Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
Join The Tripawds Community
Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:
Instant post approval.
Private messages to members.
Subscribe to favorite topics.
Live Chat and much more!
Register
Log In
Members
Add Topic
We took Stella to the oncologist today, and we discussed treatment options. We are trying to decide whether to do IV chemo, metronomic chemo, or nothing at all. I can say right now, doing nothing at all is not an option. My question is this: Did anyone do just metronomic chemo and not IV chemo? I've browsed through other threads on the site and see lots of people that did IV chemo followed by metronomic, but I haven't seen anyone that's just done metronomic.
The doctor wants us to think it over for a week, which will also give her time to heal. She had her drain tube removed yesterday, but by this morning a small seroma had developed under the incision site. The vet today opened it back up, so she's bandaged and back on pain meds.
The metronomic protocol would include Cyclophosphamide, Piroxicam (although he said we could just continue with Rimadyl instead), and Doxycycline.
Your help and input is appreciated!
Offline
Our fearless leader, Jerry, just did MP and not IV chemo. I'm sure they'lll chime in.
Jackie, Angel Abby's mom
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
Here I am!
Stella, it's nice to see that oncologists are presenting this as an option now. When I was diagnosed it was so new, I had to find out about it on my own.
I did metronomic only, and I know a few others have too. We didn't do IV chemo as I explained in this "Why Didn't You Do Chemo" discussion. We only started metronomics 17 months after my amputation, that's when my mets shown up. Had we started it from the get-go, who knows how much longer I could have beaten the odds? But from the time I started to the time I earned my wings, it was about 7 months. You can read more about my experience in this post.
Here is a great convo we had with Dr. Barb Biller, one of the world's most knowledgeable experts on metronomic therapy. It's worth a listen:
Tripawd Talk Radio: Metronomic Chemotherapy for Canine Cancer
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have read and listened to everything you've posted, and I've come to the decision to go ahead with the metronomic protocol for Stella.
As of the beginning of May, there were no visible lung mets, and hopefully this treatment will keep them at bay for as long as possible!! She will have another set of x-rays in 2 weeks (which will mark one month since the amputation), so we'll have that to go on and compare to.
Again, I was so conflicted as to what to do, but all of your information convinced me this was the right choice. As soon as the vet deems Stella's amp site healed enough to start, we will get to it!
1 Guest(s)
