Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi Dakota and Gerry
Depending on which stage of treatment decision you are at, there are certain threads that are worth checking (e.g., post-chemo, post-mets, artemisinin , etc). Jerry is pretty darn quick sniffing them out, even when certain tripawds mispell the main words. It is just so much harder to type with one hand than with two.
You must feel more alone given your type of alleged tumor is more unusual than our routine OSA. On the bright side, it sounds as though it grows slowly. Wishing you all the very best for Tuesday - we all hope they can operate on it for sure!
Tazzie & Susan
Dakota and Gerry,
I've been out of town so haven't been on to post or even read recently. I just wanted to say that I have an 8 year old Golden Retriever who is 80 pounds and acts like he is 18. He is now 2 months post op and is doing GREAT! I have no regrets at all. We were lucky, McGwire got diagnosed pretty early on, without a lot of the mis-diagnosis (arthritis, etc.) that other people experience. He has had no metastisis yet (knock on a really big piece of wood) and no complications from the surgery. He walks, swims, but his most favorite thing to do in the whole world is to lay around, either inside with us, or outside in the drive way and get petted by all his neighborhood friends. He has never been playful, and guess what-he still isn't, but he's amazing and has taught me so many lessons about the ways of the world!
I feel badly for you right now. I found that the time from diagnosis to surgery (10 days) was far worse than the 2 weeks of hell that people mentioned. I struggled constantly with the decision and felt like I was going it alone because my family and friends weren't terribly supportive. Now they laugh and shake their heads at his attention-getting antics. Before the surgery, I felt trapped, almost claustrophobic, afterwards, it was like I could move on. The physical recovery was made easier by the fact that his spirit had recovered. The pain wasn't there, and his eyes were brighter. Does that make any sense?
If you aren't ready to make the decision tomorrow, then don't. On the other hand, if you have decided to amputate if it is operable, then why wait? (Any reason here is a good one, even if it's just that you want to take him out for ice cream one more time!) You will make the right decision for you and Dakota. ((HUGS))
Happy Birthday, Dakota.
To answer your question about the cost at OSU. The amputation was $1750. Chemo was around $300 each session. One of the things I loved was the students are there all night so they can monitor pain med and ice the incisions if they need it. Emily is a nervous dog and her student sat with her and petted her when Emily would wake up and cry. The assurance that they were so loving to her was so important to us. Emily is in a drug study for dogs with OSA so chemo might be a bit higher since we didn't have to pay for her blood work.
Good luck tomorrow. You and Dakota are in my prayers.
Debra & Emily
Debra & Emily, a five year old doberman mix, who was diagnosed with an osteosaecoma. She had a right rear leg amputation on May 19, 2009. On November 10, 2009 she earned her wings and regained her fourth leg.
Tazzie - thanks for the info on the threads for ‘post’ surgery, etc.. I have had those thoughts in the back of my mind regarding best diets etc.. but figured that would be my focus once he goes in for the show. I did switch him to ‘taste of the wild’ but see a lot of postings on here for EVO – tazziedog had said it was a great product for cancer dogs in a post somewhere I came across. I do feel alone and like a lot of what I am trying to do might not be the ‘right’ thing (innocent but negative thoughts from family / friends doesn’t help) but at the same time – having all of you to compare notes with and talk to and see success stories is just the thing that helps keep me going when that lump in my throat turns into tears. His unique case (not being OSA) and it being a soft tissue tumor is part of the reason I am reaching across to the US to other states and universities for potential new/different treatment options.
Macsmom – thanks for the good thoughts and kind words.. It does make sense about his spirit returning and that making it easier. I sit and watch him and the labored breathing and the quivering leg and wonder, and hope, that I am taking the right path and not being selfish. It’s good to know the time before the surgery was the hardest for you – I feel like I am being eaten up inside right now and was wondering how the post surgery “two weeks of hell” could actually get any worse- really?
I know that right this moment I am not ready to make the decision for surgery for tomorrow I desperately want to hear from OSU, Cornell and CSU (I have already reached out) but overall I have to say that I think I have accepted that I will have a tripawd dog if there are no other alternatives. I just feel like I NEED to exhaust all possibilities before I can take that road – I feel like it is my duty and responsibility as a dad and as his best friend – weird yes, but just the way it is – my heart will not let me do it any other way. No matter what I hope to have many more ice creams with my lil guy.
Emilysmom – Thanks for the Birthday wish! Dakota is 11 and going strong! And thanks for the info on OSU – it’s good to know and the kindness they showed you and Emily is priceless. Angel Memorial (who has been great) estimates the amputation to total just about the same as yours. The MRI, chest and hip Xrays, guided aspiration, some other nerve test (EMG) and anesthesia for tomorrow will be more than the actual amputation through them – looks like about $2500. I don’t know yet what chemo and/or radiation will cost but they have mentioned it as a good idea post surgery and I will do whatever I have to.
