Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
Join The Tripawds Community
Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:
Instant post approval.
Private messages to members.
Subscribe to favorite topics.
Live Chat and much more!
Register
Log In
Members
Add Topic
Offline
Cemil's Anatolian friend Malachi just had his first chemo treatment after amputation and is acting sick. His mom is a member here, but I don't think she has posted anything yet. I'll tell her to look here.
Here's her message to me:
Malachi had his first carboplatin treatment today. The oncologist said he did well getting the IV and is a big sweetheart. That's good to know since he can be 'difficult' when he wants to be. They also gave him an injection of Zofran - ondansetron (30 ml) and sent me home with cerenia (2 60 mg once a day) and metronidazole 500 mg.
On the way out from treatment, Mali was feeling good and we stopped to get some bacon and scrambled eggs .. he ate the bacon, but didn't want any eggs, which is how he can be as sometimes he like scrambled eggs and sometimes not, but he loved the bacon and I had 2 extra orders for him.
At home, he sat out in the yard for a bit, drank lots of water and then moved to sit in the shade, but he was alert and looked okay.
Now, he looks green and is listless. He's been licking his lips and acting nauseous when I offered him some raw beef heart just a little while ago. Plus he didn't want to come inside (he will let me know to let him out if he feels sick to his stomach before he vomits in the house) but you could tell he was cold (its cool here now - 55* and will be getting cooler tonight and this is supposed to last 1 week). I gave him 1 cerenia pill in butter and he ate it. After 15 minutes, he still acted sick and didn't want to come in .. finally I put his leash on and he very slowly hopped in. You can tell he is not feeling good at all.
The oncologist said that the dogs usually feel okay until around the 3rd - 5th day .. Mali is feeling nauseous now and is listless .. he didn't even acknowledge Don when he went outside to see him when he got home from work. Not like Mali at all. Mali is not given to animation, but he does greet you when you get home or go outside to see him when you get home.
Is this normal and he is just sick to his stomach now??? Or will he get sicker??? No diarrhea (yet) but just how he is acting we are extremely worried. Don said Mali is acting like 'near death'. I don't think he is 'near death', but he definitely not feeling well at all. Plus when he is laying down he is curled up .. Mali usually sleeps stretched out and not in a ball. Maybe this is from the sick stomach?? I didn't give Mali any pain medication at all today as I didn't know if that would make him sick to his stomach and wanted to prevent any ill effects from the chemo treatment.
Mali received 510 mg of carboplatin .. he now weights 161 lbs (he lost 20 lbs since the amputation).
I'm tempted to take him to the ER - what they will do, I don't know, but at least he'd have medical care and attention should he need it if the need arises. I'm crying and don't know what to do for him. I hoped the 1 cernenia pill (60 mg) would have helped with the nausea feeling, but he still feels sick .. no vomiting (yet).
I have gerber meat baby food (beef, veal, lamb, chicken, turkey) on hand and cottage cheese .. he just turns his face away and does lots of lip licking and if you don't remove the food, he will get up to move. So he is nauseous ..
If this is normal .. okay, but I was not expecting this till a few days from now .. this is the worst I've seen him feel since the amp. He didn't want food and probably felt sick with the fenytal patches, but he still slept stretched out and was not listless like he is now.
What should I do!!????
Help!!!
Christine
Cemil and mom Mary, Mujde and Radzi….appreciating and enjoying Today
Thanks for posting on behalf of Christine! Hopefully others who have experience with IV chemo for their dogs can provide better feedback. We only did metronomics for Jerry after we discovered his lung mets.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Christine,
I have an experience base of one when it comes to this type of cheotherapy, but I will share my knowledge until we get some broader experience like Pam.
