Osteo Thread

[NeylasMom]

So sorry this happened to poor Tiny. Hope he feels better and heals up quickly.

 

You might need to isolate him for his own safety - set up an x-pen or crate for him to hang out in.

Maybe gate him separately from Riley when you're not there? A muzzle will protect him from severe physical injury (although I say severe b/c I've seen ears get got in muzzles), but it won't keep him from the fear, etc. if he is attacked again.

 

I'm so sorry that this happened. I constantly worried about an off lead dog attacking Neyla on our walks after she was diagnosed even though we've never had an issue with them in our neighborhood because I was so terrified of something happening that I would normally treat, but would be too severe to treat given her diagnosis and I'd have to let her go after a painful, fearful experience. I'm really glad Tiny's injuries seem to be relatively minor, poor guy.

[Charlies_Dad]

Kristen, I hope Tiny is okay. That is very scary and poor Tiny, just eating his treats and getting smack like that. Muzzles are a good idea as the last thing you want as you say are additional issues on top of everything else. Please give the boy a big hug from me.

[GreytNut]

The Riley situation is under control now, but Tiny is doing very poorly. The lump on his shoulder is quite pronounced. He is in a lot of pain now and doesn't even get off the couch to pee unless I force him to. He cries with each step down the stairs. He still enjoys treats but I have to bring them to him. He won't get up for them. Same thing with meals. He'll clean his bowl, but he can't stand up long enough to eat it so it has to come to him.

 

I think he will be leaving us in the next few days.

[greysmom]

Oh Kristen!

[Zoolady]

I'm so sorry. Heartbreaking. When we let Wonder go I had to think of it as his final gift of love, to be pain free. Wonder had a very strong will to please too. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and Tiny.

[NeylasMom]

The Riley situation is under control now, but Tiny is doing very poorly. The lump on his shoulder is quite pronounced. He is in a lot of pain now and doesn't even get off the couch to pee unless I force him to. He cries with each step down the stairs. He still enjoys treats but I have to bring them to him. He won't get up for them. Same thing with meals. He'll clean his bowl, but he can't stand up long enough to eat it so it has to come to him.

 

I think he will be leaving us in the next few days.

I'm so sorry.

 

Is he maxed out on pain meds? You could try a Fentanyl patch if he is. It can take a little time for it to kick in, but it might help him be comfortable for a few more days if you're not quite ready to let him go.

[Guest roselle]

The Riley situation is under control now, but Tiny is doing very poorly. The lump on his shoulder is quite pronounced. He is in a lot of pain now and doesn't even get off the couch to pee unless I force him to. He cries with each step down the stairs. He still enjoys treats but I have to bring them to him. He won't get up for them. Same thing with meals. He'll clean his bowl, but he can't stand up long enough to eat it so it has to come to him.

 

I think he will be leaving us in the next few days.

 

I'm so sorry Kristen, Tiney we're sending you hugs and kisses. Roselle and Gracy

[GreytNut]

The Riley situation is under control now, but Tiny is doing very poorly. The lump on his shoulder is quite pronounced. He is in a lot of pain now and doesn't even get off the couch to pee unless I force him to. He cries with each step down the stairs. He still enjoys treats but I have to bring them to him. He won't get up for them. Same thing with meals. He'll clean his bowl, but he can't stand up long enough to eat it so it has to come to him.

 

I think he will be leaving us in the next few days.

I'm so sorry.

 

Is he maxed out on pain meds? You could try a Fentanyl patch if he is. It can take a little time for it to kick in, but it might help him be comfortable for a few more days if you're not quite ready to let him go.

 

I think he's maxed out on Tramadol at 300 mg 2x daily and Rimadyl at 100 mg 2x daily. The vet increased his Gabapentin to 100 mg 3x daily and said no more, but looking online I think he can go up as high as 300 mg 3x daily. Does that sound right? If we can increase the Gabapentin that should help a lot. I'm not worried about running out of meds and having to beg for refills now, I'm just throwing pills at him.

 

He is going to get his very own loaf of bread, which he does not have to share with anyone.

 

He has an appointment for Saturday afternoon.

[Batmom]

{{{{{{{{{{Kristen}}}}}}}}}}

 

Whisper in his ear for me that he is the handsomest greyhound ever, and the sweetest besides.

[Guest vahoundlover]

Kristen I am so sorry

[NeylasMom]

I think he's maxed out on Tramadol at 300 mg 2x daily and Rimadyl at 100 mg 2x daily. The vet increased his Gabapentin to 100 mg 3x daily and said no more, but looking online I think he can go up as high as 300 mg 3x daily. Does that sound right? If we can increase the Gabapentin that should help a lot. I'm not worried about running out of meds and having to beg for refills now, I'm just throwing pills at him.

 

He is going to get his very own loaf of bread, which he does not have to share with anyone.

 

He has an appointment for Saturday afternoon.