Thank you all for the good thoughts. I am keeping my fingers and Dakota’s 4 paws crossed that we caught things in time for at least an amputation! I will certainly report tomorrow on here as soon as I know what the results of the tests are and any other information I gather.
Hey, the labored breathing – is that something you all witnessed prior to the surgery? Is that the pain – I suspect it is and I keep forgetting to ask the Surgeon as I always have this seemingly endless list of questions for her – but she always answers everything which is very considerate.
Dakota and Gery..
Panting is indeed a sign of pain and distress.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks Jerry - I thought as much - just hate seeing him always panting or just breathing fast in general - almost like it is hard..
Dakota and Gerry..
Dropped Dakota off for the MRI this morning - waiting now for results.. Got a call from CSU - the doctor said that she is happy to review the findings and if it is in fact the nerve root tumor then the amputation and the doctors at Angel Memorial are the best bet for Dakota Right now. She did say she would be happy to review the MRI and records to see if they think there are any other options however. Sounds like I need to prepare for having a new tripawd. Stay tuned...
Thanks for the update, and best wishes!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Keep us posted.
Debra
Debra & Emily, a five year old doberman mix, who was diagnosed with an osteosaecoma. She had a right rear leg amputation on May 19, 2009. On November 10, 2009 she earned her wings and regained her fourth leg.
It is very tough waiting for test results and recommendations. Lots of good thoughts for both of you!
Don't forget, if you end up with a tripawd, you will indeed have one very special pal. They make you see things in a whole new light, they make your world turn, they teach you the art of survival, they bring you strength you never knew you had and maybe best of all they bring you wonderful, supportive tripawd pawrents who are supportive and with you all the way.
Don't worry. Whatever the decision, it will be ok.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
Dakota and I are finally home and settled in. His testing ran late so we had to pick him up late. I wanted him to be home tonight with me to be as comfortable as possible. His labored breathing is very pronounced tonight (panting or fast shallow or simply what appears to be labored breathing – exhibits all three)– I have looked this up and from what I can tell it is due to the pain (ruling other causes out) and maybe also the prednisone. I am sure they manipulated him today and also one of the tests was electrically stimulating the nerves so I think it is a good bet he is in pain tonight..
The MRI results. Dakota has a nerve root tumor on the brachial plexus (nerve bundle coming from the spine) but the tumor is beyond the armpit and not right against the spine – Doctor said this is good since it will allow for clean margins with an amputation if we go that road. However, there are complications. The MRI also identified a tumor of his left thyroid (I thought there was only 1??) and are expecting to remove that at the same time as the leg if we go through with the surgery. They also located a third tumor on his front left paw (the good one) they aspirated it (took a sample with a needle to test) and will let me know the results tomorrow. Also, they did do an Xray of the hips and he does have arthritis – mild to moderate which is a further concern of bearing additional weight on the hips. His chest Xrays and blood work came back good.
The Surgeon was cautiously optimistic and said that we should see what the results bring back tomorrow from the testing.
He drank a TON when he got home but was not hungry at all. I sat with him for a long while but he was antsy and unable to get comfortable. He did not have an appetite at all and I did not want to force a tramadol down the poor guys throat. I cooked up two steak tips and that finally did the trick – so hopefully he will calm down and relax with a little less pain for the evening.
Does anyone have a front leg amputee with hip arthritis? I am certainly confused on the right path tonight and want to sleep on it and see how he fares in the morning and what the test results are tomorrow. The doctor said that they could operate as soon as early next week pending results. I am sharing results with CSU and will see what their impression is as well. I will update tomorrow. On day at a time...
Dakota and Gerry..
First I want to say you have a beautiful pal there..
I wish I had some advise to give you. It is hard to process all the information and making a firm decision when there is so many deadlines pressing. Our thoughts and prayers are definately with you and I wish you all the best tomorrow. Try as hard as it may seem to get some sleep. Dakota needs you to be stong tomorrow. Please keep us updated....
Shilo & Lisa
Shilo diagnosed with osteosarcoma 9/4/2009, amputation 9/9/2009. ShiloAnne lost her battle 11/23/2009 where she regained her fourth leg and is patiently waiting for her parents to join her. We will always love you baby girl.
Hi Gerry and Dakota
So sorry to hear your mixed news. Does the vet think the other tumors are metastases from the limb tumor or independent? If they are mets, does she or he think it is worthwhile operating? It is great they examined him so thoroughly. We recently found a couple of nodes and one for certain tumor, which may or may not have been there at the time of amp.
First, expect lots of panting in the next little while. Tazzie kept panting for a long time after surgery (I can't remember pre-surgery - he just stopped 'smiling' that week.) It continued in the evenings for over a month, probably up to 6 weeks, although probably not as intense as at the beginning.
