Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Today is Henri's two week ampuversary! We are happy to be here but I can honestly say it certainly has been a stressful two weeks and I am running low on fuel....very very exhausted! I know most everyone has been in my shoes! I think Henri has made great progress but we still have a long way to go. Because he is an old guy...Eleven...things are moving at a little bit slower pace. He is a brave boy and I am proud of him! : )
We got the phone call Tuesday concerning his recommended treatment plan. And as I feared, they want to do 5 rounds of chemo ( Doxorubicin )...I did some research on this and I am so worried about putting Henri through this. Wanted to see if some of you would share your experiences with Doxorubicin....And I know all dogs are different but just wanted to get a feel for what to expect. We have our appointment set for Tuesday and will be meeting with a Cardiologist first to make sure Henri's heart is healthy enough to handle this. I am torn mainly because Henri has not completely healed yet and still has "off" days.
I can not imagine even more set backs. There is a limit to how much we want to put our beloved furry friends through. And no, Henri has not even given me a hint as to what his "limits" are.
I know meeting with the Oncologist will help answer many questions but I just want to do what is best for Henri. I welcome all of your experiences as it can be helpful...no we do not know the magic number of days we have left but I do want the days to be good days...not sick because of chemo!!!! 
Wendy~ ( Henri's mom )
I have treated many animals with doxorubricin and most handle it just fine. You have to make sure to get the drug in the vein since it is very irritating to surrounding tissues. It is smart to schedule an echo prior to make sure that the heart can handle it. I have seen a few dogs get nauseous or have diarrhea within a few days of treatment and many develop a low white cell count 7-10 days after an injection. Remember that if Henri doesn't tolerate chemo well you can always stop it!
I would also ask your oncologist if it is okay to use Power Mushrooms or K9 Immunity to help him handle the chemo better.
Pam
Jack started on adriamycin (doxorubicin) about 3 weeks after his amputation. He had no issues whatsoever with the protocol. We did give him anti-nausea meds as a precaution and they must have worked!! Jack was supposed to go through 6 sessions, but we stopped after 4. My perspective on the treatments kind of changed, and I went from fighter mode to acceptance mode and I started having issue with the fact we were knowingly hurting his heart. I think Tazzie II also had Doxo, so maybe Susan will respond with her experience as well 🙂 Even after only 4 rounds, Jack celebrated his 9 month ampuversary yesterday 🙂 Good luck! These decisions are all so tough, mostly because there are so many options to choose from!
<3 Laura and Jackaroo
Tai has had 3 rounds of Doxorubicin so far. She is scheduled for 5. So far, touch wood, she has not had any major side effects. My onco didn't want to start treatments until 2 weeks after Tai's amp surgery which I did appreciate so she wasn't fighting so much all at once. They do bloodwork and a thorough exam before each chemo session and then a follow-up blood test 1 week later, which is when they anticipate the whites will be at their lowest - so far hers have been right back up to low normal by then (perhaps its the K9 Immunity
etc that I give her). My Vet advocated K9 Immunity
and has a number of dogs on it. She won't commit to saying it absolutely helps but she agrees that it doesn't hurt. I also put Tai on CoenzymeQ10 to help her heart. The usual side effects I see with Tai are slightly loose stool approx 2-3 days after receiving the chemo, and she is slightly more tired than normal for a day or so. Neither of these symptoms lasts very long. Her appetite has remained good but she is a lab so that's normal 
My Vet did send me home with anti-nausea and anti-diarrhea meds but she hasn't needed them so far. From what I hear from others, the first round is the toughest with the strongest side effects. Good Luck with your decision. You will do what is the right thing for your dog. If it helps, I don't think the chemo has affected Tai's quality of life in a negative way at all. Keep us posted. Thinking of you and wishing you and your Pup the best.
Laura and Tai
Tai – 9 yr old lab. Diagnosed Osteosarcoma Dec 18/09. Front right leg amputated Dec 21/09. Started chemo Jan 7/10. Lung mets discovered Sept 16/10. Valiant to the end on Oct 26/10 when cancer reappeared in a leg and we made the decision to set her free. Forever in my heart where not even cancer can take her from me.
tazziedog said:
I have seen a few dogs get nauseous or have diarrhea within a few days of treatment...
Don't miss yesterday's Tripawds Nutrition post discussion solutions for easing the nausea often related to chemotherapy...
Nausea Remedies for Tripawds
March 3rd, 2010 by jerry in Supplements
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
We used Carboplatin, but I also had the concerns you have about quality of life. I was not at all sure I wanted to put Trouble through chemo. My husband and our vet finally convinced me to give her the first treatment. I did, with the understanding that if it made her miserable, we wouldn't give any more.
