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Daphne and her tripawd journey
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Member Since:
19 August 2018
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20 November 2018 - 9:47 pm
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Hello!

My love, Daphne, went through a left forelimb amputation this past May due to an osteosarcoma in her humerus.  It was an excruciatingly emotional roller coaster for both of us, and of course her kitty sister and daddy (Rizzo and Randy) also.  It began with the last snow storm of the season and her playing in the snow, landing wrong, which caused pain.  Even after going to the vet and getting pain and anti inflammatory medication (when it was expected to be a strained muscle or sprain of some sort) the pain continued for a little over a month, at which point we got x-rays.  The x-rays of course confirmed the osteosarcoma and a pathological fracture from where she landed on it wrong (my own diagnosis as I work in X-ray and CT in the human world) which caused her pain. 

After surgery, we went through six rounds of IV chemo, switching back and forth between doxirubicin and carboplatin, every three weeks.  Now, we have just recently (within the last month) started oral chemo to hopefully continue the cancer fight.  We did a chest xray to check for lung mets, which it seems there may be some nodules there, which our oncologist was surprised about.  It was a shock and disappointment for us because we were truly happy for her progress.  However, it has been about 3.5 weeks since that xray and she's still going strong.  I am currently searching for the best supplements to add to her diet, such as the mushroom mixes, I am looking at Armor Up, a sample is being sent now.  The nice lady also let me know about Epicor which I guess is their newest version and supposed to be better than Armor Up, but I haven't quite found enough information to jump on it yet.  Any suggestions from others for reputable supplements?  Since starting the oral chemo I have also started her on a blueberry, cranberry, coconut mixture for urinary health since the oral chemo can cause bladder issues, it seems to be helping and I think she likes it!  I also add CBD oil (usually petreleaf brand, but I also have just started using a honey one that seems to be a hit), she's still taking her gabapentin and carprofen that she's now been on since the very beginning of this journey, I give her other CBD supplements such as treats.  I changed her food almost entirely, I now make her food.  6lbs of 99% fat free chicken, 2 apples, 4 medium (ish) carrots, 1/2 cup of chicken livers, 2 cups frozen green beans in a crock pot on low for 6-8 hours, just before turning it off I add 2 cups of frozen peas.  I use a food processor to chop the ingredients all up to make it dog food consistency, as I'm doing that I add a little vegetable oil to it to soften it up.  This gives us about a weeks worth of food, by giving 3/4 c of the wet and 1/4 c of dry kibble (I switch up the brands and flavors to keep it interesting) always low carbs high protein, the first ingredients are always meat or real ingredients, with minimal ingredients.  Just within the last few days we began giving her chaga tea since I have been looking into mushroom supplements and my mom had a client that had good results with her dog that was diagnosed with cancer and then continued on for at least 4 more years.  It turned her food into soup but we make the chaga tea and add it to her breakfast/dinner.

We live in Maine so we're beginning our wet, cold, and snowy season.  I am worried for Daphne's stability in this weather.  Does anyone have suggestions for the best traction types of boots for ice? 

I will take any encouraging words or words of wisdom I can get.  I have been meaning to post on here for a long time now, I've been bottling up my emotions and it only comes out at the worst possible times of overthinking.

You are all truly inspirational people, I am so happy to have access to this amazing website.

Love,

Michelle, Daphne, Randy, and Rizzo heart



Member Since:
21 May 2016
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21 November 2018 - 3:05 am
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Hi Michelle, Daphne, Randy, and Rizzo 💕🐾

I am truly impressed with how well you are looking after your sweet Daphne !

You went all the way using conventional medicine and continue to do so with alternative treatments and cooked food (6-8h preparation, wow !) well done 👍🏽👍🏽

Have you considered acupuncture and mesotheraphy?

My girl Eurydice did it well after she developed lung mets and it seemed to help at the time. 

As for snow, where I live we have none but there are tons of tripawdians who live in snowy areas and will be able to advise on what to do...

Keep up the good work and give your girl tons of tummy rubs from auntie Teresa and a big kiss to the rest of her family 😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹

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 :-) 

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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21 November 2018 - 10:32 am
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I'm so glad you posted! You have so much to offer the community, I love how you are advocating for Daphne and giving her such a great life. You two truly embody the meaning of Living with cancer, not dying from it! Good job!

A few thoughts:

We did a chest xray to check for lung mets, which it seems there may be some nodules there, which our oncologist was surprised about.  

Please hop on over to Zanzi's story when you get a chance. I know they could use the support and you both have much in common when it comes to the mets issue.

I am currently searching for the best supplements to add to her diet, such as the mushroom mixes, I am looking at Armor Up, a sample is being sent now.  The nice lady also let me know about Epicor which I guess is their newest version and supposed to be better than Armor Up, but I haven’t quite found enough information to jump on it yet.  Any suggestions from others for reputable supplements?

