Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi Everyone,
We were shocked to find out that our beautiful 9 year old Golden Retriever, Ember, had osteosarcoma. We followed our vets advice and had her affected rear leg amputated in late November and she has had her first dose of chemotherapy. She is getting around very well on three legs and took her first trip to the beach yesterday. Recovery from the surgery was hard the first two weeks, and she has only returned to eating normally in the last two weeks, but she is quickly gaining weight on all the tempting food we are offering her.
Jane and Ember
welcome to our family Jane and Ember...Zeus is turning 11 on March 8th and he is 9 months post-amputation...he is doing really, really well (knock on wood)...a golden too - gotta love those guys eh?
I'm sure she had a blast at the beach - it's so wonderful when they start to return to their "used to" habits and joys. Do you have a picture that you can share?
How is she handling her chemo? What kind? Carboplatin? Zeus didn't have any side effects with his chemo - his blood counts were a little low on treatment 2 and 3, but anti-biotics took care of that quickly and effortlessly.
Let us know if you have any questions as you adjust to life on 3 legs 😉
xo
Heather and Zeus
Heather and Spirit Zeus - Our life changing journey…from the earth to the heavens…one day at a time…always together
Thank you for telling me about your Golden! Ember is indeed getting Carboplatin. She has not yet had the followup CBC to see if her white blood cell count is normal, but she seems fine. She did not have vomiting or anorexia following the treatment.
She had so much fun at the beach - really I think she is feeling better than she has for several monthes even before her diagnosis. It wasn't until her third repeat visit to the vet that she was diagnosed so we may have lost some time there, but her lung xrays were clear as was her bloodwork.
Jane and Ember
Thanks for joining the discussion Jane! Glad to hear things are looking up for Ember.
By sharing her recovery story here, you are helping others faced with the same difficult decisions. Bless you for taking such great care of your Goldie. We look forward to hearing about many more trips to the beach!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Jane & Ember,
It's so good to hear your story about how well Ember is doing since her surgery. We hope Ember's recovery continues to go smoothly and she does well with her chemo. Please, we really DO want to hear all the stories about her beach excursions and would love to see pictures if you have them. Welcome to our tripawds family!
Love, Blazer, Kitty Kimber & Mom (Vicki)
Thanks everyone for your support!
Ember continues cheerful - she went on a short hike on Sunday and had a very good time. Just a little slower than before on the uphills - faster on the downhill where she can lope along. She was scheduled for her second chemo tomorrow, but her white blood cell count is too low and we will have to wait til next week. Has anyone else had this happen?
I took some pictures and will try to post them if I can figure out how.
Jane and Ember
Hi Jane,
Check out our Technical Support topic in the Forums to learn how to upload images.
Also, many dogs here have had their chemo postponed for the same reason. It's pretty normal, really!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Jane,
Tazzie just finished her chemo last month but she often had it delayed by a few days due to low white cell counts. She ended up averaging 1 treatment (carboplatin) every 3 1/2 weeks. I am very glad that she is done because now she is back to her goofy and playful self.
Pam and Tazzie
Ember continues cheerful; our vet prescribed a prophlactic antibiotic, Cephalexin, and we will try again next week.
Jane and Ember
Just an update on Ember; she had her second carboplatin treatment a week later; her CDC was completely normal. No side effects like nausea or loss of appetite. Unlike most Golden Retrievers she is not an enthusiastic eater. She has gained a great deal of weight since her surgery, thank goodness, as she was painfully thin - she lost about 10 pounds before her diagnosis (off a 55 pound dog), and then wouldn't eat for days after the surgery.
She is very playful again and more tolerant of our other dog than she has been since we got him 8 months ago. She grew up a single dog and so did he and they rarely play with each other.
I took some pictures of Ember playing and jumping for the ball but was not able to post them. Can I have some help with that? I read the instructions but am doing something wrong.
Jane and Ember
violetjane said:
I took some pictures ... but was not able to post them. Can I have some help with that?
Of course! Your images must be hosted somewhere online, then just paste their location in the Image URL field when using the Insert/Edit Image button when posting a topic or reply.
If you do not have images online anywhere (i.e.; Flickr, PhotoBucket, etc.) feel free to send us your photos and we can add them for you. If you have any more questions, please ask for help with photos in the Tech Support Forum ... hope this helps. Thanks!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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