Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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They were peaceful until the thunder storms arrived... then I had Bella and Bailey scared to death.
I'm not real happy with the oncologist after our conversation last evening. I asked for something to help increase her appetite and that is when she proceeded to tell me we need to consider her quality of life and think about how she feels...
NOT THE RIGHT ANSWER FOR ME...
I proceeded to tell her we had an appointment to see about acupuncture on Tuesday and she goes oh good. I felt like saying thanks for having confidence that there is HOPE, I HAVE FAITH!
Anyway, not sure why my pictures are acting up. I keep trying to post them.
It's not working as you can see.
The coins were in the reject slot when I walked up to use it. They weren't mine that's why I asked the teller if they wanted the Canadian coins... not know at the time the Angel Coin was in there...
Words can't describe how I feel. I keep rubbing it!
HUGS
Tracy and Bailey
OH wow I can see why you would be so upset at that kind of response by the onco. What was her reasoning for that?
Always remember you know Bailey better than anyone else so go with your heart and you can't go wrong. If you're ever in doubt then of course ask for a quality of life opinion by someone else but when all is said and done you are her guardian, you know her best.
Not sure why the pics aren't loading but the ones of the coin sure did. I just can get over the way you found them, and that they have no other info like where they're from or anything. I mean is that a sign or what? Weird, and very cool and beautiful.
Dumb question but have you tried sinky meats like liverwurst, braunschwager, that sort of thing? It often works, I hope it will for Bailey.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I hate to say this but I really feel in my heart that Bailey is telling me enough. We have the 5:15pm appointment today. When my husband took her out this morning she just laid down to pee. I just had her drinking some pedylite and water and then she cried a little, so then I was helping her up and she yelped. She did get up with more help. We went outside and she did the other business standing up. I asked if she wanted to stay outside and lay by the shade tree and she tried to get over there but decided halfway was enough. She just laid down and stared at me panting. I sat on the sidewalk and was rubbing her tears away, she's been crying real tears it just breaks my heart and I have the biggest lump in my throat right now. We cooked steak last night just for her and she wouldn't touch it. I fed her yogurt off a spoon but opened her mouth for her but she didn't try to spit it out. The only thing she wants to eat in several days is peanut butter rolled in a soft tortilla cut in slices then in half... so sure I load up the peanut butter. She's losing weight quick.
I can't see right now, I'm going to go for now. I have the biggest lump in my throat and aching pain in my stomach.
I wish I could understand this and what I did wrong after such a recovery. If I could do it all over again I would not do CHEMO... f that shit.
TIGHT HUGS
Tracy and Bailey
TRACY!!!!! TRACY!!!!!! Hang on kiddo!! You've got that appointment today....I know it seems like an eternity away. Perhaps with their insight and your incredible bond with Bailey you'll be able to determine IF Bailey is indeed telling you she's ready to be released. You'll know what to do have your appointment. Perhaps.these new vets will be ab l e.to come.up.with some answers...some concrete.answers.so you can decide how to proceed!!
YOU DID NOTHING WRONG!!! This piece of crap disease is the meanest, most disgustingly cruel coward that makes.up its.own rules. As hard as we try and as much as we throw everything medicl science has st it...it still is such an unknown and still attacks o ur dogs and cats in ways that are yet to be understood!
YOU HAVE DONE EVERYTHING RIGHT!!!
Now take a deep breath.....DEEP. DEEP. BREATH.....and do NOT let that piece of crap invade your soul and your mind! It.is still trying to rob you of your time together...NO...NO...NO!!!! You are with Bailey right now!!!!!! Thatis ALL that matters!!!!!
Of course you are sick toyour stomach and have a lump in your throat...that's normal anytime you are at this part of the journey trying to do what's best for Bailey. But do NOT let your mind do anything for focus on being present with Bailey!!
You love Bailey soooooo much and your love for her is strong enough to continue to guide you towards what's best for her. Hopefully tonight yo j will jave some good suggestions from these vets. Go in KNOWING you will be guided to do what is best for Bailey because BAILEY will continue to.let you know what she wants! Including more.peanut butter and tortilla!!!!!!! YUM!!!
And remember...WE ARE ALL RIGHT HERE WITH YOU!!!!!!.. You ARE so strong and our loving arms are hugging you right now and ALWAYS!!!! And we are sending all. the positive healing energy in the world for a good outcome and for solutions that will heal Bailey!
WE LOVE YOU AND BAILEY...AND HUGS TO HUBBY TOO!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle
WE ARE HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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!
Tracy, I'm real sorry to read that you are both is such a tough, tough place right now, I wish I could do something to make it better for you and Bailey. I hope the appointment later gives you some answers that might help improve things quickly.