My Cherry received her first chemotherapy treatment (also carboplatin) just hours after her amputation. They waited until her body warmed back up to normal and then gave her the IV. This supposedly is a newer treatment protocol much like the way they are now giving chemotherapy before mastectomywith breast cancer. For the first 48 hours, she appeared as well as could be expected following amputation, but from that point on her appetite slowly deteriorated. Within two more days, we entered the point where I was stuffing nearly every morsel of food. She never vomited, did not appear to have nausea, and actually did not have poop for days - probably due to the fact that this was just after surgery. Cherry's reaction was totally due to the fact that the chemical taste made all food taste horrible. She actually was very good about the stuffing - as long as I got it past her tongue before releasing, she would not spit it out. However, if she could taste it, I got it back.
I would have to agree with the oncologist in the fact that the worst was around the forth day. I gave Cherry chicken broth by using a test tube wash bottle - placing the outlet of the bottle as far back as I could inside the lips and squeezing. Oddly, one of the first things that Cherry ate at home was soda crackers. One might think that this eased any nausea, but it also could have helped remove the taste issue. She preferred if there was some margarine on the crackers first. Cherry also enjoyed Vanilla flavored Soy Milk. It has some protein, a nice taste, and does not sour in the stomach. I tried Ensure, which would be a better neutrition, but she found the taste too strong. To the very end, she enjoyed her Soy Milk (and not the Light - they needed the calories and the regular has a much richer taste).
Like I sait, this is the experience base of one. I too would be worried - heck I was sick with worry and did not have all the issues you appear to be facing. Unless it gets too bad for Mali or your own mental status (mine was often challenged), hang-in-there until you get past the fifth day for sure. Keep a very detailed journal of what you are seeing. That way you will be able to make accurate accessments of how things are changing and not just relying on memory.
I am sure that Mary will make sure that this get to you soon, so we send all our positive thoughts - they really do help.
Spirit Cherry's Dad
Hi Cemil
From what I know, that is definitely not a normal reaction to Carboplatin. Adryamycin typically produces nausea, which gets worse at 3-4 days post chemo (but Tazzie had it immediately). Carboplatin usually does not produce nausea, and my oncologist did not give Tazzie any cerenia for that (we had it available, but did not need it - we did need it for the other drug).
I have the list of possible side effects here for Carbo and also for Adrymycin (the list I got when we first saw the oncologist). It says "loss of appetite", but this tends to show up mostly at 5-7 days post chemo, when the chemo has had a chance to affect cell growth.
One other possible problem is kidney damage. Carboplatin is safe for most dogs, but Tazzie did get high kidney values following this treatment. He had a prior history of acute renal failure 7 years earlier, so that is probably why it had that effect. It is very unusual but is possible.
I would treat this as an emergency because Carbo should not have these effects. I would guess it either had some other effect, such as on the kidneys, or is another problem altogether.
Then again, I have no idea what Zofran (what is that?), lots of bacon and raw beef heart can do to a dog. I feel guilty for Tazzie never experienced "raw beef heart". Having said that, we did live on a cattle ranch and he gots into tons of stuff. Maybe he did.
I would take him to a vet now and get the blood checked, especially for kidney values.
Moderator or Admin,
I think it showed that it saved my post that did not show up .. were would it have been saved to? I checked my profile, but its not there.
Thanks.
Christine
chrisk101 said:
Moderator or Admin,
I think it showed that it saved my post that did not show up .. were would it have been saved to? I checked my profile, but its not there.
Thanks.
Christine
...Moved original post to Technical Support. Copying this into the new topic.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
Hi Cemil,
I would definitely advise your friend to phone their oncologist ASAP... and see if they think that Mali should be brought in to the ER, or if it can wait until morning. Hopefully, it's something that will pass and get better with time... but if not, better to be safe than sorry. Keep us posted on how Mali is doing!!!
Angel Jake's Mom
Jake, 10yr old golden retriever (fractured his front right leg on 9/1, bone biopsy revealed osteosarcoma on 9/10, amputation on 9/17) and his family Marguerite, Jacques and Wolfie, 5yr old german shepherd and the newest addition to the family, Nala, a 7mth old Bengal mix kittie. Jake lost his battle on 11/9/2009, almost 8 weeks after his surgery. We will never forget our sweet golden angel… http://jakesjou.....ipawds.com ….. CANCER SUCKS!
