It is difficult to share this sad news, because I know how much it broke my pawrents heart to hear it. But on Saturday, April 28,my dear friend Eisen earned his wings in Colorado.

I will try not to be sad, and hope that the hoppy memories of me and Eisen will dry the tears in my Momma’s eyes. You see, Eisen was the last surviving pup in my circle of Tripawd friends who I played with. We are all angels now.

He is no longer on earth, but what an amazing, beautiful life he had, for 13 years!

Don’t cry because it’s over.  Smile because it happened.  ~Theodor Seuss Geisel

What makes Eisen especially remarkable is that for the last four years, he beat osteosarcoma, and proved that nine out of ten statistics are wrong!

As one of the earliest Tripawds members, it feels like Eisen and I have known each other all our lives. When his mom wrote to us in 2007 after he got diagnosed with bone cancer, I told her “Don’t worry Ma! Eisen will be fine. Remember, his name means “strong”!

Eisen lived up to his name.  Chemo? Forget it. He didn’t have any. Instead, he and his momma made the most of the cards they were dealt. After the diagnosis and amputation, they listened to their hearts and focused on quality of life, not quantity. Perhaps he beat the odds because they followed the holistic advice of Dr. Charles Loops. You just never know what cancer will do.

The last few years were met with some of life’s toughest challenges for Eisen’s pack, but in typical German Shepherd fashion, he was always there to put things in order, and perspective.

Eisen made sure that everyone understood their mission: to live life to the fullest!

Our play dates seem like a million years ago. Those picture perfect Rocky Mountain days will always stay in my pawrents’ hearts, forever and ever. And when they think of me and Eisen playing together again on the big mountain in the sky, they smile.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Eisen my friend, it was an honor to have you in the Tripawds community. You will be missed tremendously, and remembered forever.

Click here to view the embedded video.

When a dog has cancer, it’s especially important to carefully consider your dog’s risk of exposure to environmental dangers like wild animal bites, ticks, etc., and weigh the risks and benefits of each vaccine before proceeding.

You may be surprised to learn that the chance of contracting certain diseases is exceptionally low in your part of the world, especially if your dog spends most of the day indoors.

How to Waive a Rabies Vaccine Requirement

Should you decide to eliminate vaccines altogether, you’ll encounter a few obstacles, especially when it comes to boarding or licensing your dog. The rabies vaccine is the only vaccine mandated by every state in the U.S. because of the risk this disease poses to both humans and animals. However, if you and your veterinarian both believe that your dog can be harmed by the vaccine, you might have a way to avoid the rabies vaccine requirement.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) recently announced that while it does support the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians’ (NASPHV) recommendation that all dogs, cats, and ferrets should be vaccinated to protect against rabies infection, the AVMA now recognizes some animals might require a waiver from rabies vaccination when it poses an unacceptably high risk to the health of an animal.

If adequate steps can be taken to minimize the chance of exposure to rabies virus, the AVMA recommends that such animals be granted a waiver from mandatory rabies vaccination, upon recommendation of a licensed veterinarian and with the concurrence of the appropriate public health authorities.

The AVMA goes on to state on this recent policy announcement that the vaccine waiver “should be based upon clinical evidence that the animal would be at considerable risk of being harmed by the vaccine because of a diagnosed medical condition . . . and the appropriate public health authorities concur that the waiver should be issued.”

If you want to be at the forefront of the movement to avoid rabies vaccines in dogs with cancer, you may have your work cut out for you, but the AVMA’s downloadable rabies waiver template is a great place for you and your vet to start.

Download AVMA Annual Rabies Vaccination Waiver Template

Many thanks to Tripawds Friend Gina Snow, a Licensed Veterinary Technician in Maine, who told us about this new waiver.

This OSU team, led by the renowned Dr. Couto, does extraordinary work for dogs with osteosarcoma and other bone cancers. As well as research, Dr Couto and his team also offer a free consultation service for owners, vets and anyone else who may need to have x-rays looked at to see if a lesion looks to be osteosarcoma. That consulation service could save time and in turn, a life.

Celebrate Darcy’s Legacy, April 6 – 13

Darcy joined Tripawds in December, 2007 when she was a new amputee, and continued to beat the odds for the next four years. Her Mum Bev posted many updates about her amazing life, here in the Forums.

This big beautiful giant thrived beyond anyone’s wildest expectations, until her battle with a heart condition called Dilated Cardiomyopathy suddenly took her from us on January 29 of this year.

