Jump to content

TwiggysMom

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,246

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by TwiggysMom

    Osteo Thread Part V I I

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    I can't believe Tempo has lung mets - I am so very sorry. I do hope that the doxorubicin will change things up enough to stall the cancer. This is such a terribly erratic and unfair disease. The few hounds I know who got lung mets had several months after finding them, but I know that is of little comfort to you.

     

    I've been mostly offline for the past couple weeks, and wanted to congratulate so many hounds for doing so well, but I am so sad for this latest update.

     

    One of the reasons I've been offline is that Twiggy has something going on. Thankfully, it does not appear to be osteo, but more likely due to the body-stress of being an amputee for - dare I say it - 2 years today! (Well,. technically, yesterday b/c of the leap year last year). Twiggy no longer wants to go upstairs, I think it must be due to pain in her shoulder/neck/upper spine. She was x-rayed 6 ways to Sunday last week, and they were all negative, so we are cleared to start chiropractic/acupuncture/massage/whatever next week at the integrative clinic. I so hope they can help her get that back.

     

    She isn't too bad, in that she still usually wants to go for her marathon walks after work, but life isn't ideal in my first floor room (not enough room for her to play, and no plumbing for me - not to mention that my 5'10" self is having to sleep on a loveseat!).

     

    Twiggy got a special dinner last night to celebrate, consisting of grilled filet mignon, zucchini and yellow squash, scrambled egg, watermelon, and vanilla ice cream with strawberry-rhubarb sauce with Burpdog Biscuit crumbs on top - she also got a few sips of Stella Artois to wash is all down.

     

    Tomorrow I will make her a repeat version or her celebration meal, and give her her new slumberball. We may try to get to the beach, but it is the Chicago Airshow, and we might not be able to find parking.

    Osteo Thread Part V I I

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    As Tempo gets further into his iv chemo treatments, he will be more and more susceptible to infection. Twiggy got numerous skin infections during her treatments (fortunately, we were able to control hers with topical treatments). She was going through chemo during winter, so her contact with infectious agents was more limited.

     

    With it being summer and Tempo continuing to be exposed to dogs at dog parks, I would think it is likely he could pick up some skin infections. If it doesn't resolve pretty quickly on its own, I'd get him into the vet. If infection, hopefully it will be able to be treated easily with topicals like all of Twiggy's were.

    Osteo Thread Part V I I

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Suzie, I am so sorry to hear that Maggie-Mae is having a tough time. My first thought (like some others) was LS or some other non-osteo related issue. I thought that after 5 years (even after 4 years, really) that Maggie-Mae would be considered a true osteo survivor - i.e. one that would not have a recurrence.

     

    It certainly could be related to general orthopedic issues because of her amp. Underwater treadmill is supposed to be a big help in building up muscle mass and endurance. I think you could certainly also look into acupuncture/massage/chiro.

     

    I'd probably do x-rays to rule out any internal issues first, and then go from there. I hope you can find something to make her more comfortable quickly!

     

     

    Ayladybug, I am so sorry to hear about Compass! Osteo is such a tough diagnosis because you just never know what the outcome will be, regardless of what treatment options you are using.

     

    A Palliative care plan involving pamidronate, radiation and nsaid/tramadol/gabapentin pain med combo can provide a relatively long period with good quality of life. I haven't seen her here for a while, but if you go back through some of the old threads, you will see posts from Snakes whose boy FedX had nearly 18 months on a palliative care treatment plan. I know she also incorporated a number of holistic options in her plan for FedX, but I don't recall what those were. Conversely, there are cases when the cancer is just too aggressive and very little quality post-diagnosis time is obtained.

     

    It sounds like Compass is in good hands, and I hope you all have a good long time together still! Please stick around here and let us know how things are going!

    Arrow's Bone Cancer. Need Some Guidance

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    I am so sad to hear of your Arrow's diagnosis. (I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner - the GT server change had me locked out).

     

    You are doing great research and really thinking things through clearly; kudos to you on that!

     

    I did amp/iv chemo/oral chemo for my girl (b/c she was quite young, active, and her osteo was in a "good" location), so my situation is a bit different from yours. However, I completely understand the uncertainty and difficulty in knowing what to do. You want to protect him without overprotecting him. It is SO hard to know where that line lies, but it sounds to me like you are doing a great job.