Who did you contact about Armor Up and Epicor? Just wondering since I wasn't aware of the Epicor but am researching it now. What I do know is that Armor Up has lots of good research behind it (and also includes chaga mushrooms as the basis of the formula). Check out our Tripawds Nutrition blog posts about K9 Medicinals' mushroom supplements. You'll also find tons of other supplement tips in the Nutrition blog

When we fought cancer with Jerry, we decided to use just 3 supplements at a time. That way we would know what was working and what wasn't, and could fine-tune things faster. It's easy to spend lots of $$ on them, so we were careful. K9 Immunity ended up being our go-to supplement in the long run. We believe it's what gave him the two year run after his osteo diagnosis.

 I changed her food almost entirely, I now make her food. 

Oooh we'd love it if you shared more about her diet in the Tripawds Eating Healthy Discussion Forum! Good job!

 I am worried for Daphne’s stability in this weather.  Does anyone have suggestions for the best traction types of boots for ice? 

Others who live in snowy conditions can give direct tips, and if you click on the traction link you'll find our best tips from the Tripawds Gear blog .

You ask great questions Michelle, thanks for joining us! 

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

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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22 November 2018 - 7:33 pm
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I just want to ditto how impressive  you care for the adorable Daphne is, and continues  to be!  And thank you for taking the time to share these great details of care  with us.  Very informative and very helpful. 

And remember,  Daphne feels great and doesn't  give a rat's butt about what any ole xrays show!  Nothing has changed in Daphne's  world!  She joyfully living jn the NOW, in the moment!   And she doing  a beautiful job of teaching you to do the same😎

I feet about  ice and snow also.  Especially  the ice!  I have a long ramp outside and actually put down old long skinny rugs to cover the ice and snow.  It's an ordeal and not an easy task as I have to keep shaking off the snow/ice, or sweep it off constantly.  Not ideal, but it works, at least as far as the ramps anyway. I've also thrown blankets down over the ice. Many people use "chicken scratch and some invest in a snowblower and make paths around their yards.

,Keep is posted.  Andnyes, on this journey  we overthink everything!  So welcome to the Worry Wart Club!😁

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!

Member Since:
1 October 2017
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24 November 2018 - 8:53 am
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Daphne has beautiful eyes! What a heart melter! What kind of dog is she? Welcome to the most wonderful place that nopawdy wants to join, but it is a family of the most amazing support ever heartWorry wart club indeed Sally!!

Michelle, you have done a wonderful job of caring for Daphne. Don't doubt it for a moment!  Huckleberry's amputation was not cancer. It was from a traumatic injury. He was a feral kitty that decided to make our yard his own and something or somebody broke his femur in half. It was a rollercoaster ride for sure. I cannot even imagine how much more magnified it is with cancer and all the treatments. 

I just wanted to welcome you and reiterate that the support here is second to none. There is a wealth of experience and helpful knowledge of others that I know will help you through your journey. Look forward to seeing pictures of your beautiful girl. 

Hugs,

Jackie and Huckleberry heart

Hugs,

Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry

Huckleberry's Blog

Member Since:
19 August 2018
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27 November 2018 - 7:14 pm
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eurydice said
Hi Michelle, Daphne, Randy, and Rizzo 💕🐾

I am truly impressed with how well you are looking after your sweet Daphne !

You went all the way using conventional medicine and continue to do so with alternative treatments and cooked food (6-8h preparation, wow !) well done 👍🏽👍🏽

Have you considered acupuncture and mesotheraphy?

My girl Eurydice did it well after she developed lung mets and it seemed to help at the time. 

As for snow, where I live we have none but there are tons of tripawdians who live in snowy areas and will be able to advise on what to do...

Keep up the good work and give your girl tons of tummy rubs from auntie Teresa and a big kiss to the rest of her family 😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹  

Thank you so much for the praise, I really have tried my hardest to make Daphne not only happy but pain free.  I haven't even considered acupuncture or mesotherapy maybe I will check into that and see if there is anywhere relatively close by I could refer to.

Thank you for your suggestions, we really appreciate the feedback! heartbig-grin

Michelle, Daphne, Randy and Rizzo

Member Since:
19 August 2018
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27 November 2018 - 7:22 pm
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Who did you contact about Armor Up and Epicor? Just wondering since I wasn't aware of the Epicor but am researching it now. What I do know is that Armor Up has lots of good research behind it (and also includes chaga mushrooms as the basis of the formula). Check out our Tripawds Nutrition blog posts about K9 Medicinals' mushroom supplements. You'll also find tons of other supplement tips in the Nutrition blog

I was on the website for armor up, which I found through here.  On the website it gives you the chance to contact them for more information to help what was best for your situation and for a sample of the product.  It was Dorla Salling that contacted me back.  She mostly spoke about Armor Up but mentioned Epicor because it's their newest 'batch' and wasn't on the website yet, she said it was identical to Armor Up but has epicor as an ingredient.  She also mentioned tripawd.com later on not realizing that's how I actually found them.

