Osteo Thread

[lothianjavert]

Thanks Jen! I'm so sorry about Neyla. I wouldn't wish this journey on anyone or anyone's pup, but I am glad I'm not alone.

 

Diesel is still hanging in there, but we're going to have to do a med change to manage his pain- what he's on just isn't cutting it anymore. DH is off tomorrow and will be talking to the vet, and I know I'll be calling from work as well. I know we can try heavier narcotics, but what about other meds like neurontin (we are maxxed out on NSAIDS, so that part cannot be increased)? I know it's used primarily for neuropathic pain (as well as seizures and migraines in humans), but I thought I recalled someone using it with some success w/ an osteo pup. In the meantime, he is majorly being spoiled. I need to upload some pics I took right around his diagnosis time where he was seriously working DH over for some pizza crust. (This morning he hit DH up for his coffee though now he expects it brought TO him! I told Steve that he is now D's personal barista/snack chef. )

 

to all of you and your pups who have fought and/or are still fighting osteo

[Guest snakes]

Thanks Jen! I'm so sorry about Neyla. I wouldn't wish this journey on anyone or anyone's pup, but I am glad I'm not alone.

 

Diesel is still hanging in there, but we're going to have to do a med change to manage his pain- what he's on just isn't cutting it anymore. DH is off tomorrow and will be talking to the vet, and I know I'll be calling from work as well. I know we can try heavier narcotics, but what about other meds like neurontin (we are maxxed out on NSAIDS, so that part cannot be increased)? I know it's used primarily for neuropathic pain (as well as seizures and migraines in humans), but I thought I recalled someone using it with some success w/ an osteo pup. In the meantime, he is majorly being spoiled. I need to upload some pics I took right around his diagnosis time where he was seriously working DH over for some pizza crust. (This morning he hit DH up for his coffee though now he expects it brought TO him! I told Steve that he is now D's personal barista/snack chef. )

 

to all of you and your pups who have fought and/or are still fighting osteo

 

 

I am new to all this osteo stuff, hwoever I have been playing around with fedX's pain meds. We had a bad reaction to Novox/Rimadyl. We are now on tramadol which alone didn't control teh pain, so we added in neurontin (we are maxed on tramadol), it definatly helped his pain. It works by blocking the pain signals from the brain, so the nsaids will control the inflammation and pain while and the neurontin blocks the pain signals. It works for us, I would give it a shot, if anything just get a few doses (it is quick acting) and see if it helps, you cna always get more!

[NeylasMom]

Shannon, glad you and DH are finally able to start talking about Flash. Seems like a good sign that you are healing.

 

Hi Rachael - glad to see you in here although of course not glad there's a need for you to be here. Glad to hear Diesel is hanging in. To answer your med question, the typical combo for osteo pain is an NSAID, Tramadol, & Gabapentin. I'm assuming that Neurontin is similar to Gabapentin (neurological) although I don't know about it specifically. You can get both Tramadol and Gabapentin at human pharmacies as generics so they're not expensive and a lot of people see a significant improvement using the combo.

 

It's a lot to pour through, but there's a lot of discussion of pain meds in the previous osteo thread, especially in the later parts if you want to read through. My best advice, don't hold back. There were a couple of times when Neyla's pain increased and I would first try increasing in small increments and waiting to see. Finally I realized I could always back off later. Better to get the pain addressed and then try to back down (and only once did I actually have to bump it back down a tiny bit). Both the Tram and Gaba have very few side effects aside from possible drowsiness/wooziness so the main thing is to look for that initially, especially when he first stands up (try to be at his side so he doesn't fall or stumble). I only ever saw that with Neyla when we went up to 400 mg Gaba at a time (and that was on top of her NSAID and 125 mg Tramadol per dose). I hope that helps. Hang in there.

 

 

I am new to all this osteo stuff, hwoever I have been playing around with fedX's pain meds. We had a bad reaction to Novox/Rimadyl. We are now on tramadol which alone didn't control teh pain, so we added in neurontin (we are maxed on tramadol), it definatly helped his pain. It works by blocking the pain signals from the brain, so the nsaids will control the inflammation and pain while and the neurontin blocks the pain signals. It works for us, I would give it a shot, if anything just get a few doses (it is quick acting) and see if it helps, you cna always get more!

