sdisto

Well, I'm a huge fan of Winslow! Does that count?

Hmm, it is Frankie's left hip that is higher than the right. Then again, Frankie doesn't have any recorded races so I don't know if that's it... I guess he may have trained at a graded track...

I'm sure you will get all kinds of different responses, as chemo can effect all dogs (and people) differently, but I wanted to give you some hope that could go really easy. My experience wasn't exactly typical, but Jesse's only issue was that he didn't finish one meal after one of his chemo treatments. Other than that, I don't think the anti-nausea medication was even needed. If the vet does not offer it, please ask for something for nausea just in case. Cerenia is a really great choice. What form of chemo is Henry having? Depending on the kind of chemo and the vet administering it, the circumstances can be different. When Jesse had his chemo, they took him in a back room set up to look like a living room where they did consultations. He would lay down and practically fall asleep during the IV, but the vet tech said that was really unusual. I know it's overwhelming, but if you want to talk feel free to PM me. I'll be up until 11:00. (I emailed you earlier this year about Kirby, the greyhound having seizures.)

I used to worry about this too until I asked my vet. I have one boy who's hips are rounded smooth, even when he's thin. And I have another boy who's hip points stick up on his back unless he's really chunky. My newest boy Frankie is a skinny boy and he has one hip that sticks up and one that is rounded. He's been that way since he came to stay with me almost a year ago. I asked my vet and she said it was no big deal - he just got a mixed set!

Hmm, any chance the dog could be rescued by a responsible person and the current owner could be put to sleep?!?! Just kidding - but if he would attack another dog this viciously he shouldn't be allowed out in public. Prayers that Diamond heals quickly.

Jesse (WJS Diplodocus) 4/3/01 - 3/5/08 The reason I do what I do. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Alvin (Atascosita Alvin) 2/19/03 - 12/29/08

I think the cost varies more from vet to vet, not just US to Canada. Jesse's chemo treatments were $500 per, but the chemo drugs themselves were only about $100 each time. (He was 75 pounds.) The rest was for his CBC and chem panel, IV fluids and a chemotherepy nurse that attended him the entire time. He was scheduled for 6 rounds of chemotherepy, 3 weeks apart (if his WBC allowed - otherwise it was 4 weeks). This was at a specialty center though, and they are admittedly higher than the average vet. On the other hand, they are the best care money can buy. Unfortunately, sometimes all the money in the world doesn't make a difference.

Oh, Ned, I think Dexter may have been jealous because you are so cute! Glad to hear you are doing well! Here's a cookie for behaving like a gentleman.

Oh, yes! Jesse used to sleep with his eyes open wide, not just a little. He looked like he was in a trance. It actually took a while before I realized he was sleeping and not just staring intently at something

Uh oh, that doesn't sound good. I'm not sure if it's an emergency but I would call the e-vet and see what they say. Better safe than sorry. Good luck!

I'm so sorry to hear this. At least he had his litter mate to greet him when he passed. I'm sure they are playing happily now. I have to admit that this is my greatest fear everytime I leave a foster to be spayed or neutered. I know that hundreds of dogs have this simple surgery everyday, but it is surgery just the same. Sending white light and comfort to you and your family. Run free, sweet boy.

Momma Dee I hope your appointment goes well tomorrow. We will be praying for you here. Love Always Your Son, Ziggy

My senior, Tonka, used to do this. I thought it was asthma!

Sorry, no estimate here as we are going the amp and chemo route. (Jesse is only 6 and still very healthy, so we are *HOPING* for several more years) I would like to mention (in case you didn't know) that Tramadol is on the $4 prescription list at Wal-mart. I filled two prescriptions for Jesse after his amputation at full price. The very next day I heard on another site about Wal-Mart having it on their $4 prescription list. If you need a refill, have your vet call it in for you and use the money you saved to buy Chase some really yummy treats! Good luck to you and Chase. And don't forget, none of us are guaranteed a tomorrow so enjoy today for all it's worth!

Welcome home, Darcy! Jesse says to hold out for the cheese and peanut butter They will help you feel better!

