Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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charliebear said
Mentioned the issues and the likely culprit is Cipro and Metronidazole. For some, that is a double whammy for lack of appetite. Vets were not too concerned as they said dogs can go for days ( and days) before they would worry(!).
When will Mosby be off Cipro and Metronidazole?
Also mentioned: some dogs need MORE Pepcid and some react poorly to it...
Hope the Mosby feels better soon!
You are so awesome for following up on all this. Excuse any misspellings, I didn't get much sleep last night, Mosby had diarrhea all night so I stayed up with him downstairs.
His onco actually increased the cipro dose Thursday because the delayed staph infection really concerned her. However, that did start the night before his appetite dropped. We didn't start the metronidazole until Friday because he started having loose stools. Last night proved is not really working so this morning we dropped the cipro dose back down and didn't give the metro. He's supposed to be on the cipro 1.5 more weeks.
We're on our way to the vet. Will update. All fingers and paws crossed we can get him feeling good again. Thank you again for going the extra mile. 🙂
I'm joining this topic a little late... my dog has had similar issues with eating post amputation. I found that pepcid did absolutely nothing for her. The vet had also tried Cerenia as well as Zofran which I believe you have tried as well. Did you happen to try omeprazole instead of the pepcid? This medication changed seems to help a lot for Nyla. Maybe you could ask your vet what he/she thinks about that if you haven't already tried it. As other users have suggested previously, soft, smelly cat food has also worked wonders. I've mixed it in with broiled chicken or rice or even with her kibble. Hope that Mosby is improving. We are in the same boat here and it seems like every day can bring a new challenge but you seem up for the job!
Keep up the good work!
Michelle and Nyla
We actually switched from the omeprazole to the pepcid, might switch back. There's one kind of Blue Buffalo food he likes, it's very soft and smelly, probably a lot like cat food. The ones that look like "real" meals get a hard pass. He won't come anywhere near any rice. Basically if it's not straight meat he's not interested. The vet did give him a couple of cans of a science diet food that was a little "stew" like and surprisingly he ate that. Meanwhile he was given a "bland food" diet because of the diarrhea, but he won't eat bland food so ... kinda hard there. :/
Good luck to you and your Nyla!
Did they give him any fluids?
Hope the Vet DONATED some cans of the Science Diet? Also Pro Plan had a canned food (ID .aybe it's called??) thst Vets often suggest as "bland" diet but dogs seem to like it.
Did Vet have any other'insight?
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!
Yes, sorry was going to give a better summary. 🙂
Yes, they gave him fluids and an injection of anti-nausea. The vet did also donate the cans of science diet. I was skeptical he'd eat that, but he did.
The plan for now is to target both the appetite and the diarrhea that kept Mosby (and thus me) up all night. He's come off of the ondansetron, actually, because I haven't mentioned it, because Mosby is a very dignified dog, but Mosby over the last week has become a little incontinent at the back end. Meaning he's had some accidents while lying in bed that we've had to clear up. Since he had diarrhea yesterday, one accident was pretty messy (and involved a large bucket of suds)... Apparently this is a not uncommon side effect of ondansetron, so he has come off of it. He had his last "oops" while lying in the waiting room at the vet. After a trip to target we now have baby wipes for sensitive skin.
His Cipro dose has been reduced back to the original (which didn't bother him). He has to stay on the metro because of his diarrhea. He has had the following drugs added: immodium, tylosin powder and mirtazapine. The latter is not only anti-nausea, but also appetite stimulant. He stays on everything else.
All of our vets are aware of what is going on. I am hopeful that the anti-nausea injection plus fluids plus new meds including appetite stimulant will help. While we can get him to eat, he won't even eat at his bowl. You kind of have to hand feed it to him, and it's like I'm communicating to him from a distant world. He stares off into space, and I keep calling his name, and finally he realizes I have something good in my hand, eats it, then goes off into his own world again. If I go into the kitchen and rattle bags of his treats, he perks up and looks all excited until I hand him the treat, which he'll just look at and then look away. Even the few treats he wanted to eat yesterday, he won't eat today.
Everyone please keep you fingers and paws crossed that tomorrow is a better day for Mosby. Thanks all for the input and support. And check out Mosby's blog for pictures of him and his goofy brother, Arlo. 🙂
Did all of this start when you started chemo? I was reading your earlier posts, and he was doing great for a while, but didn't have time to read everything. He is on so many meds, who knows what they are doing to his system. We did chemo, so I don't want to discourage you from doing it, but remember it is your choice to continue. Other members have stopped because they felt the toll on quality of life was just too high.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
He handled his first chemo with literally zero symptoms. No nausea, no vomiting, no diarrhea, no lack of appetite. Ate huge meals every day since amputation. Only stopped on Friday, day after second chemo.
