Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Casey is 4 weeks post rear leg amputation due to grade 3 mast cell tumor cancer and high mitotic and is doing really well. The good news is there was no sign of mets in other lymph and abdominal organs..YAY! But the vet wants to start Vinblastine chemo and prednisolone. I wanted to know if others have gone through this and decided not to go with chemo and how their pet might be doing, how long without mets? Her vet techs dog went through the same surgery for the same reason and had chemo and it's now 3 years down the road and her dog is doing great.
Casey gets some great tinctures from McDowells herbals for MCT along with other great supplements, like mushroom mix and others along with a great diet. I have the chemo scheduled for mid Jan. He had a skin infection post surgery, which we treated and is looking almost clear. When he got prednisone when first diagnosed he lost 6lb. in 2 weeks with muscle atrophy, and I'm concerned this will happen again, just as he is getting strong.
Would love to hear from others who were in this situation. Thanks!
My Pug Maggie lost her back leg to a MCT- way back in 2006. Her prognosis was fair after surgery as lymph node involvement was discovered in the removed leg. With chemo they gave her 6 to 9 months, Mag lived almost 4 more years and did not pass from mast cell cancer.
Mag's chemo consisted of two drugs: CCNU or Lomustine, an oral drug, and Vinblastine, an IV drug.
She was on prednisolone throughout chemo and then about a 7 week taper until she was off that med- about 8 months all together. She did not lose weight during that time- I'm not sure about muscle wasting. She was a 7.5 year old Pug at the time of amputation and wasn't hugely active. I did not notice her being tired or not being able to do what she wanted to do with the exception of walks. Before surgery she would regularly walk 2 miles or so, but after surgery it took her 6 months to work up to walking 1 mile on her own. I had a stroller so she could ride when tired.
If you want more details you can read about her amp and chemo in her blog- the link is in my signature below.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls and Boy
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Karen, Thank you so much for sharing the story about Maggie. That gives me so much hope for Casey. We are currently walking about 1/2 mile as I don't want to stress his other legs. We used to do 2-3 miles a day. I am letting him call the shots. 1st Chemo is scheduled for next week. Again, thank you for your response!!
I've learned since Maggie's time that walks don't build strength. You may want to get a consult at a rehab vet, Tripawds has a program that might reimburse you for your first visit.
My current rear amp Tripawd is a little Pug Mix named Elly. She lost her leg after being hit by a car at 7 months old, she just turned 8. Last summer she hurt her hip and I finally took her to a rehab vet. They did some laser treatments for a few weeks and more importantly they gave me a home exercise program to keep her fit and strong. They also introduced me to a supplement called Myos, it is a food based muscle building supplement. Elly has been taking it for 4 months now. Is it working? It's hard to say since I have been diligent with her exercise program but she started making steady progress on her recovery once she started taking it. Before I started her on it she would make some progress then have setbacks.
If you want to try it be sure and talk with your vet oncologist first.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls and Boy
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Thanks Karen. We have a vet recheck on Saturday, are almost 4 weeks post. I have him on L-glutamine for muscle, and although he wants to keep walking, I am keeping them shorter, almost a slow jog for me so he can keep up a better pace. I am also working with an herbal company out of Australia called McDowells Herbal treatments and their consultations are free. Our dollar is pretty strong right now so it's worth it for me. They have some great products for animals and humans. Someone here whose dog had mast cell turned me onto them.
We have a vet rehab here so I will reach out and see what they suggest. Since we are supposed to start chemo soon, I might wait on that to see how he responds to the chemo.
Karen's advice rocks! I don't have direct experience with MCT so hers is always appreciated.
Yes do take advantage of the rehab program. I would book the appointment soon since most therapists are booked out way in advance. And in the off chance that he does have side effects from the chemo a therapist can find gentle ways to stretch and massage him to encourage recuperation. Therapy isn't just about working out and lifting tiny doggie sized barbells lol!
Oh about the muscle wasting. Don't know if you can get this in Australia but Myos is worth looking into. It's geared toward older dogs and those at risk of muscle mass reduction. It comes highly recommended by some great sports medicine ortho vets we know.
Thanks Jerry, I will ask the vet about Myos to make sure it doesn't interfere with the chemo we are about to start. It's the prednisolone he will be taking too that seems to cause the muscles atrophy. All the info from Karen has been very helpful.
Pawesome! I'm glad you're going to ask the vet, super smart thing to do. Let us know what they say, I'm interested in knowing their response myself.
Jerry, I told the vet about the MYOSPET product and she looked it up while I was there and said it didn't look like it would be a problem to do while on chemo. I'll be ordering some and keep you posted.
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