Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello All,
Some of you know Buddy's story. His amp was 30 Oct. He had his second round of Carbo on 16 Dec.
On Wednesday he was panting and shivering. I took him to the ED. He did have a temp of 103 and WBC were 1300. Vet gave him an anti-nausea shot and antibiotics to prevent infection. He did OK for 2 days and tonight he won't eat. He's not in distress or panting, just seems very tired. Can't get his meds in on an empty stomach.
I guess my question is - is this just a bump in the road? I will take him to Onco on Monday and to ED sooner if he's in distress or pain but just wanted to see what y'all thought.
I'm just letting him rest and relax. He is taking in water and peeing ok.
Thoughts? Ideas?
Thank you all so much for your ongoing support during this journey. It means the world to me and Buddy.
Julie and Buddy
I wonder if perhaps the antibiotic is causing some stomach upset? Maybe the anti nausea drug he was given has worn off and now he has upset tummy? Just a thought. Let us know how he is doing going forward.
Hugs,
Linda & Max
BUDDY!!! BUUUUUUDDYYYYYY! What the heck is going on sweet boy? Were you sneaking some holiday Moonshine Egg Nog when your mom wasn't looking? Nah, you have your mom so well trained you wouldn't have to "sneak". You would just have her bring it to you while you lounge on your sofa!
Hmmm...I ditto Linda on the antibiotics causing gastro upset. Does Buddy still jave a fever? That can definitely make him feel lethargic and not feel like eating. Not sure what would cause the infection. I suppose it could be something chemo side effect related. Your Onco can provide more insight Monday.
I know you need him to eat ro help coat his tummy from the antibiotic. Try anything stinky...liverwurst seems to work when other things don't. Scrambled eggs with cheese, cream cheese. Of course, I'm sure you've already tried warm chicken, etc. Oh, one more thing. Whatever you're trying to get Buddy to eat..., scrambled eggs, whatever....put it on YOUR din er p@ate, act like YOU are eati g it, then put the @ate on the floor for Buddy to finish it. I knkw it sounds crazy, but I've used this trick and it works! Of course, if he's feeling nauseous, it maybe harder.
Did the Onco give you any Cerenia to keep on hand after the chemo?
Glad he's drinking, that can help get the infection under control.
Keep us posted, okauw? And certainly don't hesitate to call your vet if you have any concerns or if his condition changes! It does just sound like a "Buddy bump in the road"!
Love and hugs!!
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!
I don't think it's too unusual, and it sounds like your vet is on top of things. I agree, the a/bs can make dogs not want to eat, I know they do to me. How much longer does he have to go with them?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks guys.
The antibiotics were given as a precaution since his WBC were low. They gave him a cerenia shot and then oral cerenia. I did go pick up some freshly rotisseried chicken and he ate a decent portion for dinner. He's better today than yesterday. I guess my big question would be, should we continue with chemo. This was a tough 4 days for Buddy (and me) and if he's going to be lethargic and not wanting to be himself I guess I have to ask if it's worth it.
Thanks again, any insight is so helpful to us. Love you guys and we'll keep you posted
Hoppy New Year!!
He's got a few more days on the antibiotics. Ugh. Decisions. I may just stop them. I don't think he has an infection at all.
You all know it's hard. They can't "tell" us how they are feeling, we just have to guess. Just want the best for my boy, whatever that means!
xoxo
juliedarling said
I guess my big question would be, should we continue with chemo...
It's all about quality of life. There is no law saying you must continue any treatment. For more feedback from others, review this popular forum topic about chemotherapy.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Only you and Buddy can decide what's right for him. If I remember correctly Louie's mom decided to stop chemo after a couple of treatments because he just wasn't the same happy dog due to side effects. It's not like chemo comes with a guarantee to cure cancer it's just one of numerous tools we can use. There's many holistic tools out there too that might cause less effects for Buddy with the other issues he has. Maybe now is the time to confer with the oncologist and figure out which way is in Buddy's best quality of life interests. You'll make the right decision for Buddy out of your love for him. Hugs!
