Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi everyone,
Our 11yo Old English Sheepdog, Sully, had his front right leg amputated on 12/15/21 due to synovial cell sarcoma in his shoulder.
Last night, he had his first full rehab/PT session (thanks, Maggie Moo Fund , for covering his eval a few weeks ago! 😁 ).
The vet had planned to do cold laser therapy on him, but when we got there they told us to check with an oncologist first to make sure they thought laser therapy was okay for him, as some vets believe cold lasers can speed up the growth of any undetected metastatic tumors.
This is something I had not yet heard about. Has anyone else talked to their vets about this? Did you need to avoid cold laser in cancer cases?
We do have a cancer scan later this week to check for mets, so I will ask then! Sully was seeing the surgeon, not the oncologist, but there is an oncologist at the practice that did his amp, so I’ll see if they can check. But was curious to hear about any experiences from you all as well.
So far, chemo has not been recommended to us, FYI. I’m also planning to check with Sully’s team about that this week, too.
Thanks, everyone!
Yay Sully!
he had his first full rehab/PT session (thanks, Maggie Moo Fund , for covering his eval a few weeks ago!
You are so welcome! Did you see his post in the Tripawds Foundation blog?
Tripawd Sheepdog Sully Benefits from Canine Rehab
I love that the vet who was going to do laser decided to hold off for now. Team Sully is fantastic!
some vets believe cold lasers can speed up the growth of any undetected metastatic tumors.
This is something I had not yet heard about. Has anyone else talked to their vets about this? Did you need to avoid cold laser in cancer cases?
This has been debated for a while now. The reason is because cold laser therapy stimulates vascular circulation to ease pain and promote wound healing. By stimulating the vascular system, it could possibly stimulate cancer spread of micromets. We've asked a few rehab therapists about it and basically we've been told that 1) there are no hard studies that show cold laser's effect on metastasis progression, and 2) it depends on what kind of cancer the dog has, and where the tumor was located. We were told they would not use it on dogs with a vascular tumor that's still on the body, or dogs who had a leg amputated for a condition like mast cell cancer.
Finally, Dr. Jennifer Shepherd over at Dr. Buzby's Toe Grips says the following in her excellent post, Laser Therapy For Dogs.
There is a concern that the increased blood flow to the surgery site could lead to metastasis (spread) of the cancer. This has not been proven, but the potential risks outweigh the benefits.
Ask your oncologist, I'm totally curious to find out what they think. My guess is that if he is having a CT scan this week, they'll know if any micro mets are present. If they aren't, the might tell you that laser is OK. Or maybe not! I don't know but do keep us posted. We'll keep our paws crossed for an excellent report!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
CUTENESS ALERT!!! OMD!! Sully is absolutely ADORABLE!!! Loved his Rehab post too!
Interesting conversations regarding the laser. Tha ks for bringing it up and Jerry, thanks for the link
Hugs
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!
Coincidence! Gabe's people just shared some thoughts about cold laser here.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi again, and thanks for the replies, Jerry and Benny!
We had Sully’a recheck appointment and at the vet’s advice, also decided against cold laser just in case. The risks outweighed the benefits, although he seemed to think it would “probably” be okay as long as they weren’t lasering his amputation site.
But things then took a dramatic turn for the worst- Sully got his chest x-rays, and they showed lung mets. We are beyond devastated. We did not expect this at all with Sully’s type of cancer, especially so soon (less than two months!) after amputation.
We have been referred out to a practice with more comprehensive oncology care. We have an appointment on Tuesday. Our vet seemed to think there would be some kind of palliative option at least, to “knock things back a bit.”
Sully is very asymptomatic at the moment, which is our only relief. I had planned to ask about “just in case” chemo or radiation, but I didn’t expect visible mets. We were so hopeful that we’d get a couple more years with his diagnosis.
I’ve started a GoFundMe to help, and I’ve been reading up on treatment for lung mets on the blogs and in the forums already in between sobbing spells. We’re looking forward to hearing about options next week, and we’ll absolutely be avoiding the cold laser as a result of these findings. But Sully has been cleared to continue rehab for now, so that’s good at least?
Send any good vibes our way you can muster- we know we’re not the only ones to go through this, and we wish so many of you all couldn’t relate quite so well. ❤️🩹
Nope, not expecting this. Just sucks to hear. Of course, Sully heard nothing and he's going full steam ahead gettin' on with living life to the fullest!
And yes, there. ARE options beyond "just" palliative care. Jerry is far more skilled st pointing out treatments as seen on the site, but I know Palladia is one, Metronomics another.
And yes, continuing with Rehab is important to his overall well being to keep him fit and free from injury. No one....noooo one.....knows how much.
The fact that Sully has no sysmptons is another plus. Truly! I say that simply because even if "symptons" do appear, many dogs continue a great extended quality time even after they show up!!! We say it so often, every dog is different and no dog has a timeframe stamped on his butt. And that Sully has a very cute fluffy butt!
Do exactly like Sully! Proceed forward and no that, as far as he's concerned all is well in hos world. Ahhhh....the bliss of being dog
We'll definately be sending pawsitive vibes to Sully. Keep us posted, stay pawsitive!
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
PS. Were the xrays seen by a Radiologist?
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!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Sally!! We appreciate it so, so much. We’re doing our best to stay pawsitive and hope for the very best we can get!
We’ll keep mining the site for resources and will prep all of our questions for the oncologist on Tuesday. We look forward to any advice anyone else might be willing to share. I may post a new topic to see if anyone had experience with lung mets associated with synovial cell sarcoma. Are they any different than osteosarcoma mets?! I have so many questions.
You asked if the X-rays were seen by a radiologist. I don’t think so. I believe just the osteopathic surgeon looked at them. He showed them to me as well, and even with my untrained eyes, things didn’t look promising. There were several well defined blobs that definitely weren’t there two short months ago. 💔
Sully is lucky to have you as his advocate👏
Somewhere in my horrible typoing above, I didn't complete my sentence. "No one knows how much time any if us have.".
I dont know if mets have a different make up based on the type of the piece of crap disease. Others will have to chime in on that.
Sully is still being Sully....and being "more Sully" everyday👍 That's his plan and he's in charge....not any ole' xray. They mean nothing to him.
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
PS. Jerry will advise on a new topic, but she probably already knows the answer.
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 darn mets! 
Grrr. I'm so very, very sorry for that news. It really knocks the wind out of us! I remember it when Jerry's were detected and it was like starting all over again. I feel for you.
Right now, look at Sully and yes, celebrate that he's cleared for more rehab! He is still a strong, happy dog, and living his best life as only he knows how. Forget cancer, Sully knows the ticket to a good life is living each moment to the fullest. His ongoing rehab can help him keep doing that.
Try not to focus exclusively on the mets right now, at least until you talk to the oncologist. Nobody can predict what will happen with lung mets. Some dogs can go a long time with them, and we are all keeping our paws crossed that he will too. I'm glad you're seeing the oncologist next week.
Please do start a new topic, I think that's a terrific idea to call it something about metastasis with synovial cell sarcoma. I'll see you there. (((hugs)))
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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