Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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hi all
I write this in tears. I have just spoken to our vet who completed Barney's amputation and he has informed us that it is bone cancer, osteosarcoma and that to extend Barney's life chemo would help this. Please can I get any advice on other peoples experiences with their dogs having chemo. The vet said Barney would need 5 doses. I feel sick and scared. Does it really extend their lives? Does it make them ill? I don't want his last times with us being really sick.
thanks
Barney and Naomi x
Sorry you got the bad diagnosis of osteosarcoma.
Rocky was diagnosed with osteo in February. So far, he's had two rounds of chemo (Carboplatin) and hasn't had any issues at all (knock on wood). His oncologist said 90 percent of her patients don't experience any side effects. In general, chemo is easier on animals than us humans.
As far as whether it's worth doing chemo, I think that depends. Rocky's usual vet (who advocated for the amputation) wasn't wasn't as positive about chemo, saying he wasn't sure it added enough quality to warrant doing. Rocky's surgeon said if you have the amp, you should follow up with chemo. And the oncologist obviously advocated for chemo, saying it would add a year or more to Rocky's life expectancy.
At least for Rocky and me, I have no regrets about doing chemo so far.
David and Rocky (and Baxter now too!)
Rocky had his right front leg amputated on Valentine's Day 2017 after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
He joined the September Saints on September 3, 2017.
He is the toughest, bravest, sweetest and best friend I'll ever know.
Hugs Naomi & beautiful Barney. Most dogs do well with chemo. They usually sail right through it with maybe a few loose stools or nausea which your oncologist will more than likely give you medication for ahead of time. Some get lower blood counts which they monitor for and adjust timing and amount of chemo. The good thing with chemo is you can change your mind at any time about giving it if you see your dog is adversely affected. Some here have done just that. Our Max had no problems at all with the chemo. The only reaction he had was being tired the next day and slept a lot. But you have total control and can stop at any point which gave us a sense of relief. I'm sure chemo has helped many with extending their lives but some have lived just as long without it too. It's no guarantee its just one more tool we have to help in this fight. Hugs to you and your sweet Barney!
Ditto here, Naomi. I got the exact same statements as Rocky's dad and that pretty much took care of that decision for me. We sailed through 5 rounds of chemo without any side-effects apart from maybe being a little tired for two days. The oncologist here said that he gets one dog every 5 years who doesn't handle the chemo well (of course I thought that the five years had to be over when we started 😊)
and as Linda Said: you can always stop if Barney has problems.
Then again: there are no guarantees whatsoever of course that this will definitely change any outcome. But trying it was worth it for me. And we are 15 months post amp...
whatever you decide: we all know (and so does Barney) that you're doing that in his best interest so it's fine!!
biggest hugs!!
tina & Manni
Guardian of Manni the Wonderdog. -Or was it the other way around?
Osteo and amputation in Dec 2015. Second, inoperable, primary osteosarcoma found in June 2017.
The end of our adventures came Dec 10, 2017. 2 years to the day.
Hi Naomi and Barney--
My dog Luka is a husky mix who has osteosarcoma also. His leg was amputated in January, and so far he has had three rounds of chemo. Our experience with it has been pretty good, Like Rocky and Max, Luka has been tired for a couple of days afterward. After round one, he was most tired but had no other side effects.
Luka's white blood cell count dropped the second week after the first chemo, but was back up by the third week. This has probably been his pattern throughout, though my onco only had us do weekly checks after the first round. She always checks again before administering a new round.
I was very wary about the chemo because of the mysterious reliability of it, the likelihood of mets anyway, and the potential sickness, but after finally deciding to go through with it, I am glad I did. I am still trying to decide if we will stop after four treatments or go for the full six.
Hard decisions, but Barney is living in the moment, whatever you decide, and knows you're in it together!
Lisa and Luka
Hi guys,
Thanks so very much for your comments. since finding out the diagnosis I am totally devastated and I'm not coping well at all tbh. All the info and decisions and all to a outcome I can do nothing about 😢 Sorry for being negative. I have still not decided on wether I should give Barney chemo or not. Would be good to hear off any people who chose after amp, to not do chemo. I have many many questions, 14 to be precise that I want to ask the oncologist. My issue is that we live 250miles away from the surgery so to take Barney there is a 5hr drive and we have to find somewhere to stay at extra cost, we also do not have pet insurance. So if we decided to go ahead with chemo and needed to go back it would not be possible. The oncologist has said they do a technique where they administer the whole 5 doses in one go but over 4 days and slower. This, they say seems to work well. There is somewhere very close to my home that also could administer the chemo the normal way every 3 weeks but this is more costly. It is however by home so no journey for Barney and if any complications I can get there in 15 mins. My head is everywhere. I'm going to ask the questions I have to both and then try and decide.
Did people find their dogs were ill at all after chemo? As nobody can tell us how long we have left for sure I don't what to put Barney through and stress or have him fell sick and ill. He is currently doing fantastic.
thanks all
Naomi and Barney xx
naomi said
...since finding out the diagnosis I am totally devastated and I'm not coping well at all
That is totally understandable. Just be sure to remain strong around Barney, since he will sense your emotions and follow your lead. Our best advice for coping is to Be More Dog . And that's not just some silly saying, listen to our Be More Dog podcast for details.
Did people find their dogs were ill at all after chemo?
find lots of feedback in this popular forum topic about chemotherapy. Our video interview about Daisee's chemo session also includes an oncologist discussing common side-effects and when to expect them.
FYI: We were in a similar situation with Jerry and chose not to do any IV chemotherpay sessions. Doctors gave him 4-6 months without it, and he loved life on three legs for two years!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Maybe ask the vet/oncologist if there are any oral chemo drugs that could work? That might make for a more viable option so you wouldn't have to drive so far and worry about the added costs with that....just a thought! Good luck!!!
Doxie the Italian Mastiff lost her right rear leg to osteosarcoma on 3/9/2017 and has been hopping happily since!
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