Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Oh gosh!!! Just saw your response as I was typing this!!!
What amazes me is no pain signs. Almost always there is pain and not nearly the zest for life your girl is showing.
How was that determination made specifically???? He "thinks" it's cancer of the spine, ut how so?
I'm just amazed at how well she is attitude wise and otherwise.
Anyway, give the steroids a chance to work. Thete is still hope, okay????
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!
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Oh no! I'm sorry for this news. Ugh!
Did they offer any kind of CT scan to confirm? If that diagnostic something you are able to do, it's really the only way to know if there's cancer in the spine. And if it's not something you can do, please don't beat yourself up. Many people can't do them, CTs are crazy expensive, we understand completely.
Another idea: what about having her checked out by a rehab therapist while she is on the steroids? This could still be a soft tissue injury. Remember the Tripawds Foundation can pay for your first rehab visit . If you can convince a therapist to see her immediately because of this situation, you might get an entirely different opinion.
Don't give up on helping her feel better, even if it means palliative care. There is always something you can do even in the face of bad news like this. (((hugs)))
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
My husband and I just took her home now. We need to sleep over it.
they told us it’s either a spinal tumor or a bulging disk. MRI would give us clarity, but if steroids wouldn’t work surgery would be the only option and they said that would take weeks in healing. Given her history of osteosarcoma they said that could get towards the end of her life expectancy... we can’t believe this. She was perfect two weeks ago. Her regular cancer doctor wasn’t in today. But we’ll talk to her on the phone tomorrow.
I’m torn between wanting to know what the MRI would tell us, but she has to go under anesthesia. We couldn’t decide this today. I’ll try and attach a picture of the report.
Just try and sort of decompress and relax with your girl. Today had to be exhausting for all of you.
For now, keep her movement as little as you possibly can in case it is a disc issue so it doesn't get any worse.
FWIW, I was owned by a Dachshund/mix who had disc issue. For a variety of reasons, surgery wasn't an option. This was years ago. A combination of STRICT REST,, Gaba, Trazedone and a muscle relaxer (Robaxin??) ,kept her zonked out enough for her not to mind the inactivity. I think steroids, at that time, were not necessarily thought to be effective. Really can't remember if that was part of the therapy or not. Anyway, eventually she did show improvement and her quality pretty much returned.
And saying this regardless of whether she has a disc issue and has surgery or takes a conservative approach......so many members here defy the odds as far as any "timeframe diagnosis" Not all do of course, but many do. No one knows, we just make sure every day count.
Just know we are here for you and support you. Your love for her comes shiniing through and that's all she cares about.....your love💖
((((((((((((((((((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!
Hey you guys,
right now she is not on any pain killers because of a prescribed pause before starting the steroids on Wednesday. She has the same wobbly gate, so far without any signs of pain.
I found this article in the forum and was wondering if that could fit... This is similar how Pollys symptoms started. Polly still has some function in her legs just not enough to walk straight on her own. We do have to get an MRI to know...
Oh got it about the pain medication. Yeah there needs to be a wash out phase with NSAIDs. But in most situations I do believe that other meds can be given when on steroids, like Gabapentin, Amantatine, and a muscle relaxer like amoxicillin (our Wyatt Ray was on all of them while he was on steroids). If she shows pain signals be sure to ask if any of these would help in addition to the steroids.
It's entirely possible Polly could have an FCE, we've seen it before. Definitely worth discussing.
Stay strong and give your sweet girl extra lovin' from us.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I can't get the picture of the Diagnosis uploaded.
Im typing the essentials:
Working Diagnosis: T3-L3 myelopathy - suspect neoplasia (cancer) as the underlying cause
Medications: prednisone 10mg 1 Tablet 2x a day starting April 20th or 21st (because of previous Carprofen use) and Omeprazole as an antacid.
Recommendations:
On neurologic evaluation it was determined that Polly has a localized issue in her spinal cord between her front and back legs. Based on her age, breed, history and neurologic findings, it is most likely that the underlying cause of this is a spinal tumor. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that it is a non-painful bulging disc. An MRI would be the only way to know for certain what the underlying cause of this is.
Unfortunately, with Polly's life expectancy of 3-6 months due to her previous osteosarcoma, it is difficult to consider anesthesia and surgery even if this is a bulging disc in the best car scenario. Recovery from surgery takes several weeks and she may not be able to walk during this recovery period. At this time you have elected to take her home with palliative care and monitor her for decline or improvement.
If she gets worse or not better we would recommend considering her quality of life and discussing euthanasia.
We have decided to do the MRI and find out what it is. Our oncologist gave her a better live expectancy rating than the neurologist and she has also treated dogs with bulged discs without surgery.
Thanks for sharing this. If you ever want help with the photos, message me.
I agree with your oncologist, there are other options beside surgery that may help. It's nice this vet thinks out of the box!
