Join the forum discussion on this topic.

When I was on my cancer journey, my doctor told us about “The Penny Jar” method, which can help pawrents measure quality of life as cancer progresses.

Spirit Bo’s folks also knew about this easy way to keep track of good and bad days. His mom Meghan generously provided the following description:

The Penny Jar Method: How to Measure a Dog’s Quality of Life
by Meghan Howell

“During the canine cancer journey, “bad” days are likely to arise. Sometimes the bad days are so overwhelming, we may overlook the many good days that our companions are having.

An effective way of assessing your canine pal’s quality of life is called the Penny Jar method.

To use this method, you will need two jars/cups and pennies. One jar is for good days and the other is for bad days.

It is important to establish a rubric, or standards, as to what constitutes a good or bad day. You can write out your rubric or keep a mental note of it, and it should be tailored to your dog’s specific issues.

For example, the most important issues that you may keep track of could be

• appetite
• mobility
• breathing

Of course, each dog is different and will have his/her own set of standards to track.

After establishing the issues that you want to monitor, you will need to decide to what degree or how many of the variables will need to be abnormal to count it as a bad day. For instance, if two of the issues are off that day, you may want to count it as a bad day.

It’s important to remember that it is your dog’s health and days that you are assessing, not your own. A bad day at work should not equate to a bad day for your Tripawd.

Be sure to make the Penny Jar part of your daily routine so you do not miss a day. Sometimes, the good days are smooth rides and we may not think about the Penny Jar until a bad day hits.

Always add pennies daily in order to get an accurate assessment of your dog’s quality of life.

Be Consistent; there are No Wrong Decisions

The Penny Jar method can be used as a tool to aid you in the decision to set your dog free. You will need to determine at what point your dog no longer has a good quality of life.

At first glance, you may think that when the bad day jar has more pennies than the good day, it will be time.

However, some may decide that after multiple, consecutive bad days the time will be right.

When using the Penny Jar method, it is important to be consistent. There are no wrong decisions as long as you are honest with yourself and your Tripawd!”

Many thanks to Meghan for sharing this important tip with our community. If you would like to share tips from your own Tripawd journey, contact us here.

Recommended Reading:

• Bo’s Story, a Tripawds Dog Blog
• So Easy to Love, So Hard to Heal, by Laurie Kaplan
• The Quality of Life Scale for Pet Pawrents
• The Legacy of Beezer and Boomer
• “Pet Loss Articles and Books Resource” by Christine Davis
• Land of Pure Gold Foundation’s Vet Hospice Care page (scroll down about halfway).

Join Team Captain Rio for a fun afternoon of celebrating our heroic Tripawds and quadpawds, honoring our angel dogs and banding together to help find a cure to end canine cancer. All proceeds go to the 2 Million Dogs organization which is committed to discovering the common links between canine and human cancers and the causes of these cancers through comparative oncology research.

We hope you can be there but if you can’t, please consider making a gift of any amount through the 2 Million Dogs Team Tripawds web page. Or, look for a walk near you and start your own Team Tripawds!

If you’re walking, be sure to show your Tripawd Pride by wearing your Team Tripawds shirt, available in our Tripawds Gift Shop!

Veterinary Oncology Q&A with Dr. Johnny Chretin

Date: Sunday, 10/23/2012
Time: 6:30 p.m. Eastern (3:30 Pacific)
Length: 30 min

Special Guest: Dr. Johnny Chretin, DVM, DACVIM

Call-in Number: (310) 388-9739
Share: bit.ly/ttr102311 (Link to this topic.)

Join us for our second informative canine cancer interview with veterinary oncologist Dr. Johnny Chretin, DVM, DACVIM from VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital.

As head of VCA’s busiest animal oncology clinic in the country, Dr. Chretin and his staff provide breakthrough treatments for all types of cancers, including a bone marrow transplant program for dogs with lymphoma!d

Listen as we discuss the presentation and diagnosis of cancer in dogs such as osteosarcoma and the various treatment protocols available. Then call in with your questions or chat live during the show!

Reply to this topic with questions and we will try to get them answered. Please keep your questions brief and specific.

We will post an audio archive of this program here after the show.

