Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello, fellow Dobermums and Doberdads: I just wondered how many of us there are on here. My surgeon and oncologist both said that they do not see too many Dobermans with leg amputations and osteo, but then I have seen and heard ( on here and on Facebook) more than a few Dobermans in the same spot as us.
So, I was wondering about diet, supplements, therapy, etc... you are using for our stoic fur kids. Also, I am amassing research about the breed and bone cancer in general, as we have a girl (and will only have Dobermans for the duration of our lives). We are committed to this breed, so I am finding out all I can.
Anything you are doing to help your Dobe is welcome news to me.
Peter, our boy, had front left leg amputation on 31 August. We are in between round 2 and 3 of carboplatin chemo (out of 5 rounds). He turned six on 17 August. He has Wobbler's symptoms and is also vWD affected. (And he has idiopathic epilepsy). We use acupuncture every other week and massage every other week. Pete currently takes Rimadyl (75 mg twice daily) and Gabapentin.
I am trying to get a photo uploaded so you can see sweet Pete.
Thanks, and I wish everyone luck.
Jen and Sweet Pete
Phillmar Spiderman (aka Peter),
Black and Tan Doberman, diagnosed 29 August 2016 with osteosarcoma, front left leg amputated 31 August 2016, chemo (carboplatin) administered 16 September, 11 October...earned his wings 31 October 2016 at 6:15 pm CST.
Hi Jen! Your Dobes are beautiful! Our 8 yr old Doberman Bentley had his right front leg amputated on 8/1/16. Our vet actually told us that dobermans are very prone to bone cancer. 😕 I also follow a site which is for Doberman cancer and the stories are heartbreaking.
Bentley is doing awesome! His recovery went pretty smooth with only 3 weeks on pain meds & a week or so of experiencing "phantom pain " where he would actually yelp. His lungs are clear & bloodwork was normal so so far so good! We are treasuring every day with him, spoiling him rotten of course because we know this cancer can show up any time. Taking pictures & making memories!
at first we put down rubber mats around the house because we have wood floors but now he wears "grippers", they're like rubber boots, just around the house & I take them off at bedtime. They work great & Bentley doesn't mind wearing them! He gets up & down stairs(better up than down) really well! He loves running the yard & chasing squirrels, so he's happy and doing all the things he did before and that's all that matters to us.
How is Peter doing? Did they also amputate his shoulder? Our vet left bentleys shoulder in tact which I'm not sure I like. He moves it around and it looks "scary " , silly huh? I can't wait to hear more about Pete! Karen P & Bentley
Bentley is our eight year old Doberman, diagnosed 7/13/16 with osteosarcoma tumor on right front leg, became a tripawd on 8/1/2016. His recovery was amazing, he was rockin it on 3! Bentley lost his fight to this nasty cancer when it metastisized into his spine, we had to let him go 11/13/16 exactly 4 months after first diagnosis. He was the perfect best friend, i'll miss him forever. :(
Karen and Bentley -
Thanks for the compliment! Bentley is a cutie pie. Pete is having some issues walking/gripping the floor, so I will look at the grippers for his feet. He is much better outside. We do not have stairs, and we got a ramp for the car. Pete figured out how to use the ramp to get out of the car, but cannot figure it out getting in the car.
Is Bentley doing chemo? Pete is and we X-ray his lungs next Tuesday to see if the cancer has spread. Fingers and paws crossed!
Peter's shoulder was taken, so he is not a candidate for prosthesis. At first, his scar looked horrific, but Pete healed quite well. I totally understand "scary" looking. There is alot scary about this.
Pete's sister from another mister (Twist) is such a good nurse - she is careful with him, even when he wants to play a but rough.
We shall keep our fingers crossed for you! We love to hear more about your Dober-boy!
