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Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

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Member Since:
14 February 2016
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5 May 2016 - 4:10 am
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Otis just finished his 4th and final round of carboplatin.  I am really glad it is over, but none of the side effects were so bad that I wouldn't do it again.  He slept nonstop the day of each chemo.  Round 1 we had an episode (explosion, but outside) of diarrhea - the oncologist gives you meds to treat it, and it worked perfectly.  Round 2 and 4 we started the meds as soon as I saw squishy poo.  Nausea rounds 2 and 3 (still waiting to see on 4), which the Cerenia handles.  The oncologist put him on Pepcid AC at round 2 which has worked wonders.  There are definitely days when I can tell he doesn't feel great, and chemo is no guarantee, but I wanted to give him the best chance I could.

Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016.  Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016.  Lung mets August 25, 2016.  Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016.   Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.  

Wherever they are, they are together.

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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5 May 2016 - 9:35 am
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HAPPY GRADUATION DAY OTIS!! Good job!!clap

This calls for ice cream and cake. Keep On Keepin On sweet Otis! All of us are cheering.for you!!clap

Love!

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!

Member Since:
11 April 2016
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8 May 2016 - 5:57 pm
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Thank you for the feedback.   I really appreciate all of the insight and first hand information from folks that have gone thru something similar.  I am glad to hear that Otis finished up his last round!  

I am still not 100% sure what my best course of action is and have decided to go for a second opinion.  I am not too far outside of Philadelphia and made an appointment to see an oncologist at the University of Pennsylvania "Penn Vet".  They have a good reputation and I look forward to getting him down there this coming Thursday to have him checked out.  Otherwise he is doing well.. He was out for a 1 mile 'hop' today.  He seems to like to keep a trotting pace rather than walking.. i think it is easier for him with the one back leg.   Anyway, I am lucky I am in good shape.. we were passing people left and right.  🙂

I hope everyone is having a good weekend, and "Happy Mothers Day" to all those that it applies to..  🙂

Nate

Member Since:
11 April 2016
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12 May 2016 - 4:52 pm
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I took Diesel for his appointment at the University of Pennsylvania today and he had a good visit.  They were happy with his progress 3 weeks post amputation.  I did decide to start him on Chemo, so he had his first round of carboplatin today.   We plan on doing 4 treatments or so on three week intervals.   I was also very encouraged by a clinical trial that they are currently working on, and Diesel may be eligible for after his 4th carbo treatment.   In short, they are working on a vaccine to help extend the lives of dogs who have had a limb amputation from osteosarcoma, are not currently showing signs of metastisized in the lungs, and have had at least four rounds of carboplatin.  Their initial trials over the past couple years seem promising, and they are seeing dogs double the life expectancy with the vaccine vs only doing chemo.    So, that gave me a bit of hope that he may be able to get involved with that trial if there is space still open when he finishes his 4th carboplatin treatement. 

I feel a little emotional relief now that I have a course of action to follow.  Our next chemo treatment will be on June 2nd if he doesn't show any major side affects from the treatment he had today.   Also, aside from the positive hope with a clinical trial, I was also pleasantly surprised to find that the chemo treatments are significally less expensive at Penn vs my local Vet referral center.. by about $250 per treatment.   So, it all makes it worthwhile to head to Philly for his ongoing treatement. 

Nate

Member Since:
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12 May 2016 - 5:23 pm
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Sounds great!  Our oncologist is also trying to get her hands on the vaccine, but we are at a private vet hospital, so who knows.  Feel free to reach out to the community with any questions about chemo symptoms.  It was really helpful to me when I was trying to decide if Otis needed Cerenia.  I had 3 or 4 responses with 15 minutes.  So glad to hear that he is doing well and that you have a plan!

Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016.  Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016.  Lung mets August 25, 2016.  Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016.   Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.  

Wherever they are, they are together.

Member Since:
11 April 2016
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18 May 2016 - 7:09 pm
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Hello - just a quick update.   Diesel had his first round of chemo about a week ago, and he didn't show any side effects from it in the days afterwards.   He was actually very active and his appetite has been very good.   His hair is coming back in a bit, and the incision looks 100x better than it did after surgery a month ago.     He had a visit to the local vet today to check his blood work and kidney functions one week after chemo, and that all looked good.   His next chemo treatment is on June 2nd, so we will see how he handles the next round. 

