Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

…the first several days, right?  Just seems like with the hunched back, etc,  "somethng" got "tweaked" somehow.  

Funny, the only time I ever had Prednisone
  was for poison  oak too!  Can't  remember  any reaction, bit it was a long time ago.

As Jerry said,  Prednisone
  can have some side effects

…react to the metacam and may come off anyway, it may be time to transition to the steroids. 

Regarding steroids, I have a BIG question. I went on prednisone
once for an extremely bad case of poison ivy once and it made me super crazy - I had to stop the course early because they made me so, well, tense

…CT scan of the abdomen was clear and chest x-ray clear.  Blood work looked good except for elevated WBCs due to infection.  She was released on Prednisone
, Benadryl, and Pepcid.  Next day, returned to our vet for followup and she gave her a shot of Corvenia (antibiotic).  Bonnie is now almost 100%

…to him about adding additional meds as well so that we can keep him as comfortable as possible.  We increased his daily dosage of gabapentin, added prednisone
, and will continue with the steroid eye drops to hopefully help with the swelling.  He said that every dog is different with the disease

….  The only Vet was Dr Pam's post.

1.  All work up good.  Mobile before surgery.  Was on loxicam but stopped that prior to surgery to put on Prednisone
  for mast cell.

2.  How long was she on Pred prior to surgery?  Could that have "masked" any hidden issues with mast cell, or brain or spine

…the question is could it be related to her mast cell tumor vs a separate brain or spinal lesion.  If her infection is controlled your vet could try prednisone
since it is better than an NSAID for brain or spine lesions and may also help with mast cell tumors.  Phantom pain should not cause muscle weakness

…appeared where the lymph node was removed and is really bothering Jasper after the oncologist aspirated it (yep, it's MCT). It isn’t responding to prednisone
or palladia (the primary tumor on the foot retreated again though). The oncologist says removing just the new tumor will buy months as they think…

…organs) and we should amputate if we want a chance of a cure. However, they can't guarantee it hasn't already metastasized given he was on palladia/prednisone
at the time of the scans/cytology. The other option was excision and radiation but that was at a cost of $14,000 (for surgery and radiation) and

…infected etc but I think it's mental

Also the weakness is the main thing the vet is worried about, but surely that can be worked on? She was on prednisone
pre surgery and I know that can cause muscle wastage?

Vet wants me to make a decision tomorrow morning. I just don't know!!!

Keep looking

…to celebrate!  But to take it beyond great and up to EXCELLENT, get your hooman tomput a scoop of ice cream on top!!

As Jerry said, ask about Prednisone
.   While my Happy Hannah never had a cough. my Vet gave her Pred as well as an antibiotic.   It actually did help with the eye discharge and

…follow your lead. As for something to alleviate the symptoms, you can ask your vet if it's OK to give her Robitussin DM, and you may want to discuss Prednisone
, which can ease the inflammation (but can sometimes bring up other issues in some dogs). It's worth a conversation. 

We have some more ideas

…and still had quality.   Outwardly  is all that matters!  Many months later, outwardly he showed me he was ready. 

Also, talk to the Vet about Prednisone
.  It helped some with Happy Hannah's breathing, as well as a low dose pain med.  Also some have good results  with an over the counter cough med.

… the Rimadyl and Deramaxx are in the same NSAID family.  And a steroid like Prednisone
  cannot be used at the same time as a NSAID like Rimadyl or Deramxx.   

The reason my Vet prescribed  Prednisone
is because it could  possibly

…to tapper off roane's pain meds. Fortunately they were in agreement. 

What is Brownie taking for meds at the moment? Maybe if they cant add the prednisone
theres something else they can try. Or maybe something homeopathic?

Comfort and love, from there follow brownies lead. The vet might think its

… I did move the line a little and tried Metronomics for a very short time.  She got a UTI, which can be a side effect, so I dropped it.

I did use Prednisone
, some supplements, some light pain med if needed, etc.  Yes, lethargy can be a "side effect" of mets, but that's NOT  painful, thankfully.  Just

…into to, not only keep Louie comfortable  and happy, but help keep those mets at bay.  Did the Vet suggest a cough medicine?  Did the Vet suggest Prednisone
?  How about Metronomics  or Palladia?  When you can catch your breath, call the Oncology back and check out your options.

