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9:10 pm
Moderator
14 August 2009
Offline
QuoteHow wonderful about Winston!
I will with all my heart that both Winston and Abby will be miracles! It is the season of miracles!
Comet - 1999 to 2011She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
6:49 pm
29 October 2010
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Reluctantly… I am updating this topic I started. I thought that if someone is searching on the HO term, they might see this and wonder what happened/how it all worked out.
To begin with, we never did try the biophosphonate (sp?) shot that I mentioned above as a treatment option. Abby was doing well on tramadol and gabapentin for the pain so we never really needed to try anything more "drastic". Our onc said it might not help anyway (as some dogs don't react to it) and it's expensive, so we never tried it. She really didn't seem to be in much pain (other than the initial weekend when we knew something new was wrong), although her agility went way downhill and she changed her gait a bit toward the end.
Also, the Masitinib didn't help.
In the end, it was not the HO that forced our hand to make her "appointment with heaven." It was the mets themselves. Even though she only had 3 of them, one was near her airways, so once it got bigger, she couldn't breathe well. So, we didn't get the 2 months that the onc said is the usual amount of time, post dx. We only got 6 weeks.
Because of the way things ended with Ab, I can't offer much in the way of insight on how the end would be/what signs to look for if the HO is getting to be unbearable, but.. I do have a friend (not on Tripawds) whose dog also had HO. I believe she got approximately two months post-Dx, maybe a bit more. The end came after several days of her pup not wanting to get up and move around at all. She said the dog seemed very calm, at peace, breathing normally and not in pain, but she just wouldn't get up for anything except to go to the bathroom. She spent several days with the dog in that state until one day her pup gave her The Look that let her know she wasn't going to rebound from that state and it was time. I don't know if that's what the "usual" HO end looks like, but thought I'd share her experience in case someone is looking for help on this topic.
Jackie, Angel Abby's mom
6:55 pm
Moderator
14 August 2009
OfflineAs hard as it is, this will be so helpful to someone in the future. Let's hope we never have to use it as a reference though.
Thank you Jackie.
Comet - 1999 to 2011She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
8:03 pm
Moderator
18 October 2009
Offline
Thanks Jackie.
I know it was hard to start this thread, and at least as hard to update. Paying it forward is always a good and noble thing.
Karen
9:21 pm
Moderator
12 February 2010
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jackie – gracious and brave. thanks for this valuable information, it will definitely be a resource for folks in the future. thanks for paying it forward.
charon & spirit gayle
10:20 pm
Team Tripawds
25 April 2007
Offline
Yes, thank you for sharing.
 |
"Dogs are born with three legs and a spare." — Jerry G. Dawg (10/98-10/08) Please Support Your Tripawds Community! Have you started a Tripawds Blog yet? |
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Also reluctantly, I think I am able to add to this thread.
Lucky has been having some slight limping issues on and off for a few weeks, which seem to have been getting a little bit worse and worse. Some days he'll be running around playing all day, and other days he'll not want to get up and move around much. The past couple of days have seen a definite turn for the worse, and although we have no official diagnosis (nor are we likely to drag him into the onc yet again to get one), I'm playing home vet and feel pretty confident that he has been dealt the HO card.
Like I said, he'll have better and worse days, but today was by far the worst and it's hard to imagine he'll be springing back to normal from this one. He's having a lot of trouble getting up at all, and his appetite was completely absent today. We've been giving him some tramadol since yesterday when he'll take it, but it doesn't seem to help his walking, maybe just his mood while he's laying down a bit. If he'll eat tomorrow, I'm going to try to give him some prednisone, since his stomach has never been able to handle NSAIDs like meloxicam (which I've read could potentially be helpful for HO… see http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/333735-treatment or http://www.spri…..744p76217/ )
He'll keep his head up and wag his tail when we talk to him often, so at least it doesn't seem like he's really in pain when he's laying there. He's sleeping now, but I don't know if I'll be getting much sleep sitting here next to him worrying. Thank you so much Jackie for all the help you've been. We've looked to your blog and postings for help throughout this journey, and you always seem to have addressed the issues as they come up with us. Words can't express our gratitude.
8:40 am
28 November 2008
Offline
I'm so sorry to hear this news about Lucky. You're in a tough position trying to keep him comfortable. I hope he has some better days. Sending positve thoughts your way.
8:54 am
Team Tripawds
25 April 2007
Offline
Lucky, I'm so sorry. I hope that's not what it is and that you have many more good days than bad ones ahead of you.
We're glad you found this discussion topic helpful. Please consider starting another topic so your story doesn't get lost here. Also, before giving prednisone, please make sure you consult with your vet if you haven't already. It's pretty strong stuff.
{{{{hugs}}}}
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9:52 am
29 October 2010
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Oh, Lucky, I'm sorry to hear this news too.
I'm glad you found the blog helpful – just sorry you even needed it.
Are you noticing that his remaining legs look weird at all? If so, I would say it does sound like HO. I hope it's not. I hope you have some more good time with your boy.
Hang in there,
Jackie
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