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4th Day Post-Amp for Sammy
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Greater Western Washington area
Member Since:
25 August 2010
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2 September 2010 - 11:23 am
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I am so tired that my eyes are crossing but I am so happy that my boy is back.  He has always been a bunny hopper, the way he uses his back legs.  The two are usually working together and I have enjoyed watching him in action.  Now he is feeling good and learning to move since the amputation.  He looks like a rocking horse, rearing back and hopping forward.  He is charming, ears flopping, hopping along. 

His nights seem to be the bad time, I don't know why.  The days have him happy and tail wagging, the nights have him crying and holding on to me.  I can't move or go anywhere because he will get up the second I do and get anxious.  He changes position about every 10 minutes, going from laying on one side to the other.  Everytime he lays on the amputation site he will cry after a couple of minutes and move back to the other side. 

The only thing that seems to work is my constant petting and kissing him.  If I stop to sleep he starts to cry.  Last night he got up about 10:30 and charged the door, wiggling and tail wagging.  I knew he was finally ready to go urinate so I opened the door and he was off like a shot around the corner, toward a new favorite bush.  He tried and tried to get into position, finally he just gave up and went girl style.  You should have seen the tail wagging and happy sounds once he finished!  We had a potty party, lots of praise.  That seemed to ease his burden and he finally slept for an hour straight.  Me too.

The vet just called me with the results from the biopsy.  It is osteosarcoma, and there was lymph fluid too.  He said that probably means it has spread.  I am not going to lose my happy momentum, but it threw me for a minute.  I  think I have learned with all of the reading to live like our dogs, moment to moment.  He is thrilled to see me this morning, and now sleeping peacefully with his fur brother and sister. 

I called Dr. Pam's office and I hope to get the chemo steps going.  I was also thinking about the biometric thread I read here somewhere.  I wonder can you do both?  Do the carboplatin and once that is done do the long term daily stuff?

I love him so very much, he feels like he is the best most innocent part of me.  I am having intense feelings around him, searing moments of love and wanting to hold on tight.  I want to fight this cancer in a cage match, which is completely un-like me, I want to kill this thing that is threatening our happy home, threatening my friend.

This is truly the monster in the dark, you can't see it, you can't run, but it seems to be haunting us.  I am getting angry, and I am afraid.  My husband is being awesome about this, whatever we need to do for Sammy we will do.  My husband is kind of a country boy, he doesn't really like talking about all of it but he is fighting this demon too.  In his world this isn't how animals were treated back home, but he has a huge heart and loves Sammy so much.  He wants to make a blog about this fight with cancer and he calls Sammy our little survivor-man.

I guess it is back to work for me, I now have puppy payments to make. 

Elizabeth and Sammy

Diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the right front leg 8/23/10,

leg fractured 8/27/10,

leg amputated 8/30/10

http://sammyand.....pawds.com/

 

I couldn't begin to say how special Sammy is to us.  Living and laughing with and loving this wonderful boy is priceless.

knoxville, tn
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12 February 2010
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2 September 2010 - 11:29 am
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day by day, he will improve!!  the first week doesn't offer much sleep (for you) but being there with a calming hug or stroke is priceless.  sounds like you are really enjoying the moments!!  keep up the good work.

charon & gayle

Life is good, so very, very good!!! Gayle enjoyed each and every moment of each and every wonderful day (naps included).  She left this world December 12, 2011 – off on a new adventure.

Love Never Ends

http://etgayle

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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2 September 2010 - 11:41 am
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fightingforsammy said:

I was also thinking about the biometric thread I read here somewhere.

Biometric? Do you mean metronomics? You can certainly continue metronomics after the IV chemo is done. Just ask your vet.

Many have found an immune system supplement to be helpful too. We chose K9 Immunity for Jerry, others have used Power Mushrooms. If you consider either, you must wait until Sammy is done with the chemo sesion. For more info about this see our video interview with Dr. Rosendberg about metronomics and supplements.

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Greater Western Washington area
Member Since:
25 August 2010
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2 September 2010 - 11:48 am
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Hi Jerry,

I saw that video, I just couldn't remember the name of the "new" method.  I also was a pet-smart this morning and they hadn't heard of K-9 immunity .  I did buy some Blue Buffalo products because I was told the guy started the company when he lost his dog to cancer.  Some of the proceeds go toward canine cancer research.

Diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the right front leg 8/23/10,

leg fractured 8/27/10,

leg amputated 8/30/10

http://sammyand.....pawds.com/

 

I couldn't begin to say how special Sammy is to us.  Living and laughing with and loving this wonderful boy is priceless.

Las Vegas, Nevada
Member Since:
14 August 2009
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2 September 2010 - 1:01 pm
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Well, we are here to help you fight that battle for Sammy, too!

 

He may have some phantom pains??  Dr. Pam can help you with that.

 

Am so glad to hear of the good progress!

Her Retired AvatarComet - 1999 to 2011

She departed us unexpectedly  January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.

She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.

Member Since:
30 July 2010
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2 September 2010 - 1:12 pm
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The two weeks post amp are called the "critical 2 week period" for a reason, as you are finding out.  Just take it one day at a time and sooner than you know, his sutures will be out! When Chloe would shift from one side to the other (lying down) she too would let out a few yelps of pain because I think the twisting motion affected her internal sutures and external staples. It is good that he is trying to lay on the incision site since some dogs just avoid that altogether. Not good that he is in pain though....

It is much the same (from what I heard since I don't have kids) as having a newborn. Caring for their every whim, yelp, cry, up for all hours of the night and pulling your hair out when you can't figure out what is going on... Just stay positive and keep giving him lots of love!

-Chloe's mom

Chloe became a rear amp tripawd on 7-29-10. Another tumor was removed on front leg 2-20-14. Found 3rd tumor on neck 2-2015, but she's still kicking cancer's butt at age 14. Chloe's blog

On The Road


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24 September 2009
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2 September 2010 - 3:14 pm
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fightingforsammy said:

I did buy some Blue Buffalo products...


Blue Buffalo food and treats are great, usually ... you might want to read this important notice about the potential hazards with recent batches of Wilderness.

It is no surprise that the worker bees at PetSmart don't know about immunity supplements for dogs with cancer. K9 Immunity is not something you'll find on the shelves of big box pet stores. The best information is available directly from the source – Aloha Medicinals. Check the recent Tripawds Nutrition Blog post for lots of links to the wealth of information they have on they're website.

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Member Since:
30 July 2010
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2 September 2010 - 4:15 pm
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Chloe eats the Blue Buffalo salmon and sweet potato brand because it turns out that our other dog has some sort of food allergies and this brand had no chicken, wheat or other things dogs can have allergies to.  We haven't had any problems with it so far.

-Chloe's mom

Chloe became a rear amp tripawd on 7-29-10. Another tumor was removed on front leg 2-20-14. Found 3rd tumor on neck 2-2015, but she's still kicking cancer's butt at age 14. Chloe's blog

Member Since:
23 July 2010
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2 September 2010 - 4:50 pm
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Dear Sammy's Mom ( and Dad too),

Yippeee for the pee !!! I remember JD had no trouble with the pee thing it was the poop we waited days for. When she finally went, I swear it was so much and so heavy it almost broke the pooper scooper!!!

I love your description of the hopping, the movements seem to make them like puppies again. I can almost picture Sammy's ears flappinglaughing I ordered the K-9 Immunity and thought it gave JD a tremendous amount of energy, she really seemed to get a spark from it.

Hang in, you are moving through the days one by one, and I am sure Sammy is loving every hug, kiss, snuggle and squeeze.

I look forward to your next update.

Angel JD's Mom

JD

One Tough Girl

(1999-2010)

-Diagnosed with osteosarcoma of her left front leg –

-Amputation July 23 2010 –

-The cancer didn't get her, but she is gone-

-She fought the cancer and loved life till bloat brought her down August 29th, 2010-

Now she watches over her mom and two new sisters, the Quad-Paws Serena and Maya

Greater Western Washington area
Member Since:
25 August 2010
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3 September 2010 - 1:16 am
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I am going to find the thread on phantom pain .  There is nothing phantom about it.  He seems to cramp up almost and cries very loudly for 20 to 30 seconds and then pants heavily for a while.  It is so loud it is scary.  He lays back against me and just cries out.  This has been one very long week.

Diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the right front leg 8/23/10,

leg fractured 8/27/10,

leg amputated 8/30/10

http://sammyand.....pawds.com/

 

I couldn't begin to say how special Sammy is to us.  Living and laughing with and loving this wonderful boy is priceless.

Member Since:
23 July 2010
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3 September 2010 - 8:38 am
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Dr. Pam put JD on Gabipetin (sp?) immediatly after her surgery for the phantom pain .

 It was part of her meds- antibiotics, tramadol and gab. I only saw her have a couple of what I would call twitches in the shoulder area near the surgery site. She never showed any signs of pain or discomfort.

I remember how scary the panting was for me. th night before her surgery JD sat up and panted for hours- so upsetting, thinking how stressed she must have been.

Call the vet, get some peace of mind. And nap when you can !!!!

And give our friend Sammy a special hug from me and the brush of an angel wing from JD.

Angel JD's mom

JD

One Tough Girl

(1999-2010)

-Diagnosed with osteosarcoma of her left front leg –

-Amputation July 23 2010 –

-The cancer didn't get her, but she is gone-

-She fought the cancer and loved life till bloat brought her down August 29th, 2010-

Now she watches over her mom and two new sisters, the Quad-Paws Serena and Maya

Member Since:
10 March 2010
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12
3 September 2010 - 9:33 am
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Magic never had the phantom pain thank God, but I understand the gabepentin is really really good for it.  If Sammy is taking tramadol, do bear in mind that a LOT of us have had somewhat negative experiences with it....not horrible for most, but just be aware that some behavioral changes CAN be present while taking it....I didn't notice as much UNTIL we stopped for about a week then I gave him one on a day where he seemed uncomfy and it took a day and a half for him to come back to "normal" 

 

Just curious, is that "our" Dr. Pam???

Magic took the K-9 Immunity , the Transfer wafers (that you have to take with) and the fish oil tablets (be prepared for possible runny poop)....no one ever mentioned not giving it during chemo.....I was trying to remember because we were told not to do any antioxidants, but I told the vet we were doing these other things...hmmmm....

On The Road


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24 September 2009
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3 September 2010 - 10:24 am
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fightingforsammy said:

I am going to find the thread on phantom pain .


See all the Forum search results for "Phantom Limb Pain"

Specifically, these topics may be of interest:

Ask A Vet!

2 week post amp, still pants alot, phantom limb pain?

Treatment and Recovery

Nova is Yelping Here and There, Why? Phantom Pain?

Treatment and Recovery

Phantom Limb Pain

And be sure to read Calpurnia's tips for managing phantom limb pain in dogs.

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Greater Western Washington area
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25 August 2010
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3 September 2010 - 10:51 am
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I went to work after the nightmare this morning and don't feel like I am dealing with this well.  I just called the clinic where Sammy had his surgery and they don't use Gaboplentin.  They said I had to get it from my vet.  I called my vet and they said I needed a perscription from the clinic.

I am so upset I just started to cry.  I called and left a message for Dr. Pam.  In the meantime I called the clinic back and they recommended doing the Fentynal patch again.  They won't let me come get it and I can't get Sammy in the car by myself.  The clinic has a nice woman working there who lives near me and said she can bring it by after work. 

I can't believe how hard this stuff is.  I can't take another night of Sammy crying like that.  I don't have to go anywhere tomorrow so that is a small gift.

I had many hours last night to look up the phantom pain threads and it sounds almost exactly what Sammy was going through except he wasn't biting at a limb.  He would just lean against me and howl.

This whole thing sucks.

Diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the right front leg 8/23/10,

leg fractured 8/27/10,

leg amputated 8/30/10

http://sammyand.....pawds.com/

 

I couldn't begin to say how special Sammy is to us.  Living and laughing with and loving this wonderful boy is priceless.


Member Since:
22 August 2008
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3 September 2010 - 11:00 am
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Since Sammie is going to be my patient for chemo I think it would be okay for me to call in the prescription for gabapentin for you.  It is a human drug so I can phone it in to a human pharmacy.  I am working from 12-9pm today so I will call you as soon as I get in.

Pam

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