Her loss came as a terrible shock, but there is comfort in knowing that Darcy’s incredible story will provide inspiration and hope to others who are faced with the devastating news that their dog has osteosarcoma. Darcy is proof that sometimes the odds can be beaten!

All Sorts of Items Available!

Please join us this Saturday f0r the first day of a weeklong Darcy’s Legacy online auction filled with all sorts of goodies, from t-shirts celebrating the life of all canines to books, DVDs, poster prints and more. All proceeds go to a great cause, we hope you’ll join us!

Here are just a few examples of items you can bid on:

And remember, if you have a long-term bone cancer survivor yourself, contact us to share it. Tell us about your Tripawd, and give hope to pawrents who are just starting their own three-legged journey.

Lily’s Loving Life for 3 Years and Counting
by Kim Johnsen 

“Lily came into our lives on January 31 2007 at only 3 days old. I remember being so excited when my vet asked me if I would be willing to foster 5 puppies whose mother hadn’t been able to care for them.

It wasn’t until February 14 (Valentine’s Day) that I convinced my husband that I “needed” to keep the little runt of the litter. We named her Lily.

Lily ended up being the greatest dog, she loved everyone and everything she met. It was during the first part of February of 2009 that I took Lily to the vets for the second time complaining of a limp.

It was discovered in her x-rays that Lily had osteosarcoma (a bone cancer) she was only two years old.

I was told that once the cancer is detected it has most likely already spread and her chances of survival were not good. Through everything I had read said that at her age Lily probably had 6 months to a year to live. Discussions with her doctor led us to amputate Lily’s leg making her life more comfortable and less painful.

But here we are approaching the spring of 2012 with Lily by our side. She has been such an inspiration to many and has never lost her love for life!

Lily loves playing Frisbee and is a pro at it. She loves going for rides, playing with her adopted brother and she is a fantastic swimmer who even loves jumping off the dock into the water.”

Has your Tripawd beaten the odds for a year or longer? If so, contact us today so we can share your hero’s long-term survivor story with the Tripawds community.

See you tomorrow!

Date: Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Time: 3:00pm PST (4:00 MT, 6:00 Eastern)
Duration: 30 min.
Call In Number: (310) 388-9739*

Tune In Here: Metronomic Chemotherapy for Canine Cancer
Share Link: bit.ly/ttr020812

*You do not need to call to hear the show. Listen live here and join us in the chat room or call (310) 388-9739 with your questions. If you can’t listen live, a podcast will be available after the broadcast.

Learn How to Fight Dog Cancer with Metronomic Chemotherapy

Dr. Biller’s research primarily focuses on the interactions between the anti-tumor immune response and metronomic chemotherapy. One of her most recent studies was for the  Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) during which she evaluated metronomic chemotherapy treatment on dogs with soft-tissue sarcomas.

For this study, Dr. Biller wanted to learn more specifics on how to treat dogs using metronomic chemotherapy protocols. She says:

“Even though veterinarians have been using metronomic chemotherapy on patients, we have been guessing on important factors like what drugs we should use, what dose is needed and at what intervals we should treat the patient. We hope to determine some of those factors.”

Join us in the Tripawds Live Chat during the show! We will be taking your calls and questions for Dr. Biller.

Recommended Reading:

Tripawds News Blog: A Look at Colorado State University’s Animal Cancer Center

Tripawds News Blog: Morris Animal Foundation Studies Metronomic Chemotherapy

Tripawds Discussion Forums: Tips and Resources: Jerry’s Metronomic Chemotherapy Experience

DISCLAIMER: Information provided at Tripawd Talk Radio and Tripawds.com is not a substitute for medical care by a qualified veterinary professional. Always seek the advice of a licensed veterinarian prior to making any medical decisions about your dog’s health. Tripawds.com is not responsible or liable, for any damages resulting from the use (or misuse) of information contained in or implied herein.

What a joy to hear he’s still doing great!.

Greetings from Eisen

“Well, friends, a few weeks ago, I turned 13. As I understand it, that’s pretty old for my “breed” (whatever that word means!). Since Mama tells me several times a day how handsome I am, I’m guessing that “handsome” is my “breed”!

My dinner that night was pretty extra great, I got my favorite “cheat” snack: a full Quarter pounder with cheese (without the yucky human fixin’s on it: just meat, cheese, bun!)! Oh boy, just thinking about it now makes my mouth drool that good kinda drool that goes from my lips all the way down to the floor in one solid stream! YUM!

