Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi all, my brain is frazzled!!!!! We met the specialist for Chemo options today & I have more decisions to make..
The results returned negative for Osterix but the vet is concerned that this is a lytic osterix negative osteosarcoma & therefore wishes to treat Sandy with Carboplatin (4 doses over 3 weeks) & potentially targeted therapy.
They also mentioned Metronomic chemo but said there would be issues with our Health & Safety having her treated with this.
I am so confused so have asked some questions via email to my vet to have it written to refer back to, to try & make greater sense of it all.
I understood that she perhaps may need Chemo with amputation if this was an aggressive type but both tests have returned inconclusive which I am so frustrated about!! Been a waste of Money too as not provide the answers required to understand IF Sandy needs Chemo or not but with the vets feelings about the bone having been broken by the Cancer, they said they would treat her with both suggested above. BUT I was not expecting to have another type alongside given also which is an additional heavy cost.
Has anyone had any experience with either treatment plans or know anything about the benefits of both offered to just chemo?? I need to ensure that IF we chose both that it will be money well spent to make a difference for Sandy.
I am also concerned about pumping her poor body with Chemo with possible side effects alone let alone another drug with possible side effects on top also.
I don't want to not give Sandy a full fighting chance by not following through with what is required to offer her quality for longer than a few months if we don't.
HELP!!!! Brain scrambled! 
We did chemo with Sassy. We were scheduled for 5 rounds of Carboplatin but only got 4 in before she was diagnosed with lung mets. Ok, I am not familiar with what your dog was diagnosed with but with Sassy we did 2 biopsies that came back inconclusive BEFORE amputation for Osteoscaroma. After the amputation was done & her leg was sent in for pathology it came back positive. So I am not sure if you had biopsies or if this was after amputation.
Chemo doesn't have the side affects that we think of with humans. Yes, they can get sick. Most generally they don't lose fur like we would lose hair. Each dog is different though.
We started Metronomics when Sassy was diagnosed with the lung mets. The Metronomics is a low dose chemo pill that is taken daily. I would do everything I did over again to give Sassy the greatest chance at survival. Chemo is a personal choice. There are a lot of dogs who survived a long time with it. Some didn't survive as long. Some never had chemo at all and survived longer than some that had chemo.
We support either way.
Michelle & Angel Sassy
Sassy is a proud member of the Winter Warriors. Live long, & strong Winter Warriors.
sassysugarbear.tripawds.com
07/26/2006 - Sassy earned her wings 08/20/2013
05/04/2006 - Bosch, Sassy's pal, earned his wings 03/29/19 fought cancer for 4 months.
"You aren't doing it TO her, you are doing it FOR her. Give her a chance at life."
Dawnie said
They also mentioned Metronomic chemo but said there would be issues with our Health & Safety having her treated with this.
Any "health and safety" concerns are easily mitigated with proper administration and handling. Please see these various metronomics links for more information.
Jerry did not have IV chemo, we only started him on metronomics after his lung mets appeared.
You will find lots of feedback from others discussing chemotherapy by searching these forums, specifically, these topics may prove helpful:
Costs of Amputation and Chemotherapy for Dogs: What Did You Pay?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I feel like we've come so far with getting our Sandy back to her happy self after her amputation & now am hit with more choices which is spiralling me into my human emotions being shot to pieces again. This may be due to me holding onto to every hope that she didn't need any further treatment.
I know I need to offer Chemo to give her the fighting chance she deserves after amputation as this was discussed at the time of amputation...to offer both IF required from results sent after amputation, but with the results showing negative results which are not conclusive I am lost as if to go with the vets suggestion to offer targeted treatment alongside. I kind of feel that if they are not 100% accurate then I should stick with chemo alone as this may be all she needs, but then will I regret not offering targeted therapy if chemo is not as successful as we hope! Plus it works differently so will attack those cells looking to divide or re-grow, the chemo alone will kill the cells, but they may re-grow.
I just want to either scream AAARRRGGGGHHHH or cry again....what to do!?!?!
Michelle, was Sassy poorly whilst on her chemo sessions?
I am not sure why the vet is reluctant to offer Metronomics other than with something he said about it possibly entering the human blood system after petting the animal after treatment...the links make interesting reading for more questions to be thrown out there to the vet. Thank you for the links 
So sorry about Sandy's cancer and the decisions to be made, Dawnie. My oncology vet was very pro-chemo but my Lexie hated needles her entire life and didn't enjoy the vet, so in our case I made a judgment call to go for quality of life (metronomics , oral chemo and alternative therapies) over IV chemo and not being sure how long we would gain knowing that we would both dread IV chemo appointment days.
