Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Our three year old Alapaha Blue Blood bulldog has been diagnosed with osteosarcoma and mets in his lungs. Amputation of the back left leg occurred five days ago. We went to UCDavis yesterday to see an oncologist. That was zero help, Dr. Rodriguez gave him 60 days to live and suggested no action. Are there any places that we could take him for immunology or the Navy Protocol regime? HELP! Our oncologists at SAGEVet suggested metronomics (Palladia, Chlorambucil, Piroxicam). We want quality of life and more time. Any suggestions? Thank you, Dona Jones 317/538-1409
First of all, fire Dr. Rodriguez!
Now.....take a deep breath in and B R E A T H E..............B R E A T H..E......
You have come to the right place! You are not alone! We are here with you.
This is scarey stuff and you certainly disn't seemed to be guided towards a proactive plan with Dr. Rod.----there are many plans available here.
Download Dr. Dressler's book " The Dog Cancer Book.....you can do it here from a link to Amazon. Lots of ifo.....conventional and alternative...nutritio al and supplements' etc.
Jerry will chime in especialy with some vital info. on how he managed to get great exteneded time even with mets! Sassy is another one here who beat the odds with mets.......many dogs here have done just that!
Your pup doesn't give a rip about statistics, or diagnosis! He as no time frame stamped across his head! :Yes, some dogs get less time than others and YES, some dogs get more time than others!
Your pup is adorable by the way! How old? I think you've already posted so I'll go back and update myself. Just wanted to get a response out as quickly as possible!
You keep haning tough.....BREATHE....and from a calm, centered empowered state, you will do your research and you will come up with a lan to give your boy the best quality possible! Now go hug your pup and look into his eyes and kiss him for all of us! How is he handling recovery by the way? It's a pretty tough first week or so.
(((((((((hugs))))))))
Sally and Happy Hannah
Others will give you links but there are plenty of dogs here who have gotten wonderful extened quaility time: Many have used metronomics , some biophosphate (not sure of spelling)
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!
Thank you so much 
We already live and breathe through Dr. Dressler's amazing book. It's just scary trying to decide on what to do next. Bobbo is only 3.
Dona,
I am sorry to hear he said that time frame. Like Sally said dogs do not have a time frame stamped on them. Take my Sassy for example. She lived almost 7 months, it was maybe a week shy of 7 months with mets. She didn't know she had them and we did a metronomic protocol. The Padailla was too expensive for us. Call around get another consult.
Hugs
Michelle & Angel Sassy Sugar Bear
Sassy is a proud member of the Winter Warriors. Live long, & strong Winter Warriors.
sassysugarbear.tripawds.com
07/26/2006 - Sassy earned her wings 08/20/2013
05/04/2006 - Bosch, Sassy's pal, earned his wings 03/29/19 fought cancer for 4 months.
"You aren't doing it TO her, you are doing it FOR her. Give her a chance at life."
Sorry to hear what your dr said. I agree with Sally fire him and go to someone else for sure. There have been many dogs here who have exceeded what Dr have said. See who else is in your area and get another consult.
Esther and Snoop
It is true that younger dogs in general have a worse prognosis than older dogs but that does not mean that your dog might not exceed the odds, even with lung mets. Amputation can still help relieve pain although there is a chance that the lung mets might grow much more quickly after the leg is removed. The Navy protocol is a very early metronomic protocol that has since been modified to include an NSAID (such as piroxicam) an oral chemo drug (CCNU, Cytoxan, or chlorambucil) and Palladia if it can be tolerated (some dogs will get some pretty bad GI upset from this drug).
You could also consider holistic combos such as artemisinin and mushroom supplements. Do you have a holistic vet in your area? There are some Chinese herbs including Bone Stasis powder as well as Stasis Breaker that may help.
Pam
Good grief, some vets are cruelly lacking in sensitivity!
We've had similar comments made to us following our dog's amputation, but the best thing was said by Dot's normal vet (the surgeon who amputated her leg). Megan has been Dotty's champion from the beginning and will go out of her way to say hi to her when we visit the practice. Faced with a worst case scenario of 6 months survival post-amp Megan very gently said "Six months is a long time in a dog's life". I have often pondered this and it's made me more aware of Dot's day to day need for fun and stimulation. I think it makes you live more in the moment and focus less on the ghastly possibilites looming.
I hope you find a vet who is "on your team", you and Bobbo deserve better.
Good luck
Victoria and Dotty
Victoria said
...live more in the moment and focus less on the ghastly possibilities looming...
I hope you find a vet who is "on your team"...
Good points! We discussed these very topics, and much more, in our Take A Bite Out Of Cancer keynote address about How To Be More Dog.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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