Tripawds Three Legged Dog & Cat Forum Archives
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat. Explore 17+ years of forum archives for stories and answers to questions about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery. Enjoy fresh discussion and connect with members in the new Tripawds Support Circle.
Join The Tripawds Community
Register your free account to join the Tripawds Support Circle. Connecting with members and getting the support you need is now easier than ever with the Circle app!
✅ Easy Photo Upload
✅ Direct Messaging
✅ Subscribe to Topics.
✅ Live Chat and much more!
Forums Locked: Search archives for answers & join Tripawds Support Circle to keep discussion going!
Log In
Members
Dear Friends: I am so overwhelmed. I just don't know what to do. When we received Romeo's diagnosis we were going to do chemo, go all the way. Romeo had his surgery on Aug 17th and has recovered very well. Still, he is 9 1/2 years old and this has taken a lot out of him physically and emotionally (I know people have different theories about the "emotional" aspect, but I'm going w/ my gut (and heart) here). He is just starting to get some of his spark back. The vet called today to confirm osteosarcoma from the biopsy. Romeo's lungs were clear. He was not limping (well the day we took him in, but on pain meds he was himself that night)----I just noticed a bump on his leg--seemingly out of the blue. The surgery was a difficult decision because he just had the one freak day---he was running around happily, swimming, playing.
Romeo has struggled w/ GI problems all of his life. He had a two life threatening bouts of pancreatitis when he was ages two and four
(eating a very dead rotten fish on the beach and snatching an old roast chicken from the neighbors trash---gross.) They just seemed to take a toll---and we've had struggled w/ gastric reflux, possible irritable bowel etc for many years. This is complicated of course by the fact that he is a lab mix and wants to eat everything, all the time!
We live in CT but made the decision to have his surgery back at beloved vets in VT. It's about a 4 1/2 hr drive. One, we felt he should be treated by amazing vets who truly know and care for him. Second, a board certified surgeon in VT performed the surgery for @ 1500. In New Haven they wanted $4500. The same is true for chemo---here in CT they are quoting us a price about $4000 higher for chemo than in VT. We can only afford this treatment by driving up to VT---our family is there so it is somewhat possible to make this work.
Still, we are determined this will not be a financial decision. We love Romeo like a child. He is the heart and soul of this family and we want to do what is best for him. Still I had to mention the commute because it does complicate everything and is weighing into our decision---because it will affect how much time Romeo spends as a "patient." Romeo will need to go to VT for chemo every three weeks and this will take us through January (because they alternate the drugs).
We started to feel like he will just be getting his strength back and we will be jumping in with chemo. When he is not in VT he will
have to go to the vet in New Haven for lab work and an ekg. It just seems he will be hooked up to something/feeling crappy/at the vets for the next five months. I know Romeo and he will not like this, but he will chug along if we ask him to. What if he does not have much time left? This does not seem like a good quality of life for a boy who loves his bed at home, his family, and just loves to sniff around the barn and the park. I don't want him to associate going to VT with bad things (if you ask him if he wants to go to VT he runs to the car).But of course we are torn---what if we could save him w/chemo? I never thought I would have to deal w/ his mortality at this age---I thought I had a few more years.
One of the vets in VT now practices eastern medicine. He does a lot w/ acupuncture, herbs and supplements. We understand it is more of a quality of life approach. Wondering if this has helped others out there. My partner is a nurse practitioner. We are not anti-Western med, just thinking about our beloved boy and what would bring him the most peace and happiness. After the amputation, I felt like we bought ourselves two more years. I am afraid if we don't choose chemo we will lose those, afraid if we do we will spend precious time on ivs, exhausted, on the highway, w/ all sorts of GI complications.
Oh--the drugs they would use are Adrimycin, Carboplantin, and Doxorubicin (spellings?)
Any thoughts, experiences, opinions would be appreciated. Sorry to go on and on. We are trying to make this decision and I have not cried so much since surgery day. Thank you so much, Eve
Dear Eve,
I know it is so hard. Most of us on this web site have had to make the same decisions and know it is not easy. I think it you are considering chemo that you remember that dogs don't usually have the same side effects that people do from chemo. Emily sailed through her chemo with the exception of dipping white blood cell counts. She had about two days between treatments when she slept a lot and other than that she was her same perky self. You would think that Emily would hate going to OSU hospital but she loves it there. Most likely Romeo will still be excited to go to VT! By the way, this is from a dog that needs to be sedated for a nail trim! It's a good thing the chemo IV is not in her foot!