Please know you did NOTHING wrong, you did everything right and with all the love in the world. This disease just does what it wants in the end but nothing can EVER take away your love that you two shared, and all the good times. It's a hard place to be in right now but like Sally said, please don't let it rob you of precious time together, when it counts most. Bailey needs to know that you will be OK, she must see you and know that she did her job and taught you well. Be as strong as you can possibly be, lean on us, and know that whatever decisions you make are all made with love for your very sweet pup. Lean on us, we are here for you.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Tracy, you did NOTHING wrong!! Please know that! You will drive yourself crazy staying in that place. I know, I was there. I hope you get good news today from the vet. cancer is such an unpredictable monster. I will tell you my story. Sorry for those of you that have heard it already. Ty had one chemo treatment, only one. He was to have 6. He had developed this growth on his neck that was after a few weeks determined to be a MRSA infection. After a lot of treatments, a blood transfusion, 2 wound debridments, etc. I decided No More Chemo! This was not well received by my onocologist. He was gone in less than a week after I made the decision to stop. If I would have decided to resume the chemo, he would have gotten another dose at his last vet appt. I then would have blamed the chemo. It wasn't the chemo for him, it was this stupid, blasted disease. So you see, we second guess no matter what decisions we make. If I had done the 2 dose of chemo, I would have blamed that for his sudden decline. We just do the best we can, out of the love we have for our babies. That combined with the info our vets give to us, is all we can do. Bailey knows how much you love her and she is just soaking up those cuddles. You are in my thoughts, love from Lori and Ty
TY GUY, Best Black Lab ever! Diagnosed and had amp in January, 2014. Kicked MRSA's butt. Earned his angel wings on April 16, 2014. Run Free my boy and don't forget a shoe. Ty is a proud member of the " April Angels". Ty sent us Daryl, a Tripawd rescue in Sept. of 2016. Daryl is 5 +or -. We are also Pawrents to Chandler, a Border Collie mix who is 15 and 1/2, Lucy, a Corgi who is 7, 2 minis, 2 horses, and a feisty cat named Zoe. Zoe had a non skeletal Osteosarcoma removed in July 2015. No Chemo, she was at least 16. She is going strong although she is now completely blind. She is now close to 20 and her hobbies are eating and sleeping in front of her personal heater.
Just got.in....soooooo soorry I missed your cal....sooooo sorry....its.5 here Va. Time.....cannot find number [yet again).....please, please try again I will be.inside.by phone...pm you too...wait...just remembered ....you.posted number.on one k f your post.....will find and call......stay there....unless u r at vet
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!
Dear Tracy,
I agree with all that has been said today - all your decisions were guided by your love and care for Bailey and looking at her best interest. This disease is a potluck. Neither you nor the vets can say what is going to happen tomorrow, so we have to live one day at a time and enjoy quality time with our tripawds.
Sending positive thoughts from Rio,
Daniela & Johnnie
Our awesome Golden Boy was diagnosed for OSA in April 2014 in the proximal humerus, front-leg amp on 05/20/2014. Finished chemo (Carbo6) on 07/10/2014. Ongoing treatment: acupuncture + K-9 Immunity Plus ( 3chews) and home-cooked no-grain diet. Stopped Apocaps because of liver issues. Liver issues: controlling altered enzymes with SAM-e and Milk Thistle. October 17: started having seizures. Taking fenobarbital for seizures. April 18: started prednisone.
Tracy,
I can't give you any more pearls of wisdom that haven't already been said by those that love and support you and Bailey. You did all the right things and Bailey knows that, don't ever doubt it for a minute. We are here for you!
Laurie
Hi Tracy,
I've been reading along, hoping, praying for you that Bailey would recover. So much of what she is experiencing is exactly what Charlie went through. I never did find out what caused the hindlimb weakness and what caused his tail to stop working. But it didn't matter. I could tell in his eyes when it was time. You will know, too.
I know how devastated I was--I had hoped for so much more time. I even had moments of questioning if we should have done the amputation. But we do the best that we can with the information we have.
Trust your instincts. Listen to your heart. Watch Bailey, not the medical tests. Wish I could give you a big hug right now.
Heather
Charlie, our English yellow lab, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in February 2014. He became a tripawd on February 24th, with clear lymph nodes and lungs, but that didn't last long. After three doses of Carbo, in May 2014, x-rays showed lung mets. We briefly tried Palladia, which went well. Unfortunately, Charlie developed unexplained complications in his hind limbs. We said a reluctant farewell on June 11, 2014. Still miss our boy each and every day.
OK, I just let out a big sigh and took a sip of water because I just forgot to drink or eat today.
Bailey's appointment had my husband and I really worried about what Dr. Snodgrass would say. I know we should be more positive but it was one hell of a weekend and not knowing what to do. Today couldn't have come soon enough.
