Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Sorry for the cross-post. I posted a more extensive version of this post on Treatment, Recovery, and Ongoing Care.
Bottom line - my 7 yr old greyhound had a left rear leg amp 11 weeks ago due to osteo. Was doing AMAZINGLY well. Then 6 days after his 3rd chemo treatment the leg the chemo was administered into got very swollen (left front). Lots of vet visits and ER visits later, today the skin is starting to break open and fall off. I think the time has come to make a difficult decision, but would like all the information I can get before that.
Has anyone experienced a carboplatin extravasation (I hope not for you and your pet's sake) and if so what were the symptoms and what was the outcome?
Thanks in advance. (See longer post for more detail.)
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See my response in your other post. In this older forum post, Dr. Pam says:
It is true that Adriamycin (doxorubricin) is the worst offender if it gets out of the vein (extravasation). If even a little gets out of the vein and gets into the subcutaneous tissues the leg will swell, tissue will slough (fall off) and in extreme cases the leg will need to be amputated or the dog put down. This drug can also be hard on the heart so you might need to have an echo of the heart muscle done prior to its use.
Now this sounds scary but oncologists use this drug all of the time. Whenever I give this drug I make sure that the catheter goes in on the first try, and we dilute the drug in saline and give it over 30 minutes with a technician sitting with the dog the entire time so that the IV can not be chewed or the catheter pulled out.
I used carboplatin alone with Tazzie because she has crappy veins and her heart is slightly enlarged. All oncologists have their favorite protocol but current research shows no difference in survival times if carbolpatin is used alone or if combined with Adriamycin. Some dogs can't handle the combo and can get quite sick.
Talk to your vet or oncologist if you still have concerns!
Pam and Tazzie
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I have not heard of carboplatin causing a problem like this, although if the entire dose was given out of the vein you could see some irritation, especially since Greyhounds have such thin skin. My understanding is that the skin should be able to recover and your vet may want to use topical DMSO to help with the swelling. The only time I have heard of dogs needing surgery or amputation is when Adriamycin (doxorubricin) was used.
Pam
Thanks Dr. Pam. Nothing topical being used as of now but maybe they will add that tomorrow when we see the oncologist and orthopedic surgeon. And maybe it isn't carbo caused, today you can actually see the dead skin follow the vein for a few inches before it spreads out all over the place. Maybe they got it in a vein and the vein blew? I don't know. At some level I wonder if they aren't doing damage control as far as admitting they may have caused the problem. Hopefully not, but I wonder.
Thanks for the encouraging news... we need it right now.
That is GREAT news Pam, thank you so much for clarifying.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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