Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Alison, I read about Shelby and the bathroom chronicles, and now Mac is acting just like that!! For the last two days, he has been so lazy, SO STUBBORN, I am losing it. I took a half day on Monday and came home to be with Mac. He didn't want to get up to pee until a couple hours after I got home, and when he did, he decided he wanted to lay on the grass for 3+ hours without budging. The normally food-crazed dog wouldn't even come when I shook the treat bag (he usually comes running full speed ahead).
Then, yesterday, mom let him out around 11am. He went and sat under his favorite palm tree. HE DIDN'T GET UP UNTIL 7PM!!! He didn't even budge. Is he depressed? In pain? What is his issue? His stubbornness knows no bounds.
His walk does look a lot better (when he does decide he wants to move) but it really honestly seems like his back and legs are really sore. Is that possible? What can I do for him? We have been icing and massaging his back and legs.
We adopted Mac in June 2014 from the GRCGLAR and he is our little baby boy, despite the fact that he is 11.5! Almost a year of bliss turned into complete devastation when he started limping on his front right leg and it was discovered on April 16, 2015 that he has bone cancer - specifically Osteosarcoma. We were luckily directed to Tripawds by our oncologist, Dr. Avenelle Turner, which changed our lives and guided us through the amputation process.
Read more about Mac's incredible story on his blog: http://teammac.tripawds.com/
It is sooooo jard to be patient because we just can't wait for our uosto get back to normal. Patience is crucial right now. Mac is recovering from MAJOR surgery and he knows he needs to just rest!
Sure, there are things dogs do that may make them appear "stubborn". It sou ds like Mac is merely doing what he needs to do to go forward with recovery. Resting under his favorite tree shows signs of him trying to regain some normalcy in a "safe" place.
Check with your vet about the icing. It should only be "x" number of times for no more than "x" number of minutes at a time. There needs to be a cloth barrier between the skin and the pack. Let your vet know what's going on and maybe he'll want to check him over to make sure he hasn't strained his back legs or pinched a back nerve or have any hip issues.
HOWEVER, this all sounds fairly normal for this early in recovery. The pain meds can make them feel a little woozy and. not want to get up and walk.
Pain usually shows up with ears pinned back, tense body, possible shivering and some whining, panting.
Is he eating, drinking, peeing, pooping okay?
Just continje to love on him and put out confident calm energy
Keep js posted. Hang in there!!! You're doing great!
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!
Hi! My greyhound, Blazin' is having his surgery tomorrow. Since it seems like you live near Caylee (we do too) may I ask where you had Mac's surgery done? We're going to HOPE in Malvern and Dr. May is his surgeon. We're following all of these posts eagerly to see what all to expect. Blazin's osteosarcoma is in his right front shoulder and he's having the surgery then six rounds of chemo.
benny55 said
It is sooooo jard to be patient because we just can't wait for our uosto get back to normal. Patience is crucial right now. Mac is recovering from MAJOR surgery and he knows he needs to just rest!Sure, there are things dogs do that may make them appear "stubborn". It sou ds like Mac is merely doing what he needs to do to go forward with recovery. Resting under his favorite tree shows signs of him trying to regain some normalcy in a "safe" place.
Check with your vet about the icing. It should only be "x" number of times for no more than "x" number of minutes at a time. There needs to be a cloth barrier between the skin and the pack. Let your vet know what's going on and maybe he'll want to check him over to make sure he hasn't strained his back legs or pinched a back nerve or have any hip issues.
HOWEVER, this all sounds fairly normal for this early in recovery. The pain meds can make them feel a little woozy and. not want to get up and walk.
Pain usually shows up with ears pinned back, tense body, possible shivering and some whining, panting.
Is he eating, drinking, peeing, pooping okay?
The vet said we can ice up to 3x per day for 10-15 min each time so we are trying to do it at least 2 times.
He's eating somewhat normally, but it is definitely slightly abnormal. Our trick to getting him to come inside when he is being stubborn is a simple shake of the treat bag, and he comes bolting in (I often wonder how he can hear it from so far away, but when it comes to food he is always the first one in line). After his 8 hours under his tree yesterday, Connor came home and was able to coax him up. He peed for almost a full minute! He is drinking water normally, maybe more than usual.
It is lucky that Connor's mom is a nurse, so she is able to monitor his incision and she says it looks perfectly fine.
The signs you mentioned as being indicative of pain is not really how Mac is acting, so hopefully that means he is not in pain. The vet instructed us to taper him off all pain meds except Rimadyl, so we are trying not to give him any more Tramadol or Gaba. He does get random bouts of energy where we see him acting like his normal self, and then other times where he just seems flat out depressed and melancholy!
I just ordered him a slew of Eastern meds that are supposed to be cancer-fighting and great for his immune system. Unrelated, but I am excited to get him started on that! I hate to think we are starting his chemo next week when his personality is still a little 'under the weather'...
