Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi everyone! I just wanted to give a quick update on my sweet Golden boy, Eddy. He had his scheduled oncology visit yesterday for his third shot of Doxorubicin, films, and acupuncture. Unfortunately, we were only able to accomplish two of these, the films and the acupuncture. The chest films showed that my sweet baby's two lung mets in November have now metastasized further into eight, even after 3 Carboplatin treatments, and 2 Doxorubicin treatments. To say I am feeling defeated is an understatement! His doctor opted to discontinue the Doxorubicin since it does not appear to be working. He instead opted to try a last treatment, Palladia. He is hopeful that the Palladia will hold the existing tumor growth for a month or two, hopefully more. So, we begin Palladia Monday morning! Any tips or insight on Palladia would be wonderful.
For now, Eddy is okay. He is pretty much symptom free at this time and is pretty much himself. That makes me happy! Yesterday I was mad at the world, mad at everything. My poor boy has gone through so much in less than five months: diagnosis, amputation, five chemo treatments, two hospitalizations....it just seems so unfair. And, now this... But today I woke up and decided we have to makes the best of the situation we have been given. So, we will continue embracing each day and being thankful to have the remaining days we have together. Thank you again, Tripawds. You guys have been so helpful in such a dark and scary time in my life!
Betsy Golden and Angel, Eddy. Eddy was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma 7-23-14, had a left rear amputation 8-07-14, had 3 rounds of carboplatin chemotherapy, a small lung met was discovered in October, had 2 rounds of doxorubicin, and unfortunately more lung mets were discovered. Eddy fought cancer valiantly and went to the Rainbow Bridge 1-6-15, at the age of 7 years and 359 days, just six days short of his 8th birthday. Best Dog, Ever....you will never be forgotten.
Hi.. I am very much a newbie here and don't know your whole story. I just wanted to commend you on your wonderful positive outlook. I hope and pray that this new treatment helps your sweet boy
Hugs,
Tracy and Bubba
So sorry to hear about Eddie's tumors. But bravo for you for getting the right attitude and loving on your Eddie because he doesn't know his tumors increased. This disease sucks in a big way. My poor girl had her leg amputated in Dec and had clear xrays then 4 months later had tumors all over. I didn't do any chemo only metronomics . But like you we had a good time and I tried not to think about how long she would live. Good luck with the Palladia, but do give extra belly rubs, sausage links, ice cream for you and Eddy.
Penny, Blink, Hank and Spirit Maggie
Thanks for the update, please keep us posted!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Okay......and I'm not being flip...those xrays don't mean very much! AND, the reason zI say that....and this is a HUGE REASON....EDDY IS SYMPTOM FREE AND FEELING GOOD!!!!!! And THAT is the measure of how Eddy is doing!!!
And now more than ever is the time to stay in the moment...in the lresent with Eddy! Sounds like that is your focus and I salute you for that tremendous "lofe lesson" that Eddy is teachingnyou...and showing?you how to do that!!!
To grieve for what y ou haven't even lost yet is to let that stupid piece of crap disease rob you of what you have now...your time together now!!! Eddy is with you today and that is all that matters!!!
I literally wrote little notes to myself and stuck them all around the h o ise to make sure I stayed in the NOW! Everytime Happy Hannah wagged her tail, I used that joyous thump...thump...to remind me to stay in the present!!! Happy Hannah and I REFUSED to let that worthless bag of crap interfere with our time together...and it didn't!!!!! We were victorious!!!
As far as Palladia, research it here on the site...gather as much info. as you can here and from your vet. I do think some dogs have a pretty rough time with it...and I guess some don't
I KNOW you are committed to Eddy's QUALITY with every fiber of your being! This journey rips our heart out at every turn over and over again. But one thing we all stay steadfast avout is choosing quality over quantity!
We are all here by your side! We are all cheering for you and sweet Eddy like craaaaazy!!!!!
Thank you so much for letting us know what's going on. I hope others will chime in with their experiences with Palladia.
Sending you so much love and lots of hugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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!
So sorry for the new about Eddy. Please try to live in the moment. I did extensive research on Paladia, not sure where I found it here. Unfortunately I was not able to try it. As I recall there is the GI upset aspect of it..ie: vomiting and diarrhea. I will try to find the source and post it for you.