Linda & Max
Soooo glad Buddy is feeling better today and eating better too.
As Linda and Admin have already said, itsw definitely about quality AND there are absolutely no guarantees one way or another with or without chemo. Linda's referring to Big Louie, a Mastiff who just was miserable after the chemo treatments. By the time he was feeling better, it was time for chemo again. I think it was after the second treatment, possibly the third, she and her vet discontinued the chemo and Louie has been feeling great ever since.
I can't remember, did Buddy handle the first chemo okay, or did he have side effects?. Talk to your Onco. It could be that a lessor amount of chemo, or more time in between, may be an ioption. But absolutely, if the chemo is compromising his quality for long spans, Buddy is not enjoying himself. One of tne deciding factors when I proceeded with chemo for Happy Hannah was I could stop anytime if the side effects were too severe. And some dogs just do not tolerate it well and stopping gives them their quality back quickly.
Let us know what your Onco says, okay?
Sending lots and lots of hugs!
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!
You have to make the decision that is best for you and Buddy, that is for sure! As others have said, there are no guarantees either with or without chemo. If you are really torn, then I would agree w/ Sally and ask your Onc about a lower dose. Perhaps a lower dose would be better for Buddy (Ellie's dose was lowered because of low WBC). But of course, deciding to stop chemo is also totally legit. Quality of life is what matters.
Denise, Bill and Angel Ellie
Active 10+ Pyr mix suddenly came up lame with ACL tear in left rear leg. Scheduled for a TPLO but final pre-op x-rays indicated a small suspicious area, possibly OSA, which could have caused the ACL tear. Surgeon opened the knee for TPLO but found soft bone. Biopsy came back positive for OSA. Became a Tripawd 9/18/14. Carbo6 with Cerenia and Fluids. Pain free and living in the moment. Crossed the Bridge on 7/12/15 after probable spread of cancer to her cervical spine. A whole lifetime of memories squeezed into 10 months. Here's her story: Eloise
Thanks everyone! Your perspective really helps
First dose of chemo was a little less than the full dose, that's how our Oncologist does it.
He did fine with that except WBC got down to 900. Zero side effects from the first round, just tired that first day but nothing else
So, she lowered the second dose and that was given about 2.5 weeks before he got sick. Today is the first day he's be normal since Dec 30th. He had fevers, was shaking, panting and wouldn't eat for 3 days. We are supposed to do chemo this week but I want to wait.
I'll keep my appt to discuss the plan but I can't bear to have him feeling that bad, it was heartbreaking.
I'll keep you posted. Today was a good day!!
Love
Buddy and Julie
YAY FOR TODAY!!! Soooo glad Buddy is getting his spunky sparkle back!
Yeah, I can certainly understand not proceeding at this point and just going in for a consult.
Just a auggestion, make a list of as many questions as you can think of and write down the answers as they are given. In fact someone even suggested ro me to take my taclet and video the part when questions were asked/answered. I found that, even though I thought I had everything clear in my mind when I left the appointment, by the time I got home my brain was scrambled!
Keep us posted...and don't forget the chocolate!!
Love and hugs!
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!
I may have missed it, is he on Carboplatin? When my Dobe Nitro was going thru chemo, his WBC got low, and we increased the time inteval between treatments, and that seemed to help. I would definetly have a heart-to-heart with your onco; if the side effects are too hard on Buddy, you may want to discontinue it. We went into it with the knowledge that if if got too hard, we'd stop. It's such a fine line, deciding what is too much treatment vs too little. I never wanted to look back on this journey and say "if only I'd done this or that", but at the same time, sometimes the treatment is worse than the illness. Ask questions, get honest answers from your vet, and follow your heart. There is always metronomic therapy - low dose, daily, oral chemo that you could pursue. Good luck, keep us posted on the visit tomorrow.
Paula and Nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
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