TwiggysMom

Adding my condolences about Jackie. She was a beautiful girl, and obviously very loved.

I've also been ordering both dog & cat food from Chewy. Their prices are very good, shipping free & prompt, and they even sent me a hand-written note (with an actual 1st-class stamp - not bulk rate) thanking me for my order and telling me I can call them anytime. Their Dausequin w/MSM price was better than anywhere else I found. Very pleased with the company. I didn't think I'd like ordering food online because I'd have to plan in advance, but this saves me from circling the block dozens of times trying to find parking at my local store (which has to special order the food I feed anyway), and I really only need to have a 3-5 day food buffer to place my order.

Oh, yes! Having to "help" with this issue is classic - especially when it happens on a busy sidewalk!

Heather, I can't believe you are having to cope with osteo for Roxy now too in addition to Seka. If you do decide to go with amp for Roxy, feel free to ask any questions. We may not always have answers, but we can offer our experiences! Mary, I'm glad things are continuing in the right direction with Jaynie! The front-leg-amp hop does take a while to get used to, and Jaynie is still in recovery phase, so she won't be back to her full self just yet. I do think age and overall physicality plays into long-term activity levels as well. In contrast to some, Twiggy has been far more active as a tripod than she was as a 4-legged dog. She was always a very active greyhound, but I didn't give her complete discretion over her activity level until post-amp, and I learned just how motivated and enthusiastic she was. This entailed (until recently) up to 3-hour walks after work when the weather was nice (and I was still cutting her short, but I just couldn't take more than that), and long days at the beach out-running and out-playing every other dog there. Twiggy was also capable of running 37 mph just 2 months post-amp (clocked on radar!). Of course, she was young and had no other health issues, that was to her advantage. Whether front-leg or hind-leg amps have a harder time I think is in the eye of the beholder. It seems to me that those with a front-leg amp think they have an easier time, and those with a hind leg amp think they have an easier time (I'm guilty of this line of thought as well!). I think that means that neither one is harder on the dog, and they all tend to adapt well in their own way. As Kim indicated, osteo is devious, and while it is said to come back preferentially to the lungs, it also can strike another leg (or any bone, really). Those facts mean none of us can ever really rest when our pups are dealing with this because there is just no way to predict what is coming next.

Twiggy is also a goathound. She almost never brings it back up; she just loves to eat it. Pretty much to the point of obsession. I've actually grown small planters of grass for her in the past (at least that way I know exactly what she is eating!)

I just ordered 150 large dog Dasuquin w/MSM from Chewy.com for $67 (free shipping). Best price I could find anywhere, plus I order all our dog/cat food from them now. They have really quick shipping, and after my first order they sent me a (apparently) hand-written postcard thanking me for my order and letting me know I can call them any time with questions. I've been really happy with them. Maybe this link will work: http://www.chewy.com/dog/nutramax-dasuquin-msm-joint-health/dp/103277

Ducky, I am so sorry. What a wonderful girl your Pudge was.

I'm continuing to send good thoughts for Jaynie's recovery! Chris, I'd love to try laser, but we need to keep that and acupuncture as last-ditch efforts since they both can exacerbate cancer if you happen to hit an area where it is festering. We haven't found her cancer anywhere in her yet, but I'd hate to accidentally stimulate it into action by trying to help another problem. Ah, the balancing act!!

