Thanks, guys.  I picked Lili up at the vet, but didn't get a chance to speak to our doc.  She is supposed to call tomorrow to tell me the results of the complete blood workup.  I will ask my zillion questions then, particularly about the Carbo dose since she has been struggling so much with the blood work between treatments.

The paperwork shows that her platelet count is 64000.  That's low, but not horrifyingly low from what I'm reading on the internet. 

I don't know that she feels much better.  Hasn't moved since she plopped down upon entering the house.  Can't tell if it's lethargy, nausea (perhaps exacerbated by the car ride home, though she doesn't normally get carsick), tired from a few hours with the vet, or what.  We did have to walk by the big food tupperware in the garage and she sniffed out an errant piece of kibble to gobble up.  Silly girl. 

Will give her a Cerenia pill tomorrow to follow up on the injection today, and fingers crossed that this passes.  

So the blood work is back - no serious issues with the platelet count. The low number is apparently due to "clumping". Glad that any issue appears to be a side effect of the chemo and not a separate issue. The specialist and I traded voice mails, so I didn't get to ask my questions, but she did say we should be a go for her 4th treatment next week.

Lili is better, but not 100%, or even 80%. I don't think it is nausea anymore as she is eating just fine. She is not on any pain meds though I have been wondering if she should be. She not moving around as much as she was, and she seems weak. Things that came easily before chemo, in the 6 weeks after amputation (we had a longer than usual delay there) are now much more challenging. She needs help that she hadn't needed with stairs or hopping on the couch (probably not a bad idea to be helping her anyway, to minimize stress on her joints, but I can't help but notice the difference).

I have downloaded and read the book about Life On Three Legs, and there are definitely strengthening exercises we should be doing, though it is hard to get started when she feels just crappy. I think she would benefit from a rehab specialist and I have located one in our area. I have been attempting to give her some at-home massages, which she seems to enjoy. She is tense and knotty in her back and shoulders (she is a rear amp), which may contribute to her unwillingness to move around. We have also cut way back on food, as she is packing on some weight. She was approx 54 lbs pre-amp, and trim. She was about 48 lbs immediately post amp, but I was surprised that she has creeped back up to 51 lbs as of last week. If moving around is already tough, extra weight can't help, so we are working to get that off.

I do question whether we want to keep going with the chemo given the toll it has taken on her. But it is so hard to know if it is the chemo that is causing the problems, or other issues. Of course, there's that little voice saying that the ugly cancer is causing her deterioration, not just the chemo, and then I question whether we would want to put her through more chemo when it has been tough for her. Sigh.

Thanks, Sally. That's a good point about the nutrition that I hadn't considered. We haven't made any significant changes to her diet through this whole ordeal. First, she has always been a great eater and never needed extra enticements, even right after the amp. Second, she has eaten the same grain free kibble her whole life (due to her brother's food allergies) - Natural Balance Duck and Potato. I have done some research about potential changes to her diet, something lower carb. But given our work schedules (and her finicky brother), we will probably stick with kibble of some sort. Both vets have said we should hold off making significant changes to her diet until the chemo is behind us. Since her current food is "good enough" for now, I hadn't given it a great deal of thought quite yet.

She gets a cup, twice a day. When I say we have cut back, we have gone from a heaping cup to a true, measured cup. In addition to that, she gets the only new things we have added, a k9 immunity plus chew and a fish oil chew. Maybe it is time to start throwing some extras on her food. Anchovies? Yogurt? I am willing to try anything. I will read up a bit to find possibilities. Any suggestions at welcome!

And I think you are right that a physical injury of some sort remains a strong possibility. It was about 3 weeks ago that we overdid it on a walk. And yes, that is probably where the subtle changes started. And then she had a chemo treatment later that week. Poor girl is probably just plum wore out and still ouchy. She still has a gleam in her eye and a thumpy tail, but is just not herself physically. Fingers crossed that this passes with time and rest. And may e some pain meds.

Thanks for taking the time to respond. It is always great to hear new perspectives and ideas, as well as reminders to focus on the positives!

Just a quick update on Lili. She is headed back to the vet today for another thorough check up. The nausea seems to be gone, but the poor girl just isn't getting around like she was. Laying down and getting up are both very tough. Stairs are next to impossible. Hard to believe she was running around just fine about 2 weeks ago. She is significantly worse over the past 2 or 3 days.

Fingers crossed for a pulled, pinched, strained anything. She will have x-rays and ultrasounds to see if we can figure out what's going on. Please send good thoughts our way!