BauersMom

Good idea. I also thought that maybe it would be good to have some x-rays of the legs that seem to bother him more - useful at all?

So we're ~three weeks in and we saw a definite improvement in his limping, etc... We have him on the fluconazole, and I added the desert defense supplement. But this week it was like we were back at square one. His limping now may even be worse than the original limping, sometimes. He's still eating well, thankfully, and is at a decent weight now. But he's back to hobbling. I don't know what's changed?! The poor guy.

What about something like FCE? http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1663

Everyone's already given you good advice, so I'll just send good thoughts to you and Sam!

IMO - I would not continue to give medication to a dog that's possibly having a reaction to it.

My parents are in MA and their yard is very much tick heaven. You can do some things to keep the numbers of ticks down, but a warm winter will always mean more ticks in the spring. Here are some suggestions for the yard: http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/prev/in_the_yard.html

Jane - in my case, I would not have splinted. The leg was so badly mangled that I could only imagine it would be more painful to try to secure it. I think injectable pain management or sedation would be a much safer/easier option.

It is a hard decision, harder than the amp, because with the amp you know for sure you are at least removing the pain. With the post-chemo treatment, you don't know what the future holds. There have been people who have done no metronomic protocol and have made it 1 year post-amp. And then there are others who don't make it to a year with a low dose chemo. I know it's hard to know what to do when there is no clear prognosis (at least it was for me). There are pros and cons in both directions. Just like anything with this disease - you just have to do what makes sense for your situation and your dog. There is no right or wrong.

Ultimately, that is why we chose to "only" do arteminsin. Chemo was tough on Berkeley, and I just couldn't continue on that path. I will say that his quality of life improved tremendously after we were done with chemo, so I have no regrets there. If he had tolerated chemo better, maybe I would have made a different decision, I don't know. Of course, you know how things ended, but given the severity of the break, I would guess (and it's just a guess) that the met must have started during or right after chemo stopped. I'm not sure a different protocol would have made any difference in its progression. (We did x-ray that leg when he was diagnosed, as a comparison... there was no visible evidence of an issue with that leg on the x-ray in July.)

I thought of something else - along with programming the vets into your GPS, put their phone numbers into your phone. I ended up calling a friend and had her look up the number for me and call them to tell them I was on my way so they could meet me outside. I didn't want to leave him in the car alone, so it was very helpful to have someone meet me there when I arrived.

This is an important point, I think. While all these ideas are fantastic, I think the first thing is to be sure you can at least try to reach someone else for help. If not, then fall back on plan B, but there is a chance the dog will be somewhere away from all your best supplies and you may not be able to/want to leave them alone. Carrying a cell phone (and keeping it charged!) is really key. Kyle - if my experience helps someone else avoid being in that position, then that is a good thing to me.

I've seen these in person & they would be what I'd get. What I should get. I like this better than just straps - the 'envelope' looks like it would be more secure, if the dog was freaked by being strapped down.

From my experience, this would be a must, unless your pup is completely immobile. Piaget was not, she was frightened, and I don't see any way she would have been transported this way without being restrained. I think this depends on the dog. Berkeley would have freaked out being strapped down. Again, hard to say what he would do in his shocky state - but I wouldn't have put that on my list of potential options for him because I know how, in normal situations, he would react. For some dogs, though, this might be the perfect situation.

I'm glad you are getting prepared - something I wish I had done, for sure. Let's hope you never have to use any of this information. Here's what I ended up figuring out "in the moment"... I wish I had my cell phone handy with me when I ran out to him, because then I could have called for help and also held him down - he tried repeatedly to get up... even though the leg was completely shattered. So instead, I held him down and yelled for help - thankfully someone was in earshot. So #1 - keep a cell phone around and have someone (or two people) in the neighborhood you can call in an emergency situation who are able bodied enough to carry a heavy dog. Be prepared for the dog to not cooperate in this situation... if I could have run back into the house for the cell phone, I would have - but I was very afraid of leaving him as he was struggling to get himself into an upright position. After the initial fall, he went into shock pretty quickly. I thought about how I could help ease his pain, but it was clear that he was "out of it"... I'm not sure what options there are in that case, but maybe someone has a suggestion there. Once I had help, we were able to lift him pretty easily - my neighbor picked his front end up, and I held his back legs. We have a hatch back, and again, it was easier than I thought it would be - without a hatch back, I'm not sure. The bigger problem was once I got him into the back, he again kept trying to get up. I wish I had asked my neighbor to get in the back with him, but instead I drove and tried to hold him down from the front seat...the whole thing really would have been better as a two person job and this goes back to point #1. We ended up going to the closest vet, not our regular vet, since it cut the drive time by half almost - so I would suggest you get set up at the closest vet available and know the hours the vets are open around town. It was after 5 and I had no idea if this closer vet was open - they were, but the information that would have helped in the moment, rather than taking a shot in the dark. Also, pre-program their addresses into your GPS if you aren't totally familiar with how to get there, especially in a moment of panic. That's all I can think of right now, if I come up with anything else, I will add it.

Yes, that was Ivy. I'd like to think that she'd be happy to see Berk coming, but honestly, I'm sure she's rather annoyed. Here are my three amigos, now reunited at the bridge - Ivy, Berkeley, Princess:

I know you all are right, but the rawness of it all is just too fresh for me to see it. It will take me time to get there. I have two bottles of arteminisin that I would be happy to pass on to someone. One is unopened, one is opened, both from Holly. PM me if you are interested. Keep fighting the good fight, everyone.

Thank you all. You continue to be so supportive - it's nice to have a group that totally 'gets it', you know? Jane - a break wasn't even on my radar. He had run in the yard a few days prior, with no limping and no slowing down. In fact, he did a lap around the yard before the leg shattered. That moment keeps playing in my head and it will torment me forever. I opted for the amp in large part because I wanted to lessen the risk of him breaking the compromised leg, since I know him and know how much he would still try to run, jump etc. And yet, that's exactly what happened. Truly horrific to watch him try to get up with no viable front legs. I feel like I completely failed him in his last moments. Thankfully, a neighbor was in ear shot and came to help. Logistically, I think everyone has to be prepared for every possible "what if" with this disease. You want to focus on the here and now, but the future changes very quickly. Hugs your hounds for me tonight.

I really don't know what to say. This is my third time in this forum in a year, and my heart just hurts. Berkeley was my heart dog. He meant the world to me and I know I meant the world to him. Words cannot express how much I loved him. Godspeed, sweetie. I am going to miss you something fierce. I hope there are a lot of sunbeams to nap in over the rainbow bridge. Berkeley at Dewey, my handsome bud.

Berkeley broke his remaining front leg today, running in the yard. A truly horrific experience. My heart is shattered into a million pieces. I want to thank you all for the support you've given me over the last seven months.

My heart sinks when I see another osteo pup in Remembrance. Godspeed, Gabe, may you be pain free and run like the wind.

She posted in remembrance. %%*$##@!

I third having her kidneys checked. My senior girl started peeing in the house more frequently and it turned out it was the start of kidney failure.

Actually, what the OP said was that "she was just spayed last Monday and is meant to rest for 14 days", which to me, sounds like it's only been a week.

Cancer sucks, I'm sorry. What dosing was he on - do you remember?

His titer was 1:4. Low, but we're obviously seeing symptoms that line up. Thankfully, he eats like a horse and hasn't had any side effects from the meds.