Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi gang. I really could use some perspective. Winnie has been having a problems with her meds. Diarrhea from the cytoxan and a lot of panting from the Novox. She's been on Pepcid, Prilosec and Zofran to ease symptoms. A couple of days ago, after talking to the vet, we took her of Cytoxan and her diarrhea subsided. Then, yesterday, I decided to take her off the Novox for a couple of days so that I could get a sense of what she's like without the drugs -- since it's been months since she's been med-free. Well, today, she's pretty damn great! Energetic, happy, sleeps easily. Seems really comfortable. And, now, I'm facing the reality that she's really best without the meds. I don't want to risk losing her early but staying off chemo but the difference in her demeanor is remarkable. And I want her happy. I'd love any thoughts you all have. Thanks for listening.
Hi....I completely understand what you are going through, and this is so much a judgement call only you can ultimately make. There is a possibility of adding one or two drugs to make her more comfortable, while doing chemo as my Polly had to do, but seeing how much happier they are off everything is great, too. Either way, you have to be happy with whatever decision you make, and not have any regrets about doing or not doing something else. I truly believe our pups and kitties deserve the best quality of life we can give them, but how that is achieved can be many different approaches.
Don't know if this helped at all, but just think about things regarding your sweet Winnie and you will make the right decision, because there is no wrong decision when we have their best interest at heart.
Thinking of you and Winnie.....
Bonnie & Angel Polly
Hi-
I can totally relate to how you are feeling. When Jill was on metronomic chemo (she was on Leukeran, also known as chlorambucil) she was just not herself. She was very lethargic and lost about 15% of her body weight. We didn't know at first that the weight loss was from the leukeran as that was a pretty rare side effect, but her oncologist suggested we stop the leukeran and see what happens. Well, she gained the weight back almost immediately. It was a hard decision for me to keep her off metronomic chemo. I felt like I needed to keep doing something. But, I decided it was for the best. I could have kept trying, give her a different form of metronomics or a lower dose of leukeran, but at that point, I just wanted her to be happy and live life.
Here is a post I wrote on the subject, I hope it helps a little.
Jill is a 9-year-old tuxedo kitty. She was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in June 2012 on her toe in her right hind leg. Her leg was amputated on 12/12/12 and she completed four rounds of chemo (2 of Carbo, 2 of Doxy) in April 2013. "Like" Jill's facebook page: https://www.fac.....tty?ref=hl Proud member of the WINTER WARRIORS!!!! Her blog can be read at http://jillsjou.....ipawds.com. xoxo
It's such a hard decision. I know you want to do everything you can to keep Winnie healthy. I didn't adopt Willow until over a year after her diagnosis and amputation, so I didn't have to make this choice with her...I'm not sure if that gives me a clearer perspective or a more biased one. Knowing what I've read on this site, and through my experience with Willow, I would choose quality of life and no chemo if it's making her so miserable. But, this is just an opinion, not a judgement in any way. Ultimately, you have to make a choice that you can look back and be happy with.
Hugs,
Carol
Not to oversimplify your dilemma but I too would absolutely choose quality over quantity.
You could try switching to Leukeran at some point if you wanted to give it another try and just see how she does. If she does ok you could add a different NSAID besides Novox. I had to switch Libby from cytoxan and rimadyl to leukeran and metacam. Libby hasn't experienced the reactions Winnie has so that's why it's such a personal decision only you can make. Whatever you decide, we all support you. There's no wrong decision.
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
Erica, Amy, & Carol are absolutely correct quality is more important than quantity. I didn't have that problem with the drugs it was the decision towards the end where I made that decision of quality. If she is more happy without the drugs I would do what she wanted ( I think she is telling you).
There is no wrong decision and NO REGRETS
Hugs
Michelle & Angel Sassy
Sassy is a proud member of the Winter Warriors. Live long, & strong Winter Warriors.
sassysugarbear.tripawds.com
07/26/2006 - Sassy earned her wings 08/20/2013
05/04/2006 - Bosch, Sassy's pal, earned his wings 03/29/19 fought cancer for 4 months.
"You aren't doing it TO her, you are doing it FOR her. Give her a chance at life."
Online
Wow! EVERYONE HAS SAID IT ALL SO WELL!! DITTO!!
Just remind yourself...there are NO guarantees with...or without metronomics !! As we've seen over and over and over n this site...it's just a crap shoot!! Some dogs have no chemo of any form at all and get incredible extened time. Some don't! Some have chemo..no metro..or add metro...and have incredible extended time...some don't. Continuing does NOT guarantee squat!! Not conti uing doesn not guarantee squat!
It does seem...if you wanted to continue with "something" that the Luekeran for dogs may not have side effects.
Now...this is where you will realy findyour answer.....WHAT WOULD WINNE SAY?? Ask her!!! Yep! Ask her!! "Winnie, we may or may not get some extended time if we continuethe route we're going. But during that time, you will probably not feel very good. Not pai ful, just kind of off and and little yucky all the time. Now, do you want to continue the meds, or leave you off them for now and feel GREAT!!?" I think you have your answer. And it takes the pressure off you...it's Winnie's decision!!
And when she's feeling as great as she is today, her own body's immune system is much stronger than when she's feeling off. And there is a huge healing power in that!! And you can still add some great holistic and nutritio al and supplement approaches too...many here do that.
