Ranger's Osteo-amputee Journey

[Patsy]

Oh what a beautiful sit! And Ranger, I must confess that your namesake is one of my favorite fictional (sad, that) characters.

[Guest IrskasMom]

 

 

Look ...just look at this beautiful Face . How can anybody resist this sweet Face of Ranger. You go Ranger

[Guest RSD_Ranger]

Ranger may be the sweetest pup ever - look at that face! Very, very best wishes go out to all of you for continued healing.

I know! I just love those golden eyes and that sweet little face!!! He's my moosh-man!

 

Your Knight in Shining Fur

LOVE IT!!

 

I don't post much on these threads because I have never had to experience any of what you are going through. However, I just wanted you to know that I really admire your outlook and perspective. It really does help, you know. When our son was in treatment, we made the best of a bad situation and he came through like a champ. Here's hoping that you will be able to celebrate your milestones with your fur boy as I have been able to do my skin boy.

Thank you! And I'm so glad to hear your own sweetheart is a champ!!! :

 

Oh what a beautiful sit! And Ranger, I must confess that your namesake is one of my favorite fictional (sad, that) characters.

Ranger admirers of the world UNITE!

 

Look ...just look at this beautiful Face . How can anybody resist this sweet Face of Ranger. You go Ranger

You should see him in person ... his personality is just as infectious! And not in the bad STD kind of way!!!!

[Bevd]

Lovely sit Ranger!

 

Are you on Facebook? Come and join our group which is called Tripod Dogs of the World Unite (Open invitation to all those who have, or have had, a tripod).

[Batmom]

Your boy is exceptional, and he has exceptional people too.

 

Way to go, Ranger!

[Guest K9_Lady]

Ranger looks great and I am so HAPPY things are going well! Sending lots of hugs and more healing thoughts his way!

And Amy sends a big kiss!

[Neighsayer]

Love the sit! Thanks for the update. Glad everything is going well. Six years sounds good!

[nettles]

 

Glad to see how well Ranger is doing. Looking forward to that playdate.

 

 

Rich

[Guest RSD_Ranger]

UPDATE: Day 35 (post-amp) posting a day late

 

Well, we had a scary couple of days here. On Tuesday night, I was browsing YouTube and came back to one of my favorite clips of a greyhound rooing. Ranger got up and started rooing right along (as usual), but I noticed something different this time. After the end of each breath, he would fade off and get raspy. It happened throughout the entire roo session (about 3 playbacks of the clip). Of course, I am hyper-aware of any little thing that is going on with him. I can chart every scrape, scratch, scar on his entire body now. It's a bit exhausting! It used to be, "Oh geez, he's got a huge scab on his leg. Wonder where/what he did this time?" Now it's, "Is he breathing funny? Did you hear that? Look, his leg is at an angle I haven't seen before. Is this bump his bone or is another tumor?" It's crazy.

 

I got very nervous and just kept thinking that that d*mn cancer has gotten into his lungs. I couldn't even bring myself to post this because I was terrified. It was a hard, sleepless night on Tuesday. I came to the realization that it's one thing to deal with the speed bumps that come with this awful disease (amputation, chemo, etc.) and it's something altogether different to think you're losing your baby.

 

So Wednesday morning we called the vet to ask if we could come in early to have his chest x-rays done. We were originally scheduled for next Tuesday, during his 3rd chemo. We got in about 1:30pm and there was a wait because of emergencies and previous appointments. After about 30 minutes, they were able to take him back but weren't sure when he could be scanned. We left to go to a restaurant down the road just to get out of there. I don't know if the food really was bad, or if we just had no appetite, but it was a miserable lunch. About an hour later, our oncologist called.

 

Scans were clear! Scans were clear! There were no mets to be found!!! He looks greyt!!!

 

Whew! Of course now I feel silly, but hindsight always shows you the whole picture and not the tunnel you were previously looking through.

 

So now that that has been thoroughly checked, I can breathe a huge sigh of relief.

 

Our other note of the week: he tried playing with his toys! And Mommy screwed up!! He has this goofy favorite toy (he's going to be so embarrassed that I'm mentioning it here) ... it's a ... stuffed purse ... in pink ... and green ... with a flower on it!!!! He LOVES this silly purse (known as Percy!) That thing has been fixed so many times, it's really quite disgraceful. It was one of my $1 bin stuffed toy finds (along with the matching pink/green stuffed flip flop which he doesn't like nearly as much). I wish I had bought 50 more of them because of his obsession with it.

 

Percy:

 

Gotta be near Percy:

 

So, I got into the spirit of playing and threw Percy across the room. He went bounding after it and tried to turn as he usually did, and BAM! down right on the stumpy. He cried and cried and it obviously hurt. I felt terrible for throwing the toy, he came over and I got him laid down and he fell asleep on his bed. The next day we noticed a bright red patch the size of a quarter where he bruised his little stumpy man. It will probably take a few days to heal up the bruise. It's a reminder to me: slow down!

 

Love those long noses:

Edited January 22, 2009 by RSD_Ranger

[2NOFLEAS]

Yup.......... our pups do some much better with problems than we do and teach us so many life things........