I'm happy to hear that Jaynie has come through surgery well! A front-leg amp is pretty major surgery since they take the scapula as well. There is a very large surgical area. If you aren't already familiar, Jaynie will be nearly half shaved - going much further up her neck and down her midsection than you might expect. Also, the bruising will be significant. Bruising tends to continue to get worse after coming home before starting to ebb. There will also likely be edema, possibly moving down her remaining front leg and all the way back to her belly/groin area, These things are all normal. I'm saying this so you don't freak out!! I am like you, and would rather have them in the hospital a bit longer, as long as they're doing well. I kept Twiggy in a long time (longer than OSU thought was necessary), but I had a 6+ hour drive home and wanted to be as certain as possible that nothing would go wrong on the way. One other thing to be aware of - that will scare the pants off you even if you're expecting it - is the GSOD freak-out. This seems to be more particular to front-leg amps than hind legs amps. For the first nearly 2 weeks, every time (or almost every time) Twiggy went to stand up, she would rear up on her hind legs and scream at the top of her lungs. Thankfully, I was warned of this in advance (even so, it was really hard to see/hear). I do believe this is at least as much from fear and confusion over not having a leg respond as expected as from pain. (I'd scream and freak out if I suddenly woke up with one leg after all my life having two, also - especially if no one told me it was going to happen ahead of time). To prepare for her coming home, do try to make sure she has carpet areas to walk across wherever she needs to go, also keep her bed somewhere easily accessible (even if it has to be smack in the middle of a room). You may find yourself couching it for the first couple weeks home. The wrap/sutures should not get wet, so having some plastic wrap on hand to wrap around her in case of rain would be handy. Jaynie's med schedule will be crazy, so you might want to consider keeping a calendar/chart/spreadsheet to keep track of everything. Also, check the labels on the pill bottles versus the discharge instructions (there were several discrepancies, and I had to call the hospital to confirm exactly how much/often/for how long I should give them). Try to get some good rest before Jaynie comes home, because the first days are busy and pretty much sleepless. Make sure you have enough easy-to-prepare food in the house for you as well (or at least some good take-out menus handy!) I'm not sure what your home life/work life is like, but it will be good to have someone stay with her at pretty much all times for at least the first week home, if possible. If you have to go back to work the following week, you might want to try a timed feeder to leave meds in (I just discovered this trick myself - repurposed by timed cat feeder to let Twiggy get meds mid-afternoon! I put her meds in the middle of some mini peanut butter sandwiches - works great!) Also, keep an eye out for infection. Many hounds wind up with one, and the sooner you notice it, the better, I think. (There is some thought in the medical community that an infection during recovery helps long-term survival rates, but there is no definitive correlation). Finally, be ready for her to try to do things she shouldn't sooner than you'd think she would. It is amazing how these guys bounce back. They actually seem to be somehow bigger and bolder than ever after their amp surgeries! I hope Sadie can get into the U Penn study. Hopefully it would produce positive results, and I'd be exicted to hear first-hand info! I'm glad she seems to continue to do well, even if she has a few tough days following her treatments. Like Kyle, I don't think rates are increasing, just that as we are involved, we are more attuned to other cases of it. Victor, yes - Twiggy is getting Dausequin w/MSM, Duralactin (a non-NSAID anti-inflammatory made from milk proteins that all of her vets highly recommend), along with 200 Tramadol and 400 Gabapentin per day. I also have an appointment with her regular vet next Friday where I will discuss the possibility of methocarbamol, adequan, and/or depo-medrol. I know we're fighting a losing battle with her back/disc/nerve pain, but I hope to keep it a bay for at least a few more months. Twiggy deserves some summer after this hideous winter!

Ulcers can definitely cause unusual behavior. Twiggy had an ulcer from metacam, and she showed signs of overall pain and reluctance to move. Is ceratine for nausea? Sort of like Cerenia? If so, that should calm her tummy down, and adding omeprazole and/or sucralfate/carafate would help, too if an ulcer is the problem. Tramadol is a good pain med and isn't tough on the stomach, but it can cause pacing/whininess/anxiety in some dogs (my girl has no problem with it, though). I hope your girl is doing better this evening!

I also will be thinking of you and Jaynie tomorrow. x2 on the Amicar! (you may have to call around to find it at a human pharmacy) That is good news about the chemo, and very interesting about the pamidronate! That is the first I've heard that. Good thoughts for Jaynie!!

I'm not near Door County, but I adopted through GPA-WI. If you don't find a vet recommendation here, you could try their forum: http://www.gpawisconsin.org/forum/phpBB3/index.php There are lots of good people there, I'm sure someone could give you a recommendation.

