Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Well, I'm up keeping an eye on Yoda to see if he can get some sleep tonight or if we may as well take advantage of the UW Vet School's 24 hour ER tonight. So I figured I'd post now to past the time...
Around 6:30 tonight, when I came home on my lunch break (2nd shifter - at least for another week) Yoda didn't want his dinner, which is odd for him nowadays. Before his amp he used to put off his meals often, but since the amp he eats immediately (probably because of all the tasty bribes he got during recovery and the tasty wet food that now follows every meal with his K-9 Immunity and/or Piroxicam hidden inside). He also didn't want to go out during my quick visit, but that's typical.
When I got home, he still didn't eat, which was doubly odd because he likes to eat when anyone comes into the house (whether a visitor or resident). So I leashed him to go for his walk and wasn't surprised that he was hopping very slowly again - just as he did a couple weeks ago. That was that long night I posted about (asking if any of Yoda's symptoms sounded familiar) when Yoda was hopping super slow and had difficulty getting comfortable (restless), and I brought him in for an emergency visit that morning. By the time he was seen he was already improving. The vet on duty determined that it was probably pain from tumor growth which Yoda's oncologist suspected was occuring in the back right leg - though no pain could be localized. We ended up with a long thread of posts here about possible GI issues, but Yoda didn't present any further symptoms and when I talked to Yoda's oncologist she was confident too that it was probably a pain issue rather than a GI issue.
So, tonight, I prepared to give Yoda Tramadol, which they recommended 2 weeks ago if Yoda's Piroxicam (anti-inflammatory), which he was restarting that day for the cancer anyway, wasn't enough for his discomfort. I called in to the UW vet school emergency first, just in case they thought he needed to be seen, but they said to go ahead with the Tramadol and see how that went. The Tramadol did seem to help. An hour later Yoda got up to drink some water of his own accord, though he continued to ignore his food. Yoda was coughing every so often though. He then began to pant softly, then breath heavily through his nose (mouth shut), then seem to breath normally, and has continued to go back and forth among those variations. He seemed fairly comfortable despite all this, so I let myself drift off to sleep, but after some more coughing woke me up, I went to check on him. He coughed again, sounding like he was going to vomit, but nothing came out and he laid back down. It was on my way back to bed that I caught sight of a little spot of blood on the floor. I looked around after that and found a splattering of several more drops next to the couch.
So I called the ER vet back. She found it strange that it was just blood and not blood with saliva or vomit. She felt he should definitely be seen in the next 24 hours, however, if he seemed comfortable, she was encouraged that he drank water and said that if I preferred to watch him and bring him in in the morning, that could be okay. If I brought him in, they would do chest x-rays and then probably just observe him until oncology got in. I wanted, and maybe pushed a little, to keep him home tonight and watch him, because I doubt Yoda would get any rest overnight at the vet's. So I'm observing and as long as he doesn't cough any more blood or get worse in any other way, I won't take him in until the morning, when oncology is in. We are very fortunate to live just a 10 minute drive from the Vet School (when there isn't traffice at least), otherwise I wouldn't probably wouldn't feel comfortable waiting and watching. His cough still seems to be aggravating him from time to time, but no more blood so far and he does seem to be dozing in between.
So that's it for now. Hopefully I'll be able to update before too long.
Yoda&Mom united: 9/5/06 …….… Yoda&Leg separated: 6/5/09……… Yoda&Leg reunited: 10/14/09 ……… ……………….………….………….……. Yoda&Mom NEVER separated! …………………….….……....….…… Though Spirit Yoda currently free-lances as a rabbit hunting instructor for tripawds nationwide
Oh by the way, if anyone is wondering because they're new to the site or just can't keep up with all these posts (I know how that is!) - Yoda was found to have five lung mets a little over a month ago. He wasn't scheduled for an x-ray at that time, but he had developed a little cough/snort that week, so they decided to do one just in case and were surprised to find five mets already when he had had a clear x-ray 3 weeks before. His current cough is a little different from that one. That one went more through his nose and this one more through his mouth. And, oddly enough, that cough vanished completely a few days after the x-ray and so he's been cough-free as far as I've heard for about a month. And he has kept up his normal activity level since then (still going to the dog parks and everything), except for that bad night of pain that seemed to just come and go a couple weeks ago. Maybe he'll surprise me again and bounce back from this too (knock wood). If he doesn't, I can still be grateful for how well he has done for so long. What I'm hoping for most is that whatever tests they do give the vets as clear of a picture as possible about how Yoda is doing and what he needs. I hate it when new symptoms go unexplained.