We arrived a little early they put us in a comfy room with medical equipment (normal vet stuff) and it had a comfy pad with another blanket coverlet on it. Bailey immediately laid down. Dr. Snodgrass came in she said she reviewed everything and I could tell by her discussions with us she had know everything from fever to high fever. She really examined Bailey had Neil and Mackenzie help her up and then step back and she said feeling her spine, and everywhere you can imagine... even her poop place... Bailey has no elasticity there and her tail is still unresponsive but it has feeling in it (she said that is a good sign.) So she proceeded to tell us different things going on and wanted to do a few things, one get her eating again and two strengthening her so she can walk. She wants us to reduce Gabapentin to 1/2 twice daily instead 1/2 3 times daily, she's hopes that will help with her appetite. I can't recall word for word but I wish I would have taken pictures or a small video with my phone. The doctor put soft music on and when she started putting the needles in Bailey relaxed and her eyes got droopy and she kept looking at me like can I lay my head down here. You could see Bailey listening to the music because her ears would move on certain sounds. I was amazed and so was Mackenzie and Neil. Now that didn't cure anything today and it might not but we want her to have a quality of life if it's possible. She goes for 4 visits and she also recommended chiropractic therapy with another doctor, they work together. She really stressed "Four Columns to Wellness, which she said are Motion, Nutrition, Recovery and Behavior." She also gave us a Food Therapy Chart for healing and strengthening... basically it looks like a raw diet with supplements and she liked the K-9 Plus.
On the way home I felt like I could breathe again and Bailey slept all the way home (about 25 minutes.) Also she gave us two cans of food to try... Hill's A/D Prescription Diet "Critical Care" Canine and Royal Canin - Recovery RS Canine. Well after about a half hour at home she ate an entire can of the Hill's A/D! 
So she would eventually like to get her off of the Gabapentin and move toward holistic medicine. She did give her a prescription of Mirtazapine 30 mg 1 tablet by mouth once daily to see if that helped with the appetite(Instead of using the Ondansetron that the Oncologist gave us, to see if that helps.) So we will start tomorrow with the new medicine and taking a new path with a new attitude. I was so happy to see Bailey eat I could have done a happy dance. She even squatted to pee... I know it's not a miracle or anything her tail still doesn't wag but I think she is more relaxed and not crying for help.
She did say and you can buy into it or not but she said statistically chemo can effect the brain... pulled out a medical book... she said they give human medicine at a lower dose and it effects every person, every animals differently. I told her about Bailey with her food, pushing it out and she said that sounds like a brain issue... but no one would be able to tell and what's done is done. (or it could be many of things, which I get.) But seeing Bailey react to her feeling and moving her legs and not crying out amazed me. The acupuncture amazed me... being a Mom I'm like will that hurt her, how do you know where to put the needles... (I know right!) Bailey knew she was doing something and she could feel a sensation because she looked back at the doctor a few times like really, what are you doing to me. We just watched that she didn't fight her to go down or roll to her side... I think she knew this doctor was going to help her.
Soooo I am breathing a big sigh of relief and I wanted all my HUGE SUPPORTERS to know how things went and that it wasn't a big disappointment. I read every message and it really, really made me feel loved and I'm OK! Thank you!
Sally, I'm glad you weren't home I'm sure you wouldn't have been able to understand a word I was saying through my panic and tears, I'm sure my message was a bunch of ..... I'm not sure.
My friends, I am so glad I have you to lean on. This is the best place for me to be and it sure helps me and many others that discovery Tripawds.
Here's to a new path. I know I need to be stronger. I know I need sleep. I know I need to live for me also. My neighbors probably think is she ever going to shower. My poor mailman today pulled up at the wrong time and I was crying and just ignore him... I was trying to get Bailey to her shady spot in my pj shorts and top... at 1:45.
OK, I'm going to go for now. I would like some input on this new medicine that she says may help her appetite... so please let me know experiences, etc.
I feel like I did the right thing my family is sleeping in the living room and Bella is on my feet right here snoring.
I will check in sometime tomorrow. I'm praying and looking forward to a NEW DAY!
MUCH LOVE AND HUGS,
Tracy and Bailey
P.S. We were there from 5:00 pm until 7:15ish and we were only charged for our hour and a half consult!
OKAY....OKAY.....IVE JUST READ ABOUT THREE.SENTENCES AND SIGHED.....CRIED.AND SIGHED.....DON'T EVEN KNOW ANYTHING.LAST THE FIRST COUPLE OF SENTENCES.BUT.KNOW SHE IS HOME
OKAY....NOW GOING TO READ THE REST....BE RIGHT BACK.......
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!
Tracy,
I have to admit, I was really scared to check in with this most recent post from you, but now I can also sigh with a little bit of relief.........it sounds like you were able stay calm for Bailey, and help her through this very positive appt......it also seems like this appt truly helped Bailey a great deal.
Your question about Mirtazapine I can gladly answer......this drug was a life-saver for my Polly......she had really terrible side effects from chemo, and this is one of the drugs that truly helped her get through all her rounds of chemo, in addition to anti-nausea drugs. I kept Mirtazapine on hand ALL the time for her. And the Hills a/d is really great food for either dogs or cats that will not eat anything.....this food was literally a life saver when I worked at my veterinary hospital and dealing with very sick pets.
I am sending as much happy, positive energy that I can, and hoping these changes help Bailey out tremendously.......yes, please continue to keep up updated on her as well, and praying also for a NEW DAY starting tomorrow....
Love,
Bonnie & Angel Polly
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