You don't know how it will affect them until you try, and it may give him additional months he wouldn't have had - Trouble's starting her 16th month.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
Hi Wendi and Henry
Tazzie's protocol was to alternate Doxy and Cisplatin, although because of his prior kidney issues and a few other factors, the cisplatin was replaced with Carboplatin. The first Doxy made him lose his appetite for a few days and some nausea, mostly seen as salivating (and the loss of appetite). Next time, we used Cerenia (anti-nausea drug) in advance and avoided the appetite problems. The fur that had been shaved from amputation and another previous surgery was just starting to grow back, as did some other fur (he used to have a big bushy tail but no-one on this website would guess that from his tripawd pictures).
I'd ask the onco about the possibility of doing straight Carboplatin. It seems to be more common and certainly studies suggest it is as or more effective (I have been assuming that you are talking OSA, but now am wondering if Henri has a different type of cancer - that "histowhatever" that came up recently?). For OSA, it seems more dogs get 4 to 6 Carboplatin treatments than use Doxy or a combined protocol. Generally I have the impression that Carbo results in fewer side effects for most dogs. But as you just heard, Jackers did fine and Tazziedog has used it a lot.
We only got to the 3rd treatment, because I found a met at that time and regular chemo was stopped.
You don't have to do chemo, although I know it is hard to say no to anything that might help them live longer. Lots of dogs on this site have not done chemo and have done pretty darn well.
Good luck. I know these decisions are hard.
Sadie actually had her first chemo treatment 2 days before her amputation. At the time, we didn't know how long it would take to schedule surgery, so we started chemo right away. I was concerned about doing surgery so soon after chemo, but the oncologist said it was ok, and it was. She tolerated doxorubicin well, I just hope she does as well Thursday, when she goes in for round 2. As Pam said, you can always stop if Henri's side effects outweigh the potential benefit. Good luck, I know it's a tough decision.
Sadie is my 9yr old Rott/Shepherd mix. Diagnosed with osteosarcoma in her right scapula 1/28/10. Our brave girl had her amputation 2/13/10 and her last chemotherapy on 6/6/10. Unfortunately, a tumor appeared in her back right leg and on 10/7/2010 Sadie's earthly journey came to an end. On 10/24/2010 we adopted Ranger, a handsome Rott/Lab mix tripawd (got hit by a car) I think Sadie sent him to us.
http://ranger.t.....pawds.com/
If she can tolerate the chemo before amputation, it probably is best in terms of the outcome. So that was probably a good thing to do. Glad Sadie is doing well. Good luck to Henri!
Doxorubicin put Maxx in the hospital for three days after treatment #3 (he had two carboplatin treatments prior to this). As a result of this last experience, which I can tell you was awful, just awful, I have decided he will have no more IV chemo. I'm going up to CSU tomorrow to discuss metronomic protocol with the oncologists, but absolutely positively no more IV chemo, and no more Doxorubicin either.
Just my experience.
Maxx the Wonderful Boy's Momma
I am really not sure what to think now. Henri came to get me out of bed a little bit before 5 am today.
He seemed to be in a hurry….so I let him outside and he went potty 1 and 2~ But it was strange….he seemed to be having a difficult time going #2~ It was like it was painful for him. : ( He was even moaning and that killed me.
He came back inside and layed down so I layed down beside him….then he threw up, and it smelled so bad! So he obviously does not feel well at all. I thought we were going in the right direction and thought he was turning the corner after chemo. : (
I called the Vet clininc where he had his surgery….I am shocked they would not let me drop him off. WTF? Sorry for that but it makes me angry because let me add up how much money I spent there???? AURGH
I have to be at work this morning so this is all so frustrating. Guess the emergency places do not let you bring your pet without an appt… ODD ODD ODD !
I gave Henri his Nausea medicine and pray he will feel better…guess I will have the pet sitter come and check on him until I get home from work around 2:30.
This is so frustrating! I do not know if this is a reaction to the doxorubicin or if it is just a minor setback???
: (
Kinda ridulous that one has to have an appointment to have an emergency! Sheesh!
So sorry about poor Henri. Perhaps he's constipated and nauseated too?
Not sure what kind of barf actually smells good, but maybe the extra stinky smell was just because he's not digesting properly and/or the chemo?
Try to keep calm and look at it like this for now; if it were you having those problems, you probably wouldn't jump to conclusions and think that you should go to the ER too, right? So hopefully it's the same for Henri.
Keep us posted. We want to see your boy smiling again!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
He is probably straining due to diarrhea. Have you seen any? I think that he most likely needs metronidazole (an intestinal antibiotic) and maybe Fortiflora or other probiotic as well as Carafate and Cerenia since GI side effects are not that unusual with doxorubricin. Most dogs rebound in a day or two!
Pam
Homeopathically speaking (not sure you are into this or not but here goes) if there is pain with the bowel movement and vomiting, Belladonna is the first choice. If it is not pain, then Arsenicum Album comes up first. Arsenicum being the remedy of choice for poisoning too, which is what Chemo kinda is to cancer……..
Hugs Henri and Henri's mommy….
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