In hindsight, part of me wonders if I had tried IV chemo what would have happened, and would Lexie have done better with the shot and office visits than I gave her credit for since she seemed to have such a will to live.
Sally and many others who tried traditional chemo and got some extra time with their pups may chime in. Also, try doing an advanced search for Carboplatin to see what others have said. A few folks here ended up adding time between doses for various reasons.
Bottom line...you know Sandy best. Don't be shy about gathering input here and asking your vet more questions about both options. I'd say let yourself be open to possibilities and then go back to your vet on both fronts to dig deeper into pros and into the trade-offs. An informed decision either way will be the right decision for her and for you.
Good luck with your sweet girl, and please keep us posted!
Deb and Angel Lexie* Diagnosed at age 13. Tried radiation first; wish we had amputated upon diagnosis (even with lung mets). Joined Club Tripawd April 2014 & Lexie loved life on 3 legs! Advice: Start physical therapy as soon as your vet clears it, especially hydrotherapy if available :-) See Lexie pics here.
I have no idea if what I'm going to say is going to help you or not but here it goes.
Being a retired racing greyhound, my chemo was donated by Ohio States Greyhound Wellness Program. I was scheduled for 4 rounds of Carboplatin but my blood cell count dropped too low after my first dose and my dosage was reduced by 25% and then split into four more doses. I often had to have my treatments pushed out to 4 weeks because even at the reduced dosage, my blood cell counts took a long time to return to normal. My humans encourage people who do Carboplatin to go with 5 or 6 doses if the dog handles it well and the wallet allows. The research is still very sketchy but it does appear that 6 doses in dogs who do not have lung mets increases survival times to 500+ days instead of 200 to 300 with 4 doses. These are also just averages so some live much longer and some live much less.
This is the part that drives you nuts about cancer. No one has any answers and you have to take in a ton of information and process it the best you can and not look back. You just have no idea what is going to help and you never will. All you can do is live in the moment and enjoy what you have. I was told I had about 10 months to live even with the chemo and I just celebrated 20 months. I had a very aggressive tumor and my leg fractured too. With that, everyone assumed it had already spread. I'm going to have my chest xrays done next month but 3 months ago, they were clear. We discussed doing metronomic therapy once I finished my IV chemo but after weighing the pros and cons, my humans and I decided to wait.
First, what is Sandy's temperament? What does she think of going to the vet? This is for her so if she hates going for car rides, hates being at the vets, is afraid of needles, IV chemo isn't going to be an option.
Next, there are other lifestyle choices to make too. Going on a low carb cancer diet is the first priority. Then looking at the supplements. Many take Artemisinin / Artemix, some form of Turkey Tail Mushroom, or other chinese mushrooms. I did homoeopathic treatments for quite some time too. I tried acupuncture but hated the person who did it. If I find someone I like, I'd be willing to try it again.
Sandy is an individual and no matter how well or poorly another dog did on different treatments is not going to be any indication of how she will do. It can influence your decision but that's about it.
Okay....B R E A T H E......B R E A T H E........This is a lot to take in AND nothing has to be decided in the next few days!
You are very smart to email specific wuestions to your vet and get written responses so you can review everything calmly. And if its allmin medical terms...tell him to breakmit downsimply!!!! And keep asking for clarification until you f u l l y understand what he's saying!
My Happg Hannah has osteosarcoma and, after amputation, J lroceeded with FOUR rounds of carboplatin and she tolerated it very well. One reason I lroceeded was because,if she did have bad side effects, I could stop at anytime.
Just to show you the diversity in thinking among oncologist, Happy Hannah's said that four was what she was taught in vet school as being effective. There was a GREAT thread started by Katy, Jackson's mom, on four, bs five, vs six....the study she wuoted seemed to indicate that four lr five were sjfficent. But as you've seen....no k ne real l y knkws!! Some dogs aplear to get extended tkme with chemo, some do not. SZo e appear to get extended time without it, some do not!!!
Hap o y Hannah did NOT mind going to the vet and that was a huge lart of my decision. As I mentioned, she had no side effects! They send you home with an anti nausea pill should they seem to jave a tummy upset. Some may be a little lethargic for a day or so. GENERALLY, not always, side effects either are non-existent or very mild for a day or so.
Try and stay in the moment right nk. Get some CLEAR answers from your vet, do y our research here, STAY CONNECTED, and jnkw that SANDY IS DOING GREAT and that's all that matters!!! Nothing has changed in Sandy's world and she isn't worried about any ole stupid medical labels! They mean nothing to her!!!
