Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Anyone with advice or experience with this type of cancer? My 11 year old American Eskimo just had her right front leg amputated.
Here are my options.
1. Do nothing and hope it doesn't spread (even though the Oncologist says it is highly likely to spread). It may be microscopic at this point.
2. Do CCNU, price varies, preliminary estimates are $2,000 - $3,000 total cost.
3. Do CCNU and Dixorubicin. up to $6,000 cost.
4. Natural approach with holistic vet, chinese herbs, etc.
Hi Delphine, welcome to the forums. Your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
I think we might have talked on the Hot Line last week- is your pup Ava?
I'm glad to see your girl made it though surgery- how is she doing overall?
I don't have specific experience with this type of cancer- I'm sure some others will chime in with their experiences.
Really the chemo decision comes down to what is right for you and your girl. How does she do at the vet? Are finances a consideration? How soon does the vet think mets would show up? Most dogs handle chemo with few or no side effects. I've made 3 chemo decisions for two pugs. For Maggie, chemo right after amputation surgery was right for the situation. Years later I declined chemo for her second cancer because she was already facing multiple heath issues. For quad pug Tani I turned down chemo for her mast cell cancer, again mostly because of other health issues, I felt the risk of side effects of the specific chemo was not a good risk to take for her. I did a holistic approach for her as directed by a holistic vet.
My (long winded) point is that you need to factor in everything and decide what works best for you. There are no guarantees and no absolute answers when fighting cancer.
CCNU was one of the chemo's that Maggie had for her mast cell cancer. You can read about her chemo and how she handled it in her blog- the link is in my signature below.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Yes, my dog is Eva. She does well at the Vet. I found a wonderful vet. However, the Oncologist makes things more difficult than they need to be. Eva is doing well for day 4 after surgery. She is slowly walking around the house and staying by me.
The Oncologist does not know when the mets would show but recommends starting chemo 10 days post op.
Finances are a factor but also I do not want to put her through anything that isn't necessary.
EVA!!! You are absolutely gorgeous! I love your avatar picture! You are a lovely virl and we can't wait to see more pictures!!
My Happy Hannah had osteosarcoma, so her "specifics" were different, but the process in making the decisions we must make are all pretty similar.
Karen has already addressed some good points. Knowing that Eva doesn't mind vet visits is goo. The fact that there "may" be microscopic cells that haven't shown up yet is pretty standard point most vets make, so don't be too alarmed by that statement.
If you need more time to do research, don't feel pressured by the "ten day" mark for chemo. My Happy Hannah waited u til the third week as her recovery was slow. I wanted her to be feeling stronger before her treatment began.
Do you have an option of getting a second opinion from another Onco?
Hopefully others will chime in who can give more input specific to Eva's situation.
In the meantime, know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. You have come to the best place for support and information. We understand the stress of this journey like no others can. We also understand how deep the bond can be between ourselves and our dogs and cats.
Remember that Eva isn't worried about a thing. She could care less about any ole' diagnosis or statistics! Everyndog is different and no dog jas a timenframed stamped in their butt! Eva is living in the moment enjoying all the loving and spoiling you are throwing her way.
For now, just keep things chunked down and focus on recovery. I'm sure you're exhausted from the stress of the surgery and from lackmof sleep. I'm glad to hear pretty Eva is mocing about some. Right now it's all about rest and maybe a scoop of ice cream every now and then!
Hang in there. Eva's sparkle will be back before you know it!
((((((((((((((Hugs)))))))))))))))
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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,
Thank you for your input and advice. Yes, I will be getting a second opinion from another Oncologist. He is in the same chain of Angel Care Cancer Centers and is actually the one who taught the first Oncologist. Just seeing if he will recommend the same thing. My Vet, however wants to do some or all of the chemo so I have to see if he has enough experience with this. It would definitely not cost as much. I had quite the sticker shock today when the estimates came in. I thought a pill couldn't cost that much, yeh, right. The pill alone is $150.00, and that doesn't include the CBC, office visit and other meds. I was thinking it was just a pill I gave her at home. Wish the Onco had told me this before.
Delphine
delphine said
Yes, my dog is Eva. She does well at the Vet. I found a wonderful vet. However, the Oncologist makes things more difficult than they need to be. Eva is doing well for day 4 after surgery. She is slowly walking around the house and staying by me.The Oncologist does not know when the mets would show but recommends starting chemo 10 days post op.
Finances are a factor but also I do not want to put her through anything that isn't necessary.
I havent finished reading this thread but I noticed someone called Eva Ava and you corrected them to Eva. My Eva is also named Eva (obviously lol) and at the vet they call her Ava so much and I correct them so much that now her name on her vet papers is EEEEEEEEEEEEEvah. Anyway, even though this is a preemptive comment before I read through, which I try not to ever do, my Eva says she hopes your Eva continues to do well post op 🙂 we had an easier time than I ever would've expected truthfully and this group is just so helpful
Haha. My son named our dog "Eva" because he had just seen the movie "Evita". It is pronounced "Ava" but spelled "Eva".
Hi Delphine....I'm glad you're getting a second opinion, hopefully he doesn't just mimic the first one. As far as a time line for chemo, my Dobe didn't start his for 5 weeks post surg, as they had a hard time with the diagnosis. So don't rush things because of that; take your time, get all the facts, and make the best decision you can. Good luck.
paula and nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
Hi Paula,
The pathologists also had a hard time diagnosing Eva's tumor. After 3 pathologists could not decide, we had to order special stains. Then I asked another Onco and he said that most pathologists do not have the training needed to properly diagnose and that only 2% of pathologists are oncologic pathologists. So I asked who was the best and he said a woman at Colorado State University. So that is where Eva's limb was Fedexed. We got the the results 2 days later!
Eva seems a bit depressed the last couple of days. She goes into another room and wants to be alone. We are trying to pet her, massage her and talk to her a lot and encourage her to walk a bit. Maybe she is still resting and recuperating. Today is 6 days post op. She is off most of the pills, now only taking Tramadol every 12 hours and the Cephalexin every 12 hours. Her appetite is a bit under what she normally is but that is ok since she needs to lose a few pounds.
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