Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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JAKE had his first round of chemo today.....and i am starting to get concerned about all the meds they have given me.....they recommended 1 tramadol 100mg every 12 hours and 1 gabapentin every 12 hours all they do is knock him out its been 12 days since surgery i am thinking of reducing these to one each a day any thoughts..........oh yes and they also gave me anti nausea pills and diarrhea pills one anti nausea pilll is called CERENIA and it says handle with plastic gloves....i am thinking i will pass on this one ??
Oh no.. don't pass on the cernia!!! That is really great for nausea. I don't remember using gloves to give it though. Chemo (like in humans) can make dogs nauseous. They give them a shot of it at chemo time (I think) and then for a couple days after! I would make sure to keep up with that.
Shelby had slight loose stools but nothing a little pure pumpkin couldn't clear up! 🙂
Jake might be slightly tired or lethargic and that is normal. You are killing the bad cells as well as some of the good ones too. Chemo is good and bad!
Keep us posted on how he is!!!
Hugs!
alison with spirit shelby in her heart
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
I definitely would not skip the Cerenia - it is very, very effective for counteracting nausea. As for reducing the pain meds, you might want to go lower dosage 2 x a day rather than only 1 x a day. I assume the Tramadol is 50 mg pills? Maybe try 1 every 12 hours with the Gabapentin and see if he is more alert. If you cut back on one med rather than both, you can better judge what the impact of reducing that drug is.
Glad for you he has round one out of the way.
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.
Yep!! DITTO Lisa and Alison!!
Keep tne Cerenia! Never heard of using gloves for that! In mh Happy Hannah's case the Cerenia was "if needed". She wasn't even given an anti diarrhea pill.
Some Oncos tell you tonise the Cerenia anyway as aa precaution, some, like my Happy Hannah was told if needed. Just different approaches...both "right"!
Ive forgotten the amount of pain meds he's been on up to this point. Is this a decreae...the same...or an increase? Is he showing signs of pain?
Generally, not always, some dogs start tapering off their pain meds towards the end of the seond week...some don't. My Happy Hannah needed hers going into the third week before tapering off.
The Gabapentin can have a sedation effect on some dogs. You could try the Gaba just once a day (with Vet aplroval) and see if he's more alert.
YAY!! One chemo is done!! 🙂
Lots of 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!
Eurydice only has 1 Cerenia (nausea) pill the morning of chemo day and 1 pill a day for 3 days after, we are finishing the 6 sessions next week.
I never used gloves to handle the pills.
We were never advised to give her anything rather than Cerenia so I am a bit surprised at the array of pills that Jake was requested to take.
Is he starting all those pills fresh, what did he take from surgery up to now?
Is he doing carboplatin?
I would ask my vet what is the reason for all those different pills maybe in Jake's case you've got to do it but I don't remember reading here of anybody taking so many different pills whilst doing chemo (which doesn't mean there aren't others like you, of course)
Sending you a big hug and cuddles to your sweetie pie 
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
Cerenia is great stuff. We did not need it for chemo #1, but did for the others. And, if you do need it, it is great to have it on hand and not have to worry about running to the vet to fill the prescription. Same with the anti-diarrheal. I was told to wear gloves the clean up poo (like who picks up poo with their bare hands!). But no specific warning like that on the Cerenia.
We started tapering off the Tramadol at this point (but still a larger dosage than you are on) - are you on a smaller dosage now as well? We were given the ok to eliminate the midday dose, and then lessen/eliminate other doses as we felt appropriate to manage his pain. By the end of week 3, we were on 1 Tramadol before bed (v. 3 every 8 hours). Talk to the vet before adjusting the gaba, I think it is one that you have to taper.
And yes, my doggy medicine cabinet now has more in it than my people medicine cabinet!
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.
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