Hmmm. Yoda is drinking again already. That's a little soon. Off to take a closer look at the patient.
Yoda&Mom united: 9/5/06 …….… Yoda&Leg separated: 6/5/09……… Yoda&Leg reunited: 10/14/09 ……… ……………….………….………….……. Yoda&Mom NEVER separated! …………………….….……....….…… Though Spirit Yoda currently free-lances as a rabbit hunting instructor for tripawds nationwide
Hi Yoda's Mom,
So it looks like you've had a long night, but I'll bet Yoda is glad he could stay home with you until going to get checked out today.
I wish I could offer you words of wisdom, but I know next to nothing about lung mets. What I can offer you is my support and well wishes. I will be thinking of you and Yoda, and I hope that you get some answers today.
Michelle
No words of wisdom here either, but LOTS of good thoughts coming your way. Hope the vet visit is uneventful.
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.
We keep thinking of you and crossing fingers and paws (3 up there over the bridge and 4 down here).
Hugs,
Cecilia
Spirit Horacia, Castaño, Olympia + human family Cecilia, Georg and Julia - - - Hori first diagnosed 8/6/09, ampu 8/12/09, run over the bridge 9/10/09 – We miss you every day dear girl!
I'm so sorry to hear of Yoda's problems.
I posted on another thread, but Tika was having the food issues. She had also coughed up drops of blood that weren't with saliva or mucus, and our oncologist didn't know why it would just be drops of blood either.
However, she hasn't done that since, (that I've found), but has coughed up some mucus.
Tika isn't on pills right now because she has a delicate stomach, Tramadol completely made her loopy when we had her on it before and that definitely affected her appetite. We were using piroxicam with her Metronomic protocol until we had to stop that also because of her stomach.
Since we've started SubQ (subcutaneous) shots of Metacam, she really has rallied. We also give her Pepcid in the morning, her appetite, activity and attitude (My Big 'A's) have greatly improved. Getting her back on food was quite the process though, we have her on a fairly normal diet now of things she'll eat (FreshPet, you can get it at the grocery store).
The Metacam seems to have eased her cough also, she's not doing her smoker's hack as much. Tika's is also on her fourth month of confirmed lung mets.
If you are comfortable trying a SubQ shot at home, it might work for Yoda like it did for Tika. Does Yoda have a fever? Tika did, the vet said it was the lung mets dumping whatever it is into her system and the body tries to fight it with fever.
I'll be thinking of you guys, it's just horrible when you get hit with that runaway out of control feeling when you aren't ready for it. (Like we'll ever be ready)
Take care, good luck,
Kim and Tika
Kim and Spirit Tika http://www.tika.....ogspot.com
I am so sorry to hear about the long night you and Yoda had, and that you are facing these issues. Sure sounds as though Tika has some useful information, but I'm sorry that both you and Tika are going through this. Plus your work schedule sounds crazy. Make sure you get enough food and rest!
I sure hope you rally Yoda!! If a vet is receptive to letting you administer subQ pain relief, try it. I have not done it for years, but it seemed easy enough at the time. Of course it was not on my OWN dog back then.
Susan and Tazzie
We freaked out the first time Jerry started coughing, and his wheeze turned out to be allergies! Months later, when his lung mets were getting aggressive, it was clearly a much different cough. More of a hack really. Thanks for the update. Best wishes for good news from the vet.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
So I haven't slept yet, so posting now probably isn't the wisest idea, but I'll try to keep it really short. Now that I've checked the thread and seen the replies, I want to let you all know some kind of an update, but I won't go in to too much detail about what the oncologist said yet since I'll be receiving her write-up of everything she told me via e-mail later and without that I'll probably mix up some of the finer points.
