Osteo Diagnosis

[Guest azlorenz]

How is everyone this morning? i had a good cry with Chase. I have to watch myself around my older DD's (5.5 and 2.75yrs), and not lose it when they are watching.

 

one really super crappy coincidence is that my father in law has had a relapse in his cancer and is waiting to hear from the cancer clinic himself. blargh.

 

 

 

Flash is doing really well today. He actually got himself up on the sofa. He has been a little nerved out this afternoon as there are storms on their way. Hubby got home and gave him a good massage and got him calmed down. Hugs to both you and Chase.

[Guest ChasesMum]

does anyone else feel guilty about leaving the house and leaving the sick dog? I mean not right post amp, of course you'd stay home (I did with George too!) but I just feel sad and guilty about leaving Chase right now. maybe that will get better when we get the fluid results back on Monday or tuesday, but then its just as likely that having a definite diagnosis will not help that.

 

I wonder if her heart is filling up with fluid again (and how fast) and I wish I could get the swelling to go away on her leg. She would be so much more comfy if her leg wasnt ttwice its normal size. And if the ehrlichiosis things would go away and not complicate it all!!

 

i should get off the computer, and go to church and out for lunch with my mom and gramma, I just feel so bad about leaving her. Course now is the time I SHOULD go, and in a week, or two, or a month, or two, or whatever when she is 'real bad" then I stay home... but what if she only has a short time left? I don't usually live in the "what if's" of life, nothing good gets done there, but I seem to be having trouble ousting myself from this place.

 

uugh. but Chase's homemade food is crock potting away outside and so she will eat well tonight!!

[NeylasMom]

Yes, I felt that way for some time after Neyla's dx. It's totally normal to feel that way and I think you should do wahtever feels right to you. I certainly don't have any answers. I know that as time passed, I started to resume something of a normal life a bit, and then when we got our 2 month x-rays back showing the lesion is stable, I was able to breath a bit more, but I still err on the side of being home more, traveling less (not at all unless she can go really), and making sure we do something special together every day even if it's just an extra long petting session.

 

How is everyone else doing? I hope you don't mind me hanging out in here - I tried to start a similar thread shortly after Neyla's dx but it didn't take off.

 

I decided to try to wean Neyla off of her Tramadol. We started 2 days ago - she gets 50 mg 2x/day so I decided to reduce the PM dose by half to start. She's been panting a lot in the evenings since, but I can't tell if its that or the heat (which is outrageous, although I do have AC on, but given the heat it runs constantly so it is warmer in here than usual, just not hot). She is still walking fine, doesn't appear to limp and is running an dplayful. I will give it a few more days - we're supposed to get rain tonight and maybe a brief respite from teh heat, but if she continues to pant, I think I'll just up her dose again - not worth it to risk she might be in pain.

[teri_d]

shannon - so glad flash is having a good day!! to karen -- i think it is normal to WANT to stay home with chase right now!! for me: 1. i recognize that i am depressed and don't want to leave the house 2. i am selfish and want every second i can spend with her 3. when my children were small and were ill i always stayed home with them - just because this child has 4 legs and fur is it any different?? i normally work part time outside the home - my boss is out of town on a weeks vacation next week - i had told them that i would work all week while they are gone and now i am SO resenting that!! so i understand. rivie is also having a good day today - she woke up with a roo, ate every bite of her breakfast, took all of her meds, had a nice walk around the block. she had some big d the end of last week and i think she was a bit under the weather from that - we are glad to see her more herself today!

Edited July 25, 2010 by teri_d

[teri_d]

How is everyone else doing? I hope you don't mind me hanging out in here - I tried to start a similar thread shortly after Neyla's dx but it didn't take off.

