Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi Dr. Pam! I posted this in another forum but they suggested I ask here also.
We took our guy for his first chemo treatment today. They did bloodwork and all was fine. They were able to get the vein but couldn’t get the catheter all of the way in and placed properly. It’s 19 days post op and he did have quite a few places on his legs and paws shaved when he came home. They said due to all of the times he’s been stuck lately it could just be he needs more time to heal. They told us to come back in one week to try again.
Is this common? Anyone else have this issue? Did anyone ultimately have to have a port placed? They said we might have to consider this if we strike out again next week.
I’m not too concerned about the delay. I’m more concerned he’s going to need a port. Is that going to be uncomfortable for him? What is the care for it so that it stays clean and avoid infection? Is this more painful to him?
I sometimes had this problem with my Mastiff Tazzie but was always able to use a small butterfly catheter to give her chemo. She was getting carboplatin which fortunately is not as irritating as some drugs such as adriamycin which can cause tissue necrosis if it leaks out of the vein. That is why it is so important to have a catheter in place with a "clean stick" when giving that drug.
I have never had a client with a dog who needed a port but it seems reasonable. They might have to give sedation and use a cut-down procedure to access a vein then it is just a matter of keeping the port sterile and wrapped.
Pam
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