Dr. Chretin on Tripawds:

• Don’t miss our previous Tripawd Talk Oncology Interview with Dr. Chretin.
• Check out our interviews with Dr. Chretin about impawtant veterinary oncology topics.

Join the forum discussion on this topic.

Cheap, generic pharmaceuticals come with a high price these days as many critical, lifesaving drugs are becoming scare at human and veterinary hospitals around the U.S. Will your chemo drug be next?

Tripawds member Princeton brought the shortage to our attention recently so we asked one of our favorite oncologists, Dr. Johnny D. Chretin, DVM, DACVIM of VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital, if he could tell us more about chemotherapy drug shortages in the veterinary world.

“As far as drug shortages, its an epidemic.  Bottom line is they are mostly generic, older drugs, that we are talking about. . . It all adds up to trouble. ” says Dr. Chretin.

Chemotherapy drug shortages include carboplatin, doxorubicin, and cisplatin. This list on PetMD includes other important veterinary drugs in short supply, such as the antibiotic cipro.

Experts give many reasons for the shortages but currently there are few solutions and the problem is getting worse every year.

Industry Consolidations and Patent Expirations

As patents expire on many older drugs, ranging from pain relievers to life saving chemotherapy agents, manufacturer profits can drop by as much as 90 percent, leaving companies with less profit incentive to continue making these drugs. In addition, the pharmaceutical industry is constantly undergoing constant mergers and acquisitions, which causes a dearth of manufacturers available to produce costly but lifesaving drugs.

Despite the shortage, the usual laws of “supply and demand” don’t apply here because the federal government prohibits manufacturers from raising prices on drugs more than six percent every six months.

To exacerbate the situation, companies are manufacturing their newer, patented chemotherapy drugs that are often the same drug as the older generic version but cost much more for patients. Unfortunately there are few alternatives for the older generic drugs that are in short supply and if a patient needs immediate treatment, their physician or veterinarian must turn to the newer, more expensive version. Sometimes they’ll look for vendors selling the older drug in the “gray markets” where markup is astronomical and quality control can be an issue.

Medical providers are often caught off-guard when a shortage happens, mainly because the Federal Drug Administration doesn’t require manufacturers to tell hospitals when their drugs will be in short supply. Currently, two bills in the federal government (Senate 296 and House 2245) have been proposed to require manufacturers to provide notice. Contact your representative to support these bills!

Be Prepared, Stock Up

To avoid being caught without the drugs your Tripawd (or you) need, do what Princeton’s mom did, and order enough ahead of time to cover all necessary treatments. While this will hurt your pocket book, at least you won’t go without.

If you’ve run into a drug shortage, what did you do to handle the situation? Let us know below in the Comments section, we’d love to know.

Recommended Reading:

National Institutes of Health Cancer Bulletin: Continued Shortage of Chemotherapy Drugs Causing Concern

Orlando Click: Drug Shortage Leaves Pets without Basic Treatment (includes video)

Pet MD: The Daily Vet: Drug Shortages a Problem for Pets Too

ABC World News: Chemo Drug Taxol Shortage Puts Cancer Patients at Risk (includes video)

This 30-minute Internet radio show brings you the latest information about canine amputation, recovery tips and canine cancer care treatments.

Date: This Saturday 3/26/2011

Time: 5:30 PM (Eastern), 2:30 PM (Pacific)

Call in with Questions: (310) 388-9739

On this episode, you’ll hear Maggie’s mom Tracy discuss her preferred canine cancer treatment plan for her three legged agility champion.

Learn about how Maggie adapted to life on three legs after her rear leg amputation due to a soft tissue sarcoma.

We will discuss the benefits of canine rehabilitation and Maggie’s core strengthening exercises as well as her preferred homeopathic remedies and nutrition plans.

Then you’ll hear from Maggie’s auntie, holistic veterinary technician Gina who will discuss helpful post-amputation homeopathic remedies and other natural nutrition plans for dogs with cancer.

For the last 20 years, Gina has worked as a licensed Animal Medical Technician, and nine of them have been spent working in holistic veterinary medicine.

Gina is also dog Mom to Dilly, a nine year Mast Cell Grade II cancer survivor whose story is shared here.