Is Novox a different drug? Did he have reactions to both?

[Guest bigorangedog]

Thanks for starting this new thread, Jen. And for including our What To Expect write-up. I'm always more than willing to answer any amputation questions anyone has. For anyone who doesn't know me, we've had 5 osteo babies in the past 2 years (all are gone now). We did leg amputations on two of them: Whitey and Apollo. Both did amazingly well post-amp, but unfortunately both had metastases and we lost both of them about 6 months later. Nevertheless, those 6 months were a wonderful gift and we don't regret the decision to amputate.

 

I am wishing for an osteo-free 2011.

[NeylasMom]

 

I am wishing for an osteo-free 2011.

Me too. You guys deserve the break! Well really many more years osteo free, but you've had a particularly tough run this past year.

[Guest roselle]

Jen, I left you a message in members, I still am not getting email on this new site, am locked out, Roselle

 

If you're looking for email notification every time someone posts in this thread, be sure you click the "Watch Topic" button at the top of the screen when you enter this thread.

 

 

Thanks, hope that works

Thank you, I'm back in.

[Guest snakes]

I am new to all this osteo stuff, hwoever I have been playing around with fedX's pain meds. We had a bad reaction to Novox/Rimadyl. We are now on tramadol which alone didn't control teh pain, so we added in neurontin (we are maxed on tramadol), it definatly helped his pain. It works by blocking the pain signals from the brain, so the nsaids will control the inflammation and pain while and the neurontin blocks the pain signals. It works for us, I would give it a shot, if anything just get a few doses (it is quick acting) and see if it helps, you cna always get more!

Is Novox a different drug? Did he have reactions to both?

 

 

Novox i guess is a generic carprofen which is the active ingredient in rimadyl (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=13276). We tried novox and his appetite went down and his thirst increased (and of course peeing). oddly enough he was on this same drug briefly 2.5 years ago for his arthritic toe with no side effects that i remember.

He is fine with tramadol. He seems ok with the gabapentin (generic of neurontin- same drug).

[NeylasMom]

Novox i guess is a generic carprofen which is the active ingredient in rimadyl (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=13276). We tried novox and his appetite went down and his thirst increased (and of course peeing). oddly enough he was on this same drug briefly 2.5 years ago for his arthritic toe with no side effects that i remember.

He is fine with tramadol. He seems ok with the gabapentin (generic of neurontin- same drug).

Ah, okay. Well in that case you might try a different NSAID. Neyla couldn't tolerate Rimadyl (we think her platelet count would drop), but she did tolerate the Deramaxx well. But the increased thirst/peeing could be a kidney issue so if you decided to, you'd want to monitor kidney (and liver) values closely by doing regular blood work.

 

My vet also recommended Carafate (sulcrafate) 3x/day to help prevent gastric ulcer and stomach upset.

 

Adding a milk thistle supplement is also a good idea in general. It's a liver support supplement, but there's some evidence that it can help to support the kidneys as well and has anti-cancer properties. Thorne Research makes a good quality bound supplement that helps it be absorbed more easily - I think it's called Siliphos. I was able to find it online for about $20/bottle from a place that I think was called healthdesigns.com.

Edited January 17, 2011 by NeylasMom

[Guest snakes]

Novox i guess is a generic carprofen which is the active ingredient in rimadyl (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=13276). We tried novox and his appetite went down and his thirst increased (and of course peeing). oddly enough he was on this same drug briefly 2.5 years ago for his arthritic toe with no side effects that i remember.

He is fine with tramadol. He seems ok with the gabapentin (generic of neurontin- same drug).

Ah, okay. Well in that case you might try a different NSAID. Neyla couldn't tolerate Rimadyl (we think her platelet count would drop), but she did tolerate the Deramaxx well. But the increased thirst/peeing could be a kidney issue so if you decided to, you'd want to monitor kidney (and liver) values closely by doing regular blood work.

 

My vet also recommended Carafate (sulcrafate) 3x/day to help prevent gastric ulcer and stomach upset.

