Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I'm trying so hard to stay on the sunny side of life with this whole mess, but some days I feel so darn defeated. Took Atlas for his first chemo yesterday and of course we have to leave him all day which I hate, but its a teaching hospital and that's how they roll, but I swear every time he comes home he's in worse shape than we left him! Not the chemo, but the hygroma is back to bleeding on his elbow and now a new open sore on his back leg, his big droopy lips always have two big red swollen bumpy places on each side and his wound area was screaming red and irritated. Guessing all is from laying on concrete and we even took an ortho pad with him and they promised to put it in his kennel. Marc said its probably hot back there so he chooses to lay on the cooler concrete surface. But I have a friend who works in a kennel and she said she takes extra care to completely cover the concrete in cases like his so the dog can't do more harm to himself. Is that so much to ask???? It' could also just be from overdoing it and too much activity I guess. It's just so frustrating to put so much care into his recovery, getting him looking good and fit and his wound looked so good before, it was back to his normal color with no swelling ....well not anymore!!!! GRrrr!
Then today we took him to physical therapy for the first time, long hour and half drive which stresses him because he feels so unbalanced with turns and stuff. I sit on the floor in the back of the van with him, but he still wobbles and stresses even if I'm bracing him for every turn. So we get inside and they take us to a tiny room with three of them plus Marc and myself and giant Atlas and right away the two doctors move in and start manipulating him all over the floor without so much as a hello and boy did he fight them! He did not want to comply at all! It's only the second time in Atlas's life that I've heard him cry and whimper. Never seen Marc jump out of a chair so fast. It was so crowded and so fast I'm not even sure what happened or where they hurt him or if he was just freaked out. We think he is like us and just moves slowly through life and that was all so rushed and no one really greeted him they just swarmed him. Then an exhausting 2 1/2 hour drive home in Atlanta traffic. Just put him down for a nap and we see a huge swollen muscle(guessing?) running horizontal from his incision point towards his tail about the size of your hand. Looks like when you tear your hamstring and you get a lump down your thigh. We don't know what it is, put a call in to the docs but I'm just so upset feeling like everything I'm trying to do to help the poor buddy is just ending up hurting him worse! Ugh! Please tell me I'm not the only one who feels this way sometimes. Not that I'm giving up or having a pity party, but I simply want to help ease his pain NOT create more! We still want PT for him and are hoping the next time he will be more relaxed as he'll know what to expect.
He did settle down eventually and got acupuncture and laser therapy and message but he was ready to leave and never seemed to fully enjoy any of it. Was so disappointing as Marc and I were so excited to go thinking it would really help him feel better. When we left the house he jumped into the van like superman surprising both of us because we were going to help him in and he just sailed out of our hands and into the van with a flying jump. Leaving the office he was so wobbly he could barely hold himself up and we had to lift him into the van, not so easy. 
feeling discouraged today thanks for letting me vent.
Patricia
Well, here's the dealio: Atlas is your dog, so you can tell them how you want things done. Obviously you can't dictate everything that will be done, but you can sure as hell give them guidelines! The first time I took Max to chemo, I left him the whole day, just like you. Then I found out that some of that time is doing bloodwork, other dogs, etc. So I changed it. I brought him in for bloodwork first thing in the morning and waited; then I took him home. Then I had the onco assistant call me when they were ready to administer the chemo and I took him back and waited again. We were lucky in that we only lived about 20 minutes away from the hospital; I don't know if you have same situation where you are. If not, maybe you can just take Atlas somewhere nearby to hang out for awhile. And let them know about his wounds. Tell them you want him on the ortho mat no matter what. They can work around Atlas and his needs. As far as I'm concerned, that's part of their duties too.
As for the physical therapy, if you go back, definitely tell them to go slower. Nobody should rush in on a dog anyway, that's pretty dumb. It could cause injury to everyone involved.
And yes, you can always vent here. We've all been through these situations, and you will find plenty of posts detailing all our complaints if you choose to search for them 
I could not agree more with every single word that Maximutt typed! It is hard to assert yourself when you are dealing with these doctors, but you have to realize that they may know the medicine but YOU know your dog. Atlas cannot speak for himself so you have to make sure that you speak up for him.