 

jen - are you kidding??? you are our hero/example -- we are all looking to you for advice/tips/help!! actually, we don't want anybody in this little club - but since we have all wound up here, we NEED each other. it has always seemed on gt that os comes in waves - and boy was mid july a jumbo.....but i feel like i have a group of friends here that will laugh with me/cry with me/help me when i have a question! i think this thread will be so helpful to all of us that need it right now for updates & help. we none of us know what tomorrow brings right now - i am praying for all of these sweet pups and their humans! teri

Edited July 25, 2010 by teri_d

[Guest ChasesMum]

me too Teri! *hugs*

[Guest azlorenz]

Flash is having a good day, I think. I sure wish he could talk and tell me if he hurts, is depressed, wishes I'd quit hovering, etc.

 

His incision is looking fantastic and we are all anxiously awaiting the staple removal this week. We are hoping the oncologist will do it on Tuesday when she sees him but if not we'll have it done by the surgeon on Wednesday. He did overdo I believe yesterday when he jumped up on the sofa. I was in the middle of telling him no when he did it anyway. Once he got up there he immediately laid down and his poor little amp hip was just trembling. It soon quit but he hasn't eyeballed the sofa since and that is all he's being doing since he's been up and around. Anyway, I think he could still be having a little pain related to that. He also got to go on a walk to the corner (not far 1/4 block). Wanted to go further but clearer heads prevailed and we made it a short one. We'll work up to the entire block idea. He is also using the dog door when I don't catch him. He's so stealth like I don't know he's moving around the house most times. I'd put a bell on him if I thought it wouldn't freak him out. He won't even go in the office (his critical care unit last week) anymore for fear of being confined again.

 

We are anxiously awaiting our meeting with the oncologist on Tuesday to see what the next step is. I have so many things flying through my head right now.

 

I have to go back to the office full time tomorrow and am having the same anxiety about leaving him. Luckily hubby can come home mid day and give him his meds and let him out for potty breaks. I've thought about setting up a webcam so I can check in on him from my Blackberry. That is my project for today I think. I try to remind myself often, one hurdle at a time...

 

Wishing everyone a wonderful and joyous day with their pups.

Edited July 25, 2010 by azlorenz

[Charlies_Dad]

Hey everyone. Like Teri says we are here with you and would rather not be, no insult intended. We are very glad to hear that all the pups are doing well, let's keep that going. Charlie is doing well, the biggest change in him right now is that he is not his normal, "bull in a china shop" self. He used to just go bananas going outside trying to catch squirrels - he did catch one unfortunate one about a month or so ago. He goes out but we usually have to encourage him a bit which is out of character for him. We think it's the combination of the drugs and him just being careful which we think is a good thing.

 

We are the same about leaving Charlie. We don't want to miss him for a minute right now and neither of us have been out for more than an hour in the past week and always separately. Luckily my client was understanding and allowed me to work from home last week and this week was a planned work from home so hopefully that doesn't cause any issue but right now, this is more important. Starting the week after, I'll be back on my regular schedule which means being away from home for 4 nights a week - that really sucks and I have to look at changing careers more than ever. Been a 'road warrior' for the last 10+ years and it's getting very old no matter what people say about travel, I am done and no longer enjoy any part of it.

 

We have been doing a lot of research just like many of you likely have. Charlie is on an even better diet than ever (he had homemade food since we have had him) and we are believers that the holistic approach will help him. Something we came across in the Artemisinin group (thank you NeylasMum) is the following:

 

"If chemotherapy is chosen for treating osteosarcoma, the best plan for improving quality of life for as much time as possible is to induce control of the cancer (using high-dose chemotherapy such as Adriamycin every two weeks for five treatments) and maintain control of the cancer, or keep it dormant (using oral medications regularly for life). This cancer cannot be cured, but chemotherapy following amputation can provide for up to 60 percent of pets a full year of life and for up to 40 percent two years of life. In general, oral maintenance drugs (daily doxycycline, piroxicam, Tagamet; weekly Cytoxan) are safe and provide immune support and prevent cancer growth and spread. In some pets, the use of a nutritional supplement called Artemisinin may control cancer growth and spread (for more information, see pages 142-144 in chapter 6)."

 

We are planning the Chemo route now and am curious about the 'oral maintenance drugs (daily doxycycline, piroxicam, Tagamet; weekly Cytoxan)'. Anyone researched these yet?