WHATEVER you decide, it will be a decision out of love, and that is always the right decision!
Sending you so much love!! HOWEVER!! Cannot believe you made this post without showing us our girl with a spsrkle in her eyes today!!! PLEASE!! A photo!!
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!
They've said it before me here! If you're wanting to try something, switch her to a diff chemo drug (leukeran = chlorambucil) and/or a diff NSAID. You could easily spend <$100 on a new drug program and test it out. If she's that sensitive to it, her symptoms will show fast and then you can quit. I guess that would be the path I'd take. The third path is to beef up her holistic supplements. You can fight it that way, too!
~ 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!
Hi all. Thank you so much for this. It's been really helpful. I think we're going to wait just a few more days and then try again. If it doesn't work for her, we'll back off quickly. But your comments made me think of two more questions...
1. Winnie is not on an "anti-cancer" diet. With her stomach issues, I haven't yet taken her off carbs. Have others found an easy anti-cancer diet I should consider?
2. We have not pursues any homeopathic methods and wonder how I go about learning our options.
Thanks again, everyone. We'd be lost without you.
And we'd be lost without you two!!
There is sooo mich info. here on the site...I'm just not savvy enough tokow how to post the links. Just search "anti-cancer diet" lr dket for dogs with cancer... Also, you may want to search Dr. Dressler's anti-cancer diet.
As far as dry food goes, EVO is one that fits the criteria.
Geez, I'm not much help...I just know the links are here but can't tell you how to fnd them, Jerry just posted some holistic lnks too...I'm sure others will chime.
Sounds like Winie is still doing better??
Just wanted to let you know how much we're all cheering for Winnie!
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!
I'm a little late to the conversation but I agree with everyone, aim for quality! That was how I tried to look at Jake's life. If the drugs increased his quality, we gave it to him. If they decreased it, we took him off. We took him off low dose chemo because he wasn't really acting himself and he couldn't give anyone kisses. He looked so sad anytime we said no kisses so in the end even though he only lived 2 months after taking him off, he was able to give everyone kisses and he LOVED to give kisses 
We also did a little bit of chinese medicine (Yunnan Baiyao to hold off tumor bleeding). I would use it again if we needed to. Perhaps ask your oncologist about homeopathic options, see if they have anyone they consult with.
Also, we switched over to Acana/Origins dry dog food once I discovered how horrible commercial dog food is. I also use Wellness grain free canned food to put in frozen Kongs, and we feed vegetables/fruit for treats (mostly carrots, blueberries, sweet potato's). I think the most important thing with diet is to keep it whole and healthy (kinda like us humans). For years we fed Jake what I thought was "good" dog food/treats and I wish I had known then what I know now. I can't even go into a pet store without getting angry (I read ingredients on everything and 99% of it is junk). There is a ton of info on here and on line about anti-cancer diets. The one thing our oncologist warned us about was raw food (which some advocate). She said if you start feeding raw food you take the chance of introducing bacteria into an already compromised immune system. I may get some slack for that statement (I personally think raw food is fine for a healthy dog), but I'm just saying its something you should talk with your vet about. Make sure its the best option for Winnie if you go that route. I'll get off my soap box now, sorry, I'm really passionate about our food supply (humans and pets) hehe....
Mom to Tripawd Angels Jake (2001-2014) and Rosco (2012-2015) and Tripawd Tanner. “Whatever happens tomorrow, we had today; and I'll always remember it”
A great resource is right here! Go to the Blogs and start reading about nutrition and supplements. In general, the idea is to support their immune system and provide nutrients that help fight cancer, including anti-inflammatories. Dr D's Dog Cancer Survival book is excellent! They cover SO much in there. Buy it today. That'll jump start you. Spend time on this site, in the Nutrition Blog area.
For us, we give Dr D's recommended dose of Omega 3 oil (which is roughly TWICE that for healthy dogs), MUSH (a blend of those magical, cancer-fighting mushrooms), GlycoFlex III (yes, it's a joint supplement, but the MSM in there is a wicked powerful anti-inflammatory), and BSST from Only Natural Pet (he gets these supplements along with his metronomic chemotherapy ). Have you visited Only Nat Pet's website? They've got a great product list that you can sort and filter by animal concern. They've got articles there too.
Jackson isn't on a no-carb diet. He's on a good carb diet! Meaning, he's not ingesting corn or wheat - two "quick carbs" that easily convert to sugars vs other carbs, like oatmeal. So, like for humans, he gets WHOLE grains! On top of each of his meals and snacks throughout the day, he gets a load of veggies and fruit. We eat a lot of produce here and come to find out, Jackson pretty much loves it all. The produce he gets means it's FRESH, UNPROCESSED, and WHOLE - all of which, like for humans, are healthiest and best for fighting disease. If you're interested in doing a lot or a little cooking or just feeding produce to your pup, check out:
Good luck!
~ 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!
alibetty said
1. Winnie is not on an "anti-cancer" diet. With her stomach issues, I haven't yet taken her off carbs. Have others found an easy anti-cancer diet I should consider?
2. We have not pursues any homeopathic methods and wonder how I go about learning our options.
I agree, quality of life is #1!
Dr. Dressler's free download of his dog cancer diet is a great start:
http://download.....et-e-book/
Homeopathy is featured in several places in the Tripawds Nutrition Blog , just click on these search results.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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