Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi Doug and Cookie 🐾
You've got great moments, I totally agree with everybody.
You don't know what it is that may or not be shown on that X-ray and please remember Frankie's example.
I would, as Sally suggested, pursue last chemo regardless of circumstances.
In any case, please try not to panic and enjoy your beautiful girl.
She adores you and nothing at all has changed in her life.
We are all sending pawsitive energy, hugs and cuddles your way 😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
Hi Doug,
I am just catching up with what's going on. I don't have anything to add, and concur with all the other input you've gotten. She's your girl. Keep on loving her like she loves you. And know you've got many folks behind you rooting for you both.
Fallon 8/28/06--9/6/18. My Heart.
Fallon's left front leg was amputated due to osteosarcoma on 10/11/17.
Nothing But Love in Her Heart - dawn3g.tripawds.com
Thanks for the input everyone. I am awaiting the call back from the cancer vet. I would certainly do the metronomic chemo if it will slow the process down.
She said we could " Assume " its the osteo or it may be a lymphoma and we could maybe do a chemo that is good for both, or we can assume its osteo and do the metronomic and I suppose the cat scan is a way to be more educated as to what it might be.
All the what if's are mind boggling?
And because the ultra sound and x ray were not completely conclusive maybe it will be an anomaly?
Thankfully she is not in pain and still very happy and that is all that is important at this time. The doctor said based on the x ray I am not doing the Carboplatin chemo, so maybe we take another x ray in a couple weeks and see?
The cat scan at 1500 is not affordable for me. I went into debt for the surgery at $5,000 and would take a second mortgage if need be for a " Treatment" but spending big bucks for just diagnostics I cannot do.
It would be like getting word from an angel telling you, you will be hit by a meteorite and spending a lot of time and effort finding out all about the meteorite....WHY? it wont really change anything as morbid as that analogy might be.
Maybe the vet will tell me that a radiologist looked at the xray and thinks it is NOT a mass?
Anyway I'm keeping positive and enjoying every moment I get with her. Its in the hands of the Big Man above!
Hi Doug and Cookie 🐾
I know this sucks ... and am really sorry you are going through such a stressful moment...
But, yes, it could well be this is not what they are assuming given the fact it is inconclusive.
I totally understand you don't want so spend a lot of money to have a scan.
You did make a real point with your meteorite example.
But maybe repeating the X-ray in a couple of weeks would be a good idea, if this was something nasty there would probably be some sort of evolution shown by comparison with the last xray.
I wish there was something any of us could do right now to give you clarification but sadly it is not in pour power to do so.
All we can say is we are all here for you both, we are thinking about you and our wishes are next xray will show a different outcome to what they now guess, just like in Frankie's case.
Oh, and I apologise for my last post, where I wrote "You've got great moments, I totally agree with everybody." I meant "You've got great comments".
Sending you a big, big hug and tons of cuddles to sweet Cookie 😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
Hi Doug,
I am going with your last statement and will hope for all hopes that a radiologist is going to say .. it is just a shadow, carry on.
I am glad she is doing well, she is such a sweetie. And I agree with your statement. You remember when I told you about Rosie? Before I lost her I had the option of getting a very painful, expensive muscle biopsy that they wanted to take from between her eye and her head. She was already in pain. I asked the doctor.. "so if this is conclusive or inconclusive, will it change the course of treatment?" She said no. I said no thank you, she is already in enough pain and I would rather put the money towards something that will make a difference.
I totally get it
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Thank you for the input.
And Jackie I TOTALLY get the " No Thanks" Regarding the Muscle Biopsy. I would of done EXACTLY what you did.
I think there is absolutely a bit of Profit Seeking motive just like any other business.
I Agree Eurydice, A chest x ray in a few weeks will tell the story just the same without a 1500 cat scan!
Regarding Chemo I did talk to the vet yesterday and she advised that the ultra sound lady actually saw NOTHING so she would ask the radiologist to take another look and see if we can get a more definitive result or opinion?
I asked the vet if we assume there is a mass in her chest cavity then our option is the chemo " Pills " but I am even having second thoughts about that.
If she indeed has a tumor in her chest then the three rounds of Carbo didn't do much and honestly I wonder if the two oral chemo medications would do much good. She mentioned Palladia and something else.
I have never been a fan of Chemo, but I understand it does cause remissions in OTHER kinds of K9 cancer but certainly not with regards to Osteo.
Do I want to give my baby more " POISON" without knowing that it could have REAL positive results? I could have done NO Carbo and had the same result if she has a mass in her chest.
Ay Yi Yi these are such tough decisions.
At any rate she is all tail wags and happiness currently and I am going to SPOIL her to the hilt for whatever time we have, and be " More Dog"
Now that I am cooking her and her Brother Sharky dinner every night it is a lovely ritual. Real ground beef, with all the necessary additives ( Habib Recipe ) and chicken breast every night, little cottage cheese on the side, and they absolutely LOVE every dinner and it is such a labor of love for me.
