Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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We are 15 days post-amp today. Bailey is doing really well with everything so far, and has really adjust to life on three legs really quickly. (She only seems frustrated when she has an itch she can't scratch on her right side, but we keep trying to scratch the spot for her.)
Bailey's surgeon finally called us with Bailey's biopsy results. Her surgery was both a spleenectomy (she had a huge mass on her spleen) and a rear right leg amputation (due to disease in her femur which caused a break) and biopsies of both were done. But, they also found two nodules on her liver when they were doing the surgery that the vet thought was probably not anything serious because he said they looked like common nodules found on the liver of aging dogs, but he removed them and biopsied them too. Unfortunately, all of the biopsies came back as high grade sarcoma. Honestly, these were not unexpected results from the spleen and leg biopsies. Her specialist had prepared us ahead of time for the possibility of this news prior to her surgery. But, no matter how much you think you are prepared for news like this, it is still hard to take. Plus, knowing that the cancer has spread to the liver too is very disheartening news to hear. We will be meeting soon with the specialist to discuss her results in more detail and figure out what is the next best step for her treatment wise.
We are doing our best to stay positive and strong for her, because we know we still have time with her and that we are lucky to have that time.
So much sad news these days. Oh, boy, that's a lot in there. Your poor Bailey! Darn. Well, he's gotten a whole lot of care recently and will receive even more with even more love! Keep us posted about what the next appt reveals. I'm wondering the future holds for your dear pup. Whatever it is, he's here now and doesn't know what's happening. Love him and loads of belly rubs!!!! (((HUGS)))
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
I'm choosing to look at this positively. My dog had a soft tissue sarcoma (grade 2) on his leg. After his amputation, he was in the clear and lived a wonderful 22 months. He died in December from internal bleeding that was coming from a mass on his spleen. As I see it, Bailey got a break that many dogs don't get! You found out about that mass and got it out of there.
I don't know about lesions on the liver, so I can't speculate on anything about prognosis. But splenic masses are a sneaky way to go, and you have spared Bailey that. Plus, you know about the liver lesions and that gives you knowledge, which is a powerful thing. You are not being ambushed, which is the way this disease usually works. So I say it's a very good thing that you found all this out.
I hope Bailey has a lot of time left with you and gets old and lives like a pampered senior citizen. I hope she has lots of plans and a huge to-do list that you can help her accomplish. So...what's first on the list? 
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
Yes, it's one thing to speculate and then another to be told! There are some things you can never really be prepared for. It's tough news and I can only imagine how much it hurts but I share Shari's optimism. The positive side of it is you were able to get that spleen mass out before it could rupture and at least you now know about the nodules on the liver. Knowledge is power. Good luck with your specialist. Hopefully you will be able to get a treatment plan that can give you much more time. Whatever happens you have this extra time to love your girl even more and make special memories.
Karen and Spirit Magnum
Magnum: 30th May 2002 to 5th May 2012. Lost her back left leg to osteosarcoma on 5th Sep 2011. Lung mets found on 20th Mar 2012 but it was bone mets in the hip that ended her brave battle. Magnum's motto - "Dream as if you'll live for ever, live as if you'll die today" (James Dean). Loyal, loving, courageous and spirited to the end. My beloved heart dog, see her memoirs from Rainbow Bridge ...... http://princess.....pawds.com/
Oh, yes, it's hard to hear the news even when you think you are "prepared." I don't know much about sarcomas, since we dealt with bone cancer. I hope you have a lot of great quality time with your pup.
I'm partial to the name Bailey, as we had our beagle, Bailey, with us for 12 years. Give your Bailey some loving from me!
Jackie, Angel 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!
Aw guys, I'm sorry, I realize this is disappointing and scary news.
But I really love Dakota's Mom's attitude. You caught those nasty sarcomas, you have a great team on your side and you will have a treatment plan in just a bit. Knowledge is power, and a pawsitive attitude will carry you through this so you can enjoy every minute you have with Bailey.
Give her a big big hug from us, we are cheering you on for a long, long time together.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
That is hard news. I hope maybe Shari's words helped a bit. We are all thinking about you and Baily.
Topher
Vet Assistant (in school to be a licensed vet technician)
1.5 years Oncology department, moved to rehab & sportsmed December 2024
Tripawd Angel, Cora the Determined <3
Thank you all so much for your support. Sorry I have not been back on here to respond lately, but I wanted to wait until we met with the specialist. We met with the specialist today. As I mentioned in my last post, he said that Bailey has high grade sarcoma, but he also said that the sarcoma is non-angiosarcoma (I think I got that right) which he said is rare to see in the spleen, but they believe that the cancer started in the spleen and metastisized to the leg and the spots found on the liver. He said that it is an aggressive cancer and that without further treatment he said that she may only be with us for 4 to 6 more weeks. It is so hard to believe that considering how well she is doing right now. But, he said that she will start feeling bad again. He gave us two options for treatment: 1.) Chemotherapy (IV infusion in the hospital) or 2.) Metronomic chemotherapy (pills given at home). He said that because this is rare, he does not know how her cancer will respond to either of these treatments, but he said if we were lucky it could prolong her life to 4 to 6 months. We do not think we want to do the "regular" chemotherapy because Bailey absolutely hates trips to the vet and we would like to make the rest of her time with us as stress-free and fun as possible. So, we are leaning toward the metronomic chemotherapy since it is just pills we can give her at home. She will still have to go to the vet for check ups to see how the therapy is working, but it would be less trips to the vet and thus less stress for all of us. I have been looking up stuff online about it and reading some of Jerry's old posts about his experience with metronomic therapy to get better informed about how it works. Does anyone else have any thoughts about this.
Hi guys, I'm really sorry the news is not that great. I hope with all my might that she beats those odds and continues to live a long, healthy hoppy life.
I'm glad you're reading the metronomic chemotherapy posts. For more experiences, check out these discussions:
Cyclophosphamide (=cytoxan) in metronomics: who's used it and what did you think?
Cyclophosphamide- Anyone use this as a chemo treatment?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
That sounds like a really good plan - keep him medicated and at home. Going to the vet often isn't awesome for anyone. I just found out the prices offered for metronomic therapy at DiamondBack Drugs were great! Give them a call to get a quote. Best wishes!!!
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
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