 

Without knowing how much Tiny weighs, I think you are close to being maxed out with the Tramadol. Neyla was getting 375mg/day at the very end, but split over 3 times a day, not 2 (she weighed ~56 lbs for comparison). You can definitely increase the Gabapentin significantly. At Neyla's weight, her max was 500 mg 3x/day, but at 400mg she got woozy so we backed down to 300mg. I wouldn't be afraid to increase his dose to 200-300 mg 3x/day. Really the only thing you have to worry about is a knocked out or woozy dog so just be careful when he first gets up to be there to help him if he's dizzy until you know how it affects him.

[greysmom]

Kristen and Tiny!

 

Dude is doing chemo number three right now. Fingers crossed he comes home feeling as good as the two previous times.

[RedFawnMom]

Hugs to you, Kristen, and to sweet Tiny. I am so sorry.

 

 

How is Dude feeling after his chemo?

 

 

Lucy is doing well and is full of sass these days. A couple of days ago, I got home from work and she was especially wound up and wanting to play. I was trying to ignore her until I got all of my stuff put away. I leaned over to take off my shoes and she ran over and nibbled my butt (very gently, luckily)! I was shocked! I turned around and her tail was wagging like crazy. She's always been a playful girl, but she never would have done this before her surgery. I'm not sure if she's just feeling more energetic because she's not in pain anymore, or if she somehow senses that she gets away with a lot more than she did before. Either way, I'm happy to see her in a good mood. We've only had one scary incident lately. She slipped on our wood floor last night and fell and ended up sprawled out like Bambi. She just laid there for a few seconds until I got to her, then she stood up - I almost had a heart attack, I thought she'd injured one of her legs. I think she was just surprised/scared - she did get back up and walk away and was fine and seems completely fine today. But holy cow, I have not been that scared in a long time. We have runners on most of the slippery floors in the house, but not in the section where she fell, since we keep it closed off and she's never in there. We happened to be using that room because we had family over for dinner, and somehow it didn't cross my mind that she'd be following us in there. So, we'll be heading back up to Costco this weekend to get more runners.

 

Lucy's third chemo is scheduled for Friday (though the weather people are predicting a snow storm, so maybe it'll be postponed). I hope she feels as well as she did after her last treatment.

[greysmom]

Got Dude home and he's doing great! He was feeling fine and had his sassy pants on, bounding around the yard sniffing, peeing, and a big poop! He ate down all his dinner like a champ. Felt god enough to pester me for a chew bone a good 30 minutes before it was time!

 

I had a talk with his oncologist today. She's really very pleased (and totally smitten! <3 ) with how Dude is doing and responding. His weight is exactly the same as three weeks ago. He's getting around fine on his three legs. And he has a super attitude even there in the hospital. They let him lay on a blanket in the middle of the room and I think just about everyone comes in and gives him attention and treats! He loves it!

 

His WBC was low but adequate for chemo. She wants to re-test next week to make sure they bounce back OK. At next chemo appointent in three weeks they will also do chest x-rays to see if any nodules have popped up or if he's all clean and clear!

 

Our big question between now and then is whether to go beyond four treatments or not. Obviously, a lot of it depends on the x-rays. If they show metastisization into his lungs then we definitely won't be continuing. But if they're clear, we need to consider whether we want to or not. OSU only recommends and only sent four free gabepentin doses and cost is a factor. The oncologist said there really isn't a clear indication that any treatments beyond four are more effective, but that they won't hurt him (as long as he's tolerating the chemo well). So anyone have any thoughts about getting treatments 5 and 6????

 

After the chemo is done, no matter how many treatments that is, he'll be going on a course of injectible chemo drugs and re-checks every 3 months. Then we just deal with what comes.

 

Thaks everyone!

Chris and Dude

[NeylasMom]

Lucy and Dude!!! Jess, I am cracking up picturing Lucy nipping your butt. Too cute!

 

 

Kristen, you out there? I hope you're hanging in there. My heart breaks thinking of what you're going through.

[Wonder]

I'm sorry about Tiny

[GreytNut]

Dude and Lucy sound like they're kicking osteo's butt.

 

Upping the Gabapentin (actually I pushed it to 400 mg 3x daily) has greatly helped Tiny. He still is in a lot of pain, but at least he's not crying every time he moves. He is able to deal with it and move around when he has to. He is even sometimes getting off the couch on his own.

 

I have to chase Riley away from him, because Riley seems to like swinging his newfound authority around by shoving Tiny aside whenever treats are being doled out. Tiny falls over at a butterfly's touch, so this is unacceptable. Riley now has to lie down outside of the kitchen and wait until everyone else gets their treats, much to his annoyance. If he moves, he gets nothing. He's a smart boy and he figured out the new rules right away.

 

Tiny gets the first section of his bread loaf tonight.

[Guest MorganKonaAlex]

Our big question between now and then is whether to go beyond four treatments or not. Obviously, a lot of it depends on the x-rays. If they show metastisization into his lungs then we definitely won't be continuing. But if they're clear, we need to consider whether we want to or not. OSU only recommends and only sent four free gabepentin doses and cost is a factor.

