Osteo Thread

[Guest roselle]

 

Oh - and Jen - Lucy HATES egg!

Oh well, I tried. Neyla didn't like 'em either.

 

 

Kathy, thank you and continued good thoughts for you.

 

I feel like I've been handling things a little bit better just very lately, but some of that could be because I've been really busy and therefore distracted. Last night sucked though. I've been rewatching old seasons of Grey's Anatomy. As I approached the final episode of season 2, I remembered that Meredith and Derek have to let their dog go, but I totally forgot that it was because he gets freaking osteo!! They actually show him being put down, boy did that catch me off guard.

 

Continued good thoughts for all of the post-amp and palliative pups. Sounds like everyone is doing well, which is great.

 

 

Kari, are you feeling better about having Spark's ashes at home?

 

Jen, I think about you all the time and am happy to hear your having better days. Probably not the b est idea to watch a t.v. program about the loss of a beloved pet, esp. to osteo. Hopfully you'll start having smiles from memories of Neyla. Tosting you tonight with my pomitini. Roselle and Gracy

[Guest MorganKonaAlex]

Weird question, but does anybody know how much a leg weighs?

I was told it's 10-12 lbs.

[Wonder]

 

Kari, are you feeling better about having Spark's ashes at home?

Honestly trying not to think about it.

I went on a date last night and was able to tell the guy about Sparks without bursting into tears so that's a positive

[greysmom]

Dude has had a mixed day. He didn't eat a speck of breakfast - though he wanted his treats and lunchmeat. I think it's a combination of not liking his regular food and just being picky. I picked up some salmon recipe Canidae this afternoon so we'll see how he likes that.

 

Otherwise, his attitude has been really good and positive. He jumped back into his favorite chair this afternoon! YEAH!!! First time since the surgery. I almost cried. He got his staples out yesterday, so we are officially DONE with Ortho and now under the care of Onco. CBC next week and then another chemo the week after. Rinse and repeat for the foreseeable future, but at least we're making progress!

[SIGreyLady]

Good boy Dude :yay but you gat to eat you know.

[greysmom]

He LOVED the Canidae! Tonight. We'll see how breakfast goes! Mutt Head!

[RedFawnMom]

Dude and Lucy (but practicing medicine without a license is a no-no )

 

Callie continues to do very well. Herman took her to the oncologist office on Friday to get a CBC done and results were everything was normal and they said to return in two weeks for her second chemo.

 

She did have a weird "episode" yesterday and I was one minute from rushing her to the hopsital. It was like she had something in her throat, but her whole body was heaving. Reminded me of an asthma attack in people. It was nice out so we did have the windows open (weird since it was in the teens a couple of weeks ago) and I thought maybe it could of been an allergic reaction?? I closed the windows and put on the A/C for a bit and she calmed down and has been fine since. (I know I'm all sneezing, hacking and all stopped up with sinuses now.) Hoping it was just something tickley caught in her throat that's passed.

 

She also has lost quite a bit of weight... I notice you said Lucy is too skinny. Callie used to weigh in the high 70's (she's been big for a girl, not fat, just big) and gradually she went down to around 68 (I was told they lose weight as they age), where she was when she had her amputation. After the amp she was at 55 pounds, but I think she has lost more. (Will try and get a number today so I can tell the oncologist when I call tomorrow.) Her ribs are really pronounced. I've heard that they will gain weight once the chemo is over, but I don't think she can last that long if she continues to lose.

 

Her appetite is excellent - eats everything with gusto. She is on Pro Plan kibble... what is a better low carb option of kibble that would also be high calorie (that's what I want, isn't it?)?

 

Also is there some kind of supplement they could start her on to keep her weight on?

 

After looking at her before bed, I cried myself to sleep. She's so skinny, I think she's thinner than Pixie and Pixie's a twig!