Regards,
Jen and Pete and Twistie
Jen and Sweet Pete
Phillmar Spiderman (aka Peter),
Black and Tan Doberman, diagnosed 29 August 2016 with osteosarcoma, front left leg amputated 31 August 2016, chemo (carboplatin) administered 16 September, 11 October...earned his wings 31 October 2016 at 6:15 pm CST.
Hi Jen and Pete! Pete and his sister are simply gorgeous! I'm so sorry that Pete is having a rough time between the cancer, vWD, and the Wobbler's. No fur baby should have to go through so much but I'm sure his Dobie zest for life still shines through.
My Leland was a hind leg amp from a failed TPLO procedure and infection. Sadly, he could only remain with my husband and I 4 weeks after his amputation. His health started failing with an autoimmune disorder and then his remaining knee went out. The chances were not good with putting him through a 3rd surgery to attempt to fix the remaining knee and we couldn't do that to our boy. So we let Leland go to the Rainbow Bridge in June 2014 when he was only 4 1/2 years old.
We now have Lucian who's quickly coming up on 2 1/2 years old. He's quite the mischievous fella who's always stealing something or chewing on something he shouldn't. Leland was my couch potato who was happy sitting by his mama while I read a book or who liked to lay out in the yard sniffing smells and watching the world go by. Lucian on the other hand is go, go, go non-stop. When Lucian finally crashes he crashes hard...
Lucian has definitely filled the void that Leland left but we still miss our sweet boy. And we love our Lucian too and wouldn't trade him for anything...even though he still has to be put on lockdown in his crate when we're not home since he still wants to chew up his mama's Longaberger baskets, candles, pens, magazines, coasters, and anything else that may tickle his fancy.
Like you my husband and I have fallen for the Dobie breed and love them dearly.
Sahana and her Angel Leland and Lucian too
November 17, 2009 - June 30, 2014
May you finally be healthy and running free at the Rainbow Bridge. Until we meet again my sweet boy!
Bentley is our eight year old Doberman, diagnosed 7/13/16 with osteosarcoma tumor on right front leg, became a tripawd on 8/1/2016. His recovery was amazing, he was rockin it on 3! Bentley lost his fight to this nasty cancer when it metastisized into his spine, we had to let him go 11/13/16 exactly 4 months after first diagnosis. He was the perfect best friend, i'll miss him forever. :(
Not a dobie mom but I can see that several that I knew of have posted here! I know also Nitro is a dobie and he's a Tripawd. Looking forward to hearing more about your baby!!!
My new quadpawd (I lost my tripawd to cancer a couple years back) has dobie ears so I feel like an honorary dobie mom!!! Kidding .. I love the breed. So beautiful and majestic!
XO
Alison with Spirit Shelby in her heart (and little Jasper too)
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
Wow - Bentley and Leland and Lucien are adorable. The boys are so sweet and so tough!
We have had a bad morning and are off to the oncologist to run some tests at three. Peter went in for acupuncture and now cannot walk. I have absolutely no clue as to what caused this radical shift (he was mostly fine before we went for our bi-monthly appointment). Our acupuncturist is also a vet, so she is really good at her job, and we have been doing this for years.
So, fingers and paws crossed that this is simply a deep muscle spasm she could not work out. There are no needles hiding or anything like that. We checked repeatedly, used pulse point therapy, and also repinned the area...no clue here.
Never a dull moment with Pete!
Jen and Sweet Pete
Phillmar Spiderman (aka Peter),
Black and Tan Doberman, diagnosed 29 August 2016 with osteosarcoma, front left leg amputated 31 August 2016, chemo (carboplatin) administered 16 September, 11 October...earned his wings 31 October 2016 at 6:15 pm CST.
First of all, sending healing energy and all sorts of pawsitive energy to Pete! For whatever it's worth, we do see this sort of "sucden weakness" on here somewhat often. Usually, it's a miscle tweak of some kind or a spine/disc issue. All treatable. I know you are dealing with Wobblers, so that could aggravate the "whatever"'is going on.
Now, WHAT A GREAT LOOKING GROUP OF DOBIES!! Such handsome and noble puppers!! 🙂
Love to all!
