Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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jerry said
Ohhh I'm glad you got into an onco doc today. Yep, there's so much to consider here, it's not as simple as many other situations. I hope there is some good news from them. Keep in mind that if you can't do amputation you may want to talk to your vets about using bisphosphonates for pain relief. Here's a forum post that talks about it:
http://tripawds.....an-option/
Keep us posted OK?
---
Hi, Jerry -- I updated above, and just wanted to say HUGE thanks for that post and its suggestions and links. It gave me lots of encouragement, and I'm emailing the onco doc to ask about the bisphosphonates and a couple of the other options.
Who would have guessed that Fosomax and Boniva could help dogs, too...wow!
Thank you again for this amazing site and tremendous resources and knowledge -- not to mention your quick replies and links. This site is clearly a labor of love, and it shows. I would be in a far, far different emotional state now without this site, and both of you, and our new Tripawd friends.
Deb and Angel Lexie* Diagnosed at age 13. Tried radiation first; wish we had amputated upon diagnosis (even with lung mets). Joined Club Tripawd April 2014 & Lexie loved life on 3 legs! Advice: Start physical therapy as soon as your vet clears it, especially hydrotherapy if available :-) See Lexie pics here.
Lessons learned, which hopefully will help some Tripawd readers down the road:
-Regarding records: Ask your contact at Specialist B’s office to contact vet A’s office directly to tell them exactly what the oncologist needs to see, and in what format (for example, emails with PDFs of the Xrays and scans; faxes of the notes).
-By noon the day before the oncology vet appointment, call your vet(s) and ask when they sent the records to the oncologist’s office, and confirm what and how they were sent.
-That afternoon, call the oncology vet’s office to confirm that everything needed was received. Trust but verify.
This is super duper valuable information, thank you so much. I think it would make a really helpful blog post so if you upload a pic of Lexie I'll be sure to give you both credit for the idea!
But I'm so glad you got to see a specialist who really sounds like they've got their act together, I have a good feeling that no matter what happens next you and Lexy will have some good quality time together. What kind of Asian holistic supplement did they provide? Just curious. And who is the onco doc? Where are they located? You might have told me before, but I forget. I always like to stay on top of who's providing great care out there. Have a great day.Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I'm a little late to this conversation and I don't know if I can be of any help but I can tell you Shelby's story - which sounds similar. Shelby does not have Osteosarcoma. She broke her leg in June and there were mothy like marks but nothing presented as cancer despite 3 biopsies so we fixed her leg and still nothing conclusive for Osteo.
Flash forward a few months and her spleen almost ruptured ... it was immediately removed and tested positive for hemangiosarcoma. We started chemo and she's done great. Few months later, that leg really became an issue and it was discovered that there was only 50% bone mass left which meant that eventually it would just be the plate holding it. So we removed that and finally a diagnosis of hemangiosarcoma in that leg. At the time of her amputation, we discovered some tiny lung mets.
Today - Shelby is 6 months+ post hemangiosarcoma diagnosis, still getting chemotherapy and for the most part thriving on 3 legs. Good luck with your journey. This website has been hugely helpful for me.
Oh and Shelby is 13 years young!
Alison and Shelby
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
SO glad you were able to get into the Onco! ... sorry it started out rough though.. getting all of the vets to coordinate can be frustrating! I feel like we all need a binder to carry around with all of their information in it so we don't have to worry! And you are so right... counting all the blessing we have is a MUST! It's so hard to do that when all of the bad is happening... My husband and I have been trying to do that lately, to look at old pictures and reminisce about the things Cody has done that are crazy and funny and adorable. Keep us all posted on how everything goes and Good luck to you as you go through this journey! Remember.. you're not alone 
Hugs!
Cody and Family
Cody is our 7 year old Australian Heeler mix boy. Diagnosed on 2/20/14 and became a tripawd 2/21/14! We chose a homeopathic approach and he is being treated by Dr. Loops our of NC.
