Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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When Libby developed cystitis the ER vet told us to double her Rimadyl. When we did a follow up the next day (this was in January) my vet said to stop the Rimadyl for 2 weeks. We did that. Started her back on Rimadyl and leukeran and 2 weeks later I noticed blood in her urine. We stopped the Rimadyl again and she has been off an NSAID for over 2 weeks. We decided, along with the vet, to switch NSAID's when she was better. I want to get her back on an NSAID ASAP and her vet called today to check on her. There are still drops off blood visible when we are out in the woods and she is "marking" along the trails. This seems to happen only when her bladder is empty and she squats to mark. I don't see it daily.
From what I have read on Tripawds, most vets double the NSAID when cystitis develops but my vet said the NSAID can destroy the protective protein (I think that's what she said) that lines the bladder. I told her I was of the opinion the Cytoxan caused the cystitis but I have followed her direction. She is giving me Meloxicam and I have to monitor Libby closely for the next couple of days to see if it gets worse.
So now I'm turning to Ask A Vet! for another opinion. Is cystitis more commonly caused by the NSAID or Cytoxan?
I'm off to go pick up the med. Thanks for your time.
Amy & Libby
Liberty (Libby) was diagnosed with OSA on 1-22-13. Right front amputation on 1-31-13. No IV Chemo. Metronomic Therapy started 2-19-13 along with supplements and some home cooking. Lungs clear until 1-06-14. She's still her happy, hoppy, bossy self. Living the dog life to the fullest and a proud Winter Warrior. :) RIP my Libby 4-21-03 to 3-19-14
I do know that a known side effect of cytoxan is cystitis. I don't know about the NSAID and bladder lining issue, I wish I could help there.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks, Jerry. That's what I thought too, so we switched to leukeran. I'm interested in knowing if anyone else, vet expert or otherwise, has heard of an NSAID eroding the protective layer of the bladder.
I told the vet I was concerned that her bladder is inflamed from the cystitis, yet she hasn't been on an anti-inflammatory for more than 2 weeks. So.....I picked up her metacam this afternoon so we'll see if she gets better or worse over the next couple of days. Thanks again for your input. 
Amy & Libby
Liberty (Libby) was diagnosed with OSA on 1-22-13. Right front amputation on 1-31-13. No IV Chemo. Metronomic Therapy started 2-19-13 along with supplements and some home cooking. Lungs clear until 1-06-14. She's still her happy, hoppy, bossy self. Living the dog life to the fullest and a proud Winter Warrior. :) RIP my Libby 4-21-03 to 3-19-14
I have not heard that although I do know that most of the time if Cytoxan is the culprit then an NSAID doesn't seem to help. I may have missed this but I would make sure to have a sterile urine sample cultured, no matter what they see under the microscope.
Pam
That's interesting about Cytoxan being the cause but an NSAID not helping. I thought it would help to reduce the inflammation in the bladder. No matter, she's been off the cytoxan for almost 2 months. We switched to Leukeran about 6 weeks ago.
Yes, she had a sterile urine culture and no bacteria was found. The same day, I took in a sample I caught that morning and there was bacteria under the microscope but the vet felt that could have happened as the urine exited her body. Made sense to me.
She had her first dose of metacam this morning and I'm keeping an eye on her. Thanks so much for taking the time to help me.
Liberty (Libby) was diagnosed with OSA on 1-22-13. Right front amputation on 1-31-13. No IV Chemo. Metronomic Therapy started 2-19-13 along with supplements and some home cooking. Lungs clear until 1-06-14. She's still her happy, hoppy, bossy self. Living the dog life to the fullest and a proud Winter Warrior. :) RIP my Libby 4-21-03 to 3-19-14
It seems that the bladder lining may be damaged by the Cytoxan so it needs to heal itself. Some research in cats has shown that glucosamine can help bladders heal faster.
I do not think that an NSAID would hurt so if you think it helps go ahead but I have not seen any studies that show that it will shorten the course of the cystitis.
Pam
Ok, thank you. She has been on Glycoflex III for a few years now so we have that part covered. I feel better giving her the NSAID, too. I'm sure it helps with her arthritis if nothing else.
Amy & Libby
Liberty (Libby) was diagnosed with OSA on 1-22-13. Right front amputation on 1-31-13. No IV Chemo. Metronomic Therapy started 2-19-13 along with supplements and some home cooking. Lungs clear until 1-06-14. She's still her happy, hoppy, bossy self. Living the dog life to the fullest and a proud Winter Warrior. :) RIP my Libby 4-21-03 to 3-19-14
We've had quite a few reports of Glycoflex doing really great things for dogs, I'm glad to hear it seems to be working for her.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
It really is and I can't say enough about Glycoflex III. It's been amazing for Ms. Libs. I recommend it any time someone asks for an opinion.
Liberty (Libby) was diagnosed with OSA on 1-22-13. Right front amputation on 1-31-13. No IV Chemo. Metronomic Therapy started 2-19-13 along with supplements and some home cooking. Lungs clear until 1-06-14. She's still her happy, hoppy, bossy self. Living the dog life to the fullest and a proud Winter Warrior. :) RIP my Libby 4-21-03 to 3-19-14
In case others are tuning in, I'll add (and I'm not a vet): we doubled Jackson's rimadyl when he had cystitis. I know NSAIDs can have GI upset with prolonged use, so perhaps Libby also got that from her rimadyl? No doubt, I have to imagine her cystitis was caused by cytoxan. The question remains - was the rimadyl also part of the problem? It'll be interesting to see how she does on her new NSAID. I'm glad she's back on something. Whew!
~ Katy & Jackson
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
Katy, the ER vet, like your vet, prescribed a double dose of Rimadyl, which didn't surprise me because I had followed Jackson's treatment for cystitis. It DID surprise me the next day when Libby's vet discontinued it all together. Whether or not the Rimadyl was part of the problem (I have serious doubts) will probably remain unanswered, in Libby's case anyway. I don't think I saw any GI upset from it. I'm just happy she's back on something and metacam seems to agree with her...so far. She's been pretty feisty today.
Amy & Libby
Liberty (Libby) was diagnosed with OSA on 1-22-13. Right front amputation on 1-31-13. No IV Chemo. Metronomic Therapy started 2-19-13 along with supplements and some home cooking. Lungs clear until 1-06-14. She's still her happy, hoppy, bossy self. Living the dog life to the fullest and a proud Winter Warrior. :) RIP my Libby 4-21-03 to 3-19-14
We LOVE feisty Libby!
HUGS
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
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