I might have to give Mama ‘the look’ to see if she will go get me one tonight. hmmmmm…

For those of you keeping count, I am now over 4 years post cancer. Mama credits it to the grace of God, the power of prayer, my own strength of spirit (after all, my name means “iron” in German!), and of course the natural remedies that I have taken since the beginning of my journey as a tripawd.

It’s getting a bit tough in the “being 13 department.” My body is feeling the age and my muscles have gotten kinda wimpy which makes it hard for me to get up and down and all around, if you know what I mean.

But, I’m a blessed guy. I have a Mama who helps me with all that, doesn’t complain (too much) when I have to expel some stuff in the house (again, if you know what I mean) and she has to clean it up, and she brings me water when I’m too tired to get up to get it. Yes, sometimes I do milk that one. It’s cool having a human hand-servant!

My girlfriend Daphne is as gorgeous and loving as ever and I have a new little buddy named Gracie. She’s a small tortoise shell colored cat who looks like she is still a kitten, and she is funny! For some reason, she likes chewing and rolling on my feet.

Mama tells me that we remind her of some Warner Bros cartoon characters (huh?) named Marc Anthony and Pussyfoot/Cleo. Let me tell you: Gracie is a great napping buddy.

Sometimes I forget how small she is and how big I am and I just flop my whole head across her warm soft belly like she is my personal pillow. Gracie doesn’t like that too much, but she doesn’t hold it against me.

Time for me to grab some shut eye. Gotta grab some beauty sleep to hold true to my ‘breed.’

Blessings my friends,

Eisen

Learn More About Eisen’s Amazing Life

Tripawd Talk Radio: Listen to Eisen’s Momma StacyDiscuss His Holistic Cancer Care

Birthday Boy Eisen Beats the Bone Cancer Odds

2 Years and More, Eisen Fights Bone Cancer with Homeopathy

Happy Ampuversary to Eisen and Calpurnia

Jerry and Eisen Have a Six-Legged Play Date

Eisen Update

Eisen Seeks Pre-Amputation Advice

Because, prednisone is a serious drug that can have mild to serious side effects, let’s take a minute to discuss how you can make the most of this therapy without putting your Tripawd at risk.

What is Prednisone?

This steroid drug, usually prescribed in pill form, is used to reduce inflammation, redness and swelling in the body caused by auto-immune disorders, cancers and other diseases affecting the immune system. Prednisone is not a chemotherapy drug, but is used in conjunction with chemotherapy protocols to treat dog cancers such as mast cell cancer, lymphosarcoma and lymphoma. The dosage will vary depending on the disease being treated.

Prednisone works fast by decreasing the immune system’s response to inflammation and pain. It affects nearly every system in the body and should be used with extreme care, only when necessary and rarely for long-term use.

When to Take Prednisone

Recently Dr. Demian Dressler, author of the Dog Cancer Survival Guide, stated in this blog post that veterinary overuse of prednisone has given this class of cortisone drugs a bad rap. Many diseases can be better managed with less serious drugs, but some vets are too quick to reach for this fast-fix. Consequently, a significant number of dogs experience prednisone’s serious side effects when they really don’t need to.

While prednisone can cause serious side effects such as poor wound healing, thinning fur and skin and even diabetes or Cushing’s Disease, prednisone does provide many benefits, such as managing cancer’s side effects in dogs. However, prednisone should always be used with caution and only under direct veterinary supervision.

To reduce your dog’s risk of experiencing the downside of prednisone, always get a firm diagnosis of the condition you are trying to treat and ask your vet to give you a definite time-frame for starting and stopping treatment. You’ll also want to use the least potent form possible to alleviate symptoms.

What to Expect

Many dogs will experience insatiable thirst and frequent urination while taking prednisone. Since your dog will want to drink more water than usual, and in turn, urinate more often, give your dog the prednisone in the morning. Allow as much water as your dog wants, but adjust your schedule so that your dog can eliminate outside. To avoid nighttime indoor accidents, don’t hesitate to remove water a few hours before bedtime.

Your dog may be hungrier than usual. Keep your dog’s weight in check by only feeding healthy, low-cal treats such as green beans and celery inbetween meal times. Baby-proof your house; your dog may eat weird things that he normally wouldn’t.

A rarer but more serious side effect can include stomach ulcers and personality changes. Do not give your dog predinisone if she is also on an anti-inflammatory medication such as Rimadyl or aspirin. Watch for black tarry stools or vomiting, which can be signs of stomach ulceration. If you notice a severe personality change in your dog, call your vet.