Get that chocolate back out and eat every sjngle cookie you can find! Give yourself a break and just put everything aside for a day or so. Enjoy being with Sandy and keep on withthe lov j ng and spoiling...it's the best ,"treatment" in the land!!
We are all here with you and we all j understand having y our brain completely scrambled when trying to sort through all this stuff! You will th o ugh...promise!!!
Sending love and 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!
No Sassy didn't do bad with Chemo. She did get sick once and from then on we started Cerenia (anti-nauseau) before Chemo & after. She lost her appetite for maybe 24 hours then would eat. So nothing really bad. If I had to do it over again I would still do chemo & the Metronomics
Hugs
Michelle & Angel Sassy
Sassy is a proud member of the Winter Warriors. Live long, & strong Winter Warriors.
sassysugarbear.tripawds.com
07/26/2006 - Sassy earned her wings 08/20/2013
05/04/2006 - Bosch, Sassy's pal, earned his wings 03/29/19 fought cancer for 4 months.
"You aren't doing it TO her, you are doing it FOR her. Give her a chance at life."
Thank you everyone...truly helping my brain to try to relax a little.
Sandys chest X-ray & CT scan at amputation stage were clear.
I think I am going to see if we can start with chemo to see how she responds then continue to think about targeted treatment after. It'll be typical the two will need to be given together but will ask. I am not 100% sure she needs the targeted type if results were inconclusive. But I guess we need to trust the vet in some respect. It's just hard when all we want are conclusive results to go on factual findings not experiences of other cases.
How ling did it take for IV chemo to be given? Is it something I would stay with her for or would she have to stay in? The info I have seen on here seems varied.
Happy Christmas to all from Sandy & I
Trusting the vet is good....but also trusting your "gut" is good!!
I understand completely your concern when you have no conclusive results! What EXACTLY is the vet referring to as "targeted therapy"?
I'd like to suggest posting under "Ask A Vet" for advice. The vet wo responds is very knowledgeable about anything surrounding osteo., etc. Her dogTazzie had a let amputated due to osteo.
Also, wondering if you could ask for a second reading from a different lathologist at the lab...perhals under the circumstances they would be willing to do it.
We're right by your side and we'll help you sort this out, okay??
Sending you lots of love and 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!
Hi ! I posted to another thread on the same topic. Johnnie took Cerenia to prevent nausea from the chemo, and it worked 100%. Never had any trouble with the chemo - but we did change his diet radically. I have posted previously about Johnnie's post-chemo chicken soup.
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.
I also posted on your other apot.
Just wanted to add that, if xrays were last done in April, vet may want to do another set before starting chemo.
For my Happy Hannah I was able to arrange her appointment onmmy day off so I coukd take her in and wait. If I recall, I think we were pretty much in and out within about thirty minutes. Some, do to scheduling, work conflicts, etc. have to drop their dogs off onnthe way to work and pick them up afterwards. If at all possible, try and get an appointment where you can sit and wait...it's not nearly as stressful as staying all day.
Also, make sure your vet has an attendant with Sandy the whole time...which is protocol anyway, but just to ensure she doesn't try and pull or chew the IV!!
We really feel for you.....I think all of us are very confused by what your vet has said! He is an Oncologist, right? It sounds like Daniela and Johnnie dealt with something a little bit similar, but it was confirmed, versus inconclusive. Geez, my brain is scrambled too over this!!!
Sendingn you 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!
Hi Dawnie,
I am just catching up with these posts and I can't really add much more than anyone else already has, but as far as the length of time for I.V. chemo, Polly's usually lasted for about 45 minutes, give or take a few minutes, and we were not allowed to be with her due to the drugs and exposure.....her oncologist and his vet tech assistant were really fantastic with Polly so although I still worried about her, she always did great through the procedure. My husband and I always went out for lunch while waiting for her to be done, and then we all went home together. Polly did have negative side effects that were fairly extreme, but that is rare.....her oncologist lowered the Doxorubicin dosage a bit, we added a few anti-nausea drugs that could be taken together, an anti-diarrhea med, as well as an appetite stimulant and Pepcid to help her tummy....she needed a little more meds than the average dog going through chemo, but we were able to get her very comfortable to finish all rounds of chemo, thankfully.
Let us all know what you decide for your sweet Sandy going forward, we all know how hard these decisions can be, and scary, but you will make the best decisions possible for your girl.....and continue to keep us updated on het.
Love,
Bonnie & Angel Polly
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