Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Well Crystal had her blood pressure rechecked and her CBC done today. Her blood pressure has dropped from 240 to 200 so that's good but she still has a long way to go. The oncologist thought the hypertension was not caused by the chemo so the cause of Crystal's hypertension is still unknown. CBC results come back tomorrow. I spoke to the oncologist and she agrees that at the very least, we should delay the chemo. She was great about not pushing me to continue with it so I think we will stop. I suppose I could always change my mind later and start again but that seems unlikely. The oncologist did say that Palladia was another option but that there hasn't been any research on using it with dogs who have not completed Carboplatin. I'm still unsure if that's something we want to pursue. We are going to see a holistic vet this Friday so I'll get another opinion there. So many decisions...
So many decisions, yes...but they don't all have to be made today. It seems like you've made one (to discontinue the chemo) so you will probably start to feel more at ease and less anxious. Sometimes just moving out from under the hovering axe reminds us that we were under a hovering axe. 
Once we decide to move, things get better.
People hate unknowns. You're living with a lot of them right now. We say knowledge is power, so if we have several unknowns hanging around, we feel pretty powerless. You are giving yourself back some power and control by choosing to stop the chemo. That's worth a lot. I'm betting you sleep better now, and maybe Crystal will be more at ease once you are. She loves you and only cares about today. Hard as it is, try to remember that.
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
The most important thing in this terrible journey is just knowing they are not in pain from that horrible cancer! The rest and the future...well it is pretty much a guessing game. The world could end tomorrow or satellite junk could fall on our head! But the one thing that is known, is that love is powerful.
I hope your mind is at ease.
Hugs to Crystal!
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Crystal's Mom, we stopped chemo (Carboplatin) after 5 instead of going all the way to 6. Our main reason was because there was not really a lot of research that showed what is the difference between 5 and 6 courses compared to doing all 6 and there was only research between 4 and 6 doses. The oncologist told me having the 6th dose might make a difference in weeks and maybe a month, but not much more different. We are 8 months past diagnoses and she still has no mets. She handled the chemo pretty darn well. At first there was nothing, then later on she must have been getting somewhat nauseated because we had to switch her food (she stopped eating bison and we put her on chicken which she devoured) and also she would dry heave once in a while. Then one day I was preparing dinner and I heard this weird sound. I looked around and she had projectile vomited this clear, slimy liquid onto our tile (Sorry to gross you out) and it was a lot. My husband and I looked at each other and knew it was most likely the chemo building up and starting to affect her. Another thing that happened to her too is that she wet her bed twice and her stump area was wet in the morning which means she must have slept right through it and just peed in her sleep because a healthy dog tries to avoid their own waste, not lay in it. I was afraid maybe her kidneys were starting to be affected. She was drinking a lot of water too. These things happened more towards the last few chemos she had and I started to think about not finishing the last dose. I was on the fence for a while and in the end, really there is no magic bullet so I put her comfort first, and with the knowledge about the lack of research, decided not to go forth with the 6th treatment. We added K9 immunity to her daily regimen of supplements and everything else has stayed the same. If you want to learn more about Palladia, you can read the dog cancer blog written by Dr. Dressler on it.
http://www.dogc.....not-great/
http://www.dogc.....-palladia/
Cadence's Mom
Cadence Faye: Born 10/30/04, stepped into our hearts 12/23/2004. Rear leg tumor found 7/24/11 by mom and dad, Xray on 7/25/11, Osteosarcoma suspected 7/26/11, amputation 7/29/11, Carboplatin started 8/23. Met free so far!
Christina, I'm sorry Crystal didn't tolerate the chemo, but since she didn't, you made the right decision to stop. There are lots of other options out there, and I'm sure the holistic vet will make some suggestions. We went the holistic route with Scout. Cancer seems to be a total crap shoot; while chemo is a good thing and certainly prolongs life in most cases, I'm coming around to the opinion that it probably doesn't make much difference which route you take. As long as your dog is happy, you're doing it right.