Yoda has lots more mets. The main concern and the suspected culprit for the blood Yoda coughed up though is fluid in one of his lungs. There are a couple possibilities, but the oncologist – as I understood her to say this morning – thinks what most likely caused the fluid (given how the x-ray looks, and the CBC results, his symptoms and lack of other symptoms, etc.) is that one of the mets burst (or one of the nodules? same thing right?). Anyway, Yoda could have a few weeks or just the weekend. He's home though and back on all the meds he was on before his amputation (except he's on Piroxicam now rather than Rimadyl before) – Tramadol, Tylenol with Codiene and Piroxicam. So yeah, feeling like Susan and Tazzie, like we're back at the beginning again.
He's been getting around like normal (the slow hop is gone) since he started the Tramadol last night. Hopefully the additional painkillers will help him get his appetite back. He's also getting Pepcid just in case, because now with the coughing up of blood, he's likely to end up with some blood in his stool from swallowing that from time to time, so there wouldn't be a clear indicator if the Piroxicam caused an ulcer. But now we're getting into the more complicated details, so I'll leave it at that and be back to clarify more after I've gotten a nap and the oncologist's e-mail.
Oh, regarding the Tramadol, Kim. Yoda was on it for a while before he got his amputation and I didn't see any effect on him then – sedative or loopy. He has been pretty lethargic since this all started (before he got any Tramadol), so that could all be about the congestion in his lungs. When I told the oncologist I hadn't seen a sedative effect on Yoda the last time, she seemed to think that it was probably the cancer then and not the Tramadol making him lethargic. And the Tramadol made a big difference in Yoda's mobility, so I'm happy with it for now. But if his appetite doesn't improve, I'll definitely check with the oncologist about whether the Tramadol might be hindering that.
Oh and you asked about a fever. No fever yet, which I think is one of the reasons she ruled pnuemonia (bacterial pneumonia she might have said) less likely as the cause of the fluid in Yoda's lung. But if it is a ruptured met and therfore blood is the fluid in the lungs, I think she said, the presence of blood could feed an infection and then we'd see a fever.
Okay, again gonna cut myself off here – I'll just say that I got some food into him and all the necessary meds and he's resting comfortably and I haven't even heard his cough since we got home. So yes, yes, I'm going to rest now too.
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers and tips everybody!
Yoda&Mom united: 9/5/06 …….… Yoda&Leg separated: 6/5/09……… Yoda&Leg reunited: 10/14/09 ……… ……………….………….………….……. Yoda&Mom NEVER separated! …………………….….……....….…… Though Spirit Yoda currently free-lances as a rabbit hunting instructor for tripawds nationwide
Yoda's Mom,
I am so sorry that you and Yoda are going through this. Kim seemed to have a lot of suggestions. Did your oncologist think that any of things she does to help Tika could help Yoda, too? Yoda continues to be in my prayers and so do you.
Debra
Debra & Emily, a five year old doberman mix, who was diagnosed with an osteosaecoma. She had a right rear leg amputation on May 19, 2009. On November 10, 2009 she earned her wings and regained her fourth leg.
Sometimes we need to vent it all out before we can sleep. I hope you were able to get a little rest. I have been following your story, but feel like everyone has such better advice than I can give. Just wanted you to know I was thinking of you-hoping the best for Yoda. I hate this worry of lung mets and constant vigilence on every little cough. We worry on every cough or hack, but it's hard because our girl is on inhalation chemo and they said sometimes you can expect coughing. Sigh. Anyway, we can't take care of those we love without taking care of ourselves...and yes we've allheard that a hundred times and it's not as easy to do as it is to say! But I'm saying it again, I hope you get some good rest so Yoda can love on you and you can love on Yoda. And I'm thinking of you.
May 2001-Jan 21, 2010.....I'm a dog and I'm AWESOME!..... Always.
mets, nodules, nasty buggers .. yup, all the same as far as i know.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Yoda and Mom,
Blast those blasted mets! I am so sorry you are facing this now. We try to enjoy each good day our dogs have, but how do we cope when things are not so good? It must be soo hard, plus on top of a new job. You have to be exhausted. I am glad Yoda is hopping okay and eating.
Tazzie rebounded very nicely from his minor surgery and sends his excess energy to Yoda.
Susan
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