Osteo Thread

[greysmom]

Suzanne!

 

I'm so sorry...........

[Guest suzanne]

oh my god, i miss my girl. I keep expecting to see her.

[BauersMom]

I know that feeling, Suzanne. Only time can heal.

 

Blood work came back normal - kidneys look ok. But he has a UTI! So he's going on Atbs for a bit.

[Guest snakes]

Wow, twiggy looks fantastic, thanks for filming him doing stairs! I always wondered how they managed going down stairs.

Keep going twiggy!

[NeylasMom]

My baby is gone :*( I hate osteo :( :(

I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

 

 

Wow, I'm impressed with Twiggy's stair action. I always figured amp wouldn't be an option for us period with the stairs in my condo, especially for a front leg, but that shows I'm wrong. Of course, I couldn't do amp recovery in my house since we don't have an option to skip the stairs temporarily, but it's good to see how well they can navigate them.

[Guest carla7]

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. There has been so much activity here, good, bad, great, heartbreaking, and some better than it could be. This is such a rollercoaster.

 

To Noah's family - I've recently gone down the amp/chemo route with Twiggy. For her & I it was the right decision. She is an otherwise very healthy, young greyhound who does well at the vet's office, and generally takes things in stride. I was able to financially commit to the expense (even the extra week hospitalization after she developed a severe infection in her incision), and able to take time off work to help her while she recovered.

 

Keep in mind, that beyond the initial period, once chemo starts, there will be lots of vet visits for chemo treatments, bloodwork, and x-rays. Most specialty vets that administer chemo do not have extended hours, so that means lots of partial days off work. (I wasn't expecting that, but my work will just have to deal with it).

 

This is definitely not for every dog or every family. There is no blanket answer for which is the right way to go. In my opinion, whichever way you choose is the right way.

 

Twiggy started chemo last Friday and is doing great so far. In fact, rather than showing any negative effects, she is actually getting more energetic every day, her stools are getting better, and she just seems more and more "herself".

 

I'm going to try to attach some videos to show how great a tripod can do shortly post-amp, but I've never tried this before, so I don't know if it will work.

 

Twiggy Goes Upstairs:

 

Twiggy Goes Downstairs:

 

Twiggy Playing:

 

I am so glad to see how well Twiggy is doing........that is so great the way she has adapted so well!!!!

Carla

 

 

Keep in mind, that beyond the initial period, once chemo starts, there will be lots of vet visits for chemo treatments, bloodwork, and x-rays. Most specialty vets that administer chemo do not have extended hours, so that means lots of partial days off work. (I wasn't expecting that, but my work will just have to deal with it).

 

I thought about this on my way to the vet this morning - I don't think I was fully expecting how often we would be at the vet, or the scheduling aspect. I talked it through with the vet obviously because of Berkeley's mental issues (last chemo went ok in that regard, btw) but it didn't "seem" as much as what we're actually doing.

 

For those new to the thread and considering amp/chemo, here's been our vet appt schedule:

 

Diagnosis and Lung X-rays appt

A week later - Amp surgery w/two overnights - we picked him up on Saturday from a Thursday surgery

2 weeks later - staples were removed and first chemo appt

Every 7 days and 14 days after chemo - blood draw for CBC count

Every three weeks - chemo

Every three months - lung x-rays

 

And then of course, unplanned appts like this morning.

 

Since our onco vet is 90 miles away, we do end up taking most of the day off on chemo days (thankfully I have a ton of vaca time to use!). All the bloodwork can be done locally.

 

Here's Berkeley, as of yesterday (~2 months post amp)

 

Looks like Berkeley is rocking it!! Go Berkeley

 

My baby is gone :*( I hate osteo :( :(

 

Oh, Suzanne......I am so very, very sorry. My heart is breaking for you. {{hugs}}

Carla

[TwiggysMom]

Suzanne - again, I am so, so sorry that Freya is gone.