We adopted Mac in June 2014 from the GRCGLAR and he is our little baby boy, despite the fact that he is 11.5! Almost a year of bliss turned into complete devastation when he started limping on his front right leg and it was discovered on April 16, 2015 that he has bone cancer - specifically Osteosarcoma. We were luckily directed to Tripawds by our oncologist, Dr. Avenelle Turner, which changed our lives and guided us through the amputation process.
Read more about Mac's incredible story on his blog: http://teammac.tripawds.com/
Please be sure you taper off the gaba, especially if he has been on it awhile. I don't like stopping any pain meds cold unless there is a medical reason, but gaba can cause seizures if stopped suddenly.
I'm glad Mac seems to be doing well.
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
Hi Blazen' and Sissy, welcome to Tripawds. Your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
Please consider starting your own thread so Blazen' gets a proper introduction. And keep us posted on how the surgery goes.
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
Blazin'sSissy said
Hi! My greyhound, Blazin' is having his surgery tomorrow. Since it seems like you live near Caylee (we do too) may I ask where you had Mac's surgery done? We're going to HOPE in Malvern and Dr. May is his surgeon. We're following all of these posts eagerly to see what all to expect. Blazin's osteosarcoma is in his right front shoulder and he's having the surgery then six rounds of chemo.
Hi Blazin' and fam 🙂
We live in Los Angeles and went to ACCESS (on Jefferson Blvd. in Culver City) and had the surgery with Dr. Kim Carey. She, her assistant Andrea, and the entire facility were wonderful. They kept Mac for 2 nights, which I was glad about since they took such great care of him. Mac's was also in his front right shoulder and he will be starting his first of 4 rounds of chemo when he gets his stithces out next week.
Let us know how it goes! Everyone here is great and helped me and Mac through each day (they still are helping, as you can see 
). If you start a new thread you can ask all your questions, like the mod below suggested.
We adopted Mac in June 2014 from the GRCGLAR and he is our little baby boy, despite the fact that he is 11.5! Almost a year of bliss turned into complete devastation when he started limping on his front right leg and it was discovered on April 16, 2015 that he has bone cancer - specifically Osteosarcoma. We were luckily directed to Tripawds by our oncologist, Dr. Avenelle Turner, which changed our lives and guided us through the amputation process.
Read more about Mac's incredible story on his blog: http://teammac.tripawds.com/
krun15 said
Please be sure you taper off the gaba, especially if he has been on it awhile. I don't like stopping any pain meds cold unless there is a medical reason, but gaba can cause seizures if stopped suddenly.
I'm glad Mac seems to be doing well.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Wow, that is so good to know!! They stopped his Gaba as soon as he went into surgery last week, and we just had some leftover so when we took off his fentanyl patch this past Sunday and he seemed to be in pain, the vet said it was OK to give him one. We have stopped all together now, though. Thanks for that info, that would be awful...
We adopted Mac in June 2014 from the GRCGLAR and he is our little baby boy, despite the fact that he is 11.5! Almost a year of bliss turned into complete devastation when he started limping on his front right leg and it was discovered on April 16, 2015 that he has bone cancer - specifically Osteosarcoma. We were luckily directed to Tripawds by our oncologist, Dr. Avenelle Turner, which changed our lives and guided us through the amputation process.
Read more about Mac's incredible story on his blog: http://teammac.tripawds.com/
Yup... Mac sounds a lot like Shelby and that he knows he needs some rest. We called it her 'den'... she went off and did her own thing and wasn't hurting anyone - most importantly - herself!
She did rest a lot during the day and nights were rough but overall, she knew what she was doing and needed and it's soooo important.
Now Shelby had started chemo prior to her amp so we were in-between treatments and she had to go back and get her chemo about 2 weeks after her amp and she did great.
You'll get there! As everyone liked to remind me - this was MAJOR surgery so laying around, on the grass or wherever ... is peaceful and calming to them.
🙂 Hugs to you all!
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
Yeah, just ro oiggybaxk on the chemo thing. "They" like to start around the two week mark. My Happy Hannah did not jave hers start until three weeks because I felt like she wasn't recovered enough and I just dide want to expose her to another potential "whammy". I say this just to let you know if you feel like he is still not feeling very much better, you can delay the chemo a weekish. When Happy Hannah did have her first chemo, other than being tired from all the excitement, I actually think it made her feel better!! I know that sounds craaaaazy, but it felt like a turning point in her recovery!!
So he is eating...just not up to snuff. And drinking...that's good. Yeah, I get the "stubborn" part in "I'm not coming when called unless you give me a treat!" Deliberate stubbornness I deed! Dogs know how to train us so well!
Just more quick thing to check...his temlerature. Also, you could try him on a couple of doses of tramadol for two days in case he is uncomfortable and just trying to be stoic...dogs hide pain so well.
Recovery just isn't fun, that's for sure! Glad he is showing a few spurts of happiness during the day! It does get better!! Hang in there!! You're doing great
Hugs to all!
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!
We were out all day yesterday so I'm just catching up now but I'm glad to see things are progressing well with Mac.