 

 

Lucy went from 72 to 60 (before amp she went from 72 - 64, so she's losing, even taking the leg into account). If Callie has a good appetite, try not to worry, the weight will come back. Try some high-fat foods and see what she can tolerate. Try the Blue Buffalo Wilderness or the EVO, if even in small amounts as a mix-in. Somewhere on GT you'll find a recipe for something called "satin balls" that supposedly help them pup on weight quickly (they might have raw meat in them, though, which you don't want to give during chemo). I would avoid the "weight-gain" supplements...I looked at them online and they're all sugar (which you want to avoid with cancer). That hacking thing must have scared you - was it a "reverse sneeze"? Search for that on GT, there might be a video somewhere. Lucy does that once in a while. I'm so glad Callie's CBC was normal!

 

With our Flashyman we fed the EVO Red Meat Formula (Protein - 44.17%; Fat - 23.13%; Cabohydrates - 14.85%).

 

Thanks, we are going to try that. Thanks for stopping in and sharing.

 

Wonder says "thank you." We started on the Gabapentin tonight (100 mg). He whimpered a little when I got home at lunch and tonight he was panting laying down for a minute which is new. He's hanging in there and still being himself which is priceless.

 

I'm glad the Gaba is helping, even at such a tiny dose. Give wonder another kiss from me and Lucy.

 

I feel like I've been handling things a little bit better just very lately, but some of that could be because I've been really busy and therefore distracted. Last night sucked though. I've been rewatching old seasons of Grey's Anatomy. As I approached the final episode of season 2, I remembered that Meredith and Derek have to let their dog go, but I totally forgot that it was because he gets freaking osteo!! They actually show him being put down, boy did that catch me off guard.

 

I think you've been handling things really, really well. That scene would have turned me into a balling mess.

 

As I am sure everyone here has, i have scoured all the dry dog foods for protien content.

FedX doesn't tolerate many foods getting diarrhea, so that in the past eliminated the costco brand, Blue buffalo, and Merrick.

Now we are doing a partially home cooked diet with a veggie stew, raw chicken, some canned dog food, and some kibble.

We used to use Purina One until they changed thier recipie and then that no longer worked. We used Iams naturals for quite some time with very good results, but recently switched to Taste of the Wild to up the protien content with good results i also looked at the Canidae grain free version but picked taste of the wild based on it was a few bucks cheaper, otherwise they were comparable.

Have you looked into The Honest Kitchen foods? They have some that are meant to be mixed with home-cooked or raw foods. It's expensive, but you don't need a lot of it if you're adding stuff to it and I don't think it's a lot more expensive than the "premium" kibbles.

 

I went on a date last night and was able to tell the guy about Sparks without bursting into tears so that's a positive

That's a huge step.

 

 

Otherwise, his attitude has been really good and positive. He jumped back into his favorite chair this afternoon! YEAH!!! First time since the surgery. I almost cried. He got his staples out yesterday, so we are officially DONE with Ortho and now under the care of Onco. CBC next week and then another chemo the week after. Rinse and repeat for the foreseeable future, but at least we're making progress!

Yay, Dude!

 

 

 

Lucy has been doing well these past couple of days. She'd been panting a lot off and on and I was giving her Tramadol when I noticed it, assuming it was pain, and then a couple of days ago I realized it stopped when she was outside. I think the poor girl is just hot! It has been unusually warm in the house because we're keeping half the downstairs closed off since we're basically living in one part of the house, but it still doesn't seem warm enough for her to be panting, but I wonder if the chemo makes them a little more sensitive to the heat? Does anyone know?

 

She was panting and pacing earlier this morning, so the silly girl is outside on the deck right now, laying on her blanket in the sun looking totally blissful. It's 30 degrees outside. I'm keeping a close eye on her and won't let her stay out there long, but she's not shivering at all and looks more comfortable than I've seen her in days. Yesterday I let her out to pee and she laid down IN THE SNOW and was licking the snow bank and refused to come in. I may have to turn the heat in the house way, way down and just bundle myself up.

[Wonder]

Did Lucy finish off her Burpdogs?