Thanks to all. Jerry, she's on Yunnan Baiyo for the bleeding and her onco vet is Dr. Connor McNeil at The Hope Center in Vienna, VA (northern VA, outside DC). I'm also a big fan of Southpaws in Fairfax, VA, which also has an excellent onco doc, Dr. Sheaffor. However, she is very busy and they are getting two additional onco docs in the next 6 months.
I have an update and I'll start a new thread.
Alison and Angela, thanks for the warm welcome and the nice words. Alison, it's always encouraging to hear about other 'prime time' dogs and how they're doing. Age is just a number...no one told Lexie she's 13, and I bet it's the same with Shelby.
Deb and Angel Lexie* Diagnosed at age 13. Tried radiation first; wish we had amputated upon diagnosis (even with lung mets). Joined Club Tripawd April 2014 & Lexie loved life on 3 legs! Advice: Start physical therapy as soon as your vet clears it, especially hydrotherapy if available :-) See Lexie pics here.
debva said
Thanks to all. Jerry, she's on Yunnan Baiyo for the bleeding and her onco vet is Dr. Connor McNeil at The Hope Center in Vienna, VA (northern VA, outside DC). I'm also a big fan of Southpaws in Fairfax, VA, which also has an excellent onco doc, Dr. Sheaffor. However, she is very busy and they are getting two additional onco docs in the next 6 months.
Thanks for the info! I figured it was Yunnan Baiyo, that's awesome and the sign of a very forward-thinking doc. I haven't heard of Dr. McNeil but wow I looked up his background and it's impressive. If you happen to remember (I know you have a LOT on your mind now so don't worry if you forget), would you ask him if he would like to be a guest on our Tripawd Talk Radio at some point? I would love to interview him to learn about his treatment approaches.
Lots of folks here have said great things about Southpaws. You're in a great area for vet care!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
jerry said
I figured it was Yunnan Baiyo, that's awesome and the sign of a very forward-thinking doc. I haven't heard of Dr. McNeil but wow I looked up his background and it's impressive. If you happen to remember (I know you have a LOT on your mind now so don't worry if you forget), would you ask him if he would like to be a guest on our Tripawd Talk Radio at some point? I would love to interview him to learn about his treatment approaches.
Lots of folks here have said great things about Southpaws. You're in a great area for vet care!
Yes, we're very fortunate to have good vet specialists here. And I'd be happy to ask Dr. McNeil about being a talk radio guest when we see him again in April. Will keep you posted!
Deb and Angel Lexie* Diagnosed at age 13. Tried radiation first; wish we had amputated upon diagnosis (even with lung mets). Joined Club Tripawd April 2014 & Lexie loved life on 3 legs! Advice: Start physical therapy as soon as your vet clears it, especially hydrotherapy if available :-) See Lexie pics here.
Thanks so much, we appreciate it!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Deb and welcome. Sorry I am so late in seeing this post but I wanted to chime in and offer some encouragement. My Zeus is the dog in the article that Jerry linked to early in this thread. He was given six weeks prognosis due to the mets at the time of diagnosis. He ended up living ten months - and they were ten fabulous months. That may not seem like a lot but something about this mess makes you appreciate every minute so much more that time seems to stretch out. I know that sounds crazy, but you will see. 🙂 The one thing that you have to keep in mind during this journey is that statistics are just numbers. Important numbers, yes, because they give us some indication of what to expect. But they are not definite. Every dog is different and your sweet girl is forging her own special path. No one can tell you what tomorrow, next month or next year will bring so be sure to just follow your heart and do what feels right and will leave you with no regrets.
Good luck!!
Lisa
Zeus was a Husky mix diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at age 11. A visible lung met and suspicious spot on his liver meant a poor prognosis-six weeks was our vet's best guess. We decided to fight for our boy and his right front leg was amputated on 12/1/11. We did six rounds of chemo, changed his diet and spoiled him completely rotten. We were blessed with 10 great months after diagnosis. Against the odds, the lung met remained a single met and grew very little over those months. A wonderful furbaby with the most gentle spirit, he fought with a strength that we never imagined he possessed. We have no regrets...
http://zeuspod......pawds.com/
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