Nate

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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18 May 2016 - 8:33 pm
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Great news Nate!! Way to rock that chemo Diesel!!clap

So glad to jear how well you're doing! Gettin' on with gettin'on!! Keep up the good work!way-cool

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!

Michigan
Member Since:
2 April 2013
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18 May 2016 - 9:52 pm
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Yeah for Diesel!  Whoo Hooo!  clapclap

Donna

Donna, Glenn & Murphy 

Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17  
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs

Donna.png

Member Since:
14 February 2016
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19 May 2016 - 5:03 am
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Hooray for Diesel!

Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016.  Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016.  Lung mets August 25, 2016.  Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016.   Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.  

Wherever they are, they are together.

Maryland
Member Since:
28 March 2015
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19 May 2016 - 6:55 am
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Good luck for Diesel and the vaccine. I hope it gives you lots and lots more time w/ Diesel. And you're doing it for all of us, so thanks!

Denise, Bill and Angel Ellie

Active 10+ Pyr mix suddenly came up lame with ACL tear in left rear leg. Scheduled for a TPLO but final pre-op x-rays indicated a small suspicious area, possibly OSA, which could have caused the ACL tear. Surgeon opened the knee for TPLO but found soft bone. Biopsy came back positive for OSA. Became a Tripawd 9/18/14. Carbo6 with Cerenia and Fluids. Pain free and living in the moment. Crossed the Bridge on 7/12/15 after probable spread of cancer to her cervical spine. A whole lifetime of memories squeezed into 10 months. Here's her story: Eloise

Member Since:
14 April 2016
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19 May 2016 - 7:57 am
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Hello all,

I am also using Penn Vet and have had a great experience. We are currently enrolled with a clinical trial there but I think it is a little different. Which clinical trial are you hoping to get into? 

Member Since:
11 April 2016
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16 July 2016 - 2:05 pm
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Hi Everyone.  I apologize for not posting in a while, but the summer has gotten away from me in a good way.  Most importantly, Diesel has been doing very well through his chemo treatments and finished his fourth this past Thursday.  He had a little bit of loose stool, but all of his blood work was normal throughout.    I am also quite proud to say that everyone that crosses his path is amazed at how well he gets around.  I may have to print business cards or handouts as I have explained his story about 1,000 times so far.   winker

He is also now eligible for the clinical trial that I was hoping to get him involved in!  So he has a spot reserved which gives me great relief.   Here is some information for those curious about it, although this information is from one of the early iterations of the trial a couple years ago.

http://www.vet......ical-trial

Also, hopefully you can see this video of him swimming at my mothers house from early June.  This would have been just under 7 weeks after his amputation.  Note him swimming circles around my mothers dog with the vest that is aquatically challenged. 

https://drive.g.....TZLXzdkakU

I hope everyone is having a good summer.

Nate

Minneapolis, MN
Member Since:
23 April 2016
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16 July 2016 - 2:37 pm
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dieseldog said
Hi Everyone.  I apologize for not posting in a while, but the summer has gotten away from me in a good way.  Most importantly, Diesel has been doing very well through his chemo treatments and finished his fourth this past Thursday.

He is also now eligible for the clinical trial that I was hoping to get him involved in!  So he has a spot reserved which gives me great relief. 

Wow - great updates, great news!  Congrats!!

Lisa, Minneapolis

On October 27, 2016, nearly 6 months after amputation, and 18 months since his cancer likely started, we lost Pofi to a recurrence of Soft Tissue Sarcoma in his spine quite suddenly.  His canine sister also succumbed to cancer on March 1, 2019 - we lavished her with our love in the interim, but life was never quite the same without her only real canine friend. Cliff kitty had to leave us, too, suddenly, in August 2019. Lucia kitty grieved all these losses, but helped us welcome two new Lurchers into our home and our lives, Shae and Barley.

Blog: Pofi, Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Amputation

Member Since:
14 February 2016
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16 July 2016 - 4:43 pm
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Great news!

Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016.  Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016.  Lung mets August 25, 2016.  Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016.   Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.  

Wherever they are, they are together.

Michigan
Member Since:
2 April 2013
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60
16 July 2016 - 6:59 pm
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awe!  Love the video!

Donna

Donna, Glenn & Murphy 

Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17  
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs

Donna.png

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