greytdecals
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Posts posted by greytdecals
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Depending on where you are in Cleveland....
Avon Lake Animal Clinic http://www.avonlakeanimalclinic.com/
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So sorry to hear about your Lola
Our Maggie-Mae had osteo in her toe. It is very rare. We opted to bone biopsy the toe and then decided which route to take after the biopsy. If it came back as osteo, Dr. Couto suggested full leg amputation, if only bone infection, then toe amp. Even though the bone biopsy is painful....it was the necessary evil to decide appropriate treatment after diagnosis. It would determine the difference between toe amp and full leg amputation. I know it sounds so extreme to do full leg amp, but in the long run, it means a better chance of survival! Osteo can spread further up the leg from the toe that the tumor was on, even after toe amputation. I know that every case is different from the next, but if we had to do it all over, we wouldn't change a thing! After leg amputation and 6 rounds of chemo, Maggie-Mae survived 5 years and 2 months!! Dr. Couto had given her a 6 month to 1 year prognosis, but he only had 2 other cases of know osteo in the toe to compare to and both were still alive at the time of Maggie's diagnosis.
Maggie-Mae lived a full and happy life after losing that leg. Unfortunately, on January 11, 2014 we had to let her go. She started developing hind end weakness in 2013 and we did everything possible to help her continue to live a good quality of life, but in the end, her body failed her. It was her spine that was the problem. She was 11 years old. We couldn't have asked for more. We were blessed with the amount of time we had with her after diagnosis. She was our miracle girl.
Whatever you choose for Lola is not wrong...you choose what you think is best for her. I can only hope and pray that if it is indeed osteo, that Lola can follow in Maggie's footsteps.
Best wishes for you and Lola.
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So sad to have to tell all of you that we had to let Miss Maggie-Mae go. She could no longer walk without assistance nor go to the bathroom without help. Her rapid decline in health last week was disheartening to see...we let her go while she had some dignity left. We did everything we could to assure her comfort. But since last April, her health was on a slow steady decline. She lived 5 years and 2 months post amp. We couldn't have asked for more. We were blessed to have her with us that long. She was an inspiration to many and I hope she can continue to inspire even though she is not with us here on this earth. She went peacefully. And while our house feels empty without her, we know she is at peace and whole again. I hope that all of your osteo hounds can continue on the same path that Maggie took and live way beyond any prognosis given.
Love and hugs, Suzie and Brian
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Maggie Mae.
This gives me hope that Henry can still live a long, fulfilling life. She was diagnosed at age 6, then?
You just never know.....
Yes, she was 6 when diagnosed.
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Hi Everyone...Suzie here, dropping in to give you a brief update on Maggie-Mae. On November 11 we celebrated an amazing milestone, 5 years post amp!
For those of you unfamiliar with Maggie's osteo journey...she was diagnosed in November of 2008 with osteo in the metatarsal region of her foot(very rare) and had her rear left leg amputated on November 11, 2008. She had 6 chemo treatments consisting of Carboplatin/Gemzar. Maggie was given 6 months to a year survival rate and here we are 5 years later.
I don't want to give anyone a false sense of hope, because this is not the normal with osteo.
Why has she survived this long? I don't know, we have no real answers for that. Was it because it was in her foot? Was it because she had an infection at the incision site after surgery? Did we catch it early? No one will ever really know, but what we do know is that we are blessed to have her with us and treasure every single moment!
Maggie is 11 years old and has slowed down a lot. She struggles with hind end weakness. We are currently taking her for acupuncture treatments which are helping to keep her stable and still able to move around on her own. She also takes 100mg of Gabapentin a day. At this point we are only trying to keep her comfortable. She eats well and still goes outside on her own, she still has a greyt attitude and till she says otherwise, she's not going anywhere!
Maggie's message to everyone is to never give up Hope!!
Keeping all of you in my thoughts and prayers. Osteo is evil but every now and then it can be beat!
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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!
Thanks, Wendy. I have been in touch with Dr. Couto and he feels that it is a spine issue(non-osteo issue.) We are taking her to our local vet to see what they can do to find out exactly what is wrong and if they can't help then we will take her to OSU to see Dr. Dyce.
On a positive note, we switched her food to Iams Senior formula and she is eating better now. She must like the new food! Yay!
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OSU is a good idea if you're close. I didn't notice that you're in Ohio initially.
Maggie-Mae had her amp and chemo and all check-ups done at OSU. Of course, that was when Dr. Couto was there. Sure miss not having him around.
I second a check of the heart. Our Charlie displayed similar signs albeit a bit different and that is unfortunately when we found the mass near his heart. I hope it's nothing serious for Maggie-Mae as she is truly a miracle pup!
Her signs/symptoms resemble what our Alan had when a tumor on his heart was discovered. Alan went quickly downhill though. Seems like Maggie-Mae is gradually getting worse.
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Suzie--I sent you a pm
I got it!
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Suzie--I sent you a pm
I did not receive it
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Could it be LS? Have you seen an orthopedist or neurologist? An x-ray of her spine might give you some help, but an MRI is the only real way to diagnose LS (which I wouldn't recommend necessarily) so a good specialist who knows LS and greyhounds would be best to determine if that's what it is based on physical exam. In an older greyhound with hind end issues, that tends to be my first guess.