When is the MRI?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Good....glad you got some "-better" advice from your Onco. As I noted earlier, my pup did get pretty good quality results without surgery. 👍
I know we keep mentioning the "pain" thing. And certainly model there are no pain signs, that's great, as her altered gait may not be indicative of pain. But as Jerry said, as far as the Gabapentin and Amantitine, they don't interfere with steroids. Anti inflammatory Rimadyl and Carprofen definitely need a wash out period
I think the MRI can better help you with your plan forward, as well as your Onco's pawsitive attitude!!
Lots of extra treats and yummy food for your gal. For now....and for you too! Diet can start r"tomorrow"😉
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!
Good Morning everybody,
there's no news yet. I left a message on the neurology departments mailbox and should hear from them today. they said on the machine to give it 48 hours to hear from them.
She is on the steroids since yesterday and the vet said we might see change today.
We have decided to give her the Gabapentin again, just to be safe about the pain.
I can tell she is getting frustrated about not being able to walk around. I hope Im making the right decisions for her. It's though to see her so helpless.
I'll keep you updated.
Ulrike, Justin and Polly
Hey good morning, thanks for posting the update. Paws crossed you get an appointment time (48 hours seems like an eternity!). That's a good idea to restart the Gabapentin, be sure to let your vet know. It's made a difference in situations like this, we've seen it with other members.
One thing I wanted to add about that osteosarcoma life expectancy: those numbers are hard to hear, but always remember they are just statistics based on dogs in studies. Those dogs were not Polly. She may totally defy the odds, she may not, but nobody has a crystal ball. We see it go both ways here, you just never know. I can tell you are a lot like Polly and taking things day by day, great job 
About her frustration...you can try to help keep her mind busy with some interactive brain games , and there's even DIY ones in that link that you can start doing today so she doesn't get bored.
I know it's gotta be tough right now, I feel for you guys. Getting all the answers you need to make a confident decision for Polly will be worth the wait. You can do this. You are as strong as she is! She's a great role model isn't she?
(((hugs))))
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks for taking time rom update us. As Jerry said, we certainly understand your frustration and how hard it is to be patient.
You are doing everything possivle for Polly and are giving her exquisite care. And while she may be frustrated too, she definitely is enjoying all the attention and spoiling.
From my experience with my puppers and steroids, "generally" it makes a difference within about 48 hrs....but sometimes a bit longer. With Polly's condition and so much ground to cover for improvement it may take longer.....and may even need to be increased to a higher dose to start.
Were continuing to send pawsitive healing energy to your sweet Polly. Goodness knows, she is soooo lucky to have you advocating for her. Yoir care and devotion know o limits.♥️.
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!
Hi guys,
Im sorry for not posting sooner, but the care for a handycapped dog and work was all too much. I had a tooth infection on top of it all and was out with a fever for a couple of days.
We couldn’t get an MRI done. It just exceeded our savings. I thought it was gonna be around 2000$ but they told us it was more like 4000$...
So we decided to treat it like a bulged disc and took her to Lexington KY to a rehab center today for oxygen treatment in a hyperbaric chamber.
She has another session tomorrow and on Thursday. She lost a lot of muscle over the past two weeks of resting. She is still on the prednisone and Gabapentin. She got maybe a tiny bit better since being on the prednisone. A little less wobbly but still limited in her walk. She had a chest X-ray yesterday and my local vet and the rehab doctor here in KY saw something, but not sure if metastasis. If it is it’s still small. Didn’t have a chance to talk to our oncologist yet.
I’m scared that she won’t recover from this spine thing. She got so thin so quick.
Oh my gosh no apologies at all, really. I'm glad you are better now.
I can't blame you about the MRI, we would have made the same choice. They are incredibly expensive unless pet insurance will cover it. I think your decision was a good one. I hope the therapy helps. It's pretty new and I'm hearing good reports.
The Pred can certainly cause muscle wasting on the other end of the spectrum (ironic because it causes to many dogs to have such wild appetites). Ask your vet if something like a weight gain meal supplement will be safe for her to use right now.
Take comfort in knowing you are doing everything possible to give her a good quality of life. The little improvements can add up to total healing, paws crossed. Let us know what the oncologist says OK? I hope she gets a good report. TONS of Tripawd Power coming your way!
Thanks for checking in!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi everyone!
We just want to give an update on Polly. We did three treatments in the hyperbaric chamber in beginning of May and I’m under the impression she walked better right after the treatment. Because she was reacting more and more stressed going to the vet, we left it at those three treatments.
We did some daily massages and stretching and did daily supported walks with a harness. Every day a little further.
She must have eaten something in the field because she had a horrible stomach issue on top off everything else that only resolved itself with antibiotics. Now she is on Hills gastrointestinal biome and doing good.
We tried to take her off the prednisone after we saw her improving some more. She was doing fine during the slow reduction process but when taken off completely didn’t want to walk.
Now she is receiving the reduced dose of prednisone and she’s doing fine.
By now she’s walking on her own again. The hind legs, specially the right hind leg stayed a little wobbly, but other than that she walks good. We are doing a daily walk through the fields and she can even walk the hill back up to house without assistance. We don’t know if the hyperbaric chamber helped or not. We are just glad she got back to walking on her own. Her last chest X-ray was still all clear so that’s good news on the cancer part as well.
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