Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello everyone!
A little over three weeks ago my beautiful 8 and 1/2 year old German-Shepard/Lab mix Sasha was diagnosed with Osteo Sarcoma. She has a visible tumor in her front right leg. Naturally I was pretty heartbroken but determined to do whatever I thought was best for her.
After hearing my options from an Oncologist at the animal hospital we have used in the past, I opted not to amputate but to administer palliative radiation and use pain medication to maintain her quality of life. After three radiation sessions it was clear that it was not having the desired effect. Sasha was visibly in much more pain that she had been three weeks ago, not to mention on an increasingly high number of pain pills which were borderline getting hard to keep track of. Sasha weighs 96lbs.
A few days ago, after our 3rd radiation treatment, I decided I wanted to re-evaluate since it was clear the the course of action I chose was not the right course for my girl in this situation. To the credit of the staff at Blue Pearl Veterinary Hospital in NYC, they arranged it for me and Sasha to come in and meet with the oncologist, the radiologist, and the orthopedic surgeon all at the same time. This happened today. X-rays show that there is no visible mets-- and the surgeon feels that she is a good candidate for amputation. So we have surgery scheduled for next week. I have also reached out to a homeopathic doctor who I found many references to on this site so I can get Sasha on a great diet with good supplements as I am choosing not to use chemotherapy.
My emotions were all over the place today, and all I wanted to do was consume as much information as possible so I could make the best decision for my girl. This site helped tremendously. Wow. So informative and inspirational. So I just wanted to introduce myself and say thank you. What a tremendous community you have here. This site was actually recommended to me by my oncologist. Thank you all for your honesty and sharing your stories. It is very helpful.
xoxo Tom and Sasha
Welcome Tom and Sasha, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
I'm sorry you are dealing with OSA in your precious girl, but I'm glad you found us and have found useful information here. Once you join you are family and in addition to information and inspiration you will find tons of support. We have been there and understand what you are going through.
Please let us know if you have any specific questions or concerns.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Welcome and so sorry you have to be here. However as you're finding out its the best place to be for love and support. I'll be sending positive thoughts and prayers to you next week for surgery day. You'll be taking beautiful Sasha's pain away and she will thank you for it. We had a 110# GSD and once he figured out his mobility there was no stopping him. Sasha will amaze you with her resilience and how fast she will adapt to her new normal. She will be feeding off your emotion so be sure to stay strong in front of her and act like this is no big deal. I found out very early on if I was calm so was Max and if I panicked he did too. Around here we call this being more dog. Keep us posted we'll be here to help with questions and to support you! Hugs to you and the beautiful Sasha!
Adding to all the pawsitive healing energy!!
This piece of crap disease makes us do "forced choices" we would rather not do!
You clearly love your gal and you are making a decision outnof love for her!!
Sasha needs to be rid of that painful leg so she can get in with living life to the fullest!!! It's ine surgery and then she's done!! No back and forth Vet trips!
Now, that's not to say that recovery is a happy time! It's rough for a good two weeks! And sometimes larger dogs take a bit of time to get their mobility figured out. There will probably be a lot of tweaking with the pain meds keeping her pain managed.
We will all be here to help you through that and answer any questions. YOU ARE NOT ALONE, OKAY? Stay connected and let us know how we can help you further.
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
sashaobama said
This site helped tremendously. Wow. So informative and inspirational...
This site was actually recommended to me by my oncologist.
Thank you! That means so much to us, who is your Oncologist?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
admin said
sashaobama said
This site helped tremendously. Wow. So informative and inspirational...
This site was actually recommended to me by my oncologist.Thank you! That means so much to us, who is your Oncologist?
My oncologist is Dr. Britton at Blue Pearl Animal Hospital in NYC. I posted in the recovery forum as well--- but looking for some advice on getting sasha to take her pills. She's spitting out chicken meatballs! She's only been home a few hours but she's on antibiotics as well as pain meds and I don't want her to miss them. Any advice?
Aww please thank Dr. Britton for us, we are honored when vets recommend us!
I just posted some pill-taking ideas in your Treatment and Recovery message. Hope the tips help!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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