I bet Crystal is one of the oldest OSA dogs on this site. I wonder if her age has anything to do with it (was just brushing up on canine blood pressure, and it does increase with age). However, it is good to see her blood pressure going down. I also wonder if plain old stress could be causing the increase. She's certainly been stressed lately, and going to the vet is yet another cause of stress (especially for tripawd dogs who have made numerous (unpleasant) trips to the vet-- I don't care what anyone says about dogs, Scout definitely recognized the surgeon's office and wanted to get the hell out of there every time we went back for a check or a test). Being as blood pressure is taken at the vets, perhaps it is artificially (and temporarily) high. Maybe it's not so high when she's at home, happy and unstressed.
Scout: January 31, 2002 to November 7, 2011
Scout's diagnosis was "poorly differentiated sarcoma"; amputation 1/11/2011. Scout enjoyed 9 fantastic years on 4 legs and 9 glorious months on 3 legs. If love alone could have saved you…
Your oncologist sounds like a good one. I really like that our oncologist lays out all the options, the facts as she knows them, and helps me talk through them. Then she supports my decision wholeheartedly.
As far as all the decisions- maybe you can break them down into bigger chunks. The first question would be do you want to try any kind of chemical or drug treatment? I would think you need to determine the cause of the hypertension do decide that. Will any of the drug therapies you are considering conflict with the hypertension or possible treatment for that?
If you don't want to try another drug treatment then maybe the holistic vet and some resources here can help you come up with a plan.
There are no wrong answers here. When we choose a path we will never know what would have happened if we went a different way. Sometimes we play the 'what if' game, but that leads nowhere. I would suggest that you write down your thinking for whatever path you choose for Crystal. I found it very helpful when the 'what ifs' pop up. I can remind myself why I made the choices I did, and know I did the right thing.
I am glad Crystal is feeling a little better. Good luck with you vet visit tomorrow, let us know what you find out.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Yeah, I agree, hang onto that oncologist to stay sane through this ride. Sounds like now that a decision has been made, you're in for some smooth roads ahead.
Good luck with the holistic vet this week. Be sure to keep your questions handy so you know what to ask when you get there. How did you find this person?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Good news! We just got back from the holistic vet and it was great. Her blood pressure is down to 150 now so I'm super happy about that. I've also made the decision not to pursue Palladia. There just isn't enough research out there for me to justify trying it out on her and I'm very concerned about the potential side effects on her kidneys. So it seems we're going the holistic route!
Crystal had a very full day and now she's sleeping peacefully. She did acupuncture, massage, cold laser therapy on her incision site and on her hips (she hurt herself in the car somehow and was bleeding a bit), vitamin B12 shot, and hydrotherapy. In the future, I think we're just going to continue the hydrotherapy but it was good to test out the other things. She didn't seem to hate the underwater treadmill, which surprised me since she doesn't usually feel comfortable in somewhat deep water. All in all, today was a good day. Good that her blood pressure is down, good that I've made a decision, and good that hydrotherapy seems very promising for helping her regain her strength.
Jerry, we were actually referred to this vet by another tripawd member littlemanjake. Yay for the tripawd community!
That is really good news for Crystal!! I am so glad that her blood pressure is down and the hydrotherapy went well. That was a busy day for Crystal. I am really hoping that she starts feeling better and the holistic vet can help her. Sounds like it's a good plan so far. Wishing Crystal continued recovery quickly so the two of you can get back to having fun together again. I know it's been really hard on you but I think you are doing a great job taking care of Crystal! She is a beautiful girl! Praying that she will get back to her old self very soon. Good luck with everything. Much love to you and Crystal!
Oh, this is FANTASTIC news!!!!!
I'm so glad you are seeing Isabelle's vet! Isabelle has really done well with her (Isabelle is no spring chicken either but she sure seems to act like it!) And I know Isabelle never did chemo. Her vet really seems like a great vet and if memory serves me from what Isabelle's mom said, she is Oprah's vet too! I think she even has a book coming out and even does a blog on Huffington Post. So, I say you probably have one of the best!
I'm just happy Crystal is doing better! What a load off your mind!
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
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