Zeus had six rounds of Carboplatin and it was an all-day affair each appointment. Although it's not required with Carbo that his kidneys be flushed, our vet still preferred that method so we would go in first thing in the morning for bloodwork and then he would have two hours of IV fluids, twenty minutes of chemo, then two more hours of IV. The first time we left him there and he seemed very off-kilter when we picked him up. It also seemed like he was limping a little. I learned that he was basically left in a kennel the whole day with the IV in and that they only took him out and sat directly with him during the 20 minute chemo infusion. From that point on, I took a vacation day and stayed with him the entire time. I'm absolutely not trying to criticize my vet because I LOVED them. That may work for most dogs; however, I knew MY dog and I knew that he was not handling it well. From that point forward, I became his advocate. I was very respectful and diplomatic, but I knew every single thing that was happening and I made sure that it happened in a way that I felt comfortable with.
I guess my point is that you are not alone. Just remember that you are the one paying them. Good luck with the rest of treatment!
Lisa
Zeus was a Husky mix diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at age 11. A visible lung met and suspicious spot on his liver meant a poor prognosis-six weeks was our vet's best guess. We decided to fight for our boy and his right front leg was amputated on 12/1/11. We did six rounds of chemo, changed his diet and spoiled him completely rotten. We were blessed with 10 great months after diagnosis. Against the odds, the lung met remained a single met and grew very little over those months. A wonderful furbaby with the most gentle spirit, he fought with a strength that we never imagined he possessed. We have no regrets...
http://zeuspod......pawds.com/
Patricia,
I am so, so sorry. YES you can absolutely vent, that's why this topic is here. And based on what you describe, you have every right to vent. I couldn't agree more with Maximutt and Zeus, you are his advocate, you know him better than anyone else and you are paying their bill.
Yes, the vet hospitals can be impersonal and busy. That's the trade off for the awesome resources and lower rates. But you have every right to make sure that Atlas has the right kind of care to stop the hygroma from getting worse. I would insist on seeing where he is spending the day, what does the kennel look like, how often he's checked on, etc. It's not a lot to ask, a student can show you.
As for the PT, despite how much they offer as far as therapies, I'm not impressed with the behavior you described, that sounds overwhelming and scary. Are these folks certified? Be assertive, express your concern about their approach with Atlas and let them know what you feel he needs to be happy in that situation.
Now, here's my final take on all this tonight....I think that doing the chemo and the PT simultaneously is probably too much for all that you and Atlas are dealing with. He's a special, gentle dog who needs to take things slower, maybe a step-by-step approach is best right now. If it's at all possible maybe you want to hold off on the PT until chemo is over, you won't feel so overwhelmed. I know i would feel that way if we were trying to do all that right after amputation surgery. It's a LOT to take on, I can't blame you for feeling so upset.
{{hugs}}}}
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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Wow! You've really had some rough times and, like Zues NAD Maximutt, I think most of this can darn well be prevented next time!! I'm ticked off right along with you!!
I understand Zeus's treatment required longer hours but if Atlas is just getting regular blood work and stays, it shouldn't be more than maybe an hour ad half....sorry, tablet keeps cutting off....so have to be quick
Could you
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!
Delay PT for a few weeks and give him chance to adjust to chem, amputation etc. Sounds like they are causing more stress than good
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!
Poor Atlas and poor you! How dare they treat him like that in both places. He is your baby so you have every right to vent very loudly!
Spirit Shooter was a Miniature Australian Shepherd who was diagnosed with a MCT and had a LF amp 1/28/13 at 13-1/2 years old.
Shooter crossed the Bridge on 8/28/13, his 7 month ampuversary and two weeks from his 14th birthday.
Okay, maybe this Thing" will stay on. More than a second!!
Yes, read Jerry's last paragraph as that recall seems to be at least half of the solution. Atlas's body is still recovering from major surgery as I'd walking around very well three weeks out so physical therapy certainly can wait til after the chemo. I was actually kind of surprised that either the onco or the PT didn't suggest waiting until after the recovery. The other solution is seeing like the others have said and you can make some different arrangements for his chemo. You have every right to request it as the waytthey are proceeding has caused him harm and you will NOT allow that to happen again!!
Now Patricia, after taking a few hundred deep breatjs-----even though you are extremely upset (and rightfully so), Atlas will recover from the stress of the day, car rides and you can heal his sore. You used Silvadine(?) and elbow wrap and it worked well and quickly. A few days rest and he'll recover from the stress of those so called professionals-----and then he had to deal with hours min the car on top of that?? Poor thing!!
