Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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My name is Elizabeth and I live in West Virginia. I am the mom to 5 dogs and 10 cats, all rescues.
Sage is my oldest dog. I adopted her on May 15th, 2003, and she was about 5 months old, so she's about 11.5 now. She's a lab(ish) mix, with blonde hair and a pointy snout like a greyhound or a collie.
In April of 2012, she tore her ACL on one of her back legs, which I had surgically repaired, with no other issues, and recovery went very well.
In May of this year, she started limping again, on the same leg. I was afraid that she had retorn her ACL, or something similar to that kind of injury. I made her an appointment for May 15th (her 11th Gotcha Day), and took her in. When the vet came in and said he suspected osteosarcome, my whole world stopped spinning. All I could think was "She has cancer and she's going to die".
He showed me the x-ray, and since his own dog had been through it, with an amputation and chemo, he said he was fairly certain without a biopsy that that was what we were dealing with.
He x-rays her lungs to make sure it had not yet spread, and they looked good, and he said depsite the fact that she's almost 12, she is in great health, slim, energetic and a perfect candidate for surgery.
Her amputation was on May 21st, and she came home the next day. Luckily, recovery was uneventful, no issues with pain or walking, etc. She was up on the sofa the night she came home, and I let her start doing stairs after the stitches came out. She stated chemo on June 26th, and is getting 6 treatments. Her last one is September 25th. We have had very little problems througout the whole recovery/chemo process, except for extreme shedding and she has been getting some pretty severe skin infections. I'm not sure if chemo has anything to do with that or not, but would love some insight on that from people who have gone through this.
Welcome to Tripawds, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
Thank you for sharing Sage's story here, sounds like she is doing very well!
Since most dogs have fur and not hair the chemo is not supposed to affect them like it does humans. That being said my little pug Maggie had thinning on her chest, and the fur around her amp site (rear leg) didn't completely grow in until her chemo was done.
Chemo does affect the immune system so if she was prone to skin infections maybe there is a link? Hopefully some others will chime in with their experiences and infomation.
Welcome again!
Karen and Spirit Maggie
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Hello again,
I meant to add that you might post in the 'Ask A Vet' forum. Dr. Pam had a Tripawd named Tazzie and she practices in the Pacific Northwest.
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Thank you! She has always been my itchy dog, and has always had to be fed a grain free food and not have random treats. We've dealt with hot spots her entire life. I'm thinking that since the immune system is so affected by chemo, that maybe her normal hot spots and itchiness are just much more pronounced. I feel like the poor thing has worn a cone and been on antibiotics more often than not since she started chemo, but that's almost over with, and I'm hoping she'll go back to normal then.
I have become very careful about diet over the years. First with Maggie, my Tripawd who fought two cancers, then her little quad pug sis Tani who also has mast cell cancer, and now my quad pug Obie who has some skin allergies. I don't feed kibble anymore as the main source of food, although I do use it for snacks and training. I use Honest Kitchen dehydrated mixed with the protein that I cook. It's not that hard with little dogs, my current pugs weigh just 15 and 16 pounds.
You might check out the Nutrition Blog. There are lots of diet ideas and you might find some new ideas for pups with itchy skin.
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
I will look into it. She has eaten the same for for about 4 years now, and the super crazy itchiness just came when she started chemo, so I don't know if it's food related or not. I'd love to feed The Honest Kitchen, as I've tried samples and my dogs love it, but with 5 dogs, 10 cats, and massive vet bills, I cannot afford to feed that full time 
Just catching up on you and Sage! Thank you for giving so many animals a forever home where they can find'm out what love feels like!
It does sound like the chemo could be reducing her immune system to the point that the itchiness has flared up again. That is just sooo miserable!
Many, many, many dogs here just do five rounds of carboplatin for osteosarcoma...and many stop at four. Talk to your vet and do research here on the site. I don't know how to "embed links, but there was a great topic posted by one of our members who shared all the latest studies saying that SIX treatments were no less effective than FOUR OR FIVE. Now, please do your own research, check out the post y o urself AND talk with your vet. But, hopefullw, you can stop now and help get this itching under control. I REALLY, REALLY think you'll come to the conclusion that you don't have to do anymore than the five!!
My Happy Hannah had four rounds and we had THE most gloriously blissfully happy one year and two months of loving and spoiling and fun that one could ever imagine!
When you can, post some pictures of your lovely Sage! So glad that overall she is doing well and enjoying a pain free life! And a belated HAPPY ELEVEN YEAR "GOTCHA'"VERSARY!!!
Hugs and love to al l your pack!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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!
Hi Elizbeth and Sage, welcome. I'm so glad to hear everything is going well overall. Pretty cool for a doggie her age. Yay! We'd love to see some pics!
We have heard reports of some dogs experiencing shedding during chemo, I don't think it's that unusual. If you want to boost her immune system there are plenty of ways to do it, including K9 Immunity and Apocaps, both of which can be given during chemo. You can also try mixing Honest Kitchen in with her regular food to boost her nutrient intake too, you don't have to feed it exclusively. We mix it into our Wyatt's kibble and one 10 lb box lasts us about 1.5 months. Here's a review of their new duck recipe, which is pawesome!
Rotating Foods Keeps Dogs and Cats Healthy
The link about five versus six chemo sessions that Sally is referring to is here:
How Many Chemotherapy Sessions are Best for Osteosarcoma in Dogs?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Well, I'm obviously doing something wrong. I use photobucket for hosting, what link do I use?
Here is how you add Photos to Forum Posts.
If you still can't get them to post Jerry will give you an email address to send them.
Karen
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Ohhhh what a sweetie! I'm so glad you shared these. She looks like a puppy! Adorable 
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you! She's my baby, my first dog as I adopted as an adult after I bought my house. We've come a long way together in 11 years, and I hope to have a while longer with her now.
OhhhhSage....you are so n pretty, very, very pretty!!!
And youcan just tell Sage is so gentle...she just exudes sweetness!
Tell us about the rest of your pack! They are allvery lucky to have you as their human!
I love her name by the way...she looka like a very wise soul with an inner peace...a very content girl!!
Keep these great photos coming!! Brightensour day!!
Hugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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!
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