     

    Your recent post really makes me smile, because you are pulling things together so well. It sounds like you have a great vet - I love vets who are willing to research things they aren't familiar with. One thing to maybe address is dosages of pain meds (nsaid/tramadol/gabapentin). The one down side of many regular practice vets is that they often are looking at very long-term effects of higher dosages, and sadly, that isn't the most likely course for our osteo hounds. If you go through the osteo threads, there will be good recommendations on max dosages of the pain meds.

     

    For food, I have heard said again and again that "cancer feeds on carbs". However, I remember someone posting a link to a study that showed that yes, cancer loves carbs - but if it doesn't get carbs it will just switch up its game and feed equally well on something else. I don't know. For us, I split the difference and went with a low-glycemic-index food, but whether that is helping keep cancer at bay or not, I have no idea. I would've gone raw, but that was a no-no since she'd been on chemo (and this is from vets who were fine with raw pre-cancer, so not anti-raw vets!).

     

    It is so hard to know when to let them go. As said before too soon is much better than too late, but feeling like it was too soon is awful, too. I've had to let many pets go, and of those there were only two that I felt were "just right" timing-wise. I've also cremated all but one. My previous dog I buried behind my parents' house near the woods where we would happily walk together. The one thing you do need to do if you decide on burial is to make sure you can dig deep enough. Here (it was legal), we needed to go six feet - that was a lot of digging through clay soil.

     

    I know you will be able to find a good balance between keeping Arrow safe and making the most of the time you have left together. Some friends of mine here locally went on outings to a local winery that welcomed dogs in some of their outdoor areas. They had many pleasant excursions out there. A little creative thinking will give you some great ways to spend nice time together.

    Osteo Thread Part V I I

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Thank you. I think he is the most handsome guy in the world. :) Yes, we have been doing the pamidronate every 3 weeks for awhile. It used to make him feel so good, but now not having much effect. We'll see how he does after his radiation today. I fear that we are approaching the end of our journey. :(

    I'm sorry to hear he is is struggling some. I hope the radiation has helped.

     

    Update on Lana:

    Turns out the watery bulge under Lana's incision wasn't a seroma; it was an abscess. This morning it burst and a lot of blood drained out. The surgeon prescribed another round of antibiotics and said to keep an eye out for signs of infection. She said in a way it's fortunate that it burst; if it hadn't they would have had to drain it and clean it under anesthesia. Lana seems much more comfortable now that it's emptied.

    Yikes! Seromas are fairly common, so that's what anyone would have assumed. Hopefully, it will be quick healing from here!

    Osteo Thread Part V I I

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Wow, Python is one determined girl, isn't she? I agree that the bite-not style collar may be your best bet (maybe coupled with a muzzle w/stool cup).

     

    I think others here have worked through seromas, but to the best of my recollection, it was mostly time (coupled with compresses - maybe hot/cold alternated??) that was key. I'm amazed that Lana is doing so much walking already!!! She is really something!

     

    I'm glad that Katie's stool firmed up so quickly. With Twiggy, she didn't generally have any obvious GI issues, but she would have what I called "chemo poop" it was an odd, rusty color and a strange, sort of gelatinous texture. She didn't have it all the time, but it seemed to come and go cyclically at certain intervals in her chemo cycle. Once the chemo was out of her system (including oral chemo meds), the "chemo poop" never came back.

     

    Twiggy & I got an envelope from my regular vet's office last weekend. It was a pretty, sparkly card with congratulations and well-wishes from the staff, along with a gift certificate to a local pet supply store in honor of Twiggy's impending 2-year anniversary (still 2 weeks and a few days away). I was so touched! Never would I have expected such a thing from them. Twiggy hasn't even had an appointment with them for over a year since she has been seeing her oncologist so frequently. We do stop in often for lovin's and weigh-ins because I live next door. I am so thankful for my vets!

    Wow! Never Heard Of This Brand, But......

    in Food and dietary discussion

    Posted

    I switched Twiggy to Nutrisca over a year ago, when I wanted her on a low glycemic-index food. It's actually fairly pricey here, but not much more than the GO Natural I was feeding her before.