Trouble had nausea within hours of each Carboplatin treatment. It did not appear to be as severe as you describe. We were sent home with pills for the nausea that pretty much kept it under control, she had minimal vomiting about 5 - 6 hours after treatment. Starting with the third treatment, she was given an injection prior to the IV and it helped some, but she continued to have some nausea with each treatment. The good thing was that it only lasted the evening and night of the treatment. She also displayed some lethargy, just no energy to even lift her head. She definitely didn't feel well. By morning she was her perky self, nausea and lethargy gone.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
Jack had adriamycin but did not have any nausea associated with the chemo. I'm wondering if the nausea could be a side-effect of excitement, the chemo drugs, and the 3 orders of bacon... Jack has a super sensitive tummy and throws up like, once a week just for fun, so nausea is something I don't usually worry about. This is totally not helpful at all, but maybe dogs act differently to the chemo drugs? I would probably call the vet, just to be on the safe side 🙂
<3 Laura and Jackers
I have absolutely no experience with chemo. But, I would agree that bloodwork would be in order. Seeing how the liver and kidney are functioning would be very valuable in figuring out what is wrong right away. I would do that before continuing to administer any of the Go Home drugs that you have on hand. Fluid therapy is something that the ER may do too, to flush out and assist the organs, or just plain to help any dehydration that could be complicating an issue.
Please keep up up to date on this thread!
Dawn and Raven
Rottie Raven, osteosarcoma at 8-1/2 years old, amputation in October '09 and in February '10 due to liver mets he went back to heaven where he came from. raven.tripawds.com
Now I have Miles, rottie mix amputee from a shelter and traveled 1500 miles to find his way here through the Rescue Railroad thanks to tripawds.com. miles.tripawds.com
chrisk101 said:
...it showed that it saved my post that did not show up...
Sorry for the inconvenience, but I'm not sure what you mean. Posts do not get "saved" anywhere other than here in the forums. Posts made by Guests (not logged in) just get marked as awaiting moderation. Perhaps this was the case. See the Tech Support topic hugapitbull started for more detail.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello,
Jack is on his 4th round of Carbo. He did lose a lot of weight post amputation (probably around 15 or so lbs). I do think you should tell your friend to teat her dog's reaction very seriously as those side effects sound serious. Jack has not experienced any nasuea at all. One thing I did for his minor loss of appetite is that I switched him to puppy food (high in calories) I also began mixing wet food in with his dry food. He has put every pound back on. But as far as reactions to the Carbo he has had none like that. Keep us posted!!!!
Erin and Jack
Do you have any news on how Mali is doing today??? We're worried... 
Angel Jake's Mom
Jake, 10yr old golden retriever (fractured his front right leg on 9/1, bone biopsy revealed osteosarcoma on 9/10, amputation on 9/17) and his family Marguerite, Jacques and Wolfie, 5yr old german shepherd and the newest addition to the family, Nala, a 7mth old Bengal mix kittie. Jake lost his battle on 11/9/2009, almost 8 weeks after his surgery. We will never forget our sweet golden angel… http://jakesjou.....ipawds.com ….. CANCER SUCKS!
Hi Jake and a few others
Cemil sent a PM later last night - in response to one I had sent - that said that Mali was much better already. So I wouldn't worry about the lack of news today. It is interesting that Trouble had some nausea from Carbo. I know I feared that Tazzie would be ill from the Carbo, but my oncologist's assistant (I rarely got to speak to the oncologist herself, brother) indicated nausea was rare with Carbo. Guess not all that rare.
I'm so glad to hear Mali is feeling better. Maybe it was the three orders of bacon. That would give me a stomach ache!
Debra
Debra & Emily, a five year old doberman mix, who was diagnosed with an osteosaecoma. She had a right rear leg amputation on May 19, 2009. On November 10, 2009 she earned her wings and regained her fourth leg.
1 Guest(s)