 

Kyle

[Guest ChasesMum]

 

 

I decided to try to wean Neyla off of her Tramadol. We started 2 days ago - she gets 50 mg 2x/day so I decided to reduce the PM dose by half to start. She's been panting a lot in the evenings since, but I can't tell if its that or the heat (which is outrageous, although I do have AC on, but given the heat it runs constantly so it is warmer in here than usual, just not hot). She is still walking fine, doesn't appear to limp and is running an dplayful. I will give it a few more days - we're supposed to get rain tonight and maybe a brief respite from teh heat, but if she continues to pant, I think I'll just up her dose again - not worth it to risk she might be in pain.

 

What we did with George after his amp was to give him the morning dose alightly later than normal (like by maybe an hour) and then not give the evening dose, thinking that if he needed it, we could just give him a snack and another pill in the late evening/middle of the night - I think we maybe gave him that one a couple times. we figured that since he pretty much slept all night, that was a good one to get rid of. Then we slowly pushed the morning one later and later as he tolerated, and then one day he just didnt seem like he needed it and he didnt get one.

another way you could do it is to try for every 18 hours instead of 12 hours, then 24 hours, then 36 hours etc. We actually found panting a big side effect of the tramadol when its not required. So she may stop/reduce panting as you lower the dose... You'll know if its worth it or not and can resume dosing as you seem fit - that's the good thing, its not an all or nothing decision!

 

I have given Chase a tramadol the last 2 days, she seems fairly stoned so maybe she doesnt need it, or doesnt need that big a dose? thoughts? yesterday she slept on the couch with her tongue hanging out! funny!

Edited July 25, 2010 by ChasesMum

[Sirocco_Nikki]

Sirocco seems fairly stable right now. The tumor is huge and he limps a lot but he still enjoys eating and he can move himself to where he wants to be. We are giving him Tramadol 4 x day plus Rimadyl 2 x day. He was hurting quite a bit yesterday after he chased the squirrel that ran across the yard so he got an extra Tramadol. Dr Sheff said to give it whenever he needed it. We talked about stronger pain meds like morphine, but they would probably make him so dopey that he could not move safely.

 

Our only concern is quality of life. When he can no longer move, eat, or enjoy life, it will be time to let him go. Realistically, I think his life expectancy can be measured in days or weeks instead of months.

 

Whenever I find myself hurting because of the inevitable, I just ask myself if I would do it all over again, even if I knew then what I know now. The answer is always a resounding 'YES!!!'.

[Guest ChasesMum]

 

We are planning the Chemo route now and am curious about the 'oral maintenance drugs (daily doxycycline, piroxicam, Tagamet; weekly Cytoxan)'. Anyone researched these yet?

 

Kyle

 

 

1-hand typing cuz i sliced my finger... forgive the shortness...! I havent investigated but i find that very interesting! the cardiologist doubled chase's doxycycline (for ehrlichiosis) from 150 to 300mg bid. was there any dosage info?? maybe it will help...

[Guest MorganKonaAlex]

We are planning the Chemo route now and am curious about the 'oral maintenance drugs (daily doxycycline, piroxicam, Tagamet; weekly Cytoxan)'. Anyone researched these yet?

After we found Alex had lung mets, we tried the Metronomic Protocol. He went on Piroxicam, Cytoxan and Doxycycline. Unfortunately, he went downhill a few weeks later and we had to euthanize him.

[NeylasMom]

Shannon, I was concerned about the risk of Neyla breaking her leg so I built steps for her to get on the couch and the bed using Batmom's instructions. But for the couch, since it's lower, it's actually only one big step. I will try to get a picture of the actual step in the near future and post it - I have been meaning to do that anyway - but in the meantime, Neyla thought I should share that she thinks it also makes an excellent place to rest her nose when she is sleeping.

 

Some photos (seriously, she sleeps like this a lot now, these are from 3 different nights):

 

 

 

[Charlies_Dad]

Neyla is so pretty! I love her bright and happy collar.