The MOST important thing is Cookies " Quality" of life and not to get SUCKED into the big Pharma Spend Spend Spend mentality with possibly very little benefit.
Having the limb removed though was absolutely the right thing but as far as the Chemicals to put into her maybe NOT so helpful.
Given how absolutely fabulous she has done with all of this, I really don't blame you Doug. You have done so much, you have all been through so much, yet your girl is still glowing and happy. Every day that you make their gourmet cuisine is a labor of love. Every healthy supplement and ingredient you put together is part of why you have what you have.
This is such a very personal decision and if I were walking in your shoes I would be on the fence as well. You guys have rocked this and totally kicked @ss! When enough is enough.. only you and she can make that decision. Whatever/however you do it I commend you on being the best pawrent that Cookie could ask for. You have my utmost respect and full support.
....getting off the podium now... I think I have earned a few beautiful Cookie photos...what do you think?
Sending huge hugs to the pups and warm support to you and your family
Jackie and Huck
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
OH MY GOSH,
just got a call from the Doctor. She had the radiologist take a real close look at the xray and he confirmed "I really cannot say that is a tumor It could be fatty tissue or an anomaly". We are back on tomorrow for Chemo number 4 Whho Hoo
I'm wondering if the Doctor made the decision on what it could be.... without..... first consulting with the radiologist? Either way we are ECSTATIC!!!!!
Like " Frankie" perhaps huh Eurydice!!
I wont get overly optimistic as we will take another x ray in three weeks but what a difference 24 hours makes!
RIGHT ON!!! That made my day, thanks for sharing the joy!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Doug Doug Doooooooooooooooooug 🎈🎈🎈
I am ECSTATIC with the news 🎊🎉🎊 !!!!!
SO happy, my heart is coming out of my chest 💓💨💨💨
See ??????
Stupid idiotic vets (sorry to vent) can cause unnecessary vast amounts of suffering sometimes just because they DID NOT pay enough attention 😤
In my case, I got the all clear with a PET scan 6 months after my baby's amputation and after her having finished carboplatin and starting metronomics .
I asked time and time again when he called me with results "are you absolutely sure?"
The answer was yes, yes, yes and he said when I'd get to hospital to pick her up we'd be discussing long term treatment and a scan in six months.
A couple of hours later he calls to say he made a mistake and, talking to the doc who performed the scan, they found 3 or 4 little tumours ...
Don't take me wrong, Eurydice's oncologist was a lovely man, very competent and loved my girl but he just DID NOT pay enough attention that one time ...
Going back to Cookie I am SOOOOO thrilled you've got the right end of the wrong stick 😃
Now go and celebrate with your girl, man extra juicy steak 🥩 for her and a good bottle of wine for you 🍾
Sending a HUGE hug and HUGE cuddles 😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
IKR Eurydice,
Please be very careful Mr and Mrs vet, and take the utmost care and consideration, as these are our LOVED ones!!! Not going to get overly optimistic but 24 hours sure can change a prognosis.
we shall carry on the fight to the BEST of our ability! We may get to that vaccine after all.
P.S. Eurydice, I stopped the Ice Cream as sugar supposedly promotes cancer but maybe tonight we'll make a Lil' exception to that rule. Haha
I give her all the good supplements.. K9 Immunity Plus, CBD Oil , Turmeric , Omega three , Reishi Mushroom , so I figure a Lil treat won't hurt!!!!!
OVER THE MOON HAPPY!!! ABSOLUTELY THRILLED!!🤣😂😁😃
THIS IS SUCH GOOD NEWS!!!! Your entire Tripawd Family doing the hoppy happy dance for Cookie and you!!🕺💃🤣
I know the past several days have been sheer agony for you. I truly know that! To be told bad news based on an "assumption". or what something "probably is", or "might" be!
Im glad you're going ahead and completing the fourth chemo. I think regardless of what happens down the road, you won't ever have that as a "what if I'd only" questuon.
In Eurydice's case, the "certainty" ended up turning out negatively and not being a "good" mistake. In Frankie's case, my Vet was certain of what she saw on the xray. Thankfully, the Radiologist just saw a shadow from the position the xray was taken! So it was a GOOD mistake in his case!
And ya' know what Doug? Throughout all this turmoil you've been through, none of this this bothered Cookie in the least!!!! NOTHING CHANGED IN COOKIE'-S WORLD! She is just going to make the most out of each moment given her with no worries about the tomorrows! Nothing was going to interfere with her time with you!! ❤❤ It's such a valuable lesson!
YES!!! TODAY CALLS FOR ICE CREAM!!!!!!!!!😁😁😁 Frankie and Myrtle and I shall have an ice cream toast to Cookie tonight! No bowls allowed! Straight from the carton😎
Lots of 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!
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