 

BauersMom - Here's hoping Berkeley's UTI gets knocked out quickly! Twiggy's jealous, she wishes she had an awesome yard to run around in like that! Too bad they can't get together and have a tripod playgroup!

 

 

I'm glad Twiggy's videos are helpful. I wasn't sure myself how well she would adapt to stairs. I knew she would be able to do them eventually, but really it took no time at all for her to figure it out. I do have to say, though, that Twiggy was very physically fit, young(ish), and extremely comfortable with stairs already when she had her amputation.

 

More good news today - Twiggy's 1-week check-up bloodwork came back awesome! Her oncologist was pretty astounded, she said it didn't even look like she was on chemo. She also said in her experience, if their bloodwork is good for the first round, it usually stays like that for subsequent rounds. That seems contrary to what I've heard elsewhere, but we'll see.

Edited September 24, 2011 by TwiggysMom

[BauersMom]

Berkeley's bloodwork was totally fine after the first and second rounds. This last time (#3) we saw a drop in the neutrophils on day 21 and we had to postpone the third dose.

 

I came home to a biiiiiig pee puddle. Poor guy. ATBs were started tonight, so hopefully we can be done with the UTI quickly!

[joejoesmom]

I just wanted to post that today marks Joe's 14 month anniversary of his amputation. Dr. Couto had told me that the mean time of survival of post amputee greyhounds at OSU was 14 months. Of course I am hoping he will live the normal life span of a greyhound. He is now 8 1/2 years young.

 

Joe is the first and only greyhound that I have actually owned. I have fostered many. When Joe came to my home as a foster, I couldn't believe how perfectly he fit into my life and the lives of my two whipadors (whippet / black labrador mixes). He has been a perfect companion, never demanding but always willing to do whatever I want to do. Goofy and silly at times, he makes me laugh. At other times, he lays so still it is amazing. He plays with gusto and he sleeps with gusto. He very rarely gets into trouble (although he does like to shred disposable plastic food containers, but always waits until Shelby gets it off the counter for him). His only "fault" is his extreme thunderphobia.

 

Thank you to Dr. Couto and OSU for taking such good care of my sweet Joey. Thank you to Team Greyhound Adoption of Ohio for bringing him to me. Thank you to the members of greytalk and circle of grey who have helped me through this terrible journey called osteo. But most of all, thank you Joey for being in my life. I am so lucky to have found you.

 

Jane

[Charlies_Dad]

Jane, that is awesome that Joe and you are celebrating 14 months!!! I couldn't be happier for you.

[MP_the4pack]

You go Joe!!!

 

Congrats on reaching this milestone!

[BauersMom]

Go Joe!! That's wonderful news

[greysmom]

 

JOE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[krissn333]

Sorry to hear that Berk has a UTI, but hopefully those antibiotics will knock it out. I'm not terribly surprised-the chemo compromises the immune system so they're unfortunately more vulnerable to infection. I have to watch Ace too-she's on Leukeran (oral chemo) for leukemia, plus prednisone, which also lowers immune response (and also makes her drink and pee more anyway )...so I worry about UTIs.

 

So sorry to hear that Freya is gone

 

Glad to see quite a few who are doing really well, but sad to see we now have some new regulars

[TwiggysMom]

I just wanted to post that today marks Joe's 14 month anniversary of his amputation. Dr. Couto had told me that the mean time of survival of post amputee greyhounds at OSU was 14 months. Of course I am hoping he will live the normal life span of a greyhound. He is now 8 1/2 years young.

 

Joe is the first and only greyhound that I have actually owned. I have fostered many. When Joe came to my home as a foster, I couldn't believe how perfectly he fit into my life and the lives of my two whipadors (whippet / black labrador mixes). He has been a perfect companion, never demanding but always willing to do whatever I want to do. Goofy and silly at times, he makes me laugh. At other times, he lays so still it is amazing. He plays with gusto and he sleeps with gusto. He very rarely gets into trouble (although he does like to shred disposable plastic food containers, but always waits until Shelby gets it off the counter for him). His only "fault" is his extreme thunderphobia.