[Guest EmbersDad]

FIGHT houndies FIGHT!!!! i so do hate that word. like the muffin head said. we are here for you.

[teri_d]

jen - thanks for posting precious pics -- she is BEAUTIFUL!!! time for monday morning update - how's everybody (skin & fur) doing today?? rivie had a rough end to her week - had biopsy sutures removed on thursday and vet added tramadol to her pain meds - he would like to see her every 2 weeks for check-ups/check-ins. don't know whether that stressed her or it was something else, but she had big d thursday evening -- we got meds for her sat am. i was really worried fri/sat - she just acted puny...but sunday she got up with a big roo and had a good day. is this the way it will be - a roller coaster??? she seems good this morning, too - she was up early and roo-ing for us to get out of bed!! the artemisinin finally arrived on saturday and she has had 2 doses. i am headed out to work and i HATE leaving!!! how's everybody else doing??

[Guest greyt_learner]

I've never been sadder to join a group before, but my big goofy boy Puck just got the diagnosis. I'm still in shock and can't stop crying yet.

[Charlies_Dad]

We are doing well here. It sounds like Rivie is doing well this morning which is great news. Having no experience in this area, I can't say for sure whether it will be up and down days but I believe I have read that with other people's hounds battling Osteo. Charlie was up and at it first thing this morning and it was his first day he played with a stuffy!!! We are waiting on our order of Artemisinin and hope it arrives soon. Hopefully today we'll firm things up concerning where and when we will be doing the first Chemo session.

 

I hope everyone and their pups are doing well.

 

Kyle

[MP_the4pack]

While I'm not a member of the 7/12 club, I'm still a member of the main club. Diamond.

 

For anyone who is struggling with the choice to amp or not. I just wanted to tell Diamond's story.

 

She was 2 weeks shy of her 12 birthday when I drove her out to OSU from NJ. They did a thorough exam, top to bottom. My biggest concern was could she handle being a tripod. Especially at her age.

 

The conclusion was yes. But she would probably have a longer recovery than a younger hound.

 

Her lungs were clear, so we went ahead with the surgery. She surprised everyone and was up the next day and discharged 4 days later. She basically needed to weeks to recover from the surgery, which really wasn't difficult at all. I used a sling just to make sure she did NOT forget she had only three legs. It was to slow her down, not support her. Once off the pain meds, she was back to her old self. I had a terrific 6 months with her (she outlived her sister Pearl). Her lungs remained clear to the end. It was OS in another leg that took her.

 

But she was happy, and pain free for 6 months. And I could tell that I made the right decision. But it wasn't until after the surgery and I saw how happy she was did I finally realize I made the right decision. I agonized a month about it. (not a recommended way to lose weight).

 

This decision is not right for everyone. But everyone still goes thru the same agonizing choice. Amp may not be right for you, but it was for Diamond and me.

 

Good luck everyone.

[Charlies_Dad]

I've never been sadder to join a group before, but my big goofy boy Puck just got the diagnosis. I'm still in shock and can't stop crying yet.

 

I am so sorry to hear of Puck's diagnosis. We are here for you as we battle this horrid disease that takes too many. If you have any questions, concerns or just need to rant we are here for that too. Can you tell us more about your boy?

 

Kyle

Edited July 26, 2010 by Charlies_Dad

[Guest greyt_learner]

Puck (Pat C. Cordell) just turned 7 in March, we've only had him since June of 2006. He's very much a creature of habit - hates to have his routine messed with in any way. He's never played much - much to the chagrin of our other hound, Ariel:) He's a vocal boy - whines when he doesn't get his way immediately:)

 

He'd started limping a few weeks ago, and it seemed to get better for a while so we thought it might be a sprain or something else pretty innocuous, then it came back, and I was trying not to think what it might be... but last night he had a very restless night and was in some pain, it seemed to get much worse within the space of a day:( I still can't believe it. We're letting the news sink in for a bit before we decide what will be best for him.

