Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hey everyone,
I was wondering if anyone has experience giving their dog chemo with a baby in the house.
Lula underwent a successful rear leg amputation 3 weeks ago and has recovered very well. While slightly less active than before, she's about 98% back to normal. The first ten days or so were very rough (crying, not trusting us, not eating, etc.) but once the medication ended and she got used to having just one back leg, Lula's personality came back entirely. We're extremely happy.
The biopsy of the tumor in her knee came back as Chondrosarcoma, not the much more common osteosarcoma. Chondrosarcoma is less aggressive in terms of spreading, and that diagnosis, combined with a clean CAT scan we did prior to surgery, and the fact that the nearby lymph node in her leg was totally clean, is a very positive diagnosis for our soon-to-be 5-year-old lab mix.
To be safe, in case there's any microscopic metastasis that hasn't shown up anywhere yet, my oncologist suggest we give Lula metronomic chemo treatment orally -- 1 pill of cyclofosfamide / day. It's less aggressive than doing regular carboplatin chemo.
Our worry is that we have a 14-month-old baby boy in our house, and Lula is very much a licker. It's her way of communicating with all of us, and when our son crawls or walks over to her, the first thing she does is lick him, often on his face.
Because chemo is toxic and could have traces in saliva, and because Lula would be taking it everyday, and therefore never really eliminating it from her system, we're not sure what to do. It seems simple to "not let the dog lick the baby" but it basically means getting up and separating them every time they interact.
Does anyone here have any suggestions or experience with this? I'd really appreciate it.
Sassy was on metronomic therapy when my nephew was a new born baby. My vet didn't see it too much of a concern as long as he didn't come into contact with urine or vomit or something like that. The amount of chemo in saliva wasn't that much. I also guess we never really thought too much about it.
I would discuss it with your vet for sure because I am no vet.
Michelle & Angel Sassy
Sassy is a proud member of the Winter Warriors. Live long, & strong Winter Warriors.
sassysugarbear.tripawds.com
07/26/2006 - Sassy earned her wings 08/20/2013
05/04/2006 - Bosch, Sassy's pal, earned his wings 03/29/19 fought cancer for 4 months.
"You aren't doing it TO her, you are doing it FOR her. Give her a chance at life."
Lula sounds like a real lovebug! And her avatar picture is very pretty.
My Happy Hannah was on metronomics a very short time (stopped due to uti) and she ave her regular vet slobbery, drooling kisses everytime she saw him. He never even mentioned any risk at all!
Of course, check with your vet.Others will chime in and, again, Imq no vet, but I wouldn't give it a second thought!
I love the relationsip Lula and your baby have. So sweet! We've got to jave videos!!
So glad everything is going well. And the sparkke will continue to come back bigger and brighter than before!
Hugs to all!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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!
Love that avatar photo of sweet Lula!
That is a great question about chemo in saliva and it's never been asked here in that kind of scenario. Hmm. I googled "chemotherapy drugs saliva contact" and did come up with articles that say avoid contact with bodily fluids for at least 7 days after treatment. But, remember that metronomics is a very, very low dose chemo regimen and nothing like the dosages that articles like this are referring to. There is probably more radioactivity in a banana than in those pills (seriously, I saw a geiger counter measure radioactivity in a banana once, it's crazy!).
Honestly I would probably be more concerned about the risk of developing cystitis (irritation of the urinary tract) from taking it every day (it happens in girldogs sometimes) than I would from the radiation. But, it's a really good question to discuss with your vet. Did you ask? I'd love to know their thoughts.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks for the input. My vet oncologist is actually the one who mentioned that I shouldn't let Lula lick my baby in the face, and that if she licks his hands I should clean them before they get to his mouth. I'm so new to the world of chemo that I really have no frame of reference. I think we'll probably try it out for a couple months to see how it goes. It's true that metronomics is a low dosage, but (my understanding is that because it's taken daily, the body never fully eliminates it like does with a stronger IV chemo treatment.
The oncologist also mentioned the possibility of cystitis, though she said it shows up in about 8% of cases.
OH awesome, love your onco, who is she?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I live in a town called Torrelodones outside of Madrid (in Spain)... so, I don't think you would know her! Interestingly, I've actually done everything here, including the amputation surgery, with my local vet Oscar, whose clinic I walk to from my apartment. I'd point you to his website... except he doesn't have one. He recommended the oncologist, a really nice woman who travels to smaller clinics to meet patients but is based out of the Madrid University Veterinarian Hospital. Honestly, I've been very happy with the service I've received... I only wish I'd bought some kind of pet insurance when I moved to Spain a year and a half ago. If I had to guess, though, my bills here are much smaller than what I would have been charged in Los Angeles, where we used to live.
When I find the time I'll start a thread or make a blog post about my experience.
You live in Spain? How cool! We often talk about going back or even moving there. My family originates from Agreda, in Soria province. We had a ball roaming through the country on motorcycles over a decade ago. We would love to hear about your experience living there, especially when it comes to veterinary care. Sure sounds like it's top-notch, you're so fortunate.
And yes, much less expensive than in L.A I'm sure. It would be great if at some point you could chime in with your costs here in the Forum topic, "Costs of amputation and chemotherapy for dogs; What did you pay?"
We don't get too many members in Spain. Our most recent one was Chloe, she and her dog Xena (now an angel) lived in Torrevieja.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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