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!
Oh wow, please please keep us updated!! Hoping for good news and that this is a temporary setback. Karen
Bentley is our eight year old Doberman, diagnosed 7/13/16 with osteosarcoma tumor on right front leg, became a tripawd on 8/1/2016. His recovery was amazing, he was rockin it on 3! Bentley lost his fight to this nasty cancer when it metastisized into his spine, we had to let him go 11/13/16 exactly 4 months after first diagnosis. He was the perfect best friend, i'll miss him forever. :(
Hi, beautiful Dobes! I, too, love the breed, but am not sure I can continue with them after Nitro is no longer with me. Nitro had his right front leg amputated June 2014 at the age of 8 1/2, and is still with us today. He's been doing great, but recently has had some hind end weakness that we are trying to figure out. My 2 vets feel confident it's not Wobblers, and I hope that is true. Nitro also gets chiropractic adjustments and acupuncture treatments, as he is a mature fellow, and will turn 11 years old on Halloween. I love him to death, this velcro dog of mine...I'll post pics when I get home later. Or you can check out his blog at nitro.tripawds.com
Hope your boy perks up and is feeling better.
Paula and Nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
Hello, all - well, we went to the oncologist and he examined Peter and ran a few tests. Basically, it is one of two things: neurological and it is the Wobblers exacerbating the issue, OR, Peter played too hard or did something to tweak his back. So, one is fixable (rest, and lots of it), and the other is an MRI and possible surgery if he continues to decline.
As I am sure you guys all know, funding cancer treatment is not cheap, so we are not exactly in a position to do an MRI. Plus, we are not sure it would make a difference. We understand Peter's prognosis (not good) and are doing all we can to give him quality over quantity. So, we just move forward and rest him as much as possible to see if we can fix the situation. We can change a few meds as well.
He is eating like a champ (as if that would change - he was eating the first day after surgery!) and is still walking on his own. He still wants to snuggle. So, a few more naps are probably not a bad thing.
Thank you for your concerns. I hope that all the Dober parents on here are enduring and persevering!
Jen, Peter and Twistie xxx
Jen and Sweet Pete
Phillmar Spiderman (aka Peter),
Black and Tan Doberman, diagnosed 29 August 2016 with osteosarcoma, front left leg amputated 31 August 2016, chemo (carboplatin) administered 16 September, 11 October...earned his wings 31 October 2016 at 6:15 pm CST.
Hi Jen! Thanks for the update! Hoping he continues to improve with more rest and different meds. This can be quite the roller coaster ride huh? Keeping him comfortable and feeling loved is what really matters, Dobes are a special breed for sure! Sending all good vibes and hugs...Karen P
Bentley is our eight year old Doberman, diagnosed 7/13/16 with osteosarcoma tumor on right front leg, became a tripawd on 8/1/2016. His recovery was amazing, he was rockin it on 3! Bentley lost his fight to this nasty cancer when it metastisized into his spine, we had to let him go 11/13/16 exactly 4 months after first diagnosis. He was the perfect best friend, i'll miss him forever. :(
You have a well thought out and logical path to follow.
We are all really hopeful that the rest and meds will "unkink tbe kink"! We see glitches like this a lot, especially with larger dogs, even without the Wobblers! The fact that he doesn't seem in pain is good too!
One of our heroes here was ATLAS, a handsome Great Dane, who had Wobblers AND osteo. If I recall, two vets said he needed to be put down and not to amputate. The third Vet said absolutely to amputw that Atlas coukd still jave good quality!
And ATLAS had GREAT QUALITY for over TWO YEARS (if I recall correctly)!! And,also if I recall correctly, Atlas has an occasional "rough patch" with the Wobblers where extra rest and meds were required for a few days here and there. Acupuncture was definitely something that was used successfully.
Sending lots of healing energy to Pete! Continue to make everday PETE DAY!!!
Lots of love!
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!
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