Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Well, it's been 16 days since Finn's amputation, and in that time, we've learned so much. I can't tell you how much I admire my dog, and how he's been taking everything in stride. As most of you have been through this, I think you know what I'm talking about. He's not just our dog, but for my husband and I, he's our first "kid".
He's been off Tramadol for a few days, (still on Rimadyl) but it's amazing how much of our Finnegan has come back. He knows his limits, like not to go into the kitchen because there aren't rugs there to help him with traction . He knows that he needs to be patient in the morning so we can get his ruff-wear harness on before his breakfast, and let his "sister" (our 6 year old rottie Riley) run around and check out their yard before him.
We also received the pathology results and it was confirmed he does have Osteosarcoma so we have decided to do the chemo. His lymph node came back clean, and his last lung x-rays were clear, so we decided to go for it. His first apt is tomorrow, and they are planning on using Carboplatin.
Those that have done this route, can you give me some insight to what do expect? I know that some dogs are fine, some experience lethargy, nausea, and diarrhea. Or, does anyone have advice?
thanks everyone. You've been so amazing throughout this whole process.
Finn sounds like he is doing really well-so glad that things are going pretty much as expected. We did 5 rounds of carbo. The first 3 rounds, we really didn't notice too much-some tiredness for a few days. She did lose her appetite for a day or two after the 3rd or 4th dose. After the fifth round, Lily was clearly exhausted and weak. We decided not to do the 6th dose. I'm glad we did the chemo, but I'm also glad that we stopped when we did.
I would recommend letting them go at their own pace during chemo-Lily seemed to know when she needed to just collapse. We didn't have nausea, but did experience a little diarrhea. I've heard that acupuncture can help with the nausea.
Keep us posted on how he is doing,
Joan and Lily
Our beautiful Lily was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in her front leg on 12/14/11 at age 8 and had amp on 12/16/11. She completed 5 rounds of carbo. She was so brave and kicked cancer's butt daily! She lived life fully for 4 years, 3 months, and 15 days after her amp. My angel is a warrior princess. I miss her so much.
I'm so glad Finn is getting along so well. I was nervous when we took Cadence in for her first round of chemo. I read some dogs do OK and others have some small issues with loss of appetite or upset tummies. Cadence had her first round 3 weeks ago and the only thing that we noticed was she was lethargic about 7-10 days after chemo. I'm not sure if that was from the chemo or the surgery finally catching up to her. She is also doing the carbo every three weeks for 4 sessions. Ive noticed some do 6 rounds but our vet seems to think 4 is enough for her. We take her in again on Thursday for her next round. From what Ive read on this site, most dogs get along just fine with chemo and I'm sure Finn will kick butt and be just fine. Let us know how it goes.
By the way, our vet had us come in 10 days after the chemo to go blood work. They wanted to make sure the white blood cell count was normal. Im not sure if this is what every vet does, but you may want to ask your vet what he thinks.
“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace.” ― Milan Kundera
Glad to hear Finn is doing so well! Our Max did 6 rounds of carbo. The first four really didn't phase him too much. He would be a little tired about 48 hours out, but would recover relatively quickly. He also maybe didn't feel like eating too much on some of the treatments. Rounds 5 & 6 were different. Chemo is cumulative, so it really caught up with him. On both 5 & 6 he was lethargic and had diarrhea. He skipped meals after those last two treatments. If Finn reacts the same way, you can talk to your doc about getting some nausea meds to help him along; that's what we did. Sending Finn our best wishes!
Trouble had some mild nausea. From the second treatment on, they gave her an injection prior to the chemo to help with the tummy upset. We also had Cerenia at home in case she needed it. Other than that, she had minimal effects. Was a little tired for the first 12 hours. With the last couple of treatments she had some chills that lasted only a few minutes at a time.
Good thoughts for you and Finnegan.
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.
I'm glad that Finn is doing so very well. I'm sorry about the pathology report but glad about the clean node and the chest xrays. With my dog K, I found that her carboplatin chemo barely affected her. I preventatively gave her anti-nausea and anti-diarrhea meds during the time when those things were supposed to be most likely (I think that it was days 3-7 post-chemo but I don't remember exactly). She never even had a loss of appetite or diminished energy. I hope that Finn does just as well with chemo.
K, an 8 year old chocolate lab, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma of the radius and ulna on 12/23/11. She had stereotactic radiation to kill the bone tumors, and 3 rounds of carboplatin. On 3/16/12, lung mets were found. We tried several different kinds of chemotherapy to slow the lung mets but none worked. Finally, mets appeared at other sites, including her spine. She earned her angel wings on July 15, 2012. K changed my life, and I'll never forget her. Our/my journey is chronicled at romp-roll-rockies.blogspot.com.
Hey Finnegan, I'm so glad to read about your pawesome recovery! Yay!
I'm sorry about the osteo diagnosis, that stinks. But you're an amazing pup, you'll sail right through anything that comes your way, I know it!I didn't do chemo so I can't offer you any personal perspective there, but I just want to say good luck today. Keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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Sounds like Finn is doing well. We did 6 rounds of carbo with Abby. As I just wrote in another post, be forewarned that the effects are cumulative. Abby mostly sailed through until her 5th treatment, when she became so tired, I thought the cancer had come back! I was so worried - but then found out about the cumulative effects. We just rested more after her 5th and 6th treatments and she was fine.
She had some very mild nausea here and there, but not bad. She still ate every meal, but right after a treatment she only wanted very plain food - plain pasta or rice was what our onc recommended. Sure enough, tried to tempt her with everything after her 1st treatment, but all she would eat was a bit of plain pasta. She was fine and back on her normal food by the next morning.
Good luck!
Jackie, Angel Abby's mom
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
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