The sooner your dog can complete treatment with prednisone the better, but never, ever change or stop the prednisone dose without consulting your vet first. Doing so may put your dog’s immune system into shock. For dogs battling cancer, your vet may want to keep your dog on a long-term, low dose regimen which usually requires regular monitoring.

Jerry’s Prednisone Story: Share Yours Too

Back when I was being treated for later stages of my osteosarcoma lung metastasis, my oncologist prescribed prednisone and albuterol, a  bronchodilator, to help alleviate lung inflammation. I was coughing so much that my lungs hurt, and the predinsone was supposed to help make me feel better. Well, it did and it didn’t. It made me hungry again and I also stopped coughing so much, but at the same time my pawsonality changed so much that I just didn’t feel like the same dog. I didn’t continue on this therapy once my pawrents and I decided that we wanted to live out the last bit of my time on earth without experiencing side effects from drugs.

If you have experience using prednisone as part of your dog’s cancer regimen, please share it in the comments section below or in this Discussion Forums post. Thanks for sharing your story so that it may help others.

Recommended Reading

Dr. Demian Dressler: Prednisone for Dog Cancer
Veterinary Partner.com: Prednisone / Prednisolone
The Bichon Frise Club of America: Prednisone, the Good and the Bad
Tripawds News Blog: Stop the Presses, I’m Feeling Good Today!
Tripawds News Blog: Saying Goodbye: How We Knew (Part 1)

NOTE: Please remember to buy from a Vet-Vipps Accredited Pharmacy when buying online!

Radiographs will typically show if the cancer has metastasized to the lungs. If it has, amputation is discouraged due to the poor prognosis of this condition.

While x-rays are standard protocol, they are imperfect. As Dr. Hady says in this Tripawds blog post, radiographs can only pick up lesions larger than 3 mm.

Another problem with radiographs is that it may be hard to distinguish between a lung met and an alveoil. With X-rays, a tumor can only be seen from a few angles. If possible, always choose a vet who uses digital x-rays over film, which will show more detail.

Vets tell us that even if lung metastasis isn’t seen on x-rays, it’s there, but in microscopic size (known as micrometastasis). Still, if mets are invisible on x-rays, amputation and chemotherapy is usually encouraged because it’s assumed that even with micrometastasis, our dogs have a fighting chance at beating the odds.

What if CT Scans are an Option?

If you want a more accurate picture of what’s happening in your dog’s lungs, you may want to consider a CT scan before amputation. CT scans are more expensive than radiographs, but they’re best at detecting small abnormalities, such as metastatic cancer in the lungs. CT scans require general anesthesia and sometimes contrasting agents must be injected into the body to enhance the images.

We bring this to your attention because recently, Tripawds member Zeus posted in his blog about what happened when his pawrents opted for a CT scan instead of radiographs.

If you are in the early stages of diagnosing bone cancer and considering amputation for your dog, we advise you to read Zeus’ post about what happened when the CT scan results came back, and his pawrents had to decide whether or not to proceed with treatment anyways.

Here’s an excerpt from his blog post,  “Zeuspod: The Story Begins”

” . . . A few days later the vet called with the devastating news that the radiologist reported a lesion on a lung and a lesion on the liver.  Without further biopsies, the lesions could not be confirmed as cancer, but it is likely cancer.  Obviously, this led us down the road of thinking “the mets are visible so chemo will likely not help.”

We thought we were part of the unlucky bunch that would only have, according to the statistics, three or four months (or less) with our baby.  Additionally, we couldn’t leave the leg on due to the immense pain and the risk of it breaking just during walking and causing even more excruciating pain.

Was it fair to Zeus to remove the leg and go through the pain and recovery when he would only just recover before succumbing to the cancer?  I will admit that euthanasia was on our minds. Then something occurred to us. . . “

continue reading Zeus’ story here

We hope this will help you as you decide the best option option for your pup and your pack. Always keep in mind that there are no “right” decisions, just the one that works best for all of you. And whether or not you choose to amputate, we are here to help any way we can. Since we’re not vets, if there is any information here that you want to add to or clarify, please don’t hesitate to do so in the comments below. Thanks!

Recommended Reading:

ZeusPod: the Story Begins
Tripawds News Blog: Dr. Hady Demystifies MRIs and CT Scans
Dr. Dressler’s Dog Cancer Blog: Can a Dog Cancer Diagnosis Be Wrong?
Dr. Dressler’s Revised Dog Cancer Guide

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!