For the record he's worse today and won't even eat the canned food he ate the last two days. Still has diarrhea. I will be monitoring closely with my onco and also my regular vet. I want them to consult. It's possible he'll think he's on too many meds. I'll keep everyone updated. Lately it's like Mosby hasn't even been home when you try to feed him something. It's breaking my heart and makes me worry that there's something much worse wrong, but I'm trying to tell myself it's just the meds and no one is in their best spirits when their tummy is upset anyway.
I'm sure you 've been told this, but what they told me during chemo was that they always try to up the dosage to the highest possible one for the dog to handle. Have you been to the vets yet? The clinic told me to come in if Manni had shown symptoms and that they would have treated those and gone down in chemo dosage next time.
keep us updated and stay strong. I can imagine how upsetting this is.
Guardian of Manni the Wonderdog. -Or was it the other way around?
Osteo and amputation in Dec 2015. Second, inoperable, primary osteosarcoma found in June 2017.
The end of our adventures came Dec 10, 2017. 2 years to the day.
We were told the same. We were also told to get a CBC blood test if we noticed issues between days 7 and 14. The will delay the next chemo if blood counts drop too low.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
They didn't say they increased his dose. I will ask. His 10 day CBC after 1st dose was perfect. His CBC prior to second dose was perfect. Because of these issues he will get his CBC at 7-10 days.
And they did check for MRSA , right?
I know how upset we all feel for you, so I can only imagine what it's doing to you. We've got a good group behind you trying to come up with every solution we can possibly think of.
It does seem like it's either related to all the meds that he is on now, or a severe reaction to the chemo which does happen, or, as you said, there may be something else going on. The Vets involved DO you need to get together ASAP and consult and figure this out. It seems like a first step would be to eliminate all meds possible 4 a couple of days, if possible! Simultaneously, do everything they can to support his system should just be chemo related. It may be that he needs fluids for 24 hours, etc.
You've mentioned that " far-off look" a couple of times. perhaps he needs a neurologist to consult with everybody too. The meds, nausea etc could definitely be making him feel out of it though, that's for sure! And suggest that the "staph infection" needs to be investigated further.
You are doing everything possible for Mosby! Everything! Because of the meds, the chemo, and this stupid piece of crap disease that we all hate, plus the staff infection, there could be so many different side effects from any one of them that they need to be figure it out. When was the last time they did complete blood work on him and checked all the values Etc
I know the not eating is really, really frustrating. But if someone else already mentioned, he has gotten some food in off and on during this past week. And that is good.
So yes, demand that the on Poe and vet consult with each other immediately. If you need to get a third and pinion, bad guys, do it! Mosby is ready to feel better and you are too! We should be able to get this turned around now and we are all on your side!
One more suggestion. hop over to ask the vet forum. Explain all the meds that Mosby is on, explain that up until the day after chemo he was fine with no diarrhea no nausea and eating great. Mention the staph infection. Perhaps when she sees that list of meds she can maybe recognize something that could be the underlying cause of his issues. And mentioned the " not home look." Just throwing another suggestion out there.
Lots and lots of hugs and love
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie 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!
Last CBC and all values was Thursday, everything perfect. Infection was cultured, came back staph, not mrsa. No temp at any time.
I'm personally in favor of pulling everything but pain meds, immodium and the one anti-nausea that's also an appetite stimulant.
ALSO! Any suggestions of where to get empty pill caps to put things like tramadol in. So many on the internet and I have no idea which would be the right size. 🙁 Then he'd never taste the bad ones again.
Thank you all.
That's great advice Sally! It's so hard to be obnoxious with doctors (vets or people-docs) sometimes.
The symptoms sound like what they told me could happen during Chemo and they also said that to be on the look-out from one day after the injection (infusion? what's it called?) so timing-wise that might make sense. the not-eating is worrying for you but probably physically not really all that bad, however the diarrhea shouldn't continue! They told me that in this (unlikely, they said unlikely) case he would be hooked up to an IV for a short time.
But I second Sally. Give em everything you've got and put everything out there, it's on your mind anyway I bet.
Guardian of Manni the Wonderdog. -Or was it the other way around?
Osteo and amputation in Dec 2015. Second, inoperable, primary osteosarcoma found in June 2017.
The end of our adventures came Dec 10, 2017. 2 years to the day.
and one more suggestion on the pill-issue and then I'll shut-up: Manni actually eats off a spoon really well so I hide everything in yoghurt or creamcheese because he doesn't chew but rather swallows that. If Mosby's not eating at all that might be difficult too, but Manni would kill for that stuff.
Guardian of Manni the Wonderdog. -Or was it the other way around?
Osteo and amputation in Dec 2015. Second, inoperable, primary osteosarcoma found in June 2017.
The end of our adventures came Dec 10, 2017. 2 years to the day.
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