Second, a few of our dogs do have severe hip problems when they have a front leg removed. I did not know this and the orthopedic surgeons thought he was fine. But my regular vet recently did an x-ray and found severe joint degeneration (she said hip displasia, but I'm not certain about that) in the right hip, with a bone fragment floating in that area. The left hip was not as bad, but was not pretty. She said he must be in a lot of pain when he walks and probably should not take walks or do stairs.
Well, lab results or no lab results, Tazzie wants to take walks, playing with the dogs at the off-leash park, and he does the stairs with no hints of wincing. Given we are not really worrying about what life is going to be like 6 years from now (I wish we had that luxury but we don't), I let him do what he wants. Having said that, I think he is a dog who tends to stop when he is truly uncomfortable.
Tazzie did take a couple of weeks to re-learn to walk following amp. He lay around almost all day for 2-3 weeks. When he did walk, he moved so sloowly at first (well, he ran out of the vet but I'm sure that was all adrenalin.) I was wondering about his hind right at the time. I suspect the delay in his movement was due to the hind limb problems. But he does just fine now and has been getting stronger each week.
If I remember right, Jerry had hip displasia in both hips before his amputation, and he did just fine!
So, if Dakota does not appear to have problems walking due to the hind limbs, I probably would not worry too much about that particular factor when deciding on amp, unless you have an attractive option other than amp.
Susan and Tazzie
OK – update time..
Dakota is fairing much much better today. I can see pieces of who he used to be. I think that yesterday they did a job on him with testing and what not. I started him on fish oil supplements today – I found quickly that if I break them open he will lick up the fish straight – he likes it! Woohoo!! This is a good thing as I don’t have to figure out how to hide that horse pill inside something.
Both the Orthopedic surgeon from Angel Memorial and the Oncologist from CSU said to put him on glucosamine chondroitin?. I think I have see n this listen in other posts I have read; I think I specifically remember one from tazziedog where she mentioned this – maybe in a daily nutritional supplement listing?. Also, the Oncologist from CSU said they recommend Omega 3 – she said there can be no harm from a 3, 6, 9 supplement but they have not seen the benefit from 6 and 9 so they focus on omega 3. I have to look up both of these in the posts to see what everyone is doing for dosages.
I also now have a request in to schedule an appointment at a veterinarian oncologist office in Waltham MA, at a place called NEVOG (nevog.com) they specialize in oncology and apparently (according to my orthopedic surgeon) a number of oncology specialists from Angel Memorial left there to start this specialty practice. I have asked to accelerate this appointment as I would like to have them evaluate Dakota and see the results of all the tests (MRI, xrays, EMG, etc..) to date prior to his surgery. I have a tentative date for the amputation (baring anything new) of next Tuesday 10/6/09 – less than a month since he first exhibited the pain and discomfort (9/14). A part of me is acting brave and will be happy to put this behind me and a part of me is outright scared as heck and hoping that I am doing the right thing!
Tazzie – thanks for the feedback – it is reassuring to know that other dogs have faced similar challenges with their hips and still came through just fine. This has definitely been a factor in my decision making as my primary concern in that Dakota will have a comfortable life post AMP.
Dogs do have two thyroid glands – in case any of you were wondering (I had no idea) and the Doctor said tumors on these glands are are 99% benign so there is nothing to really worry about there - just a good precaution to remove it. The aspiration of the tumor/lump on his right paw did not give results – she is inclined to leave it – or said we can take it off at the same time. It is on-top so I may simply have it removed and biopsied at that time to just get it over with and know for sure if something else is going on. So many variables but all in all I think we are OK.
I am coordinating to have a full 7 days at home with him immediately post surgery and to also have someone here for him for a full month while I am at work. I have to say that my other half has been extremely supportive of me and the amputation idea and this has made a huge difference as well. So all in all I am on track for an amputation and have to say a sincere THANK YOU to all of you for being here along the way to help me through this insanely difficult period in Dakota’s life. I will also be building a ramp off the back stairs this coming weekend so that he will not have to worry about navigating stairs while he is recovering.
Dakota and Gerry...
Glad there is some good news today. I did not mean to 'poo poo' your question about hips. But it does not sound as though Dakota has visible problems walking now, does his (I mean, other than caused by the front leg - what a silly question!). It sounds as though they were only detected by the x-ray.
The fish oil is what we give our dogs to provide the omega 3/6. One caution. Some dogs can get the runs from fish oil, at least from certain brands of fish oil (voice of experience here). Give him one pill and then work up to a higher dose. Tazzie 2 was fine with human grade fish oil purchased at the grocery store.
I think tazziedog gave recommended doses of glucosamin chondroitin in a post to Jake today. That should be easy to find. I should get Tazzie 2 right onto that as well. Thanks for the thought! (Ahh, more pills means more butter, yummm. Is butter hard on the liver?)
Susan & Tazzie 2
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