[NeylasMom]

Jen, I think about you all the time and am happy to hear your having better days. Probably not the b est idea to watch a t.v. program about the loss of a beloved pet, esp. to osteo. Hopfully you'll start having smiles from memories of Neyla. Tosting you tonight with my pomitini. Roselle and Gracy

Thank you so much Roselle. And how is Miss Gracy these days? I can't remember, have you decided to do any post chemo treatments like the metronomic protocol that uses palladia, or any holistic stuff? Will you be doing chest x-rays sometime soon?

 

 

Kari, are you feeling better about having Spark's ashes at home?

Honestly trying not to think about it.

I went on a date last night and was able to tell the guy about Sparks without bursting into tears so that's a positive

That's great! The idea of dating still overwhelms me - heartbreak on top of heartbreak, no thanks.

 

I have to go to a funeral this weekend. Last night I actually started to think about what that actually means. Not that a funeral is ever a good time, but I'm really not excited about the prospect of being faced with death right now.

 

On a positive note, Tash is up in Yonkers getting her cyberknife radiation treatment and things seem to be going well aside from her being totally stressed out when at the vet's. But Dave is in a hotel all week so he brings her home each day as soon as the treatment is over. She has one more treatment tomorrow and then she can come home. The hope is that the tumor will have been completely irradiated and that the cyst around it will disappear or shrink as well. They won't know for sure until they repeat the MRI several weeks from now b/c the radiation needs time to work.

[krissn333]

Good thoughts for Tash, Jen

 

Heck, that episode of Grey's had me a bawling mess LONG before Sutra had osteo. It's just really sad. Marley and Me is another movie that I just can't watch. ugh.

 

Dude!

[greysmom]

Checking in to see how everyone's doing today and to give a good update!

 

We have basically stopped his codeine pain med (he has a dose or two on antibiotic left) and his nsaid. I think they were depressing / sedating him quite a bit as he's been a bundle of energy since going off them. His face is bright and his eyes and expression are good. He's doing "normal" stuff like he used to for the most part. He's acting so much like his old self that I actually looked at him out in the yard and was shocked to see only three legs!

 

He continues to like his Salmon Canidae, so we'll probably be switching him to this food permanently. I still need to talk to his oncologist about artemesinin supplements and the joint supplements I got from Greyhound Gang,

 

Hope everyone else has had a good day too! Hugs to all!

[NeylasMom]

for a great Dude update!!! Now we need pictures pleaseandthankyou!

[GreytNut]

Tiny's doing surprisingly well. He's hanging in there. I haven't had to increase his pain meds again. I hope it lasts.

 

We have a new hound in training to stand in for him as Raven's companion. Riley is going to have very big shoes to fill, so to speak. I'm glad we did it now and not later when I would be an emotional basketcase and possibly not make a very good decision. The new guy has some real issues, but Tiny is being very patient. He is unflappable.

 

Tiny is so perfect. Whenever I start to get frustrated with the new dog and tell myself, "Tiny would never do this!" I have to stop and remember that Tiny did not start out perfect. He had issues too... some of the very same ones, in fact. It took time and patience to help him become what he is today. And the new guy will learn, too.

 

I don't want Tiny to go.

[greysmom]

This is from a couple days ago. The first time he got back in his chair since the surgery.

 

 

Need to upload some of the snow pics from today! Dude loves the snow!

[NeylasMom]

Oh my god He has Neyla's bedroom eyes. Such a handsome boy.

[Charlies_Dad]

Kristen,

 

We all don't want Tiny to go. He sounds like a real sweetie. I saw your other post on Riley and am happy you have a new addition, I am sure he will adjust in time.

 

 

Chris, DUDE! You look greyt!!!

 

 

Charlie update - he is doing well. He doesn't like the ice we have now because of the warm-up that occurred last week and I have tried to make his paths easier for him by using my tractor to blow snow back on the trails! I never thought I would be putting snow back that I had removed. He is still his crazy self and stealing any stuffy that Jack takes, he's such a bully! Nobody is allowed to have fun or try to out-race him as he will put them in their place. The good thing is he is nice about it and not aggressive, just very competitive.