 

Adding a milk thistle supplement is also a good idea in general. It's a liver support supplement, but there's some evidence that it can help to support the kidneys as well and has anti-cancer properties. Thorne Research makes a good quality bound supplement that helps it be absorbed more easily - I think it's called Siliphos. I was able to find it online for about $20/bottle from a place that I think was called healthdesigns.com.

 

Neylas mom, thank you for the info, i have been thinking about adding the milk thistle. i think we all got a bit mixed up throught eh psots though. My post where I was describing the different meds and FedX's bad reaction was in responce to another posters question about adding gabapentin (neurontin). FedX is doing very well now on tramadol and gabapentin, we are saving the deramaxx for a day when we may need to add additional pain relief.

 

Another post of mine (just before the other reply) was asking for peoples opinions on pain control becasue when FedX is in just a slight bit of discomfort he limits his activity and when he has no pain he wants to run and jump and play which usually ends up in a shriek of pain and i am scared to death of the possible fracture.

[lothianjavert]

I'm very frustrated right now- I left 4 messages with the ditsy little receptionist (and a couple on the machine), starting at opening time. I wanted to talk to the vet about adding gabapentin (neurontin) and see if she would write a scrip so that I could pick it up and take it to the pharmacy this evening, and that Diesel was almost out of tramadol and needed more. No return call. At all. All I could get out of the tech was asking if I wanted an appointment for Fri or next week and an "oh, I'll give her your message. She's like real busy right now." By message 4 I wasn't terribly nice- just a very blunt message to have the vet call me ASAP. I don't expect the vet to be able to call me right away, but I do expect someone to make an effort to return a call, even if it's a tech calling back w/ a quick message from the vet.

I ended up stopping by my dad's and he gave us a few days' worth of tramadol for D, so at least he's ok there.

 

Perhaps I'm not being realistic expecting a call back the same day, but I can't stand seeing him hurting and it's so frustrating to just not get a response when you really need one, and not being able to do anything about his pain.

 

OK- ETA the vet just called back, so the message did go through, if a bit garbled. I'm just too impatient and a bit spazzy/frantic about my boy. I suggested the gabapentin. They are not familiar with it and haven't used it. They'll call the specialist and ask about dosages and will call it in to the local pharmacy tomorrow.

Edited January 18, 2011 by lothianjavert

[Guest snakes]

I'm very frustrated right now- I left 4 messages with the ditsy little receptionist (and a couple on the machine), starting at opening time. I wanted to talk to the vet about adding gabapentin (neurontin) and see if she would write a scrip so that I could pick it up and take it to the pharmacy this evening, and that Diesel was almost out of tramadol and needed more. No return call. At all. All I could get out of the tech was asking if I wanted an appointment for Fri or next week and an "oh, I'll give her your message. She's like real busy right now." By message 4 I wasn't terribly nice- just a very blunt message to have the vet call me ASAP. I don't expect the vet to be able to call me right away, but I do expect someone to make an effort to return a call, even if it's a tech calling back w/ a quick message from the vet.

I ended up stopping by my dad's and he gave us a few days' worth of tramadol for D, so at least he's ok there.

 

Perhaps I'm not being realistic expecting a call back the same day, but I can't stand seeing him hurting and it's so frustrating to just not get a response when you really need one, and not being able to do anything about his pain.

 

OK- ETA the vet just called back, so the message did go through, if a bit garbled. I'm just too impatient and a bit spazzy/frantic about my boy. I suggested the gabapentin. They are not familiar with it and haven't used it. They'll call the specialist and ask about dosages and will call it in to the local pharmacy tomorrow.

 

How frustrating, i feel for you. I thought most vets knew about gabapentin these days, it can be used for pain or seizure control. Just for your information for tomorrow, my boy (recently diagnosed) is on 100mg twice a day and we were told we could go up to 200mg twice a day if he pain persists.

Good luck I hope it helps Diesel.

[KF_in_Georgia]

I suggested the gabapentin. They are not familiar with it and haven't used it. They'll call the specialist and ask about dosages and will call it in to the local pharmacy tomorrow.

