Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Zeus was diagnosed with Pancreatitis last Friday - mild case not requiring hospitalization. He has had a mild case one time before. Apparently, he is somewhat prone to this.
We all know that carbs feed the cancer, so Zeus is on a no-grain/high protein diet (1/2 Halo dry food and 1/2 homecooked "cancer diet" - but I'm reading that pancreatitis is best treated with a lot fat, carb rich, bland diet such as rice. You can see the dilemma...
He's not deathly ill, but I can tell he is uncomfortable and doesn't want tummy rubs, etc., so I really want to get rid of the Pancreatitis, but not at the expense of feeding the cancer. When the Pancreatitis test (which I requested b/c I thought he seemed a bit tender in his stomach area and wasn't eating with quite as much enthusiasm) came back positive, I specifically asked the vet if we should abandon the diet he's on and Dr. R said no.
Anyone ever encountered this before?
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/
yikes!!! we have absolutely no info or knowledge...but tell our buddy zeus we are sending our best ET juju his way. nothing worse than a problematic belly!!!
charon & spirit gayle
Life is good, so very, very good!!! Gayle enjoyed each and every moment of each and every wonderful day (naps included). She left this world December 12, 2011 – off on a new adventure.
Love Never Ends
Dang Zeus!
I actually had this diet dilemma with Tri-pug Maggie when she developed kidney failure. The kidney diet is pretty much the exact opposite of what we felt was a good cancer diet.
The vet gave us some prescription food, which Maggie hated, and I didn't like because I think it was full of filler stuff. Of course with the kidney failure Maggie was not interested in much of anything food wise.
I don't know anything about pancreatitis- can you do a bland diet with more whole grain carbs, at least to get over this attack? Maybe some bland veggies? Cottage cheese or yogurt? I know you don't want to feed the cancer- but you don't want him to be uncomfortable either. Is it only a high protein diet that brings on the attacks?
Unfortunately for us soon after we got the kidney failure diagnosis the second cancer was diagnosed. I gave up of trying to stay on any diet and just fed her what she would eat.
I hope you can find something that works for him.
Karen and the pugapalooza
I read that pancreatitis is caused by a lot of fatty, rich foods... I'm wondering, if you fed Zeus leaner meats, such as chicken breast and lean beef (bison is super lean, if you can afford it), if that might help with his problem.
 |
~ ~ Rio ~ ~ |
Oh! I'm so sorry Zeusy!
I'm clueless. I wish I knew what to tell you but I'd be guessing (not that I don't guess a lot on here!) Sending you good thoughts so you can get it figured out!
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Poor kid! Ouch.
Is the pancreatitis temporary? If so, I wouldn't hesitate to help get rid of it at the expense of a few carbs, at least in the short term. I have no experience with this condition, other than I read it's super uncomfortable, so take my thoughts for what they're worth.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks everyone.
Since we caught the Pan. early, it is very treatable and "temporary." However, once dogs exhibit a tendancy to get Pan., then they are aways at risk for it. His first bout with it was in July 2011 - when he was still on his regular kibble and well before we switched him to a protein diet so I don't think the diet actually caused it (Dr. R said it can actually be a side effect from the chemo), but I would guess that it is not helping to heal it and I would also guess that the diet may make him more prone to an attack. We can't stand to see him uncomfortable so we will do whatever it takes to get him over this, even if it means carbs. Everything I've read recommends fasting and a bland diet so today he will fast and tonight he will get chicken and whole grain rice and see how he does. Keep your paws crossed!
On a brighter note, Dr. R thinks the looser stools for the last couple weeks were caused by the Pan., and not an adverse reaction to the chemo, which I guess is a good sign that he's still tolerating chemo okay (assuming the WBC count is back up on Friday and we can go forward with the next round). I guess he was right, b/c since starting the meds for Pan., his poop has been much more solid.
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/
Oh Zeus, buddy, sorry to hear about the fasting! Fasting bites! But you've got chicken and rice to look forward to! Yum, chicken and rice. Numnumnumnumnum.
Nose pokes from yer friend,
MB BunnyRita
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
Leave it to Zeus' mom to bring poop into the conversation 
.
Reminds me of when Maggie was doing her chemo and my dad was helping take care of her. He would call me at work, and with everything going on when I saw his number come up I would get that knot in the pit of your stomach feeling.
I would excuse myself from meetings, or ask people to leave my office. I would answer the phone and ask 'what's wrong?' He would say "nothing is wrong, but I though you would want to know...." and proceed to give me size and density details!
Then of course my co-workers would want to know if everything was OK. I would just say- "I just got the daily poop report, it's what old retired guys with grand-pugs do!"
I hope Zeus is feeling better soon.
Karen and the pugaapalooza
Sounds like you're on the right track. You're doing good!
I would say, if you use brown rice, boil the heck out of it to mush it up so he digests as much as he can. You can also try whole oats, which are one of the grains that Dressler says are OK to give a dog with cancer when necessary. Also, millet is good and maybe some pumpkin or sweet potato (high carb but full of good fiber) to liven things up.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Oh my, Karen you called me on it! I am so paranoid every time I post something about bodily functions! But truth be told, I do keep an eye on those things b/c I know that's one of the first signs when something internal isn't right. 
Are you at least convinced by now that I will do ANYTHING for this boy?!
Admin, thanks! Zeus had whole oats for dinner. He's standing at the counter wondering when the rest of his food is coming. 
Hopefully we can get him back on track quickly.
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/
Another grain that is good is quinoa. It's easy to digest cuz its really small particles -- kind of like a cous cous texture. But it's one that we've used because we have food sensitivities here...
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~ ~ Rio ~ ~ |
Hi Zeus!
We're going throught the EXACT same thing! We have a puppy with Histicytic Sarcoma, very nasty stuff. He's been on Neoplasene and wasn't supposed to make it past Thanksgiving. We've been very blessed that the meds have been working for him and he's still here 7 months later and doing well on the cancer front! He was actually just certified cancer free by UPENN last week! WO-HO!
With that being said, he was also hopsitialized there for 4 days last week and diagnosed with pancreatitis. They ruled out the cause being related to his cancer or his cancer treatment, but that still leaves us in the same situation you're in. We feed him a home cooked "cancer diet" and we're researching now to see what we can change.
He's been on a low fat and low calcium diet with high protiens and veggies, so they weren't sure that his diet was the problem. He's on Royal Canin right now because that's what they fed him in the ER and he HATES it. We're gradually switching him back this week, but if I find anything helpful in my research on diet's for cancer and pancreatitis prone puppies, I'll let you know!
Best of luck!
Thanks, Indy! We fed him Rolled Oats (oatmeal - not instant) for dinner last night and for breakfast this morning. We mixed in a few bites of his Halo kibble b/c he was STARVING, but that seems to have helped tremendously. He was diagnosed last Friday (fortunately a mild case and no hospitalization required) and he took Cerenia and Metrronidazole (Flagyl) and we saw no changes. As of this morning he seems like a different dog (his urine is even normal and not so white/concentrated - I guess even that was related?) and his energy is way up. Don't know if it is the meds finally kicking in or if the bland diet made that much of a difference, but whatever it is I am thankful!
That is amazing that your pup is cancer-free! I love to hear reports like that. Definitely keep me updated on your diet research, and I will do the same! Thanks for the input!!
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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