[greysmom]

Dude - and us - have had a good couple of days. Several in a row is a real break-through! He's eating well and getting around fine. He's been off all his meds (except a pepcid before meals) for 2 1/2 days!

 

Hugs to everyone!

[cmc333]

It is so nice to pop into this thread and find everyone doing great! Sometimes I'm afraid to open it; I don't want to hear any more bad news. On March 6, it will be 3 months since I lost Gypsy. God, I miss her - she was such a devil - you could see it shining out of her eyes - she loved to make me laugh at her. She hadn't read the Greyhound book, so she loved to bark. She talked and whined to me too, everytime I was on the phone. There's still a big hole in my heart and probably always will be. But at least I can say the words and not start bawling in front of everyone. That's a major accomplishment for me.

 

Give all your babies a kiss and a hug from me. I am so happy that no one is having any serious problems. I'm glad someone can beat this disease. It is amazing the things we do for our dogs, like putting snow BACK onto the sidewalks and trails. It's a testament to our love for them that we do all these things to help them be happy - whether it's snowblowing the wrong direction or turning the thermostat down and putting on 3 sweatshirts and mittens in your own house!

 

Connie

[Guest roselle]

Jen, I think about you all the time and am happy to hear your having better days. Probably not the b est idea to watch a t.v. program about the loss of a beloved pet, esp. to osteo. Hopfully you'll start having smiles from memories of Neyla. Tosting you tonight with my pomitini. Roselle and Gracy

Thank you so much Roselle. And how is Miss Gracy these days? I can't remember, have you decided to do any post chemo treatments like the metronomic protocol that uses palladia, or any holistic stuff? Will you be doing chest x-rays sometime soon?

 

 

Kari, are you feeling better about having Spark's ashes at home?

Honestly trying not to think about it.

I went on a date last night and was able to tell the guy about Sparks without bursting into tears so that's a positive

That's great! The idea of dating still overwhelms me - heartbreak on top of heartbreak, no thanks.

 

I have to go to a funeral this weekend. Last night I actually started to think about what that actually means. Not that a funeral is ever a good time, but I'm really not excited about the prospect of being faced with death right now.

 

On a positive note, Tash is up in Yonkers getting her cyberknife radiation treatment and things seem to be going well aside from her being totally stressed out when at the vet's. But Dave is in a hotel all week so he brings her home each day as soon as the treatment is over. She has one more treatment tomorrow and then she can come home. The hope is that the tumor will have been completely irradiated and that the cyst around it will disappear or shrink as well. They won't know for sure until they repeat the MRI several weeks from now b/c the radiation needs time to work.

 

Miss Gracy is doing great with the exception of peeing in the house if I'm sleeping or out. She usually wakes me up several times a night to go out but there are a lot of times she will go in an other room. This started after the amp. and we have tested her for UTI'S several times, docs don't know why so we live with it. She is finished with chemo and now I would like to do holistic. I don't know what to do yet, any suggestions. I'm not going the pallada rout. I haven't seen any real benifit from it the oncologest agrees so just holistic. She's survived 6 months now and we're going all the way. Positive thoughts here. I'm happy you're doing better I know it's a roller coaster, one I don't look forward to riding. You hang in there. Are you thinking of getting another grey. it's hard to live without them. I'm sending you a cookie. Roselle and Gracy

[greysmom]

About a week after Dude came home from the hospital he began having accidents in the house. We know he was peeing outside OK, and sometimes we would find a spot right after we came back in. It wasn't a full pee, just like leaking if he was getting up or down. The surgeon had no idea why he might be doing this, so we ordered a belly band to contain the leaks and went on. A few days later he had to go back in to surgery for a bad infection in his wound. The leaking stopped when he go home from that, and went on two other antibiotics. The belly band came, and we didn't need to use it.