 

I'm a little surprised that they don't know gabapentin. It's been in use for pain since about 2002. But your vet may be more familiar with the brand names (Brand names: Fanatrex, Gabarone, Neurontin) rather than the generic...and it's used more for people than for animals.

 

But if you wind up getting liquid gabapentin from pharmacies used to supplying the drug for people, be careful: the for-people formulation often contains Xylitol, which is toxic to animals. (That warning is on Wikipedia.)

[NeylasMom]

He can go much higher than 200 mg/day. You can easily find the dosage information online - I actually looked it up to confirm b/c I was surprised by how high my vet said we could go, but she was right. Neyla, at 55 lbs, could have as much as 500 mg 3x/day. I kept her at 300 mg 3x/day until the last day b/c it was at 400 that I started to notice some wooziness. But, she was also on 125 mg Tramadol 3x/day at that point.

 

Rachael, I don't think it's at all ridiculous to expect a call back that day, but I know how you feel, i would go through the same thing because they would often wait until all of their appointments to call you back. That's why I really stress now that people know what they can increase up to, and that they also have on hand the med that they'll add next so that when you need to, you don't have to wait. It's horrible to have your pup in pain and feel so helpless.

 

If your vet isn't catching up on teh Gabapentin info quickly enough, maybe they can consult with an oncologist for you?

[greysmom]

FYI regarding contact information for Dr Couto and OSU GH&WP.

 

When I emailed his personal email, he did respond, and also said starting 1/15/11 they were only going to accept consult requests through the Consultation Request Form on the OSU website. You don't have to join to submit the form. You can also attach files with the submission like digital xrays and docs.

[Charlies_Dad]

Just posting some good thoughts for Diesel and fedEx. I hope Diesel's mom is able to get some gabapentin for him as it helped us with Charlie after his amp.

 

 

Shannon, I am glad you are both able to talk about Flash. I know it must be very difficult and he fought a brave battle. I miss him too.

 

Roselle, that Gracy is a crazy gal running off like that! I can't believe a tripod deciding to high-tail it out of their yard to go on a walkabout. That's a spunky girl!

 

 

FYI regarding contact information for Dr Couto and OSU GH&WP.

 

When I emailed his personal email, he did respond, and also said starting 1/15/11 they were only going to accept consult requests through the Consultation Request Form on the OSU website. You don't have to join to submit the form. You can also attach files with the submission like digital xrays and docs.

 

Thanks for the info Chris as this is important for those reaching out to Dr. C.

 

Quick Charlie update. All is fine, he's his same old self. We go in for a blood test today as part of his monitoring and hope the protein levels have come down. Also I get to run out in the freezing cold this morning to collect a pee sample, hopefully I won't fall in the snow trying. Charlie does tend to run to the furthest part of the yard to do his business of course. We still haven't decided whether to do the 6 month chest x-rays or not. The last time was a little bit of a roller coaster with initial signs of mets and then a second opinion by the radiologist that there was no evidence. We still do not know whether it's worth it to be honest. So we sit and ponder.

Edited January 18, 2011 by Charlies_Dad

[lothianjavert]

I was also surprised that they weren't familiar with gabapentin (I spelled it out to the tech, as well a couple of the common brand names). It's a very common drug at least in humans. I know many of the uses are off-label, but pain management is one of the big off-label uses.

 

I'm not all that far from several major metropolitan areas, yet sometimes I swear I can go out the front door and hear the dueling banjos.... everything here seems to be at least a decade behind.

 

My father was astounded that they weren't familiar with gabapentin at least in human use, even if they haven't used it much in animal practice. He also echoed that it can be given at remarkably high doses. The only thing to remember is if you are going to drastically reduce dosage or stop the medication, you need to taper it to prevent withdrawal symptoms.

 

I will ask for the pill form- D is not at all hard to give pills to. He's such a food hound that I just pop the pills in a blob of tripe or just about any food item and he promptly inhales it.

 

He has been having some trouble with the steps, so we are keeping the dogs downstairs (I'm also afraid of him falling and breaking his leg/shoulder with the osteo), though DH carries D up and down the steps for bed time.

 

Thanks for letting me know about the change w/ consults w/ Dr. C.

[Wonder]

I went to visit a former foster on Sunday. He was one of my favorite fosters. I pulled from the Humane Society 6 yrs ago where his last family dumped him.