     

    She's done really well on it (but she does well on almost anything, and is a food monster).

     

    Nutrisca has a buy 10 get 1 free plan. The store I buy from takes care of all the paperwork for me. I just got her free bag last time, and they didn't even charge sales tax!

    Osteo Thread Part V I I

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Chris, thank you so much for starting the latest iteration of the Osteo Thread! I am another who would have been lost without it, and Twiggy would likely have left us already if it weren't for all of you and the pups who led the way.

     

    Yay for Lana's stitches coming out!!

     

    As for Tempo and the stairs, that is definitely a tough one. I was lucky that Twiggy was (literally) a stair master pre-amp. I agree that maybe finding a set of stairs that he knows he can't jump may help.

     

    I've done the "paw, paw, step, step, hoist the rump" method for a lot of fosters. Maybe it can be altered to do from the side instead of from behind? If you squat next to him, put his front leg up a couple steps, and wrap your arm around his chest while lifting first one hind leg, then the next, and use a knee to do the "hoist the rump" part??? I can sort of picture it, but haven't had to try it.

     

    I do have to support Twiggy for her weekly nail trims. It is awkward for sure, but that's where I got the idea that it could be adapted for stair training. Doesn't mean it will work though...

    For what it's worth, even though Twiggy is a stair master, she now only likes to do her own stairs. At hotels/other places, I either have to force her to go up the stairs, carry her (which is worse than forcing her, in her opinion), or find an elevator.

    Osteo Thread Part Vi

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    I don't think a lot of studies have been completed on metronomic protocols. Probably the biggest one was the one at OSU that didn't show a meaningful difference in survival rates with the studies protocol.

     

    It must be even more difficult to make a decision on a plan now that it was when I was making the decision. At least at that time, OSU and most oncologists agreed that a metronomic protocol involving an NSAID, and at least one or two low-dose oral chemo meds was a good idea.

     

    There are plenty of dogs that had no metronomic protocol and lived 3+ years post amp/iv chemo. There are also plenty of dogs who had very aggressive treatment and the osteo came back within months anyway. I wish there were some way to predict how osteo will behave in any given patient.

     

    In our case, I'll always wonder if the metronomic protocol we did (for the 4-5 months we did it) had any effect, or if she would have done just as well without it.

     

    ps: I love the photo of Python! (I love her name, too)

    Osteo Thread Part Vi

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Kathy, Thank you for the gabapentin info! I will have to file that away for future use. I think I was probably giving gabapentin and prilosec as the same time at some point, it would have been good to know.

     

    Tara, I am so sorry to have to welcome you into our club. I'm sorry that Treetop's tumor is in an inoperable location. Even if you wouldn't have chosen surgery anyway, it is tough to not have the option.

     

    Treetop is obviously a fighter, I hope you have a great deal of good time left together. The clear lungs, of course, are great news!

     

    I'd love to hear more about your boy!

    Osteo Thread Part Vi

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    We're home now. I'll post Symbra's remembrance thread tomorrow - I just can't do it tonight - but I realize I didn't mention in my earlier post that we think her right front leg broke, either on one of our hikes that day, or in the camper... we don't know because she was so stoic. We didn't do x-rays or anything; it was just clear later in the evening that she was in pain and holding her leg at an odd angle and trying not to put weight on it, so we called around to find an on-call vet who was available at that time of night and able to release her from her pain.

     

    Oh, and she is home with us - the vet hospital had her ashes back on Wednesday for us to pick up.

    :sad1:grouphug:sad1 I'm glad you have her back with you.

     

     

    Victor, your explanation makes a lot more sense to me. I still don't think I'd want to try that, myself - having seen how suddenly bad side effects can pop up even when using the drugs separately, but that is just me. On the discharge papers from one of the places she was treated, there was a statement that <5% of dogs have significant side effects, so maybe most dogs wouldn't have problems with the combined therapy.

     

    Your plan of the NSAID + fish oil sounds to me like a reasonable compromise to try. I think it is even harder now to make a decision, because 1.5 years ago when I was trying to make these decisions, at least there was consensus among most oncologists that some sort of post-iv chemo metronomic protocol was the way to go. Now, you have some oncologists still recommending one (including Twiggy's current oncologist), others saying none at all!

×
×
  • Create New...