Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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We went and had the stitches taken out today. Levi is still not a very happy pup. Vet thinks we are not controlling the pain enough. OMGosh, we are doing 6 Tramadol a Day, One Previcox, One Gabapentin bedtime, and now up to 3 Methocarbamol a day. We just "upped" things today. We are hoping he'll be ready for his Chemo Tuesday. I hate to make him feel like crap again with the Chemo but we decided that if we are going down the "try to save him" path then we are going to try everything...
The good news is that Levi has his brief moments where I see my happy boy. Physically he seems fine. We go on off leash walks behind the house. He naviagtes our stairs beautifully, and he can jump on our bed to wake us up in the morning like usual (this usually isn't neccisarily welcome 🙂 )
I'm really hoping another 4--5 days and I'll really be feeling better about things.
Thanks for listening
Levi was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma 7-7-11
Ampuversary 10-14-11
Lung Mets Discovered 1-4-12. Chemo seemed to not be working so we switched to Artemisinin and other supplements. In May, Levi developed a sinus infection and started having seizures. The cancer had moved to his brain. We let him go 6-26-12.
Goodness me. Maybe he'll start feeling more like his old self with the stitches out. Hope you can reduce the meds soon! So hard to know what to do since they can't say if they are in pain or not!
Someone needs to invent that little cap you strap on their heads so we can read their thoughts! 
Keep hanging in there. I hope he's all better soon!!
Jackie, Abby's mom
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
We are sending healing thoughts your way!
Have you tried icing him? We used to do "ice therapy" with Bo. Ice pack/dish towel on the incision for 10-15 min. Bo would also chew on some ice cubes during this. Tried to do it around med time so he could have an ETGayle medicinal nap too.
Come here and vent all you want. We understand...it's tough. We hope that Levi gets to feeling like his old self soon!
Wow that is a lotta dope! Be sure to keep an eye on his GI, that Previcox can do a number on a dog's stomach.
We hope he feels better soon, poor guy!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Okay, take this for whatever it's worth and I don't want to second-guess your vet because I'm not one. But Tate had a hemipelvectomy, his rear leg and half his pelvis - very radical surgery. Stitches came out on Day 13, the surgeon said he was all healed up inside and didn't need pain meds any more. I can't say with 100% certainty that he didn't experience any pain but he didn't ever act like he was in pain and was a lot better without all the drugs in his system. Just some food for thought. It's such a struggle, you don't want them in pain but you want them back to their happy selves, too.
As far as starting chemo, Tate didn't have any side effects until after the third treatment. The effects are cumulative so the initial dose might not be a problem. After the first dose, he slept a lot on the second day. Second dose, you'd never know he was on chemo. So hopefully Levi will do fine, too.
Hang in there, and keep us posted. I'm guessing those brief moments will become more and more frequent until they all run together!
Jan & Tate
http://tate.tripawds.com/
August 16, 2006 to November 28, 2011
TATE ~ Forever in our hearts.
So glad that Levi was healed enough to get his stitches out! And happy that he is doing well physically. I know exactly what you mean when you say that you see brief moments when Levi is a happy boy. I remember seeing glimpses of Valentina as her old self and somedays it made me cry. Each time they do something that they used to do before the surgery that you haven't seen them do after the surgery can be emotional. For example, Valentina just loves ice cubes. Everytime I get some ice she would jump up and run to the kitchen to get some ice for herself. It seemed to take a very long time before she did that again after the surgery. Little by little those old antics and actions would reappear. The first time she stood up and came over to the couch for me to pet her I cried because before that she would only get up and get a drink of water that was right beside her bed but then she would just lay back down. I would try to coax her to walk over and visit me but she didn't want to. She wanted to be alone alot and she didn't want to walk anymore than she had to at first. It seems very sad and upsetting not to see them doing all the things they used to and acting the ways they used to but it really is wonderful to see them come around and make those milestones over time. Things will get better.I know it can be agonizing to wait for it to happen. Waiting is a very hard part of this experience. It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job of helping Levi recover so give yourself a pat on the back. No doubt about it, this is freakin hard!!!! The good thing is you have this site and that is one very valuable thing that helped me get through. This site is a blessing!!! I am looking forward to hearing about Levi's ongoing accomplishments. And to see you both back to normal and happy again. Keep up the good work Dobie Mom!!! 
Interesting. Our vet had us do the opposite with the pain meds...she told us to slowly decrease pills in the few days before his staples were removed (10 days post op). So his last dose of pain meds was the morning he had his staples out. That afternoon, I felt like we finally had our Rumbles back. He was more active and engaged...and never showed any sign of pain or distress. I'm sure it was a combo of getting those uncomfortable staples out + emerging from the fog of the medication.
We also lowered Skyler's pain meds after a week, and gave her the last one on the day her staples were coming out - 2 weeks post surgery. I hope Levi continues to improve, that his meds can be lowered soon, and that chemo is well tolerated. Please keep us posted, and kiss his snout for me.
Sending you lots of golden hugs...
Cathy
we agree with jan and tate, gayle's chemo didn't really have a negative effect until the third, fourth and fifth rounds...then diarrhea and belly issues... sounds like levi is really getting alot of pain meds, but you know your pup better than anyone else, so our recommendation is to increase the medicinal naps and add in an additional treat or two!!
charon & gayle
Life is good, so very, very good!!! Gayle enjoyed each and every moment of each and every wonderful day (naps included). She left this world December 12, 2011 – off on a new adventure.
Love Never Ends
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