For whatever it's worth, Happy Hannah is going to "specialists" in Virginia and I haven't been particularly pleased with them either......no bedside manner at all....do like the onco. Though....but everyone rushes through like an assembly line.
Don't know what they would have done to irritate the surgery site but let 'em hear about it!
Everything you are doing is because you believe it will help Atlas and he knows that! Just really consider delaying the PT for awhile, wrap his below, let him rest and just keep on loving hi and he'll be a happy boy:-) 
You are going to feel so much better tomorrow----this was a rough two days for you also:-) Please give Atlas AND you hugs for us:-)
Please, please update us tomorrow. Don't know what that swelling is but why don't you call our vet tomorrow...or the onco...or the PT and see if you can get an answer
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!
Hi Patricia,
You've gotten great advice. I wanted to add a couple of things that might help. In addition to requiring them to show you where Atlas is spending his time for chemo (requiring, not asking), you might want to investigate a cooling pad for him to lay on. I no longer have a tripawd, but I do have a hot quadrupod dog. I bought these cooling pads to try to help. I'll give you a link. They are not very padded really, but if Atlas is determined perhaps to paw his bedding out of the way to get to the cool concrete, this might do the trick. They have gel inside enough to provide cushioning for his elbow. These are NOT the ones you fill with water. They are sealed and clean. Just make sure to use the Amazon link here on the site if you decide to order these. ie=UTF8&qid=1368634147&sr=1-2&keywords=cooling+pad
Another idea: Lots of people here take their dogs and cats in for their blood work a day or so before chemo. They usually do so if their family vet is closer, and they avoid the long drive to the teaching hospital only to find out that chemo has to be postponed due to low white count (which is normal, by the way, and nothing to freak out over). It can save a lot of driving to do it that way. It might save Atlas hours at the hospital if you investigate doing that.
And finally, I would postpone PT in your shoes. I knew my dog better than anyone, and I never took him for PT because I knew he'd not do well. He hated the car, hated people he didn't know, hated leaving his house. For Dakota, PT may have improved parts of his life, but his emotional well-being would have tanked. In my case, I put "quality" on the scale and it won. If Atlas tolerates the car, people, etc. well and you pursue it, maybe wait till he's done with chemo and gets his bearings. Chemo is tiring. (Can you crate him in the car so he won't try to stand the whole time?) Let him lead.
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
Hi Patricia,
First off, what a handsome boy Atlas is! I'm sure he knows it too!
Dakota Dawg beat me to it... I think it is a great idea to get the blood work done 1-2 days before his chemo treatment with your regular vet, exactly for the reasons she stated.
As a veterinarian, I would NOT be at all pleased with how they treated Atlas at PT. I know sometimes you feel you shouldn't interfere with the "trained professionals", but you are the voice and the advocate for Atlas... if it does not feel right to you, say so! Don't worry about being a "difficult client", that is not your problem. When I go into an exam room, I either sit on a stool or sit on the floor while I talk to the owners about their dog and what their concerns are. Many dogs are your instant best friend, but some dogs need warming up to. The last thing I would do with a new dog is just go in the room and start grabbing at it.
As far as the oncologist at the teaching hospital... chemo treatment days are pretty much an assembly line. Your pet will spend a lot of time sitting in a kennel and waiting for it's turn, because that is far more convenient for the staff and is more time efficient in that they aren't wasting time waiting for a patient to show up. When my dog was getting chemo, he was there for ~1 hour, because I already had his xrays and blood work done, I'm a veterinary surgeon and I knew the oncologist personally, so Wookie always went to the front of the line (there are some perks in this profession!). For Atlas, I would calmly explain the issues he had being kenneled all day, how his wounds are worse, and that is really not what you want to be dealing with when they're undergoing chemotherapy. If they insist that he stay there all day, you can insist to stay with him while he is in his kennel, or sit with him in the waiting room until they are ready to work on him. Be the squeaky wheel!
Extra big hugs for Atlas because he is an extra big dog!!!
Right hind limb amputated 7/3/12 for OSA, started on alternating cycles of Carboplatin and Doxorubicin and oral Palladia. Single lung met 9/1. Met in the neck muscle removed 9/30. Large mass in sublumbar lymph node 10/2. Rescue chemo with ifosfamide 10/6. Mets to the rib and axillary lymph node 10/21. Started Leukeran and Pred 10/25. Wookie left this Earth for a far better place on 12/4/12. I miss you, Boo, you were my heart.
