Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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It’s been awhile since I posterd. So thought that I would give an update. Derry had his surgery on Sept. 19th and has been doing extremely well. He has completed 4 out of his 5 chemotherapy treatments with very little side effects. Diarrhea has been the most common. He is due for his last chemotherapy treatment this coming Friday.
in November, he also went to receive the Yale trial vaccine and is due for the booster this Tuesday.
Derry has had an amazing appetite and gets around like nothing ever happened. Prior to each treatment they do bloodwork and say that his results are perfect.
While we have been celebrating all of this and are so proud of him, yesterday we had a setback. Out of nowhere he had a seizure at about 5:30pm.. It lasted about a minute and his recovery was quite quick. We called the hospital and they said to monitor him. As long as he was eating, drinking and going to the bathroom it wasn’t an emergency. He was doing well the rest of the evening. He even went for a walk and ate and drank normally as well as going to the bathroom.
He had another seizure at 12:10 am. Seemed about the same, a minute and a quick recovery. We called the hospital again. They again said we could monitor. Their rule of thumb is if he has 3-5 in a 12-24hr timeframe then he would go in. Or, if it lasted 5 minutes or longer.
He had a third at 4:15 am. Again about a minute and a quick recovery. We took him to the hospital. In between seizures he seems absolutely fine and alert etc. He even had a snack and we read about giving him a bit of ice cream after the seizure. We did this and of course he loved it.
He they admitted him to monitor him and give Valium to help sedate and hopefully prevent further seizures. They were going to take blood and give medications if needed.
He has been there almost 10ths now and has not had another seizure. We are awaiting our next update.
He is due for the booster to his Yale vaccine this Tuesday and now don’t know if they will want to go ahead with it.
We are a mess again with worry. We’re really hoping it is isolated. Does anyone have any similar experience? Is it possible the surgery, all the meds, stress and chemo could have triggered this?
First of all so thrilled to hear how well Derry has been doing. It’s the kind of update we like around here. I guess if they had to happen, at least they have been “mild” and he bounces back.
Really hoping the sudden onset of the seizures gets figured out and under control.
My first unprofessional thought is to immediately let his Onco know AND to let the people administering the vaccine know. Is there any correlation? I have no idea it it’s certainly worth getting clarification and also a printout of the doses administered, possible side effects of the vaccine (or vaccine plus chemo).
You may have more answers onethe good work is done. Maybe some of his levels are lower than normal maybe kidneys etc. Dunno.just throwing stuff out there with no validity whatsoever. Could be so any things that can be treated.
We’ll be looking for an update when you can. He’s in good hands and this wil get figured out.
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!
Oh no! I was getting so excited about his fantastic res and then my heart broke. Hopefully this is a manageable and very temporary issue. Did they mention anything about a CT scan?
He is so strong and doing so well, he really has that on his side and whatever this is his good health will give him a fighting chance to overcome it. Please keep us posted!
Please know we are thinking about you and sending ❤️
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!
Derry was taken back to the hospital today with continued seizures. He was scheduled to have his 5th and final chemotherapy treatment tomorrow. It has now been cancelled. They did a chest X-ray and his cancer has spread. The X-ray shows multiple nodules in the chest. They said no point to do final chemo.
To say we are gutted is an understatement. We are devastated, angry, in disbelief and just beside ourselves. HOW????
It is 2.5 mths since his amputation surgery and a perfectly clean chest X-ray. He received the Yale vaccine. He just received the booster on Tuesday. How did we get here?
The doxorubicin clearly did absolutely nothing. The vaccine? Nothing??
If we can get the seizures treated successfully , they said it is usually 1-3 mths before his quality of life will deteriorate and he will be very ill.
They had told us 6mths with amputation and 11ths with amputation and chemo.
We did amputation, chemo, turkey tail mushroom extract, Yale vaccine….everything. How are we here?
I can’t breathe. I can’t cope. I can’t even imagine life without him. Our house feels so empty already just with him being in hospital. I don’t know how to move forward.
It is possible the seizures are because it has spread to the brain as well. They said that spending 4-5000 dollars on an mri wouldn’t be recommended to spend the money knowing it’s already aggressively spread to the chest while on chemo.
it could also be the Yale vaccine antibodies have attacked some neurons in the brain causing seizures.
I can’t cope with the fact that he had a perfectly clean X-ray prior to amputation. His amputation was an unbelievable success. His bloodwork through 4 rounds of chemo has been perfect.
How did we now have multiple nodules in the chest?
How did chemotherapy do absolutely nothing when it has a median of 6-8 mths?
it’s sickens me to read this. I am stunned, shocked and my heart breaks for you. This disease is so brutal, cunning, barbaric and evil. Unfortunately we see this from time to time when everything possible is done, everything is looking good,
You had every reason to be hopeful and to believe Derry had an outstanding chance it extended quality. Just shaking my head in disbelief how things turned on a dime. We just lost another Tripawd family to seizures that were a result of the crap disease spreading to the brain
When you can write down your questions about the vaccine and see if they have any insight based on previous studies, those currently using the vaccine the doxorubicin etc. Most likely the questions willj have no concrete answers It’s cancer.
What you do know is you did EVERYTHING POSSIBLE to give Derry the chance. You actually I’d more than many could do. Some have to stop at amputation as finances prevent further treatment
Derry knows how much you loved him and he knows you understand the depth of his love for you. I hope at some point you find comfort in that
How I wish there were words to help you…words to help you breathe…words to help push away the unbearable grief you are experiencing right now…..there are no words.
We are surrounding you with Derry’s eternal love and his shining light that can never be dimmed…
With love
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!