Remember, you can ask any questions here in the Forums before the show, or listen live online and ask your questions in the Tripawds Chat Room.

Call in live during the show with your questions or join us in the Chat.

(310) 388-9739

Can’t make the show? Then check our Discussion Forum topic for the on demand audio podcast.

DISCLAIMER: Information provided at Tripawd Talk Radio and Tripawds.com is not a substitute for medical care by your personally selected, qualified veterinary professional. Always seek the advice of a licensed veterinarian prior to making any medical decisions or undergoing treatments or therapies, or if you have questions about your dog’s health. We advise against any medical decisions made without the direct involvement of your veterinary team. Tripawds.com is a project of Agreda Communications, which is not responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any form of damages whatsoever resulting from the use (or misuse) of information contained in or implied by the information available at Tripawd Talk Radio or Tripawds.com.

Join the forum discussion on this topic.

When we first hear that our dog might have bone cancer, we tend to beat ourselves up and wonder “how did we miss it?”

First, forgive yourself; the symptoms aren’t always easily noticed.

Dog Bone Cancer Warning Signs

Sometimes bone cancer makes a sudden appearance as a lump in the leg, or in worst case scenario, as a pathologic fracture.

But in most dogs, bone cancer shows up slowly, often over a few months. A normally energetic dog may begin fatiguing after walking or playing. Some dogs will grumble when touched in a certain spot. A few dogs lose their appetite.

In older dogs, these symptoms are often mistaken for arthritis and in younger dogs, muscle sprains. Many vets opt to take the least scary (and most cost-effective) route to a diagnosis before even mentioning “bone cancer.” The dog is usually put on pain relief medicines to see if the problem goes away. Usually another round of tests aren’t ordered until it becomes clear the medicines aren’t helping.

Diagnosis: What to Expect

One of the first steps in diagnosing bone cancer is for your veterinarian to perform a complete physical exam, blood tests and x-rays. “In most cases, bone cancer can be diagnosed with an X-ray,” says Tripawd member and long-time supporter Dr. Pam Wiltzius of River Road Animal Hospital in Puyallup, Washington.

In the following video, Dr. Wiltzius explains the process of diagnosing canine bone cancer in dogs:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Learn about amputation and what to expect with Tripawds eBook, “Three Legs & A Spare: A Canine Amputation Handbook.”

When it comes to diagnosing bone cancer in dogs, Dr. Wiltzius shares these facts:

The most common locations where bone cancer appears are:

In the front legs, normally in the:

• distal radius (above the wrist joint)
• proximal humerus (upper arm bone, close to the shoulder blade)

Or, in a dog’s rear legs, in the:

• Proximal tibia, or
• Distal femur (right above or below knee cap)

Once your vet takes the radiograph of the suspected area, she may consult with a specialist who can confirm whether or not a bone tumor is growing in the limb. If the bone tumor is abnormal in appearance, a biopsy may need to be taken.

There are two types of biopsies:

Fine Needle Aspirate

According to Dr. Wiltzius, a fine needle aspirate biopsy is fairly easy to perform. The veterinarian will inject a needle into the tumor area that’s seen on the radiograph. Besides performing this biopsy on the leg, this type of biopsy can also be done when tumors are present on other parts of the skeleton, such as the skull or spine. After withdrawing the cells, the sample is sent to the lab and examined for cancer.

The disadvantage of a fine needle aspirate is that it can sometimes give a false-negative reading because the bone tumor may be too hard to reach with the needle.

Bone Biopsies

When a fine needle aspirate gives an inconclusive reading, a veterinarian will recommend a bone marrow biopsy. This is performed using a wider needle instrument that must reach through the cortex (center) of the bone, in order to get a large enough area to sample.

A bone biopsy can provide a definitive diagnosis, but it is extremely painful, requires recovery time and by taking such a large sample of bone, it can put the dog at risk of a pathological fracture. In most cases, this procedure is bypassed if a dog parent knows they will proceed with amputation no matter what the final diagnosis.