Thanks for your encouragement, I will look into those other links you suggested as well 🙂

Michelle 

Member Since:
19 August 2018
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27 November 2018 - 7:26 pm
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benny55 said
I just want to ditto how impressive  you care for the adorable Daphne is, and continues  to be!  And thank you for taking the time to share these great details of care  with us.  Very informative and very helpful. 

And remember,  Daphne feels great and doesn't  give a rat's butt about what any ole xrays show!  Nothing has changed in Daphne's  world!  She joyfully living jn the NOW, in the moment!   And she doing  a beautiful job of teaching you to do the same😎

I feet about  ice and snow also.  Especially  the ice!  I have a long ramp outside and actually put down old long skinny rugs to cover the ice and snow.  It's an ordeal and not an easy task as I have to keep shaking off the snow/ice, or sweep it off constantly.  Not ideal, but it works, at least as far as the ramps anyway. I've also thrown blankets down over the ice. Many people use "chicken scratch and some invest in a snowblower and make paths around their yards.

,Keep is posted.  Andnyes, on this journey  we overthink everything!  So welcome to the Worry Wart Club!😁

Hugs

Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!  

Thank you!!  She really is living in the moment.  I think we would do better in the ice and snow if we had a yard, but we live in an apartment, with a small patio area.  So we have to walk Daphne multiple times a day and we don't really have control over the sidewalks being taken care of, which they are often not.  But she has done really well so far, a couple slips but overall she's "hopping" her ground! 🙂

Michelle

Member Since:
19 August 2018
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27 November 2018 - 7:33 pm
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paws120 said
Daphne has beautiful eyes! What a heart melter! What kind of dog is she? Welcome to the most wonderful place that nopawdy wants to join, but it is a family of the most amazing support ever heartWorry wart club indeed Sally!!

Michelle, you have done a wonderful job of caring for Daphne. Don't doubt it for a moment!  Huckleberry's amputation was not cancer. It was from a traumatic injury. He was a feral kitty that decided to make our yard his own and something or somebody broke his femur in half. It was a rollercoaster ride for sure. I cannot even imagine how much more magnified it is with cancer and all the treatments. 

I just wanted to welcome you and reiterate that the support here is second to none. There is a wealth of experience and helpful knowledge of others that I know will help you through your journey. Look forward to seeing pictures of your beautiful girl. 

Hugs,

Jackie and Huckleberry heart  

Jackie & Huckleberry, thank you for your sweet words! Daphne is a husky mix, I don't know exactly what else but I like to think maybe boxer/pit/lab.  She's really precious.  Huckleberry is so adorable, and what an unfortunate and traumatic event!  I hope he's come into his own and become comfortable, he looks pretty content!

Michelle & Daphne

Member Since:
1 October 2017
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28 November 2018 - 4:04 am
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Huck has not only come into his own, but he is teaching our 8 month old puppy to respect tripawd kitties, lol. Huck has become a super mushy loving cat who now steals as much of my pillow at night as his little body will let him, hahah. He has domesticated better than I would have ever imagined and lives happily now as an indoor only kitty. 

On the Gear Blog here you should be able to find ideas for booties that have traction . Getting her to wear them may be a new learning experience for both of you, lol but if you can work it out should help give her better traction for walks. I personally have not had to do this with Huck, but a bunch of ppl here have used them with success. You may be able to make it part of your walking routine, and that should help protect her paws too. Look forward to reading how you guys do.

Hugs,

Jackie and Huckleberry heart

Hugs,

Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry

Huckleberry's Blog

On The Road


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24 September 2009
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28 November 2018 - 10:04 am
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I was on the website for armor up, which I found through here.  On the website it gives you the chance to contact them for more information to help what was best for your situation and for a sample of the product.  It was Dorla Salling that contacted me back.  She mostly spoke about Armor Up but mentioned Epicor because it's their newest 'batch' and wasn't on the website yet, she said it was identical to Armor Up but has epicor as an ingredient.  She also mentioned tripawd.com later on not realizing that's how I actually found them.

This is soooo exciting! We had a great (and long overdue chat) with Dorla, and yep, ArmorUp's new formula includes Epicor. We'll be talking about that real soon in the Tripawds Nutrition blog . By the way, she remembered you, and was so happy to know that you joined here! Thanks so much for the scoop.

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


Member Since:
15 November 2018
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29 November 2018 - 7:08 pm
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Sending love and light to you and Daphne. heartWe tripawd parents love our babies so much, as is obvious by our determination to find answers for them. My own vet has kindly suffered through my bringing clinical trials to share with her as well as discussions of supplements and remedies to add to my Penny's regimen. I believe in Western medicine, but I think it ignores some great things from alternative medicine that can really help in healing and recovery. Hugs to you and to all tripawds and their parents.

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