I would also have her heart checked, just because of the fatigue and panting. There's definitely a risk of heart damage from the chemo for osteo amp pups that can show up down the line. I would want a cardiologist on board to check just given that she's been through chemo. Am thinking your best bet might be an internist at a specialty hospital where they have specialists in all of these areas so taht the internist could do a thorough evaluation and then consult with the appropriate people, rather than paying consult fees at multiple practices.
Congrats on the 5 years! That is truly amazing.
Thanks, Jen! The heart was the next thing on our list to check. LS never even crossed my mind, but it is very possible! See, I am glad I asked!
We might need to take her to OSU, but I haven't heard anything new on the greyhound program and what's going on with it.
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I haven't posted in a while but I do come over to GT to read the Osteo thread to check in on all of the Osteo hounds. Today I am posting because I am in need of help or advise for Maggie-Mae. As some of you know, Maggie-Mae is on her way to a 5 year post amp anniversary this year....which, to me, is a true miracle! She has been doing amazingly well for so long with out any kind of special diet or supplements or therapies or medicines etc... She has basically been living life as a greyhound with 3 legs, not as a greyhound with bone cancer(if that makes sense.) Well, this year she turned 11 in May and after that it was like someone pressed a button and overnight she began to show signs of weakness. She started struggling on our walks. Panting heavily without exercise. Being fussy about eating. Losing weight, etc..
We had the following done with her to rule some things out:
1. Complete cancer check-up. Lungs were clear, no mets. Blood work was normal. Heart rate good.
2. We had xrays done of her rear hip and leg and everything looked amazingly good.
These are the things we have done to try and help out her weakness in that rear leg:
1. gave her Rimadyl for a lengthy time period with no signs of improvement.
2. started her on the Get Up and Go products (Chondroitin, Glucosamine, MSM, Vitamin C and Yucca) It has been over a month now with no signs of improvement....she actually seems worse.
So, my question for everyone would be...
What are we missing here?? We are straining our brains to figure out what could possibly be causing the severe weakness in her hind leg. We know old age is a factor and also the fact that her one rear leg has been doing the work of 2 for almost 5 years now! Could it be muscle weakness and have nothing to do with bone?
What are some things you can suggest or recommend that we can do for her to help the weakness? Hydrotherapy? Acupuncture? Any other supplements?
It breaks my heart to see her struggle so much, yet I know we are blessed to have her still with us! She still has that zest for life...her eyes tell me that. But she can't figure out how to make her body do what her mind wants to do.
I appreciate any help or advice. Maggie-Mae does too!
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I am just popping in to give a Lucy update. I was talking with Kyle about Charlie, who was our inspiration and had 21 great months post amp, and realized that Lucy may be one of the longest surviving osteo pups on GT now, at 22 months post amp, which is astonishing to me because she was only 4 when diagnosed. She's still doing great and is the happiest tripod you'd ever meet! There are no signs of recurrence and we are grateful for every day. My heart breaks every time I read about a new diagnose or bridge angel and I truly wish Lucy's outcome was the norm. I get too teary if I spend too much time on the H&M board so I'm not here much, but feel free to PM me if anyone is contemplating amp and needs someone to talk to. There's a lot of heartbreak with osteo, but there is hope, too.
Hugs to everyone.
It's always encouraging and hopeful to read about Osteo hounds surviving longer than any estimated survival rate! Congrats to Lucy for beating the monster I call osteo! Our Maggie-Mae is 4 years and 1 month post amp! She is, like Lucy, the happiest tripod! She loves life....she never misses a meal, plays with the younger hounds and enjoys our daily walks. It's amazing to us and at this point we have to say she has kicked cancer's butt! Dr. Couto gave us a prognosis of 6 months to a year after amp and chemo. I would have never imagined in a million years that she would be with us this long. We are truly blessed and treasure every single moment we have with her.
To all that have newly diagnosed hounds...my opinion is that if your hound is a good candidate for amp and is in otherwise good health and you have the funds to do amp and chemo, then do it! It's a gamble but once they recover from the surgery you will find your hound to be just as happy as ever. Losing a limb does not affect dogs as it does humans. Dogs adapt very quickly without a limb. I have met quite a few tripod dogs(limbs lost due to osteo) and they all, to me, seem like the happiest dogs ever! Almost as like they know they were given a second chance at life and are living it to the fullest!
I don't spend a lot of time on GT or in H&M...but like Jess, I like to stop by every now and then to remind others facing amp and chemo that there is always hope!
This was taken last week when we were putting up our Christmas tree....check out the smile on her face! That's one happy hound!
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Judy...you are like us, if it is strange, unusual, rare or out of the ordinary....it usually happens to us!
Praying you can get a diagnosis soon and Bullit can come home!
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Dr. Christine Kellogg is awesome! She is a greyt addition to the Greyhound Program! She is very quick to respond to emails, just like Dr. Couto is!
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I would say so! Go Maggie Mae!