Where you live may play a role in whether or not your vet thinks its worthwhile to perform the bone biopsy procedure. For example, in areas where canine fungal diseases are prevalent (the U.S. Midwest and Southwest), vets may recommend it. This is because fungal infections can look like bone cancer on radiographs and cause similar symptoms. If your vet thinks a fungal disease is the issue, it might make more sense to take a bone biopsy prior to amputation, since fungal infections can be treated and don’t require removing the leg.

Can a Biopsy Determine Survival Time?

Bone cancer biopsies help determine the grade of the cancer, but the grade won’t determine survival time. According to Dr. Wiltzius, if a biopsy shows a high grade bone cancer, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the dog won’t live longer than dog with a low grade bone cancer. And the reverse is true; a dog with a low grade bone cancer might not last as long as a dog with a higher grade.

What does help determine the survival time is determining whether or not the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes. If cancer is found in the lymph node, it indicates that the cancer has spread beyond the leg and the dog’s survival time may be shorter than most.

However, according to Dr. Wiltzius, just because there’s cancer in the lymph node doesn’t mean you shouldn’t proceed with amputation. For most dogs who are suitable amputation candidates, the most humane thing that can be done for the dog is to remove the source of the horrible pain they are in as soon as possible and let them live out their days pain-free. Whether chemotherapy is chosen doesn’t mattter at that point; all that matters is that the pain is gone.

Learn more about amputation and what to expect with Tripawds downloadable eBook, “Three Legs & A Spare: A Canine Amputation Handbook.”

What About Lung Mets?

Most vets will take chest radiographs before amputation. If lung metastasis (cancer growths) aren’t seen in the lungs, it’s a good sign that the cancer hasn’t aggressively spread throughout his body. But even with “clean” radiographs, remember that 90 percent of dogs already have cancer cells in their lungs at the time of surgery – it’s just that the cells are too microscopic to be seen. Sadly, clean lungs at the time of surgery doesn’t necessarily mean that cancer won’t appear there later.

But what’s important to understand before deciding to proceed with amputation, is that as long as your dog is not showing inward (or outward) signs of cancer, she will have a better chance of living a longer, healthier life and beating the bone cancer odds once the affected limb is removed. If a dog is a good candidate for life on three legs, just because a dog has a high grade tumor doesn’t necessarily mean that amputation is a bad idea.

Many thanks to Dr. Pam Wiltzius for helping us bring this impawtant information to the Tripawds community. Stay tuned for more canine bone cancer and amputation surgery information.

More recommended reading: Colorado State University Animal Cancer Center: Bone Cancer in Dogs.

Even so, the cost of care most often plays a big role in what we can or can’t do for our animal companions.

While there’s nothing wrong with taking price into consideration when it comes to veterinary care, keep in mind that finding the lowest price doesn’t necessarily guarantee the best medicine either.

Dr. Nancy Kay, author of “Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life“, recently discussed this in her blog post:

“Price Shopping: To Be Avoided at All Costs.”

Dr. Kay advises clients to take a few things into consideration after recovering from sticker shock. Before hurrying out the door to the cheapest place in town, try to  understand that the reasons why prices can be so dramatically different from clinic to clinic is because:

• The level of experience that the staff has achieved may be different
• The level of technology and care provided may be of higher or lower quality

For example, paying for a board-certified veterinary practitioner to handle your dog’s chemo care will cost more, because, “the expertise a veterinary specialist brings to interpreting laboratory test results may be greater than that of a general practitioner,” says Dr. Kay.

Additionally, if a clinic has on-site lab processing, 24-hour care and advanced imaging equipment, these services wil require on site technicians, which of course Dr. Kay says will have “time and costs involved in maintaining equipment.  Certainly charges to the client for this should be higher.”

The more services a vet clinic office provides, the more time you’ll save, but the more you will pay for care. And while even the most frugal of us may think that those bells and whistles aren’t totally necessary, when it comes to veterinary care they can save your dog’s life.

While many pawrents have had great success saving money on amputation surgery and chemo treatments, we have seen some tragic outcomes of dogs who received substandard care. This also applies to purchasing supplements, many of which seem like a bargain but are total rip-offs.

The best advice Dr. Kay shares in her post?

