Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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We received some bad news, Kaya was to start her first round of chemo after her amputation, and pre chemo x-ray showed lung mets…so no chemo. I struggled with whether or not amputation had been the right decision because due to her(one full and one partial)cruciate tears, she has had trouble getting around…but in the end I am at peace with the decision to amputate because I am sure arthritis pain is much less than bone cancer pain as well as her not being at risk for fracture. The oncologist gave the standard 4-6 weeks answer when describing how long we had before she begins to not feel like herself. Time will tell. Kaya came from mastiff rescue at 18 months old to fill a hole we had in our hearts from the passing of our first mastiff, and if fate smiles on us, she will see her 9th birthday this June.
The pic below is a favorite of mine from her much younger days.
Nicole and Kaya
Nicole, my heart truly goes out to you. With this kind of news, it's hard not to get consumed with worry. But as so many wise people have said on here before...Kaya doesn't have an expiration date stamped on her butt. Her cancer pain is gone and she wants to see your smiling face when she looks to you. Shower her with love and make lots more good memories...and draw strength from her strength.
I love the photo you posted...Kaya truly looks like a big hunka-chunka Love!
Sending lots of pawsitive thoughts your way,
Anita, mom to Xena, Spammy angel & Chloe angel
Nicole, I am sorry to hear the news about Kaya. I also love the picture of her - that is one very big pup! Spoil her rotten, give her lots of lovin, and cherish every moment with her. When is her birthday? Skyler & Chloe's is June 20th.
Sending you lots of pawsitive thoughts & prayers with many, many golden hugs!
Cathy
we say 'ditto' to what anita and cathy said. kaya doesn't know she has mets. she just knows she loves you and you love her. enjoy every moment, give every hug, and get every slobbery kiss. none of us gets a guarantee, but we can capture the best from every day by loving our tripawd sisters and brothers and learning from them. kaya is a strong, beautiful girl. we're sending our best ET juju to you guys, hoping for a long road ahead and lots of quality time with kaya.
charon & gayle
Life is good, so very, very good!!! Gayle enjoyed each and every moment of each and every wonderful day (naps included). She left this world December 12, 2011 – off on a new adventure.
Love Never Ends
Nicole, we're so sorry. Please know that you're right, the pain of bone cancer is much worse. And yep, Kaya doesn't know she has mets, she only knows she feels better now that the pain is gone.
There's no telling how long any dog can live with mets, just ask Reno, who's lived for three years with them. Miracles sometimes do happen, we hope that Kaya does well for a long time.
Please give her a smooch from us and let her know the whole Tripawd Nation is cheering her on!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
They've already said it all……
Dogs live in the moment and that's what you need to do with her. Treasure each moment with lots of love, laughs and slobbery kisses!
Praying for you both 🙂
Maddie Mae and Mama Kelly
Give her lots of hugs and enjoy the moment. You guys are in our thoughts...
What a beautiful dog! Have you talked to your oncologist about metronomic therapy? Some dogs do quite well on this and she is big enough that you can probably use human drugs (meloxicam or piroxicam and Cytoxan) which could save you a lot of money. Palladia is also an option but is quite pricey.
Pam
We have been using Cornell as our primary vet for Kaya's oncology, they are supposed to be one of the best teaching veterinary hospitals, but the oncologist never even mentioned metronomics . I have read some about them here and on a few other sites, is it possible they just felt like it wouldn't help and that was why they didn't mention it? I feel like it's moving aggressively because it was only a few weeks back she had her amputation and clear chest x-ray and they counted 4 mets on the next x-ray.
Nicole and Kaya
Teaching hospitals may have a lot of resources, but they often take much more vetting on your part. Things are very easily missed depending on who you're talking to or if there's some deviation from the plan. They can be very focused on protocol based treatment plans. Be sure someone, preferably an attending internist, is coordinating your care. It helps to secure an actual name of someone you can call.
Kaya is beautiful. Lots of hugs and prayers from us! Enjoy every moment.
You are her best advocate so ask about all the treatment options.
littlemanjake is right (great advice again Cynthia!), don't get lost in the big vet school system and definitely speak up and ask about it. Metronomics has been around for a long time and lots of us have found success with it. Good luck!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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