 

You're an awesome Mom........ I'm sure there's a lot of people that want to come back in their next life as your pet!

[Guest poopsie1]

What awesome news, Kristen. And Ranger is sure a handsome boy. Continued thoughts and good wishes.

[crazygang]

Good to hear Ranger is improving everyday......Fantastic 'sit' and we love the pictures

[Guest greydogluvr]

I am sorry for the scare, but soooooo happy for the positive outcome. Ranger is lucky to have such a wonderful, loving mom. Big hugs to your boy

Edited January 22, 2009 by greydogluvr

[Guest RSD_Ranger]

UPDATE: Day 37 (post-amp)

 

Well, it's not really a medical update, but if I don't put the days in there I have to count back from the amp day. I'm an artist, so you know that must mean I'm taking off my socks to count that high!

 

First, our Ranger is a killer. For real! Since we have lived here (about 2-1/2 years now) he has sent a little baby bunny and a baby bird to the big animal heaven in the sky. The big brute!! Well, it seems as if he's now upgraded to full-size birds

 

I noticed he was hanging out by the A/C unit the other day and asked DH if he had seen anything out there. DH replied, "Yea, I saw that too but didn't see anything when I went out to look." So yesterday I went out to investigate ... holy feathers batman! How DH could have seen nothing is truly amazing to me (me thinks DH did not do any real looking ) Mr Range-man has obviously enjoyed a meal of some type of bird, there were feathers everywhere! I feel terrible for the poor birdie. It still grosses me out that Ranger has that killer instinct. Ew! :cry1

 

 

Since Ranger's been eating the canned rabbit, we've noticed his cheeks are getting stained brown. We call that area his "napkins" : Anyone have suggestions on how to get the staining to go away? We scrubbed it pretty well with dog shampoo in the bath, but that only lessened it. Since he's a brindle boy, his napkins are white so it's really noticeable.

 

All in all, a good day over here. He's ready to go out and party since it's Friday and all. I was wondering why he peed TGIF in the snow ...

 

 

[duncan41]

Oh, Ranger! You da man!

[Neighsayer]

Glad those xrays were perfect! Might as well shoot for 7 years now...even with a dirty face!

[Batmom]

Staining: Try wiping his face off after each meal with a damp cloth or alcohol-free baby wipe.

 

Falling: Don't worry about that. He's got to learn. Bruises are part of the deal. (But big hugs all the same.)

 

Wonderful to hear he is doing so well -- even if a bird had to die.

[Guest RSD_Ranger]

UPDATE: Day 41 (post-amp) Chemo #3

 

Super day, nothing to report. Ranger had his 3rd of 5 chemo treatments today. He also had an ECG (I guess he has one ever other time because the chemo can do damage to his heart). Tested perfectly and everything is normal. I forgot to ask what his white counts have been, but I really wouldn't know what to do with the information anyway

 

He is still a bit clumsy on tile or slippery floors, so we have bruise #2. Good thought, Batmom, it's just part of the deal.

 

I also loved the comment about dirty faces, Neighsayer! That just made me smile!!

 

We are weaning him off the rabbit mix-in so the dirty napkins seem to be fading on their own. I still wipe them with a damp washcloth when I think of it, so maybe that is helping too.

 

We are trying out some belly bands (thank you secret santa!) for the marking issues. So far, so good.

 

DH just looked over my shoulder and read what I was writing. His comment, "He's a good boy." I wholeheartedly agree!

 

I have found now that every chemo treatment will cost about $300 (that's with the free chemo from OSU). Every other one will have an additional ~ $100 for an ECG. Boy, do I wish we had purchased pet insurance!!!

 

Our little man is still here with us, making us smile every day. I'd call that pretty priceless.

 

Happy Tuesday to all Ranger's friends :

[Guest andrealynch]

 

 

Oh my goodness--he reminds me of my guy! What a sweet heart! Bacardi, Dynomite, Burnie, and I are all praying for you and your baby!!! Get well soon Buddy!!!

[2NOFLEAS]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RANGER............ every day you are with your family and us - it's your birthday! It's a very special day.

[CaliforniaGreys]

This handsome boy is always in my thoughts. Please give him a big hug from us

[queenwinniesmom]

Kristen, if there is a positive side to osteo, it's this---I (and I'm sure, others) just love your posts! Ranger has become very familiar, very dear, to us. We feel like we understand him, and we've fallen in love. Keep letting us know how your wonderful boy is doing. I was touched by your description of how he came to you, and how he got his name. He is clearly exactly where he is meant to be

And here is a challenge, coming from my angel Queen Winnie. We would like to challenge Ranger to beat her 3 1/2 years post amp. I think she would be proud to know that other owners were perhaps inspired and given hope by her longevity.

I'm so thrilled that Ranger's lungs were clear. Great news!

I can't remember if I'd mentioned artemisinin to you---I'm like a broken record about the probable benefits. I like to think it had something to do with keeping Winnie around as long as she was.

