Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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my dog cooper was diagnosed with osteosarcoma nov 6, had his right hind leg amputated the next day, and started chemo three weeks after that. the first round went very well — no noticeable side effects. his platelets did get low around the two week mark, but recovered to normal levels prior to chemo treatment number two, which was two days ago.
this round has been harder. he has been fatigued and hasn’t shown much interest in food. he did eat a bit more today than yesterday, which is encouraging. but i’m really struggling. he has fallen once each day after this round (which had not happened a single time since amputation.) i’m hopeful it’s just related to fatigue and will pass as he returns to normal energy levels, but i have such a hard time not jumping to worst case scenarios for every new thing we encounter on this osteo journey.
i’m not coping well and the excessive worry is not helpful for anyone. how have others managed this better than me? it’s hard to watch my boy struggle, even when it’s transitory, and because there are so many small bouts of struggle i’m constantly questioning my choices. i think i just need to be patient and give it time, but my instinct is to panic at every turn.
Hi and welcome to you and Cooper! I know you're in a worrisome situation right now, and I promise you are not the only one who has had these emotions when going though treatments. It's so hard to make these decisions for our dog. We feel guilty when things don't turn out as well as we had hoped because we can't explain to them why they feel so bad at the time. I guess the best way to handle these worries is to stay in touch with your vet team so that they will know what is going on with Cooper. Jot down his symptoms, let them know so they can address your concerns, and then fine tune the chemo for next time. Have you talked to them about his reaction this time around?
Also, since you mentioned the fall, I'll throw this out there that it is probably not related to chemo but to general weakness from the amputation. Has Cooper seen a rehab therapist? Did you know that Tripawds Foundation can pay for your first rehab visit ? We find that it is sooooo helpful for a dog to get evaluated by a therapist. That way they can pinpoint any weaknesses and show you ways to build up his strength.
How old is cooper? You didn't mention that but if he's older, that is something to keep in mind too. Older dogs take longer to bounce back from surgery. Throw in chemo and it's going to take even longer. Not that you made a bad decision by doing it, but just allow him more time to get his mojo back.
You already know that your worrying isn't helpful to you or to Cooper. Going into panic mode solves nothing. So work with your emotions when you feel like you're about to go down that road. Have you tried meditation to keep you more present and calm when things start spiraling? That is what I find really helpful, an app like Calm has tons of free meditations that can help you ground yourself and better cope with this level of worry, which as I said, tends to go along when you're in a situation like this.
We totally get what you are going through, you are not alone. Keep us posted OK?
As you can tell from Jerry's sage advice, we get your emotions, worrying, second guessing TEN THOUSAND PERCENT!!! I assure you we have all been there! I know that doesn't help, but at least you know it's a "normal" part of the journey, especially so very early on.
What we can tell you is it is sooo important to not waste one second worrying about the tomorrows. Focus on the now....be fully present t with Cooper. Cooper is living in the present. Wecall that Be More Dog .
Every moment spent worrying, interferes with the quality time you have now! Don't let that piece of crap disease get in the way of enjoying your time together now
Is Jerry mentioned, definitely keep the onco in the loop on how Cooper has reacted to the second treatment. It is not unusual at all to have to reduce the amount, or to even let more time pass in between each treatment. Just an off the wall curiosity, is it the leg that received the chemo treatment that seems to be weaker? Also, do you have non-slip scatter rugs for traction if you have hardwood?
Update when you can and stay connected!!
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!
hello! thank you for your reply. we do have rugs all over - and added two more yesterday, so we’re even more covered.
the weak leg is not the one that received chemo. it’s now four days out and he’s eating a bit more and has been a bit more active. still noticing a little bit of weakness when he’s trying to get up onto the couch, etc, which had previously been manageable for him. definitely trying to give him extra love and do his favorite activities that don’t involve running in the woods or anything strenuous! i have not been in touch with his oncologist, but i will plan to reach out to them on monday if i’m still seeing signs of weakness. hopefully he keeps improving incrementally.
thank you for the reply!
cooper just turned 9. he is about 7 weeks out from amputation and has been doing really well. we saw a rehab vet at two weeks and she was very impressed with how well cooper is doing and sent us home with some core strengthening exercises , but didn’t think we needed regular follow up at this point.
we may have been over doing it on walks - we were back up to 30-45 minute walks and i think now maybe it was too much too soon. i’m going to cut back to multiple shorter walks again.
i do need to practice meditation more. maybe this will be my motivation to do it more consistently. i am anxious at baseline, so this has been hard. needing to do breathwork just to catch a deep breath more often than i’d like to admit recently. so probably an indicator i should do more.
glad to report i’m seeing incremental improvement, now that we’re 4 days out. he has a bit more energy, appetite, and has seemed happier the past day and a half. struggled to get himself up on the couch tonight, but he seemed fine on all of our short (5-10 minute) bathroom trips the past two days.
i will reach out to onc if he’s still seeming weak on monday. i’m just so worried there’s a new tumor, even though there’s nothing visible or palpable and he doesn’t seem to be guarding or licking at any spot like he was with the original tumor.
i appreciate all the support!
