Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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We just found out my little pom has fluid and a nodule in her lungs. She had been having a hard time breathing so we took her in for xrays. She had cancer and her leg amputated last winter. Blood tests show no infection so we think it’s the cancer again. The kind she had was not likely to spread but cancer does what cancer wants I guess. Anyways, is there anything I can do to help with the fluid? Can it be drained? Or are there meds that can help? We know the end is near but I just want her to be as comfortable as possible. Any advice or input? We are seeing a oncologist next week for advice but I would love to hear any you guys might have!
Thank for all of your kindness!
Rebecca
Awww.....sorry the ADORABLE Snookie is facing this challenge.
Not sure that these suggestions are helpful, but is it possible a diuretic could help drain the fluid? I know Angel Eurydice benefited from that when she had fluid.
Did the Vet suggest draining it? With fluid in the lungs I think that can help make breathing easier, so I would think the same is true for fluid in the chest. Is it possible steroids may help?
Maybe others can chime in with some suggestions you can ask your Vet about.
In the meantime, continue to spoil that cutie pie like crazy. And give her any yummy food she will eat...especially a nice scoop of ice cream with chopped steak sprinkled on top.
Sending lots of pawsitive energy and extra 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!
Hi sweetie 🌸
Sorry to hear your baby has fluid in her chest but yes, there may be procedures to help with that.
As Sally pointed out diuretics work well (they did wonders for my Eurydice) as they dry the liquid in the lungs but her vet told me she never, ever drains the liquid out of the lungs because it is very painful for the dog and it is of no use as the liquid forms again very quickly.
According to her, the only effective procedure is using diuretics.
(Sally, sweetheart, thank you very much for referring Angel Eurydice's treatment, sorry to point out the draining situation but it is important ...)
Cortisone also helped enormously.
Having said all this, Eurydice’s fluid and tumours were located in the lungs, not the chest so your baby may need a different treatment.
Worth asking your oncologist if cortisone and diuretics would be good for Snooki’s.
Sending you a big hug and cuddles 😘🐮💫✨🌟😘🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
Rebecca I'm soooo sorry to hear that. Remind us, what kind of cancer are you dealing with?
I'm honestly not sure what to suggest for tumors in/on the chest, just the lungs. Do you mean the tumor is on a rib or chest bone?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
The cancer was a soft tissue cancer that the vet thought was not going to spead, but I guess we are just the unlucky statistic in this case.💔 i contacted 2 vets for help, and we might go try to drain the fluid in the next couple of days. I think it’s worth a try. Her breathing is sharp and it’s scaring us so badly! We also have an appointment with a cancer specialist on Monday. I have heard that draining the chest can be helpful but the fluid can come back pretty quickly! Anyone have any experience with this? Thank you all again! This has really helped me feel like I’m not alone in this battle! ❤️
Good job of doing your research and reaching out to Vets for options. You clearly are doing everything possible for your Snookie. I hope that gives you some comfort and you can now move forward with no regrets.
Your Vets know Snookie and the situation . Continue to work with them and, at the same time, follow your gut . If you think something is "worth a try", then that is the right decision. If draining the fluid will make Snookie more comfortable and possibly give him more extended quality time for more kisses and snuggles, then, as you said, "it's worth a try". The Vets have explained the fluid may come back fairly "quickly ", or it may not come back so quickly. You can ask the Vets if, in Snookie's particular case, the procedure is painful and how long does it take, etc, etc
I'll share the story of one of our members named Jackson. Now, I cannot say that the "fluid" that former is exactly the same as Snookie's, but it was interfering with his breathing and with his heart.
In his case, Jackson's hoomans opted to drain the fluid for one time, and one time only, and take him home to love and spoil him for every single moment they could. Their Vet said it may relieve the discomfort for a day or two, may be a couple of weeks, and, if I recall, maybe even for months.
Well Jackson felt better instantly. He got an additional three plus weeks of going to the dog park, eating cheeseburgers and pizza, tummy rubs and tug- of -war with his favorite toy. Jackson's owner thought they would "give it a try", and if he was comfortable for jist another couple of days, it would be worth it to see him comfortable and happy again. That way, once any signs of discomfort started to rerurn, they knew they could send him to the Bridge with no regret, with his dignity intact and with a peaceful transition surrounded by love.
Just continue to make every moment the best moment ever for sweet Snookie. We're all on TEAM SNOOKIE and cheering for better days, weeks, or even months ahead!!
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!
Thank you again for your kind words! I am so appreciative of everyone on here, it has helped me feel less alone in this hard time.
We went to the vet today to get the fluid drained and they got a little less then 1/2 a cup out! For a small dog that seems like a lot to me. They also saw some growths/tumors in the chest. Not good news at all, but we are still going to go to the oncologist on Monday. For now she’s pretty happy! Less panting and seems much more comfortable, and that is all I wanted! I think it really helped to have the fluid removed. We don’t know how long it will last or if we have any options for the cancer but she’s happier then she was last night, and that’s all I can ask for right now. ❤️
This makes me so happy to hear little Snookie is comfortable and feeling so much better.😊
Just continue to take it day by day. And right now, it's a good day for Snookie. She doesn't care about any ole' growths or xrays, she just cares about all the spoiling and loving she's getting from you. And goodness knows she's getting plenty!
And don't forget a little sxoopmof ice cream for Snoo,ie.....amd you too! It's good for the Soul!
Love and 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!
Sally is totally right, take one day at a time and enjoy each day with your boy 💕
I’m really glad to hear draining the liquid in his chest has helped and hope it won’t come back for a long, long time.
Is he taking cortisone for his lung mets, that was a real miracle drug for my baby girl.
Sending you a big hug and a cloud of cuddles to your gorgeous boy 😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
Hello everyone! I thought I would come post an update to thank everyone for their kind words and update our situation. We went to the oncologist today and decided to take more fluid so it can be tested. There was not much left because we had it removed last week but there was enough to take for a sample! The results of if there is cancer in the fluid should be back tomorrow. We got some meds for her cough and we hope that helps! The outlook is not great, we think maybe weeks to hopefully a couple of months! Tonight she is pretty stressed because she had to stay at the vet for 3 hours without us but we are hoping she will be able to sleep well tonight. ❤️
One more thing, has anyone experienced restlessness and panting at night? She’s pretty good during the day, nights are just hard for her. I was thinking about asking for muscle relaxers or something. Anyone have advice on this? Thanks!
Has your oncologist considered cortisone, it did miracles for my baby girl and got her from an expected few days to 6 weeks of a happy life.
As for restlessness and panting at night Eurydice did find it harder at night, I would massage her belly and back and that seemed to help a bit.
Please let us know what the results are, fingers and toes firmly crossed it won’t be cancer related!
Hugs and cuddles 😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
Although the "outlook may not be great", all Snookie knows is she's feeling better and that's such good news. And the fact that the Vet got very little fluid out this time, shows that, at least for now, it's NOT coming back quickly!
And as Terra said, maybe Prednisone , or some other steroid, could help with the breathing.
Give that cutie an extra tummy rub and smooch for us❤You're doing such a good job for her
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!
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