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
I'd like to find out how many chemo treatments most people have gone with. Â Our oncologist tells me that studies have shown that doing more than 4 doesn't make a difference. Â We will have completed treatment 4 this tuesday sept 22, all 4 have been carboplatin. Â We finally saw a dip in white blood cell count at #3 so i feel like we should keep going since it seems like it didn't start actually working until about then. Â pretty sure we are going to take it to at least 5. as of #3 and the chest xray done at the same time we have found no mets in her body. Â diagnoses was June 10/15 and amputation July 6/15. Â xrays of other 3 legs, chest, organs done prior to amp. were clean. Â I'd still like to hear from people how many treatments they went with to help with my decision. thanks
I love the idea of a survey, thanks for bringing it up. The only thing is, to draw any conclusions from it, you'd have to know the longevity rates of the dogs compared to the # of treatments. Way beyond my scientific mind as to how to go about this but this News blog post may help you:
How Many Chemotherapy Sessions are Best for Osteosarcoma in Dogs?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Johnnie Walker, male Golden, 6 rounds of carboplatin for OSA. 16 months post-op today and next month 1 yr from end of chemo.
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. Â Stopped Apocaps because of liver issues. Â Â Liver issues: controlling altered enzymes with SAM-e and Milk Thistle. Â October 17: Â started having seizures. Â Taking fenobarbital for seizures. Â April 18: started prednisone.
harleythegirl said
I'd like to find out how many chemo treatments most people have gone with. Â Our oncologist tells me that studies have shown that doing more than 4 doesn't make a difference. Â We will have completed treatment 4 this tuesday sept 22, all 4 have been carboplatin. Â We finally saw a dip in white blood cell count at #3 so i feel like we should keep going since it seems like it didn't start actually working until about then. Â pretty sure we are going to take it to at least 5. as of #3 and the chest xray done at the same time we have found no mets in her body. Â diagnoses was June 10/15 and amputation July 6/15. Â xrays of other 3 legs, chest, organs done prior to amp. were clean. Â I'd still like to hear from people how many treatments they went with to help with my decision. thanks
Our oncologist wanted to do five, but Eva had mets show up before our fifth session, so we began palladia, but I actually only kept her on it for a week because I just, I don't know, I haven't heard great things.
We were scheduled for 5 but between #4 & # 5 Sassy developed lung mets and we stopped and started Metronomics.Â
Â
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 -Â Bosch, Sassy's pal, earned his wings 03/29/19Â fought cancer for 4 months.
"You aren't doing it TO her, you are doing it FOR her. Give her a chance at life."
Murphy had histiocytic sarcoma, right front leg at his elbow, + lymph axillary lymph node removed during his amputationÂ
  CD 18 +
  6 doses CCNU
  He currently is >25 months since his surgery. No other supplements other than a grain-free diet (which he cheats on! lol) His lung x-rays are still clear.
Donna
Donna, Glenn & MurphyÂ
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17 Â
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
We did 6 doses of carboplatin with Nitro, and he now is doing metronomic therapy daily. He is 15 months post amp for OSA and doing great
Paula and Nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 Â 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. Â Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
We did 6 rounds of Carbo. The onc was fine with between 4 and 6. She said some recent studies had shown 5 or 6 had better outcomes but it was very difficult to draw firm conclusions from any study. She also mentioned that 4 had been the standard for a long time, but she felt that was partially because carbo was so expensive. Then the price came down dramatically so it became more practical to try more rounds.Â
Active 10+ Pyr mix suddenly came up lame with ACL tear in left rear leg. Scheduled for a TPLO but final pre-op x-rays indicated a small suspicious area, possibly OSA, which could have caused the ACL tear. Surgeon opened the knee for TPLO but found soft bone. Biopsy came back positive for OSA. Became a Tripawd 9/18/14. Carbo6 with Cerenia and Fluids. Pain free and living in the moment. Crossed the Bridge on 7/12/15 after probable spread of cancer to her cervical spine. A whole lifetime of memories squeezed into 10 months. Here's her story: Eloise
Oh wow! Talk about a diversity of "professioal" opinions! And this is why we call so much of this journey a "crap shoot" and why there really are no right or wrong "choices"!
We've had dogs here go several years WITHOUT chemo....and WITH chemo. Some only get a short time WITHOUT CHEMO....and WITH chemo. I really want to stress the "crap shoot" part because not everyone is able to do chemo for various personal reasons.
My Happy Hannah's Onco recommended four doses of Carboplatin and told me a fifth was just "icing on the cake" and "they" used to teach more was better, but not anymore. At the time, she liked to remind me she was a recent graudate.of Cornell (which she loved to repeat if I mentioned.anything from Dressler's book that differed from her opinion!) And Ellie's Onco said "they" used to teach less was better!
Also, I think it's important to note that, even though there might be a blanket diagnosis, I.e. osteosarcoma, each pathology report may be different and thus varying recommendations of four, five, or six. Sooo many factors.
Happy Hannah...osteosarcoma...four Carboplatin...a glorious bonus time of one year and two months
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!
My angel Polly had a rare presentation of soft tissue hemangiosarcoma, after her first surgery to try to remove the cancer, we started chemo and she was able to complete 6 rounds of i.v. doxorubicin, and 6 rounds of metronomics with cyclophosphamide...... We wanted to go full-force against HSA, and I still believe it helped her live more than twice her prognosis, which was 3-6 months..... We ended up amputating her front leg after a second unsuccessful surgery to remove the HSA cancer......She ultimately lived for 13+ months..... Just wish I tried some other things after chemo..... 🙂 <3
Bonnie, Angel Polly, and new pups
1 Guest(s)
