Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi Chris & Bonnie,
We, too, are very sad to hear of Bonnie's lung mets and that her white cell count has bottomed out. We hope the Rapamyacin will help keep the mets small, but I know it is heart-breaking to see your wonderful 70 lbs. of chocolate having problems even when she goes potty. Our poor dogs with this terrible cancer; I wish life was different for you right now.
Love, Blazer, Kitty Kimber & Mom (Vicki)
Our love to you all! I do not know what I would do without your love and reassurance. I seemed to be bottoming out with Bonnie's white count and needed your words. Thank you all for being there.
chris-bonnie
Dearest Chris,
You bet we are here for you; at best we can offer encouragment that her white cell count will rebound, but if you ever feel like talking to a friend offline from tripawds, I'd like to offer my email address and you are free to write me anytime you feel like it: vriss@comcast.net
We are keeping our paws crossed that Bonnie's white cell count rebounds really soon.
Love, Blazer, Kitty Kimber & Mom (Vicki)
Thanks to you all for your support and I will take you up on your kind offer Vicki. But.... I have good news and bad news after our visit to UPenn this past Tuesday.
The bad news is that Bonnie is not eligible for the clinical trials.....The good news is that she is not eligible because she has NO mets in her lungs!!!!
How can I put into words the intense wave of relief that went through me when they told me that. Granted, I would like to shoot the vet and radiologist that told me they were there, but the good news dissipates my anger.
We are still going to follow up with the last course of Doxorubicin the 12th, but we are waiting for her to stabilize a little and the oncology team does not think it will hurt to wait a week. Her white count has rebounded to 18,000 so we will check it again also. They also gave her Mirtazapine as an appetite stimulant. It seems to be working a little. She still will not eat on her own, but is eating more when I hand feed her. We are supposed to go out of town on Monday and come home Thursday and I am less worried than before, but still a little anxious. She is my old Bonnie and happy as can be - of course it may be because we are practically dancing around in joy and she has to feel that.
I know that the mets will show up sometime, but I just want as much happiness for her as possible. Thanks to you all for your prayers --they were ANSWERED! I am forever in your debt.
chris-bonnie
Good news for Bonnie! Lung rads can be very difficult to interpret when looking for mets although I am surprised that a radiologist missed that. Did they take new films at the vet school, or did she need a CT scan? In any case it is great that she got the "all-clear".
Pam and Tazzie
Wwwwwaaaaaaahooooo! We are doing a happy dance for you Bonnie, congratulations!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Chris & Bonnie-
Just wanted to mention that I am also taking mirtazapine to increase my appetite. It's quite amazing how many human meds can be used on our canine friends. I hope it helps her like it helped me.
Also, we're very delighted to hear that there are no lung mets! What a relief that must be for you.
Love, Vicki, Blazer & Kitty Kimber
Wow, we did not realize how long it has been. Life has been hectic.
Yes, Pam, they took new xrays at UPenn and could not find anything with two of their radiologists looking at them. You mention a CT scan, should I request one? Does it give more a better view?
We went back to UPenn Dec 12 for our 6th and last round of chemo. It was adriamycin/Doxorubicin, so we knew the effects were going to be bad. They were not as bad, probably because we had more time in between the treatments this time. The other vet had been pushing every 2 weeks so poor Bonnie never got her strength back. It had been over 4 weeks in between for the last one so she had more strength built up. We also took her to our local vet for a blood work up the week after. Her white count was down, but she was not as weak as before.
The mirtazapine works, but Bonnie has my number and still is a finicky eater. There are days when she eats her dry food mixed with meat or cheese and then there are days when I am lucky to get her to eat anything.
The vets put her on Metronidazole and Ondanstron also. I have to take her back the week of the 5th for a new set of xrays. I have been cautiously optimistic until then so I can be sure that we can really celebrate. Still, I am savoring every minute of her. She sleeps touching me every night and I can't put into words the feeling of hearing her snore beside me. She is walking a lot further when we go out and her tail never stops wagging. We are also working with UPenn on her diabetes. Her glucose is up one day and down the next, but not as often as before. They had told me that we will work on that once we get her white count stabilized but feel that it will stabilize with the white count. Thanks to you all for your support. We could not do it without you.
chris-bonnie
Bonnie, good to hear from you! A CT scan is better than an XRay because it can see smaller masses and gives higher detail. However it is expensive and requires general anesthesia and any info obtained wouldn't change the treatment plan so I would just do the follow-up XRay as suggested.
Tazzie just finished her last chemo last week and I am looking forward to her energy returning to pre-op levels! She has been able to run and play as the chemo wears off but hasn't been able to walk too far without having to rest. I know we won't be able to do our 2 mile walks of the past but I know she misses the park so even a 1/2 mile would be nice.
Thanks for the update,
Pam and Tazzie
Dear Chris & Bonnie,
It's so good to hear you are through with the chemo!!! Yay!!!! Now, if they can just get her blood sugar normalized as well as the white cell counts, Bonnie should be doing a "jig" here really soon. We will continue to pray that her xrays during the week of the 5th come back clear. It's so very good to hear from you and I loved hearing your story how she sleeps touching you every night and how soothing the sound of her gentle snores make you indescribably happy. Please keep in touch with us, when you have time. We certainly do love hearing from you and it's wonderful to hear that Bonnie is almost back to her old self, again. I'm rambling now, so I'll say bye-bye for now.
Love, Blazer, Kitty Kimber & Mom (Vicki)
The forum is up and running just in time! Bonnie went to UPenn for the follow-up visit to her last round of chemo. It has been three weeks since the last chemo and her xrays showed NO mets! We are celebrating tonight!! Bonnie may even get a sip of champagne. Life has been a roller coaster, but it is worth it now. I don't know how long we will celebrate, but we will do it every day we can. We also got Bonnie back on her Metronidazole so she even ate some dry dog food for dinner. She was down to eating Cherrios and corn muffins there for a while.
I am waiting to hear officially from the oncologist on the radiologists report but she seemed pretty sure we were clear. We are also trying to schedule a meeting with the nutritionist to work on stabilizing her diet and glucose levels some.
We can't thank you all enough and will keep you posted on the progress. Love and kisses to all of you!
chris-bonnie
Yeaaaaay!!!!! Wow, that is wonderful news, congratulations!
Heh heh, champagne for Bonnie, lucky girl! She definitely deserves some. What a comeback, we are thrilled for you. Her recovery story really shows that sometimes, as bad as it seems, there's still hope for quality time and a beautiful life.
Since Bonnie is the official spokesperson for diabetic tripawds here, we'd love to hear what the nutritionist says. Let us know OK?
As for us, we raise a glass to you and Bonnie. Thank you for sharing this wonderful update.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I certainly will keep you posted on every step with the nutritionist and further follow-up BUT-----
We ALL raise our glass to you and Jerry's Spirit. Without you, there would have been a very bleak outllook with very little hope. This site and your efforts are PRICELESS. Only the finest champagne is suitable for a toast to you.
Thanks to everyone again - our happiness may not last long or may set a new record. Either way, we owe you all for your assistance in our journey.
chris-bonnie
We shall all celebrate for you. That is wonderful news!
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.
Hi Chris & Bonnie,
We are definitely celebrating this good news! And, to quote you:
"We ALL raise our glass to you and Jerry's Spirit. Without you, there would have been a very bleak outllook with very little hope. This site and your efforts are PRICELESS. Only the finest champagne is suitable for a toast to you."
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