He was adopted by a wonderful family who has spoiled him for the last 6 years.

He has osteo and will be going to the bridge on Thursday

My heart is breaking for his family.

Here's some pictures from Sunday

Duke

[Guest roselle]

Just posting some good thoughts for Diesel and fedEx. I hope Diesel's mom is able to get some gabapentin for him as it helped us with Charlie after his amp.

 

 

Shannon, I am glad you are both able to talk about Flash. I know it must be very difficult and he fought a brave battle. I miss him too.

 

Roselle, that Gracy is a crazy gal running off like that! I can't believe a tripod deciding to high-tail it out of their yard to go on a walkabout. That's a spunky girl!

 

 

FYI regarding contact information for Dr Couto and OSU GH&WP.

 

When I emailed his personal email, he did respond, and also said starting 1/15/11 they were only going to accept consult requests through the Consultation Request Form on the OSU website. You don't have to join to submit the form. You can also attach files with the submission like digital xrays and docs.

 

Thanks for the info Chris as this is important for those reaching out to Dr. C.

 

Quick Charlie update. All is fine, he's his same old self. We go in for a blood test today as part of his monitoring and hope the protein levels have come down. Also I get to run out in the freezing cold this morning to collect a pee sample, hopefully I won't fall in the snow trying. Charlie does tend to run to the furthest part of the yard to do his business of course. We still haven't decided whether to do the 6 month chest x-rays or not. The last time was a little bit of a roller coaster with initial signs of mets and then a second opinion by the radiologist that there was no evidence. We still do not know whether it's worth it to be honest. So we sit and ponder.

 

 

I know what you mean Kyle, Our oncologist gsve the choice of doing 4 or 5 out of 6 chemos, she said studies show little gain doing over 4 tx. The protocal calls for 6 tx with carboplaten. But doing between 4 and 6 works almost as well or as well. What do we do? I wanther to have the best chance of a long term survival, just like Arthur at 23 months. So no celebratory note today I want her to finish the course a full 6 tx.

 

Kyle, no one was more surprised then me and as mad as me. She jumped a 5 foot hedge and was gone so fast my head was spinning. The thing is she is a total couch potato. I literly have to kick her out of bed at 10.. She's a lazy butt. AHW but she gives great big ones that cover your face. Well off to chemo now.

 

Here's to spinning tails, prancing dancing and long slobbery kisses for all our pups fighting this monster.

[NeylasMom]

Chris, thank you for sharing htat info, especially when you're in the midst of your own crisis. More good thoughts for a speedy recovery for Dude.

 

And lots of that Gracy's chemo goes well today.

 

Kyle, I get your waffling. I think it really comes down to whether you would change anything if you found out he has mets, both in terms of treatment and in terms of time spent together, etc.

 

Rachael, hope you can get the Gabapentin started soon and it helps. If you have any trouble, I do have a ton of it and would be happy to put it in the mail to you, or pass it on if you want to drive down here to get it. Don't know why I didn't even think of htat before today.

[joejoesmom]

I wanted to give an update on reaching OSU. They finally got the website updated to allow everyone to file their consult request electronically. This will allow them to keep automated metrics, saving them some significant time.

 

Here is info on how to contact Dr. Couto and his team:

 

The email or phone consult is free, but you must submit your request via the internet. Go to the Ohio State University Greyhound Health and Wellness Program website:

https://greyhound.osu.edu/index.cfm

 

Click on Consultation Service and then cursor down to find the link to the consultation form. Someone from the team will respond.

Please note that your vet can reach the team by calling Stephanie Yochem at (614) 292-0950.

The OSU GHWP will provide certain chemo drugs for free but you will need to pay to have them administered. Please be aware that not all chemo drugs are available.

Additional information about the program:

Greyhound Health and Wellness Program

The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine

601 Vernon Tharp Street

Columbus, Ohio 43210

Phone: (614) 247-6757 or (614) 247-8490

Email: greyosu@osu.edu

Website: https://greyhound.osu.edu/index.cfm

(registration and fee now required to get full access to this site)

Drs. Marin and Zaldivar typically respond to greyhound owners. They are originally from Spanish speaking countries. If you have trouble understanding them over the phone, you might ask for one of the other vets or vet techs to "translate".