Stay positive!
OK I found it- type in Palladia in the search box under your avatar. If you scroll down you will see Any input for Jake MCT- that was my original post and there are MANY wonderful informative references. Hope this helps you and Eddy.
So sorry to read about Eddy's possible new mets, but everyone gave you great insight......like Sally and Penny said, he is not feeling symptoms and living his happy life, and so hoping this continues for a long time. I don't have any experience with Palladia, so unfortunately I cannot help there, but I just want you to live in the moments with your boy, and enjoy every single second with him.....let him lead and go wherever it takes you both.....don't ever give up and give in to the "ugly c", and NEVER let it rob you of any quality time with Eddy.
Keeping you in my thoughts,
Bonnie & Angel Polly
Eddy appears to be going downhill. He has been very quiet this weekend, sleeping a lot. He is losing hair and his poor pink skin is turning black in spots...his doctor attributes this to the chemotherapy. Tomorrow I am supposed to start the Palladia, and to be honest, I don't want to. I am having a really difficult time anticipating giving him these poison pills when he already isn't feeling well. I hate to say it, but I feel like giving up. I promised Eddy I would never push him too far, and to be honest, after reading about the Palladia on here, I have a lot of concern. It is SO hard to determine when enough is enough. The Palladia will not cure the mets he has in his lungs. There will be no cure. The best I can hope for is that it will buy him a few more weeks, maybe a month or two. But at what cost?????
To make matters even more complicated, we leave on a six day vacation the day after Christmas.... it is a trip with all of my extended family that was planned early last year. So, I can't cancel it. My kids are so looking forward to it. We will be on a cruise, so if something happens, I won't be able to just come home. I have my nephew willing to stay at our home with Eddy, and a friend will drop in daily to check on Eddy while my nephew is at work, but my greatest fear is that he will die alone while I am gone.
Ugh! There is too much going on right now and I am at a loss for answers. I hate this blasted Osteosarcoma with a passion! Thanks for letting me vent!
Betsy Golden and Angel, Eddy. Eddy was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma 7-23-14, had a left rear amputation 8-07-14, had 3 rounds of carboplatin chemotherapy, a small lung met was discovered in October, had 2 rounds of doxorubicin, and unfortunately more lung mets were discovered. Eddy fought cancer valiantly and went to the Rainbow Bridge 1-6-15, at the age of 7 years and 359 days, just six days short of his 8th birthday. Best Dog, Ever....you will never be forgotten.
So sorry to read about Eddy's mets.
Really hard to pitch in with any suggestions, except: stick to your original plan, to guarantee Eddy's quality of life above all things. From all I have seen in this forum, and from my past experience, one must trust our "gut feeling" - and take the decisions you feel are in your dog's best interest - even if this means not following what the vet recommends. Nobody knows Eddy better than his human parents. Is Eddy taking anything else, like K-9 Immunity and/or Apocaps ? They tend to help improve the dog's energy level.
Tight hug from Daniela & Johnnie
Our awesome Golden Boy was diagnosed for OSA in April 2014 in the proximal humerus, front-leg amp on 05/20/2014. Finished chemo (Carbo6) on 07/10/2014. Ongoing treatment: acupuncture + K-9 Immunity Plus ( 3chews) and home-cooked no-grain diet. Stopped Apocaps because of liver issues. Liver issues: controlling altered enzymes with SAM-e and Milk Thistle. October 17: started having seizures. Taking fenobarbital for seizures. April 18: started prednisone.
You are in a really tough situation, just like life to throw you a curve ball. I personally would not do the Palladia. It seems like he needs some immune support and just love. And as far as the vacation, of course you have to go. See how Eddy does in the next week and how you feel about his quality of life. I have had to put many dogs to sleep and I have to say I haven't always chose the right moment, usually because of my emotions not what was best for the dog. My Maggie who died of cancer, I think I chose the right time. There's a helpful topic on here about pennies and how to decide when it is time. If you think Eddy is doing okay by Christmas time, it's okay to go. You have to go with your gut and whatever decision you make you cannot feel guilty. Eddy loves you no matter what. Good luck!
