ASSESSMENT OF PRESENCE, PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED TO PHANTOM LIMB PAIN IN A CLIENT OWNED DOG POPULATION AFTER LIMB AMPUTATION

Phantom Limb Pain (PLP) refers to pain perceived in the area of an amputated limb. Despite the comparatively high rate of limb amputation in dogs, occurrence of PLP has not been systematically studied. Hence, we screened a client-owned population of dogs with limb amputation through an online survey aimed to document PLP prevalence, risk factors and owner´s perception of their pets´ quality of life (QoL). The 75 questions survey evaluated reasons of amputation, pain before and after amputation, pain frequency (expressed as daily, weekly, monthly or yearly episodes) and QoL after amputation. Data were analysed with a Chi-squared test. 156 dog owners completed the survey. The main reasons for amputation were cancer (59%) and trauma (35%). According to the owners´ perception, pain appeared similar before (81%) and after (86%) amputation (p=0.44). Over time, 66% of dogs experienced pain between 24 hours to 1 week, 20% between the second and fourth week, 9% between one and three months and 5% between three and six months after amputation. Duration of preamputation pain correlated positively to the frequency of painful episodes after amputation (p=0.001). Despite 22% of owners were not satisfied with pain control, 86% of them did not regret the decision of amputation. Post-amputation pain is a common problem in dogs affecting 86% of patients and requiring appropriate treatment. Besides pain reported within the first week after amputation, 20% of dogs showed pain at a later moment resembling PLP. Duration of preamputation pain is a risk factor associated with occurrence of PLP.