ramonaghan

Just got the call. X-rays of chest and three other legs clear; full speed ahead. Surgery should start in about 30 min.

Thanks, friends! Ugh, dropping her off was hard. She was wagging and playing with her toys this morning. I hope she'll be back to that riteawaykwik. And I'm counting on her brother to help with her PT. Will update as I can but am fully expecting a very long day.

They called in the Amicar. Prepping her bag for tomorrow. World's saddest photo:

Thanks, Chris. As far as I know, she hasn't had any bleeding issues (would that have happened during her spay?), but I figure I'd rather have Amicar on hand and not need it than be scrambling to find it in an emergency.

Thanks! Yes, we have a couple of Asian markets nearby that I could check. That would be great if you could share a pic of the box! Will PM you my email.

Willa is scheduled to have her right forelimb amputated tomorrow. Her surgeon said that Amicar is backordered so they'll be starting her on tranexamic acid instead tomorrow a.m. All going as planned, they'll keep her one night or two, depending on her bleeding, but I think he said they only have injectable TA so she wouldn't be sent home with anything for bleeding. Is this the norm with TA? With Sweep, she got Amicar for her fracture repair but wasn't sent home with any, and her bruising and swelling were much worse than with her later amp, where she got it for 4 days post-surgery. I checked with my local Kroger pharmacy today and they can have Amicar next day so I've emailed the surgeon to ask about it. I found a GoodRx coupon for $79. Just curious what your experiences have been. TIA! #HereWeGoAgain

Mark, dude, your ears are giving you away.

The cheer-up crew has arrived.

Thanks for being here with us (again). I feel better having a plan in place, even though it's all so and . Now I am downright impatient to get this amp done so she won't hurt anymore. Even though front leg amps are tougher than hind leg amps, I'm hoping her age will offset that a little and make her recovery relatively quick.

Amp next Tuesday. Three weeks shy of her auntie's two-year ampuversary. And Dr. C said her lungs don't look any different than any other dog's her age. We'll take it. <Exhales>

Thank you for baknforfing! We had our onco consult this morning but I didn't update here yet because I'm still waiting for the surgeon to call. (They went ahead with a surgical consult, but he had to squeeze her in so we didn't get to speak face-to-face.) Great news: her bloodwork was perfect. Weird news: her lungs look like an older dog's—no mets, but they have a "diffuse bronchial pattern." This is not a dealbreaker for amp especially in the absence of any symptoms, and it could be something as simple as allergies or just how she is, but it's unusual so they will be watching it. I emailed Dr. C to ask about it. Other great news: we are on the waitlist for the Yale vaccine clinical trial in Cincinnati (4 hours away), so we will do that as soon as they have an opening. Fortunately, there are only about 10 people ahead of us. Sticky news: she gave the tech kisses. Assuming the surgeon gives the all-clear, looks like we'll have another tripod in the house soon. Which is stressful and overwhelming but feels right. This was this morning (please forgive John's giant sigh , can you blame him?): Richard update: Our primary vet and the board-certified surgeon who also saw Willa agree that his tumor is in too tough a spot to hope for clean margins, and even if we amputated his leg the tumor would come right back. So we are watching and waiting with him, but he is doing remarkably well despite a very pronounced limp. Eating, snuggling, playing, harassing Tootie. He has always been full of beans. The second he's not himself, we'll let him go.

I'm so sorry you had to say goodbye to your beautiful girl. You did right by her and I have no doubt she knew how much she was loved. A cure for this awful disease can't come fast enough. Rest well, LaVida, and send your parents a sign. Don and Chris Mark (Rocket, you know that song undoes everyone!)

It's a weird feeling to be re-reading your own posts to remember what to expect when and what to ask the oncologist. Willa has started to limp slightly when she first gets up and when she picks up speed on a walk. We're on constant fracture watch, and it's so stressful. I hate this.

Thanks again, everyone. We see the oncologist next Tuesday. The tech who called to schedule us was one of Sweep's regulars and was so nice and sympathetic; she said her heart sank when she saw our name. Richard has a surgery consult (second opinion on operability) tomorrow at the same clinic. Alas, no frequent flyer discounts, but thankfully we have insurance for Willa. I'll update when I know more.

That's great to hear—I'm glad it's helping!

Thank you, Cindy. I know you've been through the wringer this year. I'm so, so sorry for all the loss and difficulty you've faced. You've been in my thoughts.

I know you're still very much in the midst of your own deep grief and I so appreciate your kind words. Thank you.

Toodles, you are a doll. Happy 14th(!) birthday, beautiful!

Yep, regular hulling and dremeling seems to help keep her comfortable and not limping. I'll talk to the surgeon about the other if we get that far.

Thank you all so much for your sympathy and nice messages. Kerry, I know how recent this is for you and am sorry to trigger the tears again. Dr. C confirmed the presumptive diagnosis, not that we had any doubt. I explained the corn and sent videos of Willa walking and, although there's no guarantee since he can't examine her himself, he doesn't think amp is off the table. So now we wait to hear from one of the two oncologists in town to discuss next steps. We're really struggling with the decision; Sweep was happy until the end, but her world shrank so much after amp that I'd be lying if I said we'd never second-guessed our choice. On the other hand, it's not fair to compare a senior (who had not one, but two cancers) and a five-year-old. My stomach feels like it's full of rocks. I worry constantly about a leg break and about what this means for Doolin's future. Meanwhile, Willa is rolling over for belly rubs, flinging stuffies and talking smack to her brother, and wondering why we're being such sad weirdos.

He was so handsome and it's clear you gave him the best life. I'm so sorry for your loss. Rest well, Logan.

Thank you, everyone. We just got the call with the radiologist's confirmation of likely osteo (you know they always say they can't 100% rule out osteomyelitis without a biopsy, which we're not doing) but no mets—phew. Now that I am feeling slightly more rational, I am planning to reach out to Dr. Couto with the report and rads and see what he thinks re: Willa's corn/back leg stiffness. Sweep was 11.5 when she had her amp, after all, and had a chronic limp on a front leg since age 6 and hind end weakness, and she did fine. She was no Taylor or Tessie running laps in the yard, but she had a good quality of life. Now whether John and I can handle this process again and so soon is another discussion, but...Willa is only 5. It's so wrong. I hate this disease.

I noticed a lump on her right front wrist yesterday. After what we've been through recently with Richard, we got the first appointment we could get with any vet in town. They took x-rays and did a FNA and the bone is pretty obviously compromised. There's also a tiny spot in her lung that the vet doesn't think is a met, but she's sending it to a radiologist for a second opinion. It doesn't really matter; Willa has a corn on her front left foot and some back leg issues from racing, so we don't feel she's a good candidate for amputation, not to mention I don't think we're emotionally equipped for it again. She's only 5 and hasn't even been with us a year. We're in utter shock and heartbroken. It looks like Willa and Richard will be making their journey together soon. Please keep us and Doolin in your thoughts. Edit: Not so fast, Satan.

For sure! Willa = Wilhelmina (Mina from Dracula)