OOOOOOOO, just reading your post exhausts me and TOTALLY frosts my cookies. 
There is absolutely no reason for him to have ANY of those side-issues going on from either place.
Everyone is right about pointing out to the vet school team the things you've noticed with his hygroma, his bed, his lips (wth is THAT about, anyway?) and telling them that you expect him to come out of there in the same condition he went in. NO excuse for that. And given that you have a long way to travel, I don't think it's too much to ask that he be ready at a certain time. Allow, say, 4 hours. That should be plenty- Kermit doesn't go to a vet school, but his bloodwork/chemo appointments take 90 minutes, so 4 hours should give them plenty of extra time, even if they do the 2-hour infusion as noted above.
As far as the rehab, that makes me even angrier. It's a total lack of professionalism. I have to say I would NOT go back there, especially since he seems to have come home with an injury!! You'd get more benefit from going someplace even farther away, for a longer appointment, and learning to do some of the exercises & massage with him yourself, and going back less frequently for acupuncture & other pain-relief treatments.
Also, I've started skipping Kermit's rehab appointments (usually Tuesdays & Fridays) that come within a couple days of his chemo. Since his chemo is usually on a Wednesday or Thursday, he just goes back to rehab on the following Tuesday. This is because the chemo appointment makes him very tired and it takes him a couple days to feel better. If he's tired or sore, the rehab is wasted, at least.
You live in Atlanta? Let me ask around & see if anyone I know has any rehab vet suggestions down your way.
Oh- one last thing... I neglected to ask why (but I will next time!) and I know others' experience is different, but our rehab vet doesn't do laser therapy on a dog in the middle of chemo treatments. We do get acupuncture & e-stim (electrical stimulation) treatments, but no laser until chemo is over with.
I'm starting to calm down a little now!
No I'm not, I'm so angry about how your boy is being treated! Grrrrr!!!
Please keep us posted.
Oh you guys I'm so worried, Atlas can barely walk today, what have we done!?!?!? Before the PT he was doing great, today he can barely get up. I'm hoping its just exhaustion from the chemo two days ago, but his wobblers seems to have hit hard all of a sudden and his hind end is totally disconnected. Agh....so many tears.
He still has an appetite and was very motivated to get up and eat so I'm holding on to that right now. But he hasn't gone out to poop in over 24 hours and he usually goes once a day. Does chemo cause constipation? We gave him extra yogurt today as that has always helped him stay regular since having his anal glands removed a couple years ago. (Had chronic infection and UGA did the surgery)
Thank you all for your support, and you're right, I am his advocate and his voice and NO ONE knows this big guy better than me. SO angry at myself!!!!!!!! Why the hell do I turn into some stupid kid who can't speak up when dealing with doctors! I'm such a strong leader normally, but when my boy needs me most, I'm a stupid mush head! I'm certainly not criticizing his doctors at UGA, they are wonderful, but the kennel situation changes today! Lisa, thanks for the reminder...I'm paying the bills.
Jim, you are so right on, it was very overwhelming and scary and I think more so for Atlas. It has been a lot to deal with the past few weeks and I need to slow things down. I think we were just trying to do every single thing we could for him, which we can, just not all in one week for Pete's sake. Agh...so mad at myself right now. And yes, the PT is certified and a vet.....DVM, CAVCA, CCRT. But they are not the only ones available to us, I just went with the one UGA said most use. Kermit's mom thanks so much for any leads you might know of. The place we went was Ga. Vet Rehab. And I just don't know if we can go back there now. When we came home both Marc and I were still processing everything and it wasn't until we slept on it that we woke up very angry about the whole situation and NOW we are even madder every time we see Atlas struggling so hard today. The swelling did go down last night as soon as he had a few hours rest at home. Vet says could have been a strained muscle or fluids and to keep an eye if it swells again. Totally had the same thought about PT being a waste of time when exhausted from chemo. Agh! Need to start listening to my gut like I used to. Who am I and what have I done with the Patricia Gaye that I know?????