This is a great update!!! Remember, any "little" improvement is a HUGE improvement during this recovery process!
FWIW based on what you posted, it does sound like he did a little bit of overdoing it. The weakness may have been more related to a miscle strain as opposed to the chemo. Regardless, do mention the chemo may need to be at a lower dose. Also, make sure you get a couple of doses of Cerenia if they didn't give you any. It can help with appetite if nausea is involved.
We all understand worrying about worse case scenarios (which rarely ever happen anyway). Really think you are just dealing with a bit overdoing it. This is what we see here all the time with weakness legs, etc. You are on the right path with shorter more frequent walks rather than a couple of longer ones.
For now, try massaging gently up and down his spine, shoulders, etc to keep muscles relaxed. If you notice any te Simon is any area, ot may be a clue what muscles are stressed. Also, if you have any anti- inflammatory you might restart that dose. Of course, ONLY with Bet approval as we are not Bets and not giving Vet advice!!
You're doing great!
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
PS. Yes, dogs will not be denied their position on the couch. You might try putting some sort of platform (or step)so that he can step up without so much of a distance.
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!
Yes you are doing great, I agree 100%. You already know about meditation and have some tools for keeping a calmer state of mind, you just need to remember to use them when you feel a spiral coming on. I get it and I'll be most of us here do too.
The walks do sound too long. Remember, shorter more frequent walks of no more than 20 minutes each are best for most dogs on three legs, even Tripawds who have been recovered for months and months. So keep doing the homework you got from the rehab therapist (yay that you went for the consult!), and in time his endurance and strength will improve. But it's still pretty early and he needs more time to get there. Consider doing some interactive brain games to take the place of longer walks and I guarantee you will keep him happy and mentally satisfied!
Let us know how he's doing and you can always post here if you feel yourself getting stressed and worried!
wanted to post an update — cooper was seen at our local vet hospital today for the lameness in his remaining hind leg. no real answers about what is happening there from the ER doctor or the ortho doctor that examined him, but both agreed with me that it does not seem to be causing him pain. ortho wanted a CT scan, but i declined for now because of the cost. we went ahead with chest xrays, though and unfortunately nodule(s) were found in his lungs. i haven’t brought myself to read the full report yet. oncology is supposed to follow up with me tomorrow and i’m hopeful they’ll offer more palliative care options, as we were not given any by the ER staff. they told me “days to weeks” left. we were scheduled to start the yale clinical trial next week. i am devastated. i thought we’d have more time. cooper was doing so well until he suddenly came up weak after his second chemo. we aren’t even two months out from diagnosis or amputation yet.
Not expected at all thos early on, yet it has happened. Yes, there ARE optuons to have Cooper continue with a quality extended time!
Always keep in mind that we have had dogs get great extended time, even with lung mets. Our very own Jerry did exactly that.
https://tripawd.....s-in-dogs/
Above is a link that has detailed some options....some may apply, some may not.
In the meantime, you can ask your Vet about Prednisone or Piroxicam as ways to reduce inflammation caused by the met(s).
Apologize for the quick response, but wanted to get you the link and offer hope for some success stories and options that have had good results.
Hang in there...others will chime in too.
((((((((((((((((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!
Oh I'm so sorry! This is not the news anybody expects and it's a real gut punch. My heart hurts for you and Cooper.
How is his spirit otherwise? Remember, he is still here and still wants to do what he loves and for you to be happy. Hang onto that OK? Spoil that boy!
The prognosis might be bad but remember those awesome ER vets you talked with aren't oncologists, so don't panic just yet. Here is something you may want to talk about with oncology. There are some oncologists out there doing Stereotactic Radiation Therapy (SRT) as palliative care to treat tumors as well as lung mets. It's a pretty new therapy but here are some links you can read and share with your team:
https://tripawd.....4/#p264503
also see:
Minimally Invasive Metastasectomy in Canines (MIMIC) Treatment for Lung Metastasis in Dogs
And, for non-surgical palliative care, see:
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