Try to not cry. I truely believe that you will do what is best for you, for Romeo and for your partner. I know you have heard it here before but it bears repeating: There are no wrong choices. We are all doing what we can for our babies and you will make the right choice.
Debra
Debra & Emily, a five year old doberman mix, who was diagnosed with an osteosaecoma. She had a right rear leg amputation on May 19, 2009. On November 10, 2009 she earned her wings and regained her fourth leg.
7:47 pm
Vet Expert
Vets
Members
23 August 2008
Offline
As far as chemo goes I would probably avoid Adriamycin (generic name is doxorubricin) and just do carboplatin every 3 weeks for 4 or 5 treatments. I would avoid the Adria for your dog because it is the most likely to cause GI problems and must be given precisely in the vein or skin sloughing can occur. Any general vet should be able to administer carboplatin since it can be given directly IV and has very minimal side effects. It is now generic so the cost has come way down (drug cost for my Tazzie who weighs 184 pounds was around $125 per treatment). You may be able to get your local vet to administer it without driving 4 hours or paying so much.
Having said that chemo is not for everyone. I would see what your holistic vet has to offer. I am using artemisinin for Tazzie and my other dog takes a chinese herb called Stasis Breaker to help reduce blood flow to her tumor. Fish oil, Power Mushrooms, and other antioxidants can all help in addition to a good diet.
You also might want to consider Metronomic chemotherapy since that can be given at home and your local vet can monitor bloodwork, etc.
Pam and Tazzie
8:24 pm
13 July 2009
Offline
Hi Eve and Romeo
I understand many of your concerns. I was driving 3 hrs with my dog for surgery, for the first two chemos. It was a pain, but had to be done. My dog was also a slow-starter following surgery so I really wondered if he would be ready for chemo.
But around the time we went back to the vet for chemo, he started to perk up. That was at the end of week 2, so he actually became perkier after the chemo, just because he was finally past the 2 week hump following surbery. He did slow down 1 week later (after having Adriamycin) for 2 days when his cell counts became low, but I can't say he felt ill, he just slowed down.
On Adriamycin (doxyrubin), he had some side effects: loss of appetite, hair loss where it was growing back - nothing serious but on the carboplatin he hasn't had anything that I could notice. We are doing a combined protocol, but a single drug is just fine.
In any case, I don't think you need to worry about your dog feeling sick throughout the months he is on chemo. My dog has been getting better and better, with perhaps one slow day (someone else might not even notice that). Except for the darn hair which probably won't grow back until we are done, it gives some assurance that there are things that might keep the mets at bay.
Having said all this, you can always stop the chemo if it does not work out for some reason.
When we had carboplatin, I was able to drive Tazzie home the same day they gave the drug to him. You should not have to be stuck in Vermont for a long time - maybe one night before chemo so you can take him in the morning.
I am now in a completely different city, with no oncologist anywhere near, so a 'regular vet' will be administering the chemo. I called a few places to find a clinic that had some experience - not too many do. In any case, she can handle both drugs (has lots of experience with adryamycin and nastier drugs for different types of cancer). I bet it will be heaps cheaper than at the long-distance oncologist where we were going before. They charged me prices similar to your quotes, which are pretty high compared with most experiences on this website. Then again, I am paying Canadian dollars which are currently worth less than the US kind.
It is reasonable to be torn about these decisions and I empathize with your long-distance issues. I was facing those all summer.
Susan & Tazzie 2
9:01 pm
Team Tripawds
Administrators
25 September 2009
Offline
Eve,
We hope you are finding comfort here by our friends at Tripawds. There is such a variety of experiences that everyone has to share. And like everyone says, there are no "right" answers. Every dog is different, every situation is too.
It's so weird how when dogs get cancer, making treatment decisions is so different than if you were talking about a human family member who's battling an illness. In that case, protocol says you do everything within your means to fight for their life. But when it's a dog we are talking about, all that goes out the window. Humans are so weird.
As I mentioned before, we opted out of chemo for the exact same reasons you are considering. I'm not saying this is the right decision for anyone, this is just our experience. For us, not doing IV chemo was less of a financial decision and more of a decision to honor Jerry's zest for adventure, and hit the road for a while as pack. We went with our gut feeling, and got very, very lucky that he was able to beat the odds for so long.
Despite our luck, the fear that we made the "wrong" decision never really went away, at least in me, especially when we discovered lung mets sixteen months after diagnosis. For a while I was wracked with guilt over not doing IV chemo, but I had to let it go. Being miserable was not in Jerry's best interest, and if his time was indeed limited, I didn't want him to remember me as a crying mess. So I did my best to hold off on the tears until a day that would hopefully be far off in the future.