How old was she when she had her amputation?Maggie-Mae was 6 years old when she had her amp. She turned 10 in May.
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I spent the day at OSU with Maggie-Mae and Petey yesterday. Maggie was getting her 6 month check-up and having a lump looked at on her ear. Petey had a lump on his face that started developing after we got back from Mt. Hounds, so we were having it checked out too.
Well, we got good news all around!!
Maggie-Mae's lungs were clear! Also, the lump on her ear is nothing to worry about! Doesn't need to be removed or anything.
Petey's lump is a tooth root abscess. He is on antibiotics and Deramaxx right now and if it doesn't fix the problem he will need the tooth extracted. Hoping the meds solve the problem and it doesn't come back! Good news is it is not a tumor of any type!
The students were amazed at how great Maggie looks after almost 4 years. She is actually 3 years and 8 months post amp. At this point I would venture to say she has kicked cancer's butt!!!
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Twiggy is only using her left leg about every other step, but it was re-xrayed this week (and pelvis), and nothing shows up (1st xrays were 3 months ago). Hopefully, that confirms no cancer - I would think osteo in that leg would show up on xray after 3+ months of limping. Her onco says "some greyhounds just get like that" and not to worry. That's the first thing he said that I really don't agree with. Something is going on, we just don't know what. The orthopedic surgeon also looked at her and said everything seems fine, no LS, no muscle wasting, just skipping steps. I asked about acupuncture and/or chiro, and they thought that would be fine, so I'll probably make some calls about that next week. I wish they had xrayed her spine, too - then I think I'd have a little more peace of mind.
Just throwing this out there....does she possibly have a corn? Petey was limping and we took him to OSU and Dr. Dyce was able to confirm a corn. So small we could hardly even see it but enough to be painful for him.
Hoping it really is nothing. Hugs for Twiggy!
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Please steal it and post it here!I just saw a photo of Twiggy's costume on FB!! Love it!!
Tripod.....
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(and you're lucky I didn't steal Petey
)We hear that all the time! Gotta keep a close eye on him when we go to events!
I just saw a photo of Twiggy's costume on FB!! Love it!!
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Hey all! I heard that our very own TWIGGY won the costume contest at Mountain Hounds this year!!!
She had a camera strappedto her head and was - A TRIPOD!!!! Get it?
I think we need pictures!!!!!!!
We were at Mt. Hounds but missed the costume contest. I know Twiggy's Mom was not able to get photos but I am sure someone had to! I really want to see it too!
Maggie-Mae had a greyt time at Mountain Hounds! She got to meet and hang out with Twiggy on Saturday by the campfire. They had a senior run set up so they could romp and play without getting knocked over. Maggie-Mae enjoyed her play time!
She was running along the fence line and teasing the younger ones!
This photo tells it all...she is one happy girlie, lovin' life! Three legs hasn't slowed her down....
My pretty girl....
Every day we have with her is a blessing...and so far it has been a 3 year and 6 month blessing!
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It's comes from being to sexy for her toes! Maggie-Mae is just too sexy for black pads.
Hitting the "like" button
Pink is a good color on her
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Suzie, are you FB friends with Shelley Lake? She might know--I've seen noses turn pink, but not paw pads.
Yes, I am! I shall ask her! Thanks!
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Dang! they have an umbrella, too? Dash wants to come to your house.
I wonder if it's related to being a tripod. I'm sure that changed her gait.
Tell Dash we have an extra bed for him
I would say it's related to being a tripod but she has been a tripod for 3 years and 5 months...why all of a sudden the change? That's why I don't know if that is the reason.
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It is about the pads getting worn from walking or the rough surface. All dogs who get walked or go on hard surfaces have pink spots on their pads. If they're all really pink it suggests the backyard is pretty abrasive. And as a tripod she's got relatively more weight on each of her legs, too.
Musher's Secret isn't a bad idea. But FWIW my girl hates pea gravel and I'd never make her spend a lot of time on it.
Really, you are actually going to go there and tell me I make her spend a lot of time on the pea gravel... FYI she goes out, does her business and goes back to the luxurious beds I have set up outside for the hounds.
If what you say that ALL dogs that get walked on hard surfaces have pink pads then why do all 3 of my other greyhounds NOT have pink pads???
This is where they spend their time...
Our Maggie-Mae had osteo in her toe. It is very rare. We opted to bone biopsy the toe and then decided which route to take after the biopsy. If it came back as osteo, Dr. Couto suggested full leg amputation, if only bone infection, then toe amp. Even though the bone biopsy is painful....it was the necessary evil to decide appropriate treatment after diagnosis. It would determine the difference between toe amp and full leg amputation. I know it sounds so extreme to do full leg amp, but in the long run, it means a better chance of survival! Osteo can spread further up the leg from the toe that the tumor was on, even after toe amputation. 
How old was she when she had her amputation?
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Vet Near Avon, Ohio
in Health and Medical discussion
Posted · Edited by greytdecals
Avon Lake Animal Clinic on Miller Road. We take all of our greyhounds there and I know several others that take their greyhounds there too. Highly recommend them.
btw...welcome to the West side!