Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Thanks all. We started metronomic chemo with her this week. Hopefully that will get us a little bonus time. The oncologist didn't know that it would help, but didn't think it would hurt. She seems to be tolerating it well. She's acting her normal self which is quite nice. Amazing how quickly she bounced back from the amputation and she's just doing great that way. Hopefully she can get to Summer and enjoy a bit of nice weather!
Great! Which chemo drug are you using, cytoxan or leukeran? You may want to check out these articles just for some background on each:
Cyclophosphamide vs. Chlorambucil in Metronomic Chemotherapy
More About Chlorambucil, Cyclophosphamide for Metronomic Chemotherapy
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Oh good Kevin and Kaylee! You have a plan ad it may indeed make a positive differnce!!
Most importantly, Kaylee is feeling good and that's tremendously encouraging! The fact tjat she had such a quick recovery shows she has a lot of spunk and is making her own rules on this journey! Resilience is a great trait to have..-and she's got plently!
You keep on keeping on Kaylee! You are magnificently good looking girl whomis clearly lovnglife!
Love and hugs!
Sally and Happy Hannah
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!
Thanks Sally & Spirit Jerry 
She is definitely still loving life! I expect that she'll still love life at the end which is going to be tough!
She's on cytoxan and so far seems to be doing fine. This morning she went absolutely cracker dog (a term I think stolen from James Herriot's books) and was jumping all over acting like a puppy. It was fun! I'll check out those links.
She is sporting her new pink Tripawd "magic cape" so maybe that is the source of her energy! We will have to get a picture of her Her fur just isn't coming back very quickly at all so it will hide the bald spot. She has some fuzz, but otherwise no outer coat.
Thanks!
Kevin
She's beautiful! It took FUREVER for Libby's fur to come back in so don't be alarmed. Good luck with the metronomics . I'm so happy to read she's living the dog's life and is a hoppy pup!
Amy & Spirit Libby
Liberty (Libby) was diagnosed with OSA on 1-22-13. Right front amputation on 1-31-13. No IV Chemo. Metronomic Therapy started 2-19-13 along with supplements and some home cooking. Lungs clear until 1-06-14. She's still her happy, hoppy, bossy self. Living the dog life to the fullest and a proud Winter Warrior. :) RIP my Libby 4-21-03 to 3-19-14
Yay for Cracker Dogs! Yes we'd love love love to see a pic.
So on cytoxan, how frequently are you giving it to her? Just curious. Oh and I'm sure your vet old you but if not, be sure to encourage her to urinate a lot and watch for any signs of a urinary tract infection. If so, call your vet asap to get it under control. It happens but it's controllable. Just a head's up.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Yes! We have to have a picture of Kaylee in her super trioawd cape acting Cracker Dog!! Smiling jist thinking about it!
Yeah, tje air takes a while to grow back in so many dogs. Tje fuzz is so soft though......loke little puppy tummy fuzz! Kaylee's so pretty you don't even know wjether she has fur or not!
Keep us posted! And we realy look forward to pics and videos of your girl!
Hugs!
Sally and Happy Hannah
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!
Hello Kevin and Kaylee; another late arrival to the cheering squad! Kaylee's a beautiful girl.
Our Roxie's post-chemo lung xrays showed that what had been a shadow had turned into a tumor. It was a real gut-punch because all the signs had been really positive thru the amp and the chemo. We tried Palladia and Deramaxx and it made her really sick. After a huddle, we went with palliative care with the support of all our vets. Until the day before Roxie went over the bridge more than a month later, she gave us the happiest hoppiest last month we could have hoped for. Lots of car rides, steak and chicken and ice cream and howling duets. She showed us all about being More Dog and loving each minute. And sometimes I think she reaches down and gives me a smack just to remind me.
Just keep all that pawsitive energy going and Kaylee will do great. And know you've got a whole pack of peeps and angels at your back.
-Liz and Angel Roxie Lou
She's beautiful!!!! What a pup!
To help keep her as healthy as possible with cytoxan on board: add water to her kibble to keep her having to pee, give her about 1000mg of MSM (found in many joint supplements) a day (I'm guessing based on her size), and let her pee as often as possible. 5 months on cytoxan and Jackson developed cystitis, a common side effect. But maybe she'll be lucky like Libby and not have problems for more than a year! Dear, sweet Libby....
Best wishes to a fun spring and summer!
~ Katy & Jackson
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
Thanks all for the wonderful comments. She's a pretty girl for certain! I'll get a picture of her with her pretty pink cape soon. She went to Indy with my wife for the weekend while I had to go to Florida for work.
It sounds like Roxie had a wonderful last month!! It is great to hear how Jackson and Libby did through this. Amy I'm glad the slow fur growth isn't surprising! Katy, I think she gets MSM with her glucosomine, but will verify that. Liz, I love the image of getting smacked. Our Sam & Chip carry on quite a dialog with us from doggie heaven, usually providing criticism of our spoiling of Kay! Sally, your right, I love petting her soft fuzz! Spirit Jerry (I just love that image of him guiding this entire crazy band of tri-pawds) she's getting cytoxan once a day in the evenings before bed time. We were told to give on an empty stomach if possible so rather than delay her breakfast and biscuit from our neighbor we had to give later. She gets her metacam in the morning on her normal schedule. She'd been on that for several years for her hips.
I was so happy that she was so happy and crazy the other morning! It was just fun! I know that going through this makes me more appreciative of those crazy moments! They become all the more dear!
Thanks!!!!!!!
Kevin
Awww, nice little insight into how Kaylee has "trained" everyone to spoil her! Love that your neighbor gives her a morning biscuit!. Sounds like Kaylee mets everyne's hearts!
zkeep those "Crazy Kaylee Moments" coming sweet girl.....even if you have to rest a day or two in-between! They can be pretty exhausing!!
HUGS TO ALL!
Sally and Happy Hannah
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!
Thanks for the scoop on how she's getting the meds. Oncos are doing metronomics all sorts of ways now, glad to hear she's been on the Metacam for a while. With its anti-tumor properties, she's gonna kick cancer to the moon and beyond!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi - I think what Jerry was referring to was that we usually see vets prefer cytoxan to be given in the AM vs PM. Morning administration allows the dog's walks during the day to clear out her bladder and keep things moving vs. cytoxan sitting in her bladder overnight. There are lots of ways to do things, but I think you should know this other approach so if you wanted to change it up, that'd be OK! I've also not heard about giving it on an empty stomach, either. Jackson got his and I'm sure Libby got hers in all her meals in the mornings.
I hope you're having a great weekend!
~ Katy & Jackson
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
fetchon3 said
Hi - I think what Jerry was referring to was that we usually see vets prefer cytoxan to be given in the AM vs PM. Morning administration allows the dog's walks during the day to clear out her bladder and keep things moving vs. cytoxan sitting in her bladder overnight.
~ Katy & Jackson
Thanks Katy, you're exactly right. I wasn't sure how to phrase it because I never want to say "this is the only way to do things" because 1) I'm not a vet and 2) the protocol is always evolving so there may be things I haven't heard of, but thank you for adding this into the discussion.
We would always give the meds with breakfast too.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Our vet hadn't given us morning or night instructions so we just were doing on when her stomach would be emptiest. I'll email her oncologist and see if she has reservations about night because you raise some good points. After a big weekend in Indianapolis, my wife said she crashed upon getting home. I'm sure she probably slept most of today and should be back to her old ways tonight
Kevin
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