In my book, going with your original gut feeling is important. That feeling comes from all those years you have spent together with Romeo, knowing his personality and what he would want; your decision didn't just appear out of the blue.
Should you go the holistic route, remember that that option also comes with a high level of time and financial commitments, if it is to work the way it's supposed to. In many ways, traditional chemo could be a lot easier to deal with.
Talk about it some more with your partner, and just keep telling yourself, there are no "right" answers.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
2:45 am
28 November 2008
Offline
Eve, the final decision is yours and you will make the one that is right for you and Romeo. I had much the same fear as you when it came to making the chemo decision. I was terrified it would be much too hard on Trouble and would wreck her quality of life. I have an awesome vet, who along with my husband convinced me to give it a try. Do one treatment and see how he responds. Trouble did well with minimal side effects. She was a little nausious for less than 24 hours, and a little tired which ranged from a few hours to a couple of days.
Trouble had Carboplatin, and we asked our local vet to administer it. He consulted with a veterinary school 3 1/2 hours away and saved us a long trip for a patient that wasn't totally feeling well.
You might take my approach and see how one goes, you may be surprised.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
5:42 am
2 June 2009
Offline
I have nothing more to offer than what others here have said, but I just wanted to let you know that we are thinking about you and are making the same decisions. Jack just had his 4th chemo last Wednesday (adriamycin) and had clear x-rays before it was administered. He has had no side effects (sans 2 days ago, and once he got his anti-nausea pill he was fine) and actually seems perkier the day of chemo and the couple days following, but he loves our Oncologist and her tech, so I think getting to see them brightens his day 🙂 However, we are now having to decide if we want to continue with the last 2 treatments, try just one more, or just call it good and keep him on his supplements. It is a financial burden for us as it is almost $400 every 3 weeks, but Jack is obviously responding well to the chemo so we are going back and forth weighing the finances vs. the potential health benefits. As you can see, many dogs here have decided on different treatment options, and there is no right or wrong answer. You can always try one chemo session and see how it goes. I even read yesterday about a dog who had amputation only and is about to celebrate his FOUR YEAR anniversary. Every dog battles the disease in its own way, and you know Romeo better than anyone else to know what's best for him. Let us know what you decide!!
<3 Laura and Jackers
6:30 am
13 July 2009
Offline
Hi Romeo and Eve
I guess you are hearing from us blabbermouths more than you bargained for! Me especially. As Jerry said, there are options and the decision depends on you, your dog and your lifestyle (e.g., an extended road trip like Jerry had might make traditional chemo hard!). Certainly we never got into a decent rhythm or away from the constant worry when I had to travel long-distance for Tazzie's treatment. The choice of carboplatin made it much easier on us, because there is so little worry about side effects. Having to worry about side effects is the pits.
But using metronomics
the way that Jerry did instead of chemo is not abandoning him. Metronomics is considered a legitimate treatment scientifically (although don't expect all vets to know about it), even though it has a slightly different role than traditional chemo. There are many different reasons to do or not do chemo - a few of us piped in simply to indicate that chemo will probably not lay Romeo low or mean he will become a lab rat (a role reserved for Tika 
). (Cherry had a different story in that she would not eat for a prolonged time throughout chemo - which might be a good thing for a crazy Lab like yours, ha.
But lots of dogs have happily hung around without having gone the chemo route too. Romeo is 9&1/2 and you probably caught the cancer early. He may do very well if you go the metronomics and holistic route.
I know what you mean about that darn Lab stomach and tummy-driven brain. My last dog was a yellow lab x shepherd cross, ALWAYS getting into something (often in someone's trash or some dead thing in the park) and ALWAYS getting sick. As it sounds for Romeo, he was totally fat intolerant by the time he was 5 and from then on was often confined to a diet of rice and cottage cheese or baby food for much of the last 11 years of his life (he lived to his 16th bday). (You might need someone to advise you on a cancer diet that is not too high in fat for Romeo given his GI history.) He even opened the oven door to get food and share it with his doggy visitors once when we stepped out of the house.
Susan & Tazzie 2
7:15 am
Eve and Romeo,
I'm so sorry you are here, but so glad you found us! It's a great place to identify resources and 'talk through' things.
There have been several pieces of advice that I have found that have helped me in my decision. First, there is NO wrong decision that is made in love. No matter what you decide, it's the right answer for where you are, with the information you have. You can only look at the information from the vets, and know your dog and your life, and weigh it all to come up with a decision.
I just finished the book <a href="