I am so incredibly sorry to hear that Carl is gone. There is no easy way to lose one of our hounds, but while you were still coping with the diagnosis is beyond unfair. Rickiesmom, I am so sorry to hear about Jaynie's diagnosis. It also sounds like you have a difficult set of circumstances to work with, between her other medical conditions and the availability of doctors/appointments. It does sound like you need more input from the doctors about what she would be able to handle. The closest experience I can offer is that of a front-leg amp. Twiggy was just shy of 7 y/o when she had her left-front amputated in 8/2011. While I did consider all options, I was fortunate to have everything point to amputation/chemo as the clear choice for her (young, had no other health issues and was very active). Now, she is 9.5 and is starting to deal with spinal issues that we are struggling to control. It is possible that Twiggy's issues are the result of her being too active. I had no idea that her cancer would stay away this long, and my priority has been to let her do what she wants to do now, because I don't know if there will be a tomorrow, so I have mostly let her do whatever she wants to (which is pretty much equivalent to a middle-aged border collie). While she has never seemed to have neck/shoulder/remaining front-leg issues, it seems (counter-intuitively) to be her mid- to lower-back and hind legs that have had the issues. I think it is most important to make decisions based on all the circumstances particular to your own particular situation. If you're like me, you'd probably like for someone to be able to knowlegably and confidently guide you to a decision about Jaynie's treatment, but all I can really say is to continue to consider your options as you have been, and then do what feels most right for all of you (and never second-guess yourself).

You didn't say this, exactly, but it sounds like even if it is osteo, amp/chemo may not be high on the adopter's list of options for this particular girl, If that is the case, a definitive diagnosis may not be all that important. Since the girl is limping, obviously a good regimen of pain meds is a good idea, and she is already probably getting that. It might be worth considering adding artemisinin, just in case it is osteo (as near as I can tell, there aren't any known side effects from the standard 100 mg daily dose, and it plays nice with most meds - except I think it is not supposed to be given in conjunction with radiation or iv chemo). I also wonder if it might be worth discussing some heavy antibiotics in case it is a bone infection. Obviously, I'm not saying this should be done, but it maybe consult with her vets about this as a possibility. Another round of standard x-rays might be a good idea in a few weeks, and if a lump develops that of course would be a more clear indication of tumor. I hope they can keep this girl comfortable for a long time.

She looks so happy to be soaking in the sunshine! What a beautiful girl she is. I know all too well about the sleeping downstairs bit. Twiggy hasn't wanted to do stairs since Aug. 1, so I've been living/sleeping in my poorly-lit, no-plumbing downstairs room. For the first couple month, I had to fit all 5'10" of me on a loveseat to sleep! I finally bought a used Ikea pull-out loveseat so I can un-scrunch my legs. The benefit has been that Twiggy (after 6 years of believing that dogs do not belong on people furniture), now climbs in bed and snuggles with me! So I'm counting that as a win! Good luck with your upcoming vet visit(s)!

I have heard bone biopsies recommended against as well, for the reasons listed above. It is also possible to miss the lesion doing a bone biopsy, albeit much less likely than with a traditional FNA. When I took Twiggy to OSU for amp evaluation, we already had likely diagnosis via x-rays (which Dr. Couto had reviewed). They did an ultra-sound guided FNA, which helped them more accurately sample the lesion. They were not able to definitively diagnose osteo from the sample, but were able to tell it was cancer, and that amputation would be a good option in her case. I hope you get answers that guide you toward a diagnosis and decision. I am very sorry you are going through this.

Oh, no! I was hoping that it would turn out not to be cancer for Carl! I am so sorry. Also, I will continue to hope that Roxy's issue turns out to be something else. I can't imagine going through this with two at once. to all.

She looks so happy to be soaking up the sun! We finally got and about a bit today too - about time!

Good news on Sadie eating! I'm hoping that maybe she just needed to get started, and will be more eager to eat from here on out. I think sometimes they forget that it is OK to eat, especially if they were on meds that caused some stomach uspet (like the pain meds/antibiotics).

Sending good thoughts for Nadir.

Kim, I am so sorry. I know your heart is broken.

I am truly sorry. Run free, Joey...

I agree with you that arthritis seems unlikely given the sudden onset. I would have thought injury (pulled muscle or otherwise) as a likely cause, but since this has been going on for weeks without improvement and with very limited activity, at this point I would probably go back for follow-up x-rays. I (and I know everyone else here) hope this doesn't turn out to be what we are fearing.

I so hope this turns out to be anything but osteo; you both deserve better than that.

It also looks a lot like what Twiggy had on a toe - plasmacytoma. (Do NOT google this without the word canine - it is considered benign in dogs, but in people it acts a lot like osteo - I scared myself half to death by reading about the human version!) Twiggy's oncologist did a FNA which showed plasmacytoma. He told me that once they are messed with (as in a FNA), they often go away on their own. That is exactly what happened with Twiggy's. It was completely gone within a month and over a year later, still hasn't returned. Hopefully you'll get a good answer on Monday!