Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Georgia's two weeks postop now and doing extremely well. She's a 2 1/2yr old Great Pyrenees, large and strong, and with her new getup, she moves with such surprising grace. We've become comfortable with the new Georgie, we moved past the expectations, the fears, the anxieties of a three legged baby, mostly because of her satisfying recovery.
But yesterday we met with the oncologist for the first time, and it hit me, that this isnt just the brave new world of tripawdom we're deling with, this is cancer, nasty, scary, insipid, antagonistic cancer. I've been so wrapped up in taking so much care of her, learning from her, watching her learn. Ive been fascinated with this and now its time to face the fact that everyday that passes is precious and too few.
Ive had the best news yet in all of this, when we consulted the oncologist yesterday, he approached us with what is to us a huge gift. He told us that Georgia was a good candidate to enter a clinical trial being offered at the hospital by OSU(We're in NJ), which offers her chemo(carboplatin), metronomic chemo followup, and depending on what group she enters into, shell recieve a new anticancer drug called Palladia. The trial involves treatments that we we're interested in and seeking regardless of what was offered to us, however, we've been losing sleep at night worrying about how we could ever pay for the second leg of this.
All I knew was that somehow, I was going to find a way to get my babygirl everything she needed. It is a huge Christmas present and blessing for us. We were eased into the decision by how knowledgeable and comfortable the doctor was with the experiment and how sincere an advocate was for the benefit of Georgia. She got her first injection of the carboplatin last night as she was on her 14th day(the trial requires all treatments to be administered by the 14th day), and today she was noticeably queasy. I
ts a little disappointing to see her like this, because she was finally getting her full appetite and playfulness back. But tonight we got our first snowfall and she was loving it; she hopped and ate it at the same time. I was wondering if anyone else has been offered this study, or any other trial that is similar in its benefits, or if anyone knows about Palladia.
Its important to note that this does not make Georgia a guinea pig. The drug has been used and has success with cancer both human and canine. It offers potential results to actually kill off metases. Its good and fulfilling to know that Georgia can both benefit, and help others with her involvement in the research, we are so grateful for the oppurtunity.
What a wonderful opportunity indeed. After reading your post I can't help but feel Georgia and you have much to offer. Georgia is such a beautiful girl. You might want to PM Kami, (Kbryant) her pup Mackenzie has been using Palladia as part of her metronomic treatment. It sounds very promising. I look forward to hearing more about Georgia's journey.
Welcome...Pictures please 
Fortis'Dad
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georgiagirl said:
…this isnt just the brave new world of tripawdom we're deling with, this is cancer, nasty, scary, insipid, antagonistic cancer.
Ssssshhhh!!! Don't tell Georgia. She doesn't know she has cancer. And just remember, she is not dying from cancer, she is living with it!
Please keep us posted on the clinical trial, and congratulations forthat Christmas gift. We too were fortunate enough to get Jerry into his clinical trial for K9 Immunity when we discovered his metastasis, so we can totally relate.
PS: We've added some relative tags to your topic which will help others find it when searching for useful information like this if the title isn't very descriptive.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
That is a wonderful opportunity for you and Georgia. Congratulations!
Don't be afraid to ask for anti nausea drugs. After some mild nausea with the first treatment, Trouble was given an injection prior to chemo and always had pills for home. It didn't stop it all, but it certainly lessened the efftects.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
Sounds like you have a great vet, and yes, what a great gift, I have heard palladia has had some great results, and you are very lucky to get into this trial since I have also heard it is VERY expensive, so Merry Christmas to you guys. Glad to hear Georgia is doing so well, didn't do chemo with Gus so I can't give any advice. We did try the metronomic therapy but I think we were to late starting it and his cancer turned out to be way more aggressive than we ever thought it would be, but I have heard some good results with it also. Big Paws up to a great outlook, Spirit Gus and Dan
My buddy Gus had a left front amputation on April 7, 2010 and lived a great life until July 26,2010
Oh, that is a great Christmas gift indeed! How wonderful for Georgia!
Holly also had nausea after chemo treatments. Shana's advice to ask for an anti-nausea injection and some pills to take home is excellent. That helped Holly, although didn't alleviate the nausea entirely. It would hit her the hardest about 5 days after chemo and lasted sometimes for up to a week. We found she pretty much didn't want her kibble during this period - but were successful in getting her to eat chicken or beef or fish mixed with a little kibble. We also found that canned tripe was one thing she didn't refuse (it's really smelly though - so watch out!). So if Georgia goes down that road you might want to experiment with what foods might entice her. It seems to have been worth it all for Holly - she's coming up on her 1 year ampuversary, which brings tears to my eyes as I type because I never dared hope for this milestone when we started down this road.
We're keeping all paws and fingers crossed for Georgia!