The consult is free but if you can afford to support the program please do so. You can sign up for full access to the website ($99 per calendar year) or donate through the giving page on the website. If you decide to donate, you can double your money by giving through the Greyhound Project. They will match the funds that you donate.

 

Just go to this website and scroll down to the appropriate donation button:

 

http://www.adopt-a-greyhound.org/donate.shtml.

 

The Team:

Dr. Couto, Department Head, Greyhound Medicine, Oncology and Hematology

Dr. Lili Marin, Greyhound Health and Oncology

Dr. Sara Zaldivar, Greyhound Health and Oncology

Dr. William Kisselberth, Oncology

Dr. Cheryl London, Oncology

Dr. Cristina Iazbik, Blood Bank Director and Hematologist

Dr. Bridget Urie, Oncology Resident

Dr. Matt Sherger, Oncology Resident

Dr. Joelle Fenger, Oncology Resident

Dr. Roberta Portela, Oncology Resident

Dawn Hudson, Vet Tech

Ashley DeFelice, Vet Tech

Stacey Gallant, Vet Tech

You should know that (in my humble opinion) they need more staff. Unfortunately finances do not permit it at this time. They do 20 to 30 greyhound consults a day along with all of their "in canine" patients. Depending on their workload there may be a wait for the consultation. If you are contacting them on an emergency basis, please let them know.

If you want to make an appointment to be seen in person/canine, you can call the main number to set up a date/time. The main number for the veterinary hospital is 614-292-3551.

If you decide to visit OSU please contact me. I may be able to put you up in a local home, provide moral support, or just help with logistics:

Finewhipador-drool@yahoo.com

 

Edited January 19, 2011 by joejoesmom

[brindlebaby]

Hi all,

 

I'm joining in here now. Our Callie broke her leg last Monday night and had her amputation this past Thursday morning. We brought her home late Monday afternoon.

 

I need to start getting ready for the next phase, chemo. The oncologist that will be handling Callie called yesterday and said that she will work with OSU.

 

Is there a certain drug that OSU prefers we use or one that's more recommended - more successful?

 

Our regular vet called OSU, but this doctor (oncologist) is new, never met her. Is it best she calls Stephanie Yochem at that number?

 

Going to go check on Callie and will be back shortly.

 

Looks like a lot of greyt info here. Thank you Jane, NeylasMom and others for putting this all in one place and sharing your experiences!

 

Kim

[NeylasMom]

Hi Kim, welcome to the group. I've been following your Callie thread and am so thrilled to hear how well she is doing and that she's now eating. I heard that the preferred chemo drug that OSU usually supplies is currently "backordered", but that doesn't mean that you won't be able to get an acceptable drug from them, it just may not be the first choice. I don't know details though as I'm by far not the chemo expert here.

 

 

Jane, I will update the main post to include the specific information about how to submit consult requests when I get a chance and will refer to your more detailed post as well.

 

Roselle, how did Gracy's chemo go???

[Guest KathyK]

Our 11 1/2 year old grey, Ward, was diagnosed with osteo in his left rear hip in mid November. We have opted for palliative care as he is a poor candidate for chemo or surgery. He is still getting around and eating but pretty much lays on his bed all day and sleeps. When he is up he is not putting much weight on that leg but does not cry. He cries when he tries to lay down as he likes to twirl around before he lays down. He still loves to be petted and stroked and LOVES to lay his head on our laps. He is on Tramadol 250 mg 3 times/day (5 pills). The Vet said we can go up to 6. He is also on Rimadyl 100 mg 2 times/day. I have a few questions and hope someone can give me advice.

 

1. We are considering switching to Fentanyl patch. The dose the Vet has prescribed is 100 mcg/hour. Has anyone used this dose? Will it make him so sleepy that we have trouble handling him? He is 80 lbs. Where did you apply the patch so it cannot be chewed off?

 

2. We are very fearful the hip will break and don't want to get to that point. On the other hand we don't think he is ready to be put down. At what point did you make your decisions?