Do you mean doxorubicin? or carboplatin? 4 doses for carboplatin seems like the standard protocol from my dogs and from what I've heard. For Doxorubicin, some oncologists give 4 and some give 5 doses. But doxorubicin can cause heart damage and the risk increases a little bit with each dose.

[greysmom]

Sorry = carboplatin

 

Too much reading about pain meds! More than four doses of carboplatin or not is the question. Four is what OSU recommends, though more are NOT contraindicated specifically. We want to be as effective as possible without doing something potentially damaging that could make no difference. I am leaning towards no more treatments. DH I think is leaning towards more. Oncologist is neutral - depending on test results.

[Guest roselle]

Sorry = carboplatin

 

Too much reading about pain meds! More than four doses of carboplatin or not is the question. Four is what OSU recommends, though more are NOT contraindicated specifically. We want to be as effective as possible without doing something potentially damaging that could make no difference. I am leaning towards no more treatments. DH I think is leaning towards more. Oncologist is neutral - depending on test results.

 

Gracy had 6 cycles of carboplatin which is what my vet oncologist recommended. She told me It's given a minium of 4 but the full dose is 6. Gracy did great with the 6 doses she finished chemo 2 months ago and as of 2 weeks ago no lung mets. I have confidence that she will be a long term survivor. My sister used positive thinking when she had a very poor prognosis with cancer 25 years ago, so I'm hoping it works with Gracy. I'm sending you some positive thoughts too and a hug. Roselle and Gracy ( 8 months survival)

[NeylasMom]

for Gracy!

[Guest roselle]

for Gracy!

Jem how do you do it? Howards been gone 2 dYS NOW AMD I;M SO SAD DEPEESSED, CRYING. I SEE HIM EVERYWHERE. IT;S SO HARD TO COMR HOME AND NOT GREET ME AT THE DOOR OR BEING COMPLETLY UNDERFOOT WHILE I FIX THE 3 DOG DINNERS. THIS IS SO HARD I REALLY MISS HIM.

[krissn333]

Roselle, I was completely numb after I had to let Sutra go...the only reason I got out of bed was to go to work because I started a new job the day after he died. I took many breaks to let myself cry and did tell my new boss what was going on. Thankfully she is a dog person and completely understood how I was feeling.

 

It has been almost 6 months and I still cry every time I talk about him (including now). It's so very hard. I don't have a lot of advice on how to deal with it, unfortunately. I just keep taking things one day at a time.

[Charlies_Dad]

Kristen, I am sorry that you are having to say goodbye to Tiny. He has fought a brave fight and is strong boy. Please give him a last hug from me.

 

 

 

Our big question between now and then is whether to go beyond four treatments or not. Obviously, a lot of it depends on the x-rays. If they show metastisization into his lungs then we definitely won't be continuing. But if they're clear, we need to consider whether we want to or not. OSU only recommends and only sent four free gabepentin doses and cost is a factor. The oncologist said there really isn't a clear indication that any treatments beyond four are more effective, but that they won't hurt him (as long as he's tolerating the chemo well). So anyone have any thoughts about getting treatments 5 and 6????

 

 

Chris, my opinion is that if Dude is tolerating the chemo well, then I would go for the extra sessions. This battle as you know is hard and Dude needs all odds in his favour. We went with Doxyrubicin 5 rounds. Charboplatin I had read ranges from 4-6 rounds based on all the reading I did when Charlie was first diagnosed. I am glad to hear Dude is doing well and handling the chemo well!

 

Jess, that is great news Lucy is doing well! It sounds like she has found her 'jive' and giving you a run for your money. As for the falling, yep, that is bound to happen. She will be fine and yes it's scary. Our surgeon warned us about this when it would happen that it can be scary but usually doesn't cause any problems.

 

Roselle, congrats to Gracy for hitting the 8mth mark!!! I haven't read any more posts of her escaping you again which is good news. She is obviously a spunky girl. I am however saddened that you had to let Howard go. Hang in there.

Edited April 2, 2011 by Charlies_Dad

[GreytNut]

Please think good thoughts for Tiny at 4:15 today (mountain time).

 

We just had a going away party for him. Some friends came over and stuffed him full of bread and cookies and showered him with attention.

 

He never has lost his appetite the way Argus did and so many others do. He just can't make the slightest movement without pain. Lying immobile on the couch afraid to even twitch a muscle is IMO not good quality of life, and I can't give him any more meds. I am terribly worried that Riley will smash into him as he is very prone to doing and break Tiny's shoulder, which would be catastrophic.

 

Deciding "when" is the hardest part. It's an easier choice when a dog is lying unconscious with a broken back or its guts hanging out. It's harder when it's something insidious like osteosarcoma. Do you pull the plug on a dog who still enjoys bread slices? Do you wait until there's nothing left?