Hi Heather I just wanted to let you know a little about how it went for Jesse. He had his right front leg amputated on Wednesday, November 7. I was prepared to take a sick day on Friday to take care of him, but it turned out that he had to stay at the hospital for two nights because he was having some pain. So it worked out that I brought him home on Friday and was able to stay home with him for the weekend. I was able to return to work on Monday, although I had to come home at lunch everday for the first week to give him his pain medication. In fact, by Sunday evening I was able to leave him alone for a couple of hours while I went to church. When I first picked him up from the hospital, I was a little worried about how I was going to get him up into the van but he hopped right in on his own! Now, I will say that I was very lucky with how well Jesse recovered. While he had a great deal of pain for two weeks until the staples were removed, he was always very mobile and never required any assitance walking. In fact, he was annoyed by the carpet runners that I put down on the floor so he wouldn't slip. He did everything possible to avoid them and I eventually just got rid of them for him. So, I know every case is different and I was still a nervous wreck, but I just wanted to let you know that sometimes it can go pretty darn easy - for major surger, anyway. My biggest advice would be to make sure that you have plenty of pain meds and don't be afraid to use them. If one doesn't work for Dempsey, try a different one. There are several available and every dog reacts different. For Jesse, Tramadol was king. He went through lots of it and it didn't make him groggy like it does to some dogs. Oh, and in case you didn't know, if your vet calls the perscription in to Wal-Mart or Target for you, the perscription is only $4. (I wish I had know that before I paid full price at the local pharmacy - twice!) Welcome to the Tri-pawd club, Dempsey. Let us know if you need anything. We're always here

Oh, Eva, please don't beat yourself up over this. I completely understand the pain of going over and over it in your head thinking, "if only I had done something different..." Jesse also began limping in the middle of July. July 15th to be exact. You see, I have a journal, too. Except that when I took Jesse to the vet on July 16th, we did get an x-ray. In fact, it was my vet who first suspected cancer. Not only do I trust my vet COMPLETELY (she is a very close friend that I have know since high school) I saw the x-ray myself - it was clean. He had a small fragment (or joint mouse) that we assumed was calcification from early arthritis. Jesse also went on pain medication and limped off and on for the next 3 1/2 months. The last time it was 6 weeks between limps and I almost thought it was gone. But when the limp returned and didn't go away, we went in for another x-ray. That day, the vet tech had a hard time taking the x-ray. She told me that Jesse was being really good, she just couldn't seem to get a good picture. As it turns out, she couldn't get it dark enough because the bone was so badly destroyed. At that point, we couldn't even make out the normal 'starburst' pattern and when the amputation was done four days later the surgeon said that the bone was so soft that they were able to cut it with a scalpel. Luckily, Jesse also has no sign that the cancer has spread. The lymph node they removed during his amp was clean and his last chest x-ray taken just this past Wednesday before chemo shows no visible mets. So now I pray every day that Jesse, Carrier, Darcy, Wilson, Dempsey and all of the others currently fighting will beat this horrible disease. And as I sitting here writing this with tears streaming down my face, I am giving you advice that I find impossible to take myself. Don't blame yourself for this. It is obvious that you love Carrier very much and you always did what you thought was best for him. In the end, it's in God's hands and we are just doing the best we can with these wonderful, amazing companions that he has loaned to us. One day, they (and we) will be back in His hands. Until then, we need to continue to enjoy every day for the gift that it is.

Wow, Darcy is absolutely breath-taking!!! I must say, I am partial to tripods though. My Jesse had his right front amp on Nov 7 and this past Wednesday was his 3rd round of chemo. He's my hero. Now every time I see a picture of a dog with three legs, I am amazed by their beauty. Darcy, you are one gorgeous gal!!!

Sorry to hear of Dempsey's situation. I will say a prayer for the both of you that it does not turn out to be OS. Unfortunately, I have learned more than I care to know of OS in the last two months. Here's our story. My 6 1/2 year old, Jesse, began limping after a walk in the park one Sunday in July. He was in a great deal of pain all night long, so first thing in the morning I took him in. They did an x-ray (suspecting OS) but it came back clean. The bone lines were perfect except for a small fragment, or joint mouse, which we suspected was the result of calcification due to early arthritis. We put him on an anti-inflammatory and in a day or two the pain went away. He had a couple of re-occurances, but they were further an further apart so I thought we were in the clear. Then one day I realized that he had begun limping again and it wasn't responding to the anti-inflammatory, so I made another appointment. On November 3rd, they did another x-ray. Expecting to see some sign of arthritis (remember, they had already ruled out OS) I was absolutely blind-sided by the sight of his bone - completely destroyed. Since then I have discovered that OS begins eating the bone from the inside, so it doesn't actually show on an x-ray until it works it's way out. Typically, dogs hide their pain to keep them from being vulnerable so we don't usually see any early warning signs. Three days later I met with the surgeon. He questioned if Jesse had ever raced in the south and may have been exposed to Valley Fever. He said that there could be a slight chance that it was an infection, which could be treatable, but that he had only ever seen that in one dog - out of hundreds! If I did chose to wait on a biopsy, it would take some time. It could also be dangerous for the bone because it greatly increases the risk of breaking it. In the end, I didn't feel like I had the time to wait for a biopsy when the chances were so incredibly slim that it could be anything else. Besides, the bone had already been destroyed so badly that I didn't feel like we had much of a chance of repairing it -even if it was an infection. So here we are, nine weeks later. Jesse's right front leg was amputated the next day and he never looked back. He had some pain for the first two days due to the fact that it was major surgery, but now his is back to his old self and I for one am glad that he is rid of the pain that the leg was causing him. He just had his third of six chemo treatments today and if he wasn't missing a leg you wouldn't even know that anything was wrong with him. In fact, 5 weeks after his surgery someone at the vet's office commented that it almost looked as if he had been born without a leg because he looks so natural. Oh yeah, after surgery the biopsy came back positive for OS. Whatever you decide, don't second guess yourself. Follow your heart and you can't go wrong - for yourself or for Dempsey. Good Luck