Penny, Hank, Blink and Spirit Maggie
Betsy, I apologize for the brief response yesterday, it's been a nutty weekend. I am VERY sorry to hear about Eddy's latest medical news and today's update, what a tough spot indeed. I also agree that Palladia may not be the route you want to take, it's not always the easiest protocol; listen to your gut instinct and focus on quality of life, that's what counts right now. There are things you can do to stimulate appetite and ease any symptoms like breathing issues that may occur. One of our favorite holistic vets, Dr. Lena McCullough, has great info here on her site.
The vacation part is tough, but you know that Eddy would never, ever hold that against you. He wants you to love and live life to the fullest, it's all he wants for his pack. It's really simple, and so uncomplicated to him. We just have a hard time with our complicated emotions getting in the way and although I can't blame you at all for feeling conflicted about going, I know that Eddy wouldn't be mad about that. It's not in his nature, not at all. Talk to Eddy, have a heart to heart with him, he will tell you.
{{{{{hugs}}}}
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Betsy, yes, the hair loss and blackish appearance on Eddy's skin is most definitely from chemo, but once they are done with it, hair comes back and skin returns to normal.....this is not anything that will hurt Eddy, just looks icky. My Polly had terrible hair loss, blackish skin, and big difficulties with chemo such as excessive vomiting and diarrhea. We were able to get it under control, thankfully and continue. But you are a few weeks out now from his last chemo, so I believe Eddy may just be a bit quiet because he may be feeling how upset you are right now......my Polly could ALWAYS feel my sad and bad moods and she became the same way as me, I had to learn to be happier so she wouldn't feel the effects of my "human" moods.
Any further intervention for Eddy is completely your decision, and nothing you decide will be wrong when wanting to keep him with as much comfort and quality as possible. Jerry gave great advice for holistic possibilities if you decide to go that route. He isn't really showing any symptoms per se' right now, so just go and be happy with him, and enjoy everything you can....your trip is only a few weeks away, and I think Jerry is right about your trip, Eddy would want you to be living life to the fullest....
Keeping you and him in my thoughts,
Bonnie & Angel Polly
Thank you for your reassurance about the skin issues Bonnie, it's so good for pawrents to know that this isn't unusual.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
BETSY AND EDDY!
Thanks for coming here and sharing your thoughts. I know your emotions are running haywire right now and its hard to think clearly. You ARE stronger than you even realoze right now. You are strong because you love Eddy so much and he loves you...and therein lies y our strength.
You have gotten excellent and heartfelt advice from Penny, Bonnie, Jerry and Daneila...really good insight.
I know its hard not to be worried when Eddy seems to be having a "bad" day...and most likely, thats all it is. This lart of the journey often has good days,as well as less good days sort of rotating with each other. Eddy doesn't seem in pain, or have any awful symptons showing up...he's just having a less good day or two. And as Bonnie says, emotions of the humans can certainly have an effect...and goodness knows you have a lot on your plate eight now.
I just want to piggyback on what the others have said so well...and really piggyback in what you've said regarding Paladia....Daneila said "trust your gut"....and you said rearding starting Paladia tomorrow...."I DON'T WANT TO"!!! Now, tto say, people who have bad experiences with Laladia are more likely to lost than those whl don't...but side effects are real and treatment CAN be rough...of course, not with every dog!!!
But right now...today..Eddy isn't feeling all that chipper and it may not be a good idea to pursue this ...or at least not tomorrow. NOT pursuing this direction for treatment is NOT GIVING UP!!! Boosting his immune system holistically and not risking compromising his quality with any more chemicals is NOT giving up!
As far as vacation..again..I can only ditto what others have already said...but with emphasis on knowing that the trip is still a couple of weeks off. You will be more clear at that time and you can have the vet give him a quick check up before you go sonyou can feel more comfortable about it.
I think you'll see Eddy reclaim his Eddyness in the next day or so and you can just enjoy being free of any worries about any further treatment harming him IF thate the path you and Eddy decide!!! WHATEVER his timeframe may be...and NO ONE KNOWS WHAT THAT IS.........you and Eddy steadfastly agree it's all about QUALITY!!!
Stay connected....we are here...and we love you and Eddy!!!!!!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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!
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