 

I think he was having some kind of UTI from the infection in the wound, and the debridement surgery and new ABs cleared it up. He's been fine ever since, and is back on our usual potty schedule with no problems.

 

Hugs to all!

[NeylasMom]

Kyle, love that you are snowblowing snow back onto the paths.

 

Roselle, so glad to hear that Gracy is doing so well. I think if it were me and my pup was through chemo, I would do fish oil, a mushroom extract or green tea extract (ECGC) or alternate b/w the 2 most likely, and either alternate b/w artemisinin and curcumin or stick to a cycling regimen. It's not all that different from what I was doing before with Neyla, but I might be more moderate with doses, especially of the arte.

 

No new dogs for a while for me. Zuri gets my undivided attention for a while. Eventually iw ill start fostering again, but I don't think I'll adopt again anytime soon. Easier said than done at some point, but I really think it is better for me financially and in terms of being able to continue traveling and fostering without going insane or neglecting my own dogs.

[RedFawnMom]

I love that photo of Dude in his chair, thank you for posting it.

 

Lucy's progress is up and down. She had a couple of days where she seemed more herself, but today she's been restless. Her stump is a bit swollen and looks more bruised today than yesterday and she was really uncomfortable before I gave her two Tramadol (she hadn't taken Tramadol at all for over a week). I'm worried. Her staples came out on Friday. Could she have gotten an infection? What would that look like? The skin on her entire stump looks dark to me, but I think it's from the sun, since she doesn't have any hair there. Her belly gets darker in the summer when she sun bathes and this looks similar, I think, but of course in the back of my head I'm wondering if something is wrong. She's snoozing now on her Tramadol so I guess we'll see how it looks in the morning.

[NeylasMom]

Might be worth having her checked out. I don't think it would be from the sun in CT in winter. Hopefully it's nothing, but when dealing with potential infection, I always think better safe than sorry, especially since she seems to be in pain. Feel better soon Lucy!

 

How is everyone else doing? It's been quiet in here, no news is good news, right?

 

I'm getting ready to leave for Sandy Paws. Very excited to be going and spending time with good friends who get the dog stuff although I had a pang this evening when I realized this will be my first GH event wtihout Neyla. But it will be a much needed break and I can't wait! Too bad I haven't started packing.

[greysmom]

Jess, how's Lucy today? Does the swelling have any smell? Is it particularly tender and/or hot to the touch? Is it weeping any fluid at all? It might be worth a trip in to have it checked. Dude's infection was deep inside his remaining stump and ended with him needing another surgery and two different antibiotics.

 

Dude was in for routine bloodwork today and got to see his TV star surgeon. The doctor came out and said that Dude's amp and incision looked "Awesome" and that Dude is very sweet. Aaawwwwww!

 

Second chemo next Wednesday!

 

Hugs to all!

[Zoolady]

I am so sorry to say Wonder went to the Bridge at 5:00 pm today. The hard tumor on his shoulder grew to the size of a big grapefruit and his leg began swelling. If he was laying down it was twice the normal size and when he stood up it was three times. His foot was so big it looked like a bear claw. Nothing we tried worked. It was so hard for him to lay down and he would circle and circle on a bed many times and his legs would shake.

 

We upped the meds and he still panted while standing. Although he was still greeting us at the door, eating great, going outside was becoming more of a challenge but he even took that on. He began losing weight and his coat wasn't "right." There was something in his eyes that said "I love you but I need your help."

 

The vet came to the house at 4:45 with a nurse. Scott had a room prepared with new age spa music playing, candles lit and a place for him to lie down. The dogs were outside and when they came in Wonder went to a bed in the living room so that is where it was done.

 

I had told Scott last night that I hope she brings enough stuff because she will be stopping the heart of a lion. The nurse gave the first medicine and when the vet gave the final medicine, sure enough she had to give it twice.

 

I think my five year old granddaughter summed it up. She said, "Wonder's really going to be happy in heaven."