Yea, Bella!!! Jesse had his front right leg amp one month ago and he is doing great. I'm sure you've heard it before, but get as much sleep as you can now. Once she comes home you will probably have a few restless nights. But it really is worth it - if you can just make it through the first two weeks. Just in case you haven't heard it already, here's my advice: Make sure you have plenty of pain meds just in case. And don't be afraid to use them. The whole purpose of the amp is to take away the pain, so if they need some good drugs for a little while just make sure you have them on hand. Jesse was very mobile right from the beginning, jumping right into the van to go home two days after surgery. But he had some pain for a full two weeks afterward, which absolutely broke my heart. I think the staples hurt because the pain stopped within a day of having the staples removed. Also, prepare yourself for what she will look like when see her. The initial sight of the huge scar is a bit frightening. She will look like Franken-dog for a while, but just keep reminding yourself how much pain the leg was causing her. Now, when I look at Jesse I can help but be happy that the awful leg is gone. And if you think a four legged greyhound is an elegant looking dog, wait until you see her with three legs all healed up. Sometimes the mere sight of Jesse standing in the sun on three legs takes my breath away. Good luck - and hang in there

Well, I want to start by saying that I am so thankful that Jesse is still with me, regardless of the fact that one of his legs is not (right front leg amp 2 weeks ago today). Today Jesse got his staples out and we met with the Oncologist. After discussing her recommended chemo, she told me we could do the first treatment today. Yeah! The sooner we begin this the sooner we can get it over with. I am also thankful for my sweet foster boy, Ziggy. He is so happy and friendly and just loves to snuggle. I'm really going to miss him when he gets adopted but he deserves more exercise than I can give him right now. Oh, and by the way, and he has Coprophagia. (That means he likes to snack on the poop-sickles.) That said, I have just found one more reason why dealing with OS sucks. As many of you know, the chemicals in Carboplatin (which is the kind of chemo Jesse had today) are excreted through his feces. So just a few minutes ago, I found myself outside in the pouring rain, sloshing through a muddy yard, following Jesse around to pick up the poop as soon as he goes so that Ziggy won't eat it! And lucky me - Jesse is so regular that he poops EVERY TIME he goes out. So if you happen to drive by my house tomorrow morning around 6:30 am when the dogs insist on getting up, wave if you see me in the back yard in my pj's and my pink puffy coat and the pooper scooper. They are predicting 1 to 2 inches of snow, so at least I won't miss the first snow of the season. All kidding aside, I am beyond thankful for Jesse, Ziggy and my other sweet, big baby, Woody. I wouldn't trade them for the world. Now, I am going to go clean up the big pile of diarrhea that Ziggy just left for me in the middle of the living room (10 minutes after going outside). That boy really hates the rain so he's not about to do his business outside. Will the fun never end?!?! Happy Thanksgiving

Carrier is my hero! He looks great. My Jesse was diagnosed with Osteo almost 2 weeks ago and also had his right front leg amputated. When I first saw all of the big, metal staples I thought they looked horrible but after looking at them for a week I'm starting to think they are beautiful. They represent getting rid of his damaged, painful leg and allowing him to be comfortable again. Seeing Carrier and reading his stories gives me hope for Jesse. Keep up the good work!!! Maybe I will post some pictures of Jesse's staples this weekend so the boys can compare scars!