 

Here are a few photos from photobucket

 

[Charlies_Dad]

Puck (Pat C. Cordell) just turned 7 in March, we've only had him since June of 2006. He's very much a creature of habit - hates to have his routine messed with in any way. He's never played much - much to the chagrin of our other hound, Ariel:) He's a vocal boy - whines when he doesn't get his way immediately:)

 

He'd started limping a few weeks ago, and it seemed to get better for a while so we thought it might be a sprain or something else pretty innocuous, then it came back, and I was trying not to think what it might be... but last night he had a very restless night and was in some pain, it seemed to get much worse within the space of a day:( I still can't believe it. We're letting the news sink in for a bit before we decide what will be best for him.

 

Here are a few photos from photobucket

 

 

 

Puck is very handsome boy. Our Charlie was diagnosed on July 15th and had his amp the next day. He is 7 with his birthday in October and decided for our boy the amp would be best route for him to enjoy more of his life as he raced up to age 5 (213 races) and he has only been with us for just short of 3 years. Your Puck reminds me of Charlie and if you choose the amp route, please feel free to ask questions if you need to as it's all too recent for us. Whatever your decision, give Puck a hug from me.

 

Kyle

[Guest TBSFlame]

We are here too. Today I am in the anger going to bargaining stage...anger feels so much better. Also I think I will skip depression and ignore acceptance altogether and come back to anger. When I'm angry, I get things done so this is where I'll stay and fight.

 

Yup, the fight mode is where you need to stay awhile.

 

Hugs to everyone in this thread. Believe me, I know exactly how this feels. (5 osteo diagnoses this year for us, as most everyone knows.) If I can help anyone in any way, please get in touch. I have done the amp route and the pain management route.

 

any help appreciated -- pain management (rivie's is on her rib - so no surgery) -- any tips/advise/help appreciated. any experience with it on the rib cage? thanks in advance!

 

 

Hawks was in his shoulder and Beecher's was on his rib. We got almost 7 months with Beecher and he seemed to respond to pain management well. He would sometimes lay on that big tumor. It will get big. His was baseball size and a constent reminder.

[teri_d]

Puck (Pat C. Cordell) just turned 7 in March, we've only had him since June of 2006. He's very much a creature of habit - hates to have his routine messed with in any way. He's never played much - much to the chagrin of our other hound, Ariel:) He's a vocal boy - whines when he doesn't get his way immediately:)

 

He'd started limping a few weeks ago, and it seemed to get better for a while so we thought it might be a sprain or something else pretty innocuous, then it came back, and I was trying not to think what it might be... but last night he had a very restless night and was in some pain, it seemed to get much worse within the space of a day:( I still can't believe it. We're letting the news sink in for a bit before we decide what will be best for him.

 

 

 

oh i am SO SO Sorry to hear this dx. please stay in touch here on this thread - it is somehow comforting to know we all are going throught the same *&^&*%&%&^% thing together. hugs to puck and to his people. glad to hear that charlie is doing well this morning - and playing!!! and to the os devils :we do not want any more members to this group - do you hear this cancer - enough is enough - no more!!!!!!!!!! go away and stay away!!!!!

Edited July 26, 2010 by teri_d

[Guest ChasesMum]

chase had a rough morning, she has fluid collecting under her skin, She has a 'waddle' -like a chicken neck waddle in an old lady- that runs from her chin all the way to her back legs. so all the way along her chest and belly and everything. the neck part developed overnight. uugh. i have a horrid feeling we are going to be dealing with days and not weeks... i gave her a tramadol before 6am with some breakfast and she had 'second breakfast' and the rest of her meds too. She was keen on eating, which was our marker...if that went away then we knew she was ready...but with our family cocker spaniel that passed like 10 years ago from lymphosarcoma, my mom says she was quite happy to keep eating even the morning she was pts, even though she was drowling from all the fluid in her lungs.

 

anyways, still no call from the cardio with the fluid results but what does it matter at this point really? uugh sorry to be such a downer today. mondays suck.