Hugs,
Holly, Zuzu and Susan
Holly joined the world of tripawds on 12/29/2009. She has a big little sister, Zuzu, who idolizes Holly and tries to make all of her toys into tripawds in Holly's honor. And she's enjoying life one hop at a time!
http://anyemery.....ipawds.com
georgiagirl said:
a new anticancer drug called Palladia.
Its important to note that this does not make Georgia a guinea pig. The drug has been used and has success with cancer both human and canine. It offers potential results to actually kill off metases. Its good and fulfilling to know that Georgia can both benefit, and help others with her involvement in the research, we are so grateful for the oppurtunity.
Absolutely. Palladia is a great drug that's worked for a lot of dogs. This search for "palladia" here in the Forums will shed some light on who's used it here and with what results,check it out.
And clinical trials are indeed a blessing, we highly advocate getting involved in them if you are able to. Not only will they usually offset huge expenses, but will help other dogs in the future, and eventually, humans, since bone cancer tends to be have the exact same way in them too.
Remember, cancer is scary but you don't have to live in fear. With or without cancer, every day is precious. Trouble is, unless you're facing a serious illness you tend to forget it. Cancer tends to bring unexpected blessings that we would never even consider, like reminding us that every day is special no matter what.
Follow Georgia's attitude when she's coping with all this, and you will do great.
Glad to hear what's happening with you guys. Keep us posted OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi, sorry I wasnt able to reply sooner, but Georgia and I would like to thank you for your help, words, and wishes. We also would like to wish you and your families and three legged babies a very merry Christmas! Thank you for your advice on the chemo, we do have an antinausea pill and it seems to have subsided, although her appetite is still 'iffy'. She appears to be constipated for the first time since this all began too, and I read that could be a slight side affect from the chemo. It's either that, or she just cant seem to concentrate outside with the snow on the ground; she doesnt have a problem eating that, shes completely preoccupied with it! Ive read some of the archives Jerry suggested for folks who have posted on Palladia in the past and I was able to locate this very trial on this website in the resources which describes the specifics of the experiment by Ohio State University. It seems like we have a long road still ahead of us...of course, I guess we are hoping for a long road, all the time possible with our Georgia Peanut. The weeks and weeks of bloodwork and xrays are required to be done at the animal hospital which is two hours away and not by our local vet. But there is an unsettling aspect of the trial: she can only continue the long term leg of the treatment as long as her radiographs stay clear. God!, I hope she does so she can reach that goal, and stays that way as long as possible. I expect alot of anxiety with each pending CBC and Xray, I'm sure everyone here goes throught that. We also dont know if she will actually wind up on the Palladia because the trial randomizes into two groups: those with chemo, metro, piroxicam, and palladia, and those with just chemo, metro, and piroxicam. Id really like her to be in the Palladia group, because despite the fact that its expensive as hell, it has such promising potential to control this mess longterm. Please dont confuse my concerns as complaints, we are still very fortunate and grateful to be involved. I still invite anyone who is presently on Palladia to share their experience. It seems like all of the posts in the past archives involved folks who used it after the cancer has metastized. Id like to see how it does with pups who are using it as a preventative, which is the essence of the trial. I'd love to post pics, but I have no clue how to do it, sorry, Im a neophyte to this online stuff.
georgiagirl said:
I'd love to post pics, but I have no clue how to do it...
Thanks for the update. We hope the road ahead is smooth and long!
FYI: If you share photos online anywhere (flickr, snapfish, etc.), you can follow these instructions for embedding pictures in your forum posts. If not, the easiest way would be to start a Tripawds blog. You can then upload images directly to your Media Library and share them in your blog, or follow the same instructions for sharing them here in the forums.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi there - I just read your posts and wanted to share with you (as Fortis' dad mentioned) our experience with Palladia. You're right - I'm not aware of starting this before lung mets. My Mackenzie was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in Sept '09, amputation was Nov 09. She went through 5 carboplatin treatments (they recommend 6) and then was taking Cytaxin as part of her maintenance program. Lung mets were spotted (4 small nodules) in late June of this year and that's when my doctor decided to put Mackenzie on Palladia along with Cytaxin (alternating each day). Since late June her lung mets have not grown in size at all, and in fact a couple of them have shrunk. She has some other tumors that are osteosarcoma related and these have also shrunk in size. So it's been almost 6 months and she's still doing well. Palladia is fairly new having only been FDA approved in the last year and 1/2. My doctor is seeing a really good response to palladia in her other patients as well. I highly recommend it (but also check out cytaxin in addition to palladia.) It is very expensive but my vet sometimes has donated this to me from close to expired batches so you might want to check that out. The good part about the metronomic in general is that the side effects are so minimal, unlike regular chemo treatments. Mackenzie had terrible nausea and loss of appetite following her treatments and in fact, they had to lower her dosage a little bit. Definitely check out the anti-nausea medications.
