Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello everyone
I did some posting about Bledsoe back in July, August, September. He is a now 7 year old English Bulldog who was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma back in May. His front left leg was amputated in late July. Shortly thereafter, he was placed on carboplatin. After going through 4-5 treatments of this, a cancerous tumor in his lymph node by the amputation site was discovered. This was surgically removed and he bounced back super fast. He was then started on doxorubicin, and handled that very well ... until we found another mass in the same area 2 weeks ago. There were 2 smaller tumors also located. All three were tested and were cancerous. The plan was to try palladia and radiation and Bledsoe was given about two months. Unfortunately the tumor grew extremely fast and caused Bledsoe a lot of pain. After speaking with our vet, and because Bledsoe was still so happy and had such a zest for life when not in pain, we decided to remove the tumors. The big one ended up being extremely large and basically ran down his entire amputation incision... All three were successfully removed yesterday, and, as usual, Bledsoe has already bounced back from the surgery very well. Unfortunately, 2 small mets on his lungs were discovered in his pre surgery cat scan =( (but nothing else was found) ... Anyway, our vet is now recommending 4 consecutive days of low grade radiation to try and slow down the progression of the cancer. I don't know why, but we've always been hesitant to go down the all-natural/supplements/holistic route, but at this point would like to give it a shot, even if it just makes him healthier and improves his quality of life for however long that is, whether it be weeks or months. But there is so much information out there it is kind of overwhelming... My question for all is has anyone had any good experiences with any specific supplements or holistic style treatments in terms of improving quality of life, boosting overall health / immune system. Any recommendations?
Thank you!
Oh wow I'm glad Bledsoe is doing so well after surgery. That is a big deal, what a rock star he is! Was it a "lung lobectomy" surgery or did they zap the tumors? I'm curious what the exact surgery name was, would love to learn more so we could include it in our metastasis resources.
Aside from radiation therapy, did the vet mention metronomics at all? Or Palladia, or a new drug called Dastanib that Rosie is trying for her mets?
We did a combo of metronomics and K9 Immunity , which we believe gave Jerry an extra seven months of great quality time. Sure, we wished it could have been longer, but we do feel the therapies did a lot to help him stay strong and keep the mets from getting bigger for a while. We wouldn't change a thing.
Yes, it IS easy to get overwhelmed, and you must be careful to not waste your money on a few snake oil "cures" we see floating around the Internet. K9 Immunity has enough proof behind it, including our own experience, that we feel good about recommending it. In the Tripawds Nutrition blog we try to share the best ways that other Tripawds parents have coped with lung mets by using holistic supplements. Not all treatments will work but you just never know. Hope is your best ally when it comes to cancer.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks for the reply Jerry
They actually did not touch the mets on the lungs ... He had a ct scan before his scheduled surgery yesterday to see if it had spread, and how much. If it had spread a lot and to internal organs, we may be having a different conversation, but fortunately it had stayed relatively localized, minus the two new, small mets on the lungs. I don't know the exact name of this or the last surgery, but it was a lymph node removal, and smaller mass removal.
Bledsoe did actually start Palladia last week, but he only had two doses before we decided to move forward with the surgery, so we wouldn't be able to tell the efficacy after just two doses. He will start palladia back up once fully recovered from this surgery - hopefully 7-10 days from now.
Thanks for the recommendation on the K9 immunity , and I will take a look at the nutrition blogs for some more ideas!
I also want to add what a true ROCK STAR BLEDSOE IS!! 🙂 I remember the start of that cute boy's journey and was very impressed with his toughness...and even more so now!!
I have no insight into Beldsoe's specific situation or suggestions. I just wanted to applaud you for putting Beldsoe's quality first no matter what. You are clearly tuned into him and know him better than anyone.
It's great that you are open to several different pathways for treatment. My Happy Hannah took K9 Immunity . Can I proove that it helped her? No. I know it did no harm. I know it didn't involve Vet trips. It didn't involve poking and prodding. In Happy Hannah's mind, it was a tasty treat. I do believe she had a bit more energy when she was on those, so that was worth it to me!
Good to hear from you. Sorry for the challenges though. But BLEDSOE has no clue and could care less! 🙂
Hugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
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!
Ohhhh sorry I read that incorrectly. That's good he's on the Palladia, it sounds like your vet is giving you some terrific plans to help Bledsoe keep on rockin. Try to stay pawsitive, come here when you need to vent and know that you are not alone OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Welcome back, although I'm sorry it's because of recurrence.
Are the tumors at his incision OSA? That doesn't happen very often, at least that I remember.
I used K9 Immunity Plus when quad pug Tani's mast cell cancer returned. She had some other health issues so I decided against aggressive, traditional treatment. We saw a holistic vet who prescribed some herbs and a specific diet as well. I can't say for sure if the K9 Immunity kept her cancer at bay but I know for sure that it increased her energy level. Tani lived to almost 15 years old and did not pass because of the cancer.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
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