Normally Atlas loves to go for rides and he jumped in the van ready to go yesterday. And he has a big ortho pad that he lays on, but its obviously just new and unsettling that he doesn't have his other leg to balance. But the boys not dumb, he propped himself up against the front seat using it as his missing limb. he also uses that giant head as a counter balance when he lays down but as soon as we hit a turn he wants to pop up and I put him back in a down stay as I'm all about protecting that remaining front leg. Luckily Marc and i work for ourselves so we can take all the time we need and do all this a team. Team Atlas!
The rehab vet wanted to see him 5 days after amputation and I said no way not till staples come out. I asked our onco at UGA if rehab was ok and she said yes. But for now we feel so much relief about making the decision to wait on PT until after we finish chemo, thanks for helping us with that. I did get a whole bunch of stretches and strengthening exercises to do with him, so we can start those at home next week which he will love because it will be like his obedience training which he loves and it will be at home with mom & dad. Individual attention is always coveted. But we will definitely take it slow with our gentle giant and go at his pace.
Shari, I ordered a cooling pad last week, hoping it arrives any day. And our family vet is just 5 minutes away and that is where we will be going to get his bloodwork done. Already made his next two appts with them.
Wookie vet thank you so much for posting! You totally called it about being quiet when dealing with the doctors and it is very helpful to be told by a vet not to worry about being a "difficult client". I used to work as a vet tech and think I was worried about that, but honestly who cares, MY priority is Atlas and Marc says I could never be nasty. So I will calmly and respectfully relay what we want and need for Atlas's quality of life. Atlas usually needs no warming up and doles out that unconditional love and Dane leans to everyone he meets, but after everything he's been through the past few weeks he wants to sniff and check out anything and everyone coming at him. Gee wonder why! I'm a little worried about the laser treatment during chemo now - can you shed any light?
Sally, you said our exact thoughts....we felt like we were on an assembly line....hurry up and on to the next. We also felt a little like a used car lot because they kept trying to sell us stuff...harnesses, supplements, tarter control stuff.....
I have a couple pictures I want to post but I have to go to the downstairs computer to do that. As soon as Marc comes in from the studio and takes his Atlas shift, I will post them. Sorry so long, but thanks everyone for your support. Atlas is laying next to me now sleeping peacefully. 
See these horrible sores on his lips. Every time he comes home they are there. All we can figure is its right on the part of his jowls that he lays on when resting that giant head probably on the concrete????
We thought he looked super cool in his goggles!
The one bump in the photo reminds me of pappiloma virus. The only thing I can suggest is talk with your vet about the overall health of Atlas. Treatments might include antibiotics, food supplements including enzymes or probiotics, and possibly changes to his diet. Maximutt really said it best which is, he is your dog, you know him the best, and you and Atlas will decide what is best for him. Nobody knows him better than you.
Ralph
atlasmom said
...Thank you all for your support, and you're right, I am his advocate and his voice and NO ONE knows this big guy better than me. SO angry at myself!!!!!!!! Why the hell do I turn into some stupid kid who can't speak up when dealing with doctors! I'm such a strong leader normally, but when my boy needs me most, I'm a stupid mush head! I'm certainly not criticizing his doctors at UGA, they are wonderful, but the kennel situation changes today!...
Wow. I totally could have written this exact paragraph after Zeus's first appointment. So, here's the deal: that whole 'angry with yourself' thing - you gotta let that mess go. You didn't know. Now you do. All that we can do in this world is learn from our experiences and obviously you have! I also adored our vet and I am sure that he, just like UGA, do this all the time without problems because every dog is different and may not react like Atlas. Certainly, you should be kind and diplomatic in the way that you deal with the vets, but along that same line they should extend those same courtesies to you and make every effort to reasonably accommodate you. Most vets are in this profession because they love the animals and I'm sure they don't want to cause them any stress or harm so most likely they will strive to make sure you don't have this experience again.
Calm down; Breathe; Hug Atlas; tomorrow is a new day.
Lisa
Zeus was a Husky mix diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at age 11. A visible lung met and suspicious spot on his liver meant a poor prognosis-six weeks was our vet's best guess. We decided to fight for our boy and his right front leg was amputated on 12/1/11. We did six rounds of chemo, changed his diet and spoiled him completely rotten. We were blessed with 10 great months after diagnosis. Against the odds, the lung met remained a single met and grew very little over those months. A wonderful furbaby with the most gentle spirit, he fought with a strength that we never imagined he possessed. We have no regrets...
http://zeuspod......pawds.com/
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