# pain killing injection



## mitch4 (Oct 31, 2009)

One of our girls Ella went to the vets tonight with a really bad ear, they examined and found a very ulcerated canal, Ella has suffered with her ears since a young dog and is 7 now so her canals are thickened. The vet gave her a pain killing injection, now this was at 6.30pm approx.. by 8.30pm, she was crying, the crying got worse and her behaviour became eratic, she became wobbly and disorientated and acting like she was hallucinateing, i let her out in the garden thinking shed benefit from fresh air, well she tried to escape over the gate, bought he rback in and for the next 3 and 3 quater hours shes stood in the kitchen trying to avoid things that are clearly not there and scratching to get out of the house, its been awful, shes finaly starting to settle and has now gone in to the bed in the kitchen and is lieing down, crying on and off.

Well in between all this i phoned the emergency vet and she could tell me as i remembered the names of the drugs given that one was morphine based and that some dogs and cats react like Ella, hallucinate and get very distressed, well why were we not told this was the drug being given and its possible side effects, i would never have allowed it to be given, im mad with myself for not asking but i really didnt in my wildest dreams think morphine would be given for an ulcerated ear as shes had it many many times and they just give anti imflamatory injections

Seemingly the drug normally lasts between 6 and 8 hrs, so my poor girl has another probably 2 hrs of this hell to go through, i cant even comfort her as its just got to take its course, I switched the tv and radio off and bless the other dogs they are giving her her space but this is probably because they are extremely worried about how shes behaving, shes our little protector, nothing ever phases Ella normally 

Thanks for listening


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## momentofmadness (Jul 19, 2008)

I can't believe they haven't mentioned possible side effects.. that is outrageous.. I hope she can get some sleep and sleep through the rest of this period and that her ears get better for her.. xxx


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## mitch4 (Oct 31, 2009)

Thank you, shes sstarted to cry quite frantically again, its awful to see her like this 

Like you i just cant understand how the vet could avoid telling me about the side effects that are possible with this medication Ella must feel like shes being tortured


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## momentofmadness (Jul 19, 2008)

mitch4 said:


> Thank you, shes sstarted to cry quite frantically again, its awful to see her like this
> 
> Like you i just cant understand how the vet could avoid telling me about the side effects that are possible with this medication Ella must feel like shes being tortured


Quite possibly.. 
I was given some pills by docs once no mention of side effects.. I was like a raving paralyzed lunatic..Docs were rang and they said what would be happening to me.. I couldn't even speak.. I was dumped with my neighbour to watch me cause I was on another planet.. I only know what I was up to cause they told me the next day..

So hopefully once she settles and gets to sleep. it will leave her system and she wont ever remember what she was going through.. xxx

I know its not much help but apparently there is nothing vets and docs can do to reverse these episodes.. xxx


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## mitch4 (Oct 31, 2009)

momentofmadness said:


> Quite possibly..
> I was given some pills by docs once no mention of side effects.. I was like a raving paralyzed lunatic..Docs were rang and they said what would be happening to me.. I couldn't even speak.. I was dumped with my neighbour to watch me cause I was on another planet.. I only know what I was up to cause they told me the next day..
> 
> So hopefully once she settles and gets to sleep. it will leave her system and she wont ever remember what she was going through.. xxx
> ...


Thanks again for your support and good wishes for her, the vet said there was nothing they could do now shed had it and Im going to pray you are right that once shes slept and its out of her system she will not rememebr any of it

Sounds like you had an awful time on that medication, we have to place such trust in doctors and vets, its quite scarey at times


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## Old Shep (Oct 17, 2010)

I don't want to worry you, but (as I'm sure you know) ear pain is one of the most painful things a dog can have. Are you absolutly sure the reaction is to the drug? Ear infections can cause loss of balance and disorientation and if the morphine is wearing off she may be in pain again.

Morphine is one of the safest painkillers around (they give it to women in labour, for instance) I'm sure your vet gave it because of the pain the dog was experiencing.

I hope she gets well soon.


