy. He will be 100% in no time.