 

This is heartbreaking to us as Ward is such a big part of our family. Any help would be appreciated.

[Charlies_Dad]

Hi all,

 

I'm joining in here now. Our Callie broke her leg last Monday night and had her amputation this past Thursday morning. We brought her home late Monday afternoon.

 

I need to start getting ready for the next phase, chemo. The oncologist that will be handling Callie called yesterday and said that she will work with OSU.

 

Is there a certain drug that OSU prefers we use or one that's more recommended - more successful?

 

Our regular vet called OSU, but this doctor (oncologist) is new, never met her. Is it best she calls Stephanie Yochem at that number?

 

Going to go check on Callie and will be back shortly.

 

Looks like a lot of greyt info here. Thank you Jane, NeylasMom and others for putting this all in one place and sharing your experiences!

 

Kim

 

 

Kim, the Chemo drug that OSU commonly uses is Doxyrubicin. We used this for Charlie as well. The other Chemo drug is Carboplatin that tends to be more expensive and if you are getting the drugs free from OSU, it's likely the former. The magic question of which is more successful, well that nobody has the right answer for. I spent hours and hours analyzing results between the two and basically it's a crap-shoot. What you have to look at are the numbers that show what percentage of pups are still around at 6mths, 12mths, 2yrs and 3yrs, it is all quite dismal but hang in there and stay POSITIVE!

 

 

 

 

Our 11 1/2 year old grey, Ward, was diagnosed with osteo in his left rear hip in mid November. We have opted for palliative care as he is a poor candidate for chemo or surgery. He is still getting around and eating but pretty much lays on his bed all day and sleeps. When he is up he is not putting much weight on that leg but does not cry. He cries when he tries to lay down as he likes to twirl around before he lays down. He still loves to be petted and stroked and LOVES to lay his head on our laps. He is on Tramadol 250 mg 3 times/day (5 pills). The Vet said we can go up to 6. He is also on Rimadyl 100 mg 2 times/day. I have a few questions and hope someone can give me advice.

 

1. We are considering switching to Fentanyl patch. The dose the Vet has prescribed is 100 mcg/hour. Has anyone used this dose? Will it make him so sleepy that we have trouble handling him? He is 80 lbs. Where did you apply the patch so it cannot be chewed off?

 

2. We are very fearful the hip will break and don't want to get to that point. On the other hand we don't think he is ready to be put down. At what point did you make your decisions?

 

This is heartbreaking to us as Ward is such a big part of our family. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Kathy I am sorry to read of Ward's diagnosis and if I could withdraw your membership to this 'club' and make it all better, I would in an instant. To answer your questions:

 

1. We are considering switching to Fentanyl patch. The dose the Vet has prescribed is 100 mcg/hour. Has anyone used this dose? Will it make him so sleepy that we have trouble handling him? He is 80 lbs. Where did you apply the patch so it cannot be chewed off?

 

These patches are strong and I know that some pups don't always react to them really well. It's one of those things you have to try out but they do work and I wouldn't worry about him chewing it off as once they are on, they are on. I would though watch him initially to make sure.

 

2. We are very fearful the hip will break and don't want to get to that point. On the other hand we don't think he is ready to be put down. At what point did you make your decisions?

 

This is a common fear for all whose pups are in this situation. I don't believe anyone has the answer except you will hear: "better a day early, than a day late". It is the hardest decision and only you truly know your pup. As for possible breakage, is it worth having another x-ray? That would indicate how brittle the bone is.

 

Again I am truly sorry. Please give Ward a big hug from me.

[Guest KathyK]

Thank you Charlie's Dad. Unfortunately we cannot get xrays. Ward is very difficult to transport now and has to be sedated for xrays. It took 2 days to get the films last time and he could not stand up for hours when we got him home. He also got hyperthermia once at the Vets due to stress.I think we will just try to keep him quiet, start the Fentanyl patch and make the decision when his pain is not relieved. The Vet has given me an injection to give him if the hip breaks. I am a nurse so I'm pretty comfortable doing that and buying some time until we can get to the Vet. I just gave Ward your hug. He really appreciated it.

 

I would like to post his photo but can't figure out how to do it. Can anyone help me out?