Blazin' we're glad you're here! Looking forward to an intro post from you both so we can follow along on your Tripawd journey.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello.
Mac's funny attitude could be from the pain meds, Tramadol & etc. Johnnie acted quite strange some days. He would lay down facing the white wall and stay in the same position for very long periods.
Johnnie started chemo after a full month. The vet wanted him totally recovered from the surgery before the chemo. He did not have a blood transfusion during surgery, and there is always an important blood loss in the amputation. We went through six rounds of carboplatin with no significant problems. During chemo he was already taking a supplement, K-9 Immunity Plus.
Daniela & Johnnie
Our awesome Golden Boy was diagnosed for OSA in April 2014 in the proximal humerus, front-leg amp on 05/20/2014. Finished chemo (Carbo6) on 07/10/2014. Ongoing treatment: acupuncture + K-9 Immunity Plus ( 3chews) and home-cooked no-grain diet. Stopped Apocaps because of liver issues. Liver issues: controlling altered enzymes with SAM-e and Milk Thistle. October 17: started having seizures. Taking fenobarbital for seizures. April 18: started prednisone.
Ugh....today I am sad and frustrated
. When we did the bone biopsy they told us the results showed that it is most likely Chondrosarcoma but they can't rule out osteosarcoma due to the small sample size. For 2k, we thought that was crazy, but because of the better odds, we would go for the surgery.
Last night the doctor told us the results from the biopsy of the leg showed that it is, in fact, Osteosarcoma.
We honestly feel cheated and like we got run around with our money. The bone biopsy was useless and a joke. We weren't going to do the surgery at all if it were Osteo. I'm not saying we aren't happy with Mac's progress at this point, but now I am just defeated.
I thought things couldn't get much worse, but they seem to be this week. Our good friend who has been battling cancer for over a year just told us it has moved to his liver, someone stole our mail and got BOTH Connor and my credit card info and charged us for train tickets in London, and now this.
I know there are many of you here who had dogs who lived 2+ years even with the Osteo chances, so that is at least providing some comfort for me.
On the bright side, Mac is like a new dog today. We let him up on the couch last night for the first time since he got home and he was so happy to lay with me and snuggle for a few hours.
I know they say when it rains it pours, but can't we catch a break here?
We adopted Mac in June 2014 from the GRCGLAR and he is our little baby boy, despite the fact that he is 11.5! Almost a year of bliss turned into complete devastation when he started limping on his front right leg and it was discovered on April 16, 2015 that he has bone cancer - specifically Osteosarcoma. We were luckily directed to Tripawds by our oncologist, Dr. Avenelle Turner, which changed our lives and guided us through the amputation process.
Read more about Mac's incredible story on his blog: http://teammac.tripawds.com/
Hey hop over to the chat right now, I'm in for about 30 min. I'll reply in a sec.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
teammac said
On the bright side, Mac is like a new dog today. We let him up on the couch last night for the first time since he got home and he was so happy to lay with me and snuggle for a few hours.
I know they say when it rains it pours, but can't we catch a break here?
I think that first sentence says it all. There's your break.
Yes, I know it's so horrible to hear that diagnosis and I am SO sorry. Because I know that if a potential diagnosis had gotten my hopes up, I would feel just as upset. I remember our diagnosis like it was yesterday and I know how you feel.
But if you knew it was osteo, and you opted out of the amputation, are you saying that you would feel better if Mac wasn't here with you now? (I know you're not saying that, but this is just to make a point). Because palliative only buys so much time, rarely as much as even amputation without chemo. If you had not proceeded with surgery, it's very likely Mac would be in horrific pain by now and you would have to say goodbye much sooner than you are both ready. You would not be here today to experience Mac's totally inspawrational recovery and rebound from something that would keep humans in bed for a month, sad and feeling sorry for themselves.
Yep, the cost of the biopsy was a blow. It sucks. But don't focus on that. Because when it comes down to it, a great life is not about money, it's about being with the ones you love, creating memories and experiences that light up your soul and make you a better human. Mac is doing that for you now. I know it's hard to see. When the poop hits the fan like it has for you guys (I"m sorry about all that, especially your friend), it's hard to keep focused on what really matters. All we as humans want to do is get mad and yell and scream. And that's OK to a point....let it out when Mac isn't around.
But then come back, breathe, look at that incredible inspawrational creature you have there in front of you. He is the wisest soul, the best teacher you will ever have to show you how to get through the hard stuff in life. There is a reason why he is here, why he made it through the surgery (some dogs don't), and why he's recovering nicely and still smiling. It's to teach you and your hubby how to make the most of each and every second.
Time means nothing to animals, we are the ones with the hangups. Because we're always thinking about tomorrow. But by doing so, we are missing out on today. Don't let that happen to you. Life is too precious. Your friend's cancer, Mac's, it sucks, no doubt, but it's also a reminder that dwelling on the what ifs serves no purpose.
If you have time, listen to our Be More Dog talk, it elaborates a little more on this.
I hope this helps.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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