Oh, and speaking of her, slippery bare floors were the bane of her existence! Being the stubborn, quirky old girl that she was, she reached a point where she absolutely refused to walk on them. We decided that the fruitless efforts spent trying to convince her that they wouldn't eat her alive was worse than giving in and carrying her or throwing down rugs or blankets, or just plain avoiding them. Not the best thing, discipline-wise, but we caved. She actually never came into our kitchen for 3 1/2 years! But she didn't have to.

Anyway, I'm filled with hope for Ranger, and for you.

[Guest Smiley]

I just came across your post today and have been sitting here reading all of your posts and updates. What a incredible journey you've had with Ranger. Know that you've got one more person rooting for him and wishing him a long, healthy, happy life!

[Guest RSD_Ranger]

Thank you all for your hugs! They have been administered and he's begging for more!! I'm hoping I can figure out the video camera/YouTube this weekend to post some of his running in the backyard. It is truly amazing to me!! I can guarantee that if someone had lopped off my leg 6 weeks ago, I would NOT be running around!

 

He had some interest in a rawhide today ... that was another first

 

 

Kristen, if there is a positive side to osteo, it's this---I (and I'm sure, others) just love your posts! Ranger has become very familiar, very dear, to us. We feel like we understand him, and we've fallen in love. Keep letting us know how your wonderful boy is doing. I was touched by your description of how he came to you, and how he got his name. He is clearly exactly where he is meant to be

Aw shucks, I feel the same way. He came HOME the day I met him. And neither of us had any clue.

 

And here is a challenge, coming from my angel Queen Winnie. We would like to challenge Ranger to beat her 3 1/2 years post amp. I think she would be proud to know that other owners were perhaps inspired and given hope by her longevity.

Challenge accepted!! Queen Winnie brings so much hope and positive outlook to all of us. Every time I tell Ranger's story to a new person (he gets a lot of questions while in the waiting area at the vet), everyone always says, "Well, it's good to see the amputation cleared him of cancer." Then I have to explain that it's not the amp, it's the chemo. One year is the median, blah blah blah. I always end it with, "But we know of dogs who have made it more than three years, so we're going with that number instead." It's Winnie and the unnamed dog at OSU that really inspire us to poo poo the crappy statistics.

 

I can't remember if I'd mentioned artemisinin to you---I'm like a broken record about the probable benefits. I like to think it had something to do with keeping Winnie around as long as she was.

Jurishound ( ) has so kindly offered to send us a bottle once we are ready. OSU docs recommended waiting until chemo is done (they don't know how the two would interact), so once we are through with the chemo, we will be trying that out.

 

We already stocked up on rugs the day before he came home from the ICU post-amp. It's those pesky tile floors in the vet's office that keep sneaking up on him. Luckily, he just gets back up and goes back to making new friends. I swear, anyone who goes to the VCA in Aurora on Tuesday mornings KNOWS Ranger. He does NOT allow them to sneak in under the radar. He should get paid for being the welcoming committee. This place has about 20 doctors on-staff and a huge support staff as well. The waiting room is the size of half a tennis court and always has about 5-7 dogs/cats waiting. He must meet every one of them just to say hi. I wonder if he's communicating with them ... "Hey man, how's it goin'? This place isn't so bad, they've got treats and lots of friends here to pet you. My parents bring me here a lot just so I can catch up with my friends. Yea, the leg was a nuisance so I had it cut off. It's all good. I can probably still beat you. See you next Tuesday!" Then they do a quick butt sniff and he's on to the next.

 

I also need to take a moment and tell you about this place and their staff. I found the VCA in Aurora about 8 years ago when my sweet Kodi was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease. My local vet referred me there and the staff was amazing. We had him on/off prednisone for almost two years and he did great. Eventually, the disease took over his rear leg and at 5 years young, I had to send him to the bridge to remove his pain. The doctors and nurses there were so empathetic and caring. We had a separate visiting room with sofas and rugs for us to say our goodbyes. About a week after he passed, I got a handwritten card from our doctor. Included in the package was a paw print that they had taken on his last day. They had imprinted his name in it with little stencils as well. It was the sweetest gesture I have ever heard of from a vet. From that moment on, the VCA has been our regular vet. I believe we probably pay a bit more for routine services, but I can't put a price on the service.

 

Everyone, from the front desk staff, to the techs, to the doctors really care about animals. You can tell. If you've ever one to a vet where the people don't seem to be "dog people" you can feel it. We tried a closer VCA (in Naperville) and did not have a good experience. They were just punching the clock there. You just know when it doesn't feel right. That has never happened at the Aurora VCA. Even when I was calling after hours asking about Tramadol doses or whatever. I don't think I could be as positive about this whole experience without having all of these people on our side.

 

This is *not* a paid endorsement I have no affiliation with VCA Aurora (other than having paid them enough over the years to have a wing named after us!!)

 

That's all for today :colgate

[duncan41]

Kristen, you and Ranger have been a ray of sunshine in H&M. I just love the way your descriptions of his personality are so realistic that the reader can visualize Ranger doing his thing without actually being there! He has wormed his way into so many hearts, that we all expect him to set all kinds of records! Can't wait to see those videos!

Ranger, buddy, we wub yu vewy, vewy much!