“Keep in mind the potential for complications.  If a significant complication occurs due to substandard care, you will end up spending a great deal more money treating it, not to mention associated emotional energy, than you would have spent at the better more expensive clinic to begin with.”

Join the forum discussion on this topic.

One of the reasons we wholeheartedly support Morris Animal Foundation and encourage people to participate in their Canine Cancer Campaign Walks is to enable Morris studies like the MADGiC Project (Making Advanced Discoveries in Golden Cancers).

This three-year, $1 million dollar study is is part of Morris’ Canine Cancer Campaign, a worldwide effort to prevent, treat and cure this disease in dogs.

Morris has selected Goldens for this study because as one of the most popular breeds in America, Goldens also have a 60 percent chance of being diagnosed with cancer. Hemangiosarcoma and lymphoma account for more than 30 percent of deaths in Goldens. The relationship between Goldens’ genetic traits and their susceptibility to cancer is still unknown.

Eventually, Morris says that “the results of this study will be of interest to all dog owners because these cancers affect every breed and cause the deaths of tens of thousands of dogs each year.”

The study is being led by world-renowned cancer researchers Dr. Jaime Modiano, from the University of Minnesota, Dr. Matthew Breen at North Carolina State University and Dr. Kerstin Lindblad-Toh at the Broad Institute of MIT and Uppsala University, Sweden. Together they will “investigate mutations that are involved in risk and progression of hemangiosarcoma and lymphoma.”

Morris encourages owners of Goldens diagnosed with lymphoma or hemangiosarcoma to participate in this research by working with their veterinarian to donate a small tumor and/or blood sample. Additionally, blood samples from healthy Goldens over 12 years of age are also needed.

For more information, visit www.breenlab.org, www.modianolab.org and www.dogdna.org, or contact Rhonda Hovan at rhondahovan@aol.com or 330.668.0044.

This incentive was an autographed copy of Guardians of Being, by inspirational teacher Eckhart Tolle and artist Patrick McDonnell, creator of the MUTTS comic strip.

This book is special to because we met Patrick, and because of the powerful ways it reminds us to live each day to the fullest, even as we face ruff times.

“The dog has no self-image, good or bad,

so he has no need to play roles,

nor does he love himself or hate himself.

He has no self!

How to live free of the burden of self –

what a great spiritual teaching.”

- Eckhart Tolle, Guardians of Being

Thank you so much to everpawdy who gave any amount to the campaign, and a hearty thanks, wags and woofs goes out to the fabulous fifty Tripawds members who gave more than $50.

Today we put all fifty names into a hat, and instead of having Wyatt draw the winner, Admin Guy was going to do the honors.

As the names were being shaken up in the hat, one flew out and landed on the floor! The name that flew out was Jane and Cathy, Moms to Spirit Skyler.

Thank you Jane, Cathy and Spirit Skyler, for helping us to keep the lights on. This community is a special place because of the advice, support and encouragement you give to all of us at Tripawds.

Everyone here helped us to exceed our campaign goal, and for that we are so grateful.

The costs of maintaining the Tripawds doghouse are covered for another year, and now we can focus on bringing you more news, tips and information about life on three legs.

Thank you!!!

- Jim, Rene, Wyatt Ray and Spirit Jerry

Join the forum discussion on this topic.

It’s not every day that a fifteen year-old Tripawd celebrates her three year ampuversary!

Yes, you read that right: September marks our friend Calpurnia’s three year ampuversary after losing her leg to a soft tissue sarcoma. Wooo hooo Cali, congratulations!

As a working sled dog, Calpurnia has not only survived a spiral fracture that took plates and screws to repair, she has lived life on three legs as beautifully has she ever did on four.

Click here to view the embedded video.

She runs! She plays! She sprints!

And she’s the girl who caught my eye.

Cali also happens to be one of our earliest Tripawds members (from a time when we didn’t even have Discussion Forums).

Yes, Calpurnia is especially dear to our hearts.

This winter, Cali the Queen is heading to Alaska, to live as an Alaskan sled dog. Can life get any better?
May this very special working girl live life to the fullest in the great white north, and continue inspiring all of us for a long, long time!

Three cheers for Calpurnia! Hip! Hip! Hoooooorrrraaaaay!