And in the meantime,

…xray?  It is usually not too stressful but she might need sedation if she is reactive.  If there is evidence of spinal disease she may do better on prednisone
vs Rimadyl.  It is also possible to change from the Rimadyl to a different NSAID (Deramaxx or meloxicam ).  I am not a big tramadol fan but if

…side note: Yes Elliott is ok. He had a bad IBD Episode in the summer (which I posted about and you helped me with) and he has had to be on prednisone
during recovery. It was raising liver enzymes. You know the drill. He’s doing great now...Just monitoring the enzymes every four weeks as we…

…reduce prednisone
slowly to find the lowest therapeutic dose. 

Karen, in reviewing those posts I have a note on my notepad in huge letters “Talk to Karen!!” Lol

… be done IF removing  the bump, or some of it, is not an option.   Of course I can't  recall specifics, but I know radiation, combined with Prednisone
and an antihistamine have had a very favorable outcome. 

So discuss everything  with the Onco so you can move forward with a plan.  Even when I

…pain is being managed by the medication given by the vet.

I noticed that you "backed off the steroid". Please read this link to learn more about prednisone
: https://tripawd.....ncer-tips/

Many times vets will prescribed an anti-inflammatory before the surgery. Please check with your vet as…

…to the medication and dosage needed before the surgery on Monday and if you need to stop the medication the night before. If you are opposed to the prednisone
then you can ask for another antiinflammatory if needed.

Your vet sounds good being proactive with the pain meds. You could find out about the

…an elevation in liver values.... vet said it’s normal to see in dogs her age. Any advice on treating her liver holistically? 

Vet gave me prednisone
and tramadol at the time of diagnosis for osteosarcoma. However, she is not limping and doesn’t seem to be in pain. I think that is why I’m so

…are restless and not sleeping well!! Does she nap during the day?

Is she just on Meloxicam?  I know at some point Happy Hannah's  Vet gave her Prednisone
to reduce any inflammation met may be causing.  Also, every now and then I gave her a reduced Tramdol or Gabapentin jist ro help settle her.  Jist

…stay inside in her nice comfy bed and have junk and belly rubs so the damp doesnt make her cough.

I will definitely ask our vet about cough meds, prednisone
and piroxicam. Thank you for the suggestion. I think the vet i got today hit the wall trying to deliver the bad nnews. After the fact i was kind

…OF THE ROAD! NOT BY A LONG SHOT!! Just ask Jerry!  Jerry did do Metronomics  amd some dogs do Palladia.   Uou xan alao ask about Piroxicam OR Prednisone
(you cannot do both at the same time without a washout period.  Although  some Vets say no washout rime nedded.).

Again, not what you want to

…the platelet issue was separate from the hypothyroidism and suspected that Bailey's cancer has returned, likely in the spleen. We started her on prednisone
and just had her 7 day post prednisone
blood check yesterday. Not good news. Her platelets did not come up at all. She is at high risk for

…fact that she is eating and drinking is good!!!   REALLY!!! It is good news!!

Ask about Metronomics.   Ask about Piroxicam.  Maybe even Prednisone
could help control the inflammation sirrounding that piece of crap.  

I know we first spoke on the Tripawds Helpline
.  As fate would have it, I

…advice.  Not knowing  all the background on your pup as your Bet does, can't  say why the Bet thought ine injection eould cause all that havoc.  Prednisone
does have side effects in long term use.  But, as my Vet said, sometimes  it can be a miracle drug.

Anyway, PLEASE get a second opinion  from a

… of the dogs that get it.  The research vet school vet (where she had to go for all sorts of tests to rule out other possible causes) put her on prednisone
which gobbled up all the muscle we had spent years building in just a few weeks.  She eventually coughed up blood clots on the prednisone
(not…

…good when your anemic!).  Thank goodness my regular local vet overrode the recommendation from the university vet to continue her on prednisone
anyway and moved her to mycophenolate and cyclosporine.  That probably saved her life.  She took those for about a year and half (until late 2017

…Ronnie still needs a low dose of pain management
  like Gabapentin, or ,maybe be back on Rimadyl.   Obviously  only at a Vet's direcrion.  Also, Prednisone
  can be a vig help for a variety  of breathing  issues.  Again, run all this by your Bet.

Now, about doing an update without  a picture of

…out the door to get outside), so we had to lower that dose to get that under control, which left a gap in pain control. She's already on a low dose prednisone
- 10 mg once a day, because that is what helps her the most. He didn't want to keep her at the 20 mg dose, so we compromised. That left us not

…to stop it. That being said,  he only gets it at night. Tomorrow night we will skip and see if it makes a difference. 

Our vet said he’ll be on prednisone
for the rest of his life. His coughing is sporadic but pretty much daily/every night. Not as terrifying as it was but I hate it because it