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## mitch4 (Oct 31, 2009)

Old shep hi and thanks for posting

Ellas been in so much pain many times with her ears and shes never reacted like this, the vet did feel she was in pain and its not the fact she gave her the drug, its the fact she didnt tell me exactly what it was and the possible side effects but when we took her to the vets she wasnt acting like this, she was hanging her head and rubbing the affected ear on the floor and scratching at it but no shes not acting in pain at all, she keeps looking as if somethings flying over her and trying to get out the back door, shes continually crying and standing up looking at the back door and ducking her head, very sad to see her like this


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## momentofmadness (Jul 19, 2008)

Old Shep said:


> I don't want to worry you, but (as I'm sure you know) ear pain is one of the most painful things a dog can have. Are you absolutly sure the reaction is to the drug? Ear infections can cause loss of balance and disorientation and if the morphine is wearing off she may be in pain again.
> 
> Morphine is one of the safest painkillers around (they give it to women in labour, for instance) I'm sure your vet gave it because of the pain the dog was experiencing.
> 
> I hope she gets well soon.


I imagine all dogs react in a different way.... Just hope she is feeling a bit like herself now.. xxx

I was given pethidine whilst in labour with my first child.. i hallucinated and became aggressive on that and am not allowed it again...


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## mitch4 (Oct 31, 2009)

Hi there

well it took till 6.30am till she settled, she was completely distressed all the way through till about 5.30am and then it took another hour before she settled, she hasnt slept much and is still warey of her surroundings but thank god is allowing herself to rest and has stopped crying, shes sleeping a little at the moment and one of my other dogs mabel isnt leaving her side, shes in the bed cuddled up with her. 
When Ella tried to get over the garden gate last night in her distressed state, mabel got between ella and the gate and pushed ella backwards away from it as much to say your not going anywhere. Its behaviour like this that shows our dogs have real good instincts


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## Leah84 (Jun 22, 2009)

that`s awful, poor paw pads 

my vet gave jake a painkiller injection a few weeks ago and never even told me what it was. i was so busy worrying about jake then the next thing i seen him put a needle in and asked what it was, i was pretty shocked he never asked my permission first but luckily it seemed to help in his case.

i hope your girl is feeling better soon


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## mitch4 (Oct 31, 2009)

Thanks Leah


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## mitch4 (Oct 31, 2009)

thanks lyka and yes, we should all be more pressing wth our questions when at the vets, i normally am and did ask what the meds were and what they did but didnt think to ask what they contained fully or side effects, next time i definitely will, our pets cant ask themselves, i felt so responsible last night watching my lovely girl go through such a terrible time

Shes eaten a meal and seemes much brighter, although still very quiet and cautious about things but on the mend


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## mollymo (Oct 31, 2009)

Hope ella is feeling better tonight...nothing worse than ear pain or tooth ache.
Poor girlie and a worry for you.


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## mitch4 (Oct 31, 2009)

thanks mollymo , 

i think she would have prefered to have the ear ache than the hallucinations and distress she went through last night but agree ear ache and toothache are terrible and when i see her near to banging her head on the floor with pain i could cry and its half the reason i was probably not so on it with the injection i just wanted her out of pain


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## Old Shep (Oct 17, 2010)

It might be an idea to make sure that this reaction she has had is clearly marked on her records for all to see (locum's for example). Morphine and derivitives are present in other medicines too--so best to make sure her notes are marked. I'm glad she's on the mend.

In humans the half life of morphine is about 4 hours which means that after 8 hours there should only be about 1/4 of the dose left. The rest is gone by 12 hours. I'd _imagine_ it'd be fairly similar for dogs.


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## Kaila (Jan 21, 2017)

My dog is going through the exact same thing right now, he had a painkiller injection at 6pm this afternoon and Ive never heard him cry like this, its breaking my heart and causing me anxiety, it is almost like all his fears have come at once and he is simply pertrified, seeing things we can not...I asked for side affects and I got told nothing just sleepy... well I wish he could sleep but we cant leave the room and he insists on crying and whimpering whilst hiding in the wardrobe. I would never have let him go through this if I had known.


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