Please feel free to PM me with any questions (or just post them here) It's done wonders for Mackenzie and it's given us a lot of hope. I hope you are able to be a part of the palladia group.
Good luck with everything. Sounds like you're in great hands.
Kami (Mackenzie's Mom)
My sweet golden Mackenzie. She became my angel on Dec 29, 2010 at the age of 8 1/2 although she was always my angel from the time we brought her home. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in Sept 2009 and officially became a tripawd (front leg) on Nov 5, 2009. She will be forever in my heart and now she's running free with all of our other tripawd heroes. I love you Mackenzie!
Hey everybody, hope your holiday was peaceful and merry. Last week I posted how Georgia was addicted to snow and hoped that this winter would be a green one if we were going to get out of the cold and into the house each time within 20 mins, and that was with two inches on the ground. Well. . . we are now in the process of getting two-feet of snow! We are right now about 4 inches into a blizzard that is going to dump 18-20 inches on our house. Missed a white christmas by 24 hours. Im a little worried about how Georgia is going to hippity-hop her way through all of that. I guess her big brother Huckleberry and I will have to blaze a trail, but she is so independent and 'bitchy'(in an endearing way) that Im afraid shell want to make her own choices and potentially hurt herself or go nowhere at all. Its gonna be a long few days of walking. Any suggestions for tripawds in deep-stuff??
Sorry to be so slow in responding to you post about Georgia's gift of the trial. How wonderful for you all!
Try to remember that you are fighting your best fight, and we are all with you, so keep the updates coming!
Deborah
Mom to Spirit JD and the quadpaws Serena and Maya
JD
One Tough Girl
(1999-2010)
-Diagnosed with osteosarcoma of her left front leg –
-Amputation July 23 2010 –
-The cancer didn't get her, but she is gone-
-She fought the cancer and loved life till bloat brought her down August 29th, 2010-
Now she watches over her mom and two new sisters, the Quad-Paws Serena and Maya
georgiagirl said:
Any suggestions for tripawds in deep-stuff??
Good Question! Hopefully others will have some better input.
The one time we spent with Jerry in deep snow, he simply had a blast! And Wyatt loves running in the snow too. Neither had any problems, though Jerry ate so much he got sick, and Wyatt got pretty tired. The best advice would be to keep snow play sessions short.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
We"re up to our necks in snow here too. Already had some residual ice covered snow under the Xmas eve storm. Last night we got dumped on by the Lake Effect…really heavy, wet, about 10 inches overnight. Isabelle loves the snow too, but finally gave up on her own today when it reached her chest, because she just kept slipping. Her leg was buried & she wasn't able to hop high enough! They also get caught on buried branches that wouldn't have bothered them on 4 legs. I worry more about the icy underlayer. I don't let her out before checking even the pavement outside the door. If it's slippery, she's on a leash. Not really an answer though, because the sidewalks are a icy too. It's hard not to let them play, but not worth the risk.
The first soft snow, they do really well & have a great time, but these storms are layered wet, heavy & worrisome because of the cold that usually follows. There's a lot of ice hiding. Isabelle has slipped many times despite my best efforts. This is going to be a challenging winter. The dogs are bored & want to get out, but these storms are brutal for them. Take her out now, before it gets too deep!
Isabelle, too is very independent and has not been happy about her restrictions. While part of me was happy to see her continue to display her character, I've been snapped back to reality when her defiance turned into a fall.
Please let me know if you have other ideas. This is the fourth or fifth storm this year already. The first was fun, now not so much…..
Last winter I had similar issues because of her arthritis & didn't come up with much more. I try to be sure she has extra treadmill time in the winter to keep her moving safely. Also have a lot of interactive games, toys for indoors. We no longer go to the lakefront or woods during the winter.
Ryan and Georgia,
Not sure how the initial posting slipped by, but better late than never.
I have to say that I like the change in the tone of your postings. Many here know that my first suggestion is always remain as positive as possible - as the leader of their pack, they will pick up on your feelings and keeping a positive attitude will definately help. Yes it is cancer, but that should only strengthen your resolve. Miss Cherry's diagnosis was extremely grim with an additional growth on her kidney at the time of the bone cancer diagnosis. In spite of this and turning eleven the day before her amputation, we had a wonderful 405 days afterward. Take the example of Nova and Trouble - both have reciently celebrated 25 months ampuversaries and Cemil who will be celebrating a two year ampuversary next month, you can see that this community prides itself on never giving up. As you can tell, we will all be here to share our collective experience base, give excellent guidance, and provide as much support as we can. We are pulling for you and KNOW that while not easy, Georgia will have an excellent quality of life.
Spirit Cherry's Dad.
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