I was writing this through tears and don’t thinkI fully grasped everything. I feel awful for even asking you this, vit is Derry still in the hospital ?
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!
Derry is very much still here. He is currently in the hospital. They just allowed us a visit. He is receiving Diazepam through IV which has him heavily sedated. They have administered a dose of phenobarbital. This is an anti seizure medication. When he was released from hospital on Sunday night he had been given Levetiracetam (Keppra) that we would give him three times a day. They are switching him to the phenobarbital. He hasn’t had a seizure since being given the diazepam first orally when he first arrived and then switched to the drip (IV)
They don’t know if the vaccine has attacked the myelin of the neurons in the brain. If it did, that would cause inflammation of the brain which could cause seizures.
Another possibility is metastasis to the brain. Apparently lungs is the first place of spread.
The bloodwork he had on Sunday showed his white blood cells lower than normal. He started and antibiotic for that. The blood they took this afternoon showed his white blood cell was back up.
They are probably going to keep him 48hrs and really make sure he is seizure free. We feel,they let him go too early Sunday. When he was admitted at 4:30 in the morning, they said they’d keep him 24hrs. They ended up releasing him at 8pm because they thought he had responded well. We think it was too soon because here we are.
As long as Derry does not give up, we will not either. We are searching and doing everything we can to continue the fight regardless of what they say. He is only going to have his 4th birthday on the 23rd of this month. He has shown no other clinic symptoms of cancer. The seizures (although we know serious) are the only set back we have had since the diagnosis, surgery and treatment.
Thanks wo mich for the clarification. I feel like wich an idiot for not grasping the whole picture and jumping to worse case scenario
Derry is a rogether and so are you! The fadt that his bloodwork is gack to normal is great news. Sounds like the seizures may be back under control.
IF the seizures may have been vaccine related. is it possible the inflammation will subside once the vaccine is "out of his system"? Does that make any sense at all?
Paws crossed for sweet Derry. We're all cheering for him.
(((((((((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!
I'm so, so sorry. The pace at which this all happened is so unreal, I can't imagine how you guys are able to see straight right now. My heart hurts for you and all that this has put you and Derry through. Cancer is so mean and unpredictable.
At least they have the seizures under control, and hopefully he can go home with you now. It sounds like he is getting great care and doing all that science can do, so you've got that part handled really well. When you see him please give him kisses from us and tell him the Tripawds community is sending tons of love and healing wishes. We are here for you.
Thank you everyone for the care and concern. We are a mess.
i can’t cope with any of this and cannot move forward without Derry.
He remains in hospital. He had a seizure around midnight when they reduced the Diazepam. So they increased it back up and increased the phenobarbital. They administered a steroid medication to help with any inflammation in the brain.
The neurologist was still hopeful that once we get the seizures controlled that he can come home and in a couple/few weeks resume a decent quality of life for whatever his future holds.
She has seen many dogs that have severe seizures and eventually they respond.
A couple of hours ago they called to say he had vomited and they think he may have aspirated some of it because he is sedated. They said his vitals were still good and his temperature was still normal but his breathing pattern had changed. He is on an antibiotic so that would help too.
We sit in pain and crying waiting for the next update. Praying as hard as we can, that the news starts getting better and more positive.
I have also been exchanging emails with Mari from canine cancer alliance as well as Dr Mamula from Yale who helped create the vaccine.
We appreciate you taking the tkme to update. We know it's hard but it gives us a chance to better wuppor you with the details uou share.
Onde thong for certain, Derry is in really good hands. They clearly are monitoring him closely and are prepared to handle any situation as it arises. They are very proactive and definately top of things..
Vitals are good and they are addressing the respiratory issue. They are assessing the doses needed to break the cyc of seizures
Derry's not giving up, you're not giving up, the Vets are not giving up and we`re not giving up.. We are praying with you for a woild recov for Derry. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
((((((((((((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!
It's just got to be so hard to get such up and down news, the stress you must be under is unimaginable. His team sounds really on top of the situation though, and giving this everything they've got. So is Derry, what a fighter that boy is.
We are all keeping you in our thoughts and hoping that the treatment works. If and when you're up to it, let us know how things are going. 
Here we are Sunday evening. Derry remains seizure free.
He remains in hospital because he is still very sedated and still recoverIng from the aspiration.
He is 67 hrs seizure free and for that is only receiving phenobarbital. In the early hours of Friday, he had received a steroid so hopefully that played a part in reducing any brain swelling.
The X-ray on Friday confirmed that he had aspirated vomit. So they are treating that. He is on a couple of antibiotics and oxygen. They do a treatment called coupage where they cup their hand and gently press the chest where they know the fluid is. They also spray saline solution through his nose to help break it up with additional moisture.
The ER doctor doesn’t want to feed him just yet because they don’t want him to aspirate. The neurologist wants to introduce teaspoon amount of food to him so he can build strength and it would help his stomach receiving the phenobarbital. Recovering from the aspiration at this point seems to overrule.
On the oxygen, his saturation levels have been around 91-93% today it was 96% so that is good.
Also today when the neurologist (who is the primary doctor on his case) went to see him, the oxygen clips had come out of his nose. She didn’t know how long they’d been out but his oxygen level on his own was 91% When she put them back in, it went up to 96%
When she called his name, he actually lifted his head for a brief moment and then lay it back down. That is a step forward.
They were going to check his blood again just to make sure everything else is still looking good. His temperature and vitals all remain good.
We continue to pray that he continues to fight. We will not give up as long as he puts up such a great fight. We are so in love with him and beyond proud that he is fighting so hard to get back to us.
Won’t stop praying, 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💜
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