 

Thank you to Dr. Couto and OSU for taking such good care of my sweet Joey. Thank you to Team Greyhound Adoption of Ohio for bringing him to me. Thank you to the members of greytalk and circle of grey who have helped me through this terrible journey called osteo. But most of all, thank you Joey for being in my life. I am so lucky to have found you.

 

Jane

 

Whoo-Hoo! Sorry for the delayed celebration of Joe's milestone!! (actually I've been celebrating it, I just didn't get to post until now...)

 

(It cracks me up that big Joe gets little Shelby to take the containers off of the counter for him)

 

[Guest lisajaye2000]

I joined greytalk 8 years ago when we first got our beloved Iceman (he was 4). I haven't been an active member since then but now I am back because he was just diagnosed with osteosarcoma. He has a mass at his wrist bone on the left side. He was fine last week other than typical 11 year old slowing down and now they are telling us we need to amputate or euthanize. I am worried about the meds they prescribed. Is 100mg tramadol twice daily ok for a 76 lb boy? I am thinking if he were under 9 years old, we would amputate without a thought, but at almost 12, I don't think it is worth it to put him through it. In addition, one of the x-rays showed a suspicious area in another leg. I have a bad feeling it would not turn out well. So..are there any others who opted to keep their grey comfortable? How will I know when the right time is. Honestly, on the meds, he barely has a limp and has been going on his typical walks and enjoying them again. I don't know what to do. I can't bear the thought of losing him but I am happy I still have a little time with him. Any thoughts or advice would be very helpful!

Lisa

[Charlies_Dad]

Lisa, I am very sorry. There are a number of people who will respond on this thread who have gone the palliative care route. The Tramadol does not sound too much to me but I don't always pay attention to the details. Remember that the most important thing now is to stay ahead of the pain so you will want Iceman to be comfortable as possible. Have you had a chance to read this thread and there were two more of the same title v1 & 2 that have a lot of information that will likely be helpful for you.

[Batmom]

100mg twice a day is fine. You would max out at 100mg @ 4 times a day but I would consult your vet before going that far. Might be as or more effective to add a NSAID such as Rimadyl or Deramaxx.

 

Tramadol can cause panting, pacing, odd behavior in some dogs. We got around that for one of mine by giving a short dose (25mg) first, followed by another dose an hour or two later.

 

Hoping your Iceman has many comfortable days ahead.

[Guest snakes]

Lisa, Sorry to hear about Iceman.

We are doing palliative here for FedX, there are details of our treatments in previous posts in this and the prior thread. 100mg of Tramadol twice a day is the dose he was prescribed, i barely use it now since starting gabapentin.

To summarize we use gabapentin twice a day, novox once a day, and tramadol for "worse" days. I taper the gabapentin up and down (never stop it suddenly!) depending on his pain which usually gets a little worse before his pamidronate treatments. We also use artemisinin and chinese herbal remedies.

We are at month 9 now!

 

p.s.- our "wonder" drugs have been gabapentin (cheap from human pharmacy) and pamidronate (Expensive).

[Guest KarenFergie]

Hi All. I am new to Greytalk but not new to greyhounds. Hubby and I have been adopting retired racers since 1997. 10 so far, 5 living and 5 passed on. We mostly adopt older dogs or returns, so some don't last more than a couple of years.

 

Our 10 year old boy Gibson was diagnosed with osteo in late July. Right shoulder. We decided against amputation because Gibson has a bit of arthritis in his rear end. Instead we went with 2 zaps of radiation and monthly pamidronate infusions. After the first treatment we were able to greatly reduce Gibson's pain medication and he didn't limp for 7 weeks. Last week he started limping again. Apparently that is about typical. We were told that radiation MIGHT reduce Gibson's pain for 2-3 months. Xray last week revealed that the tumor is growing very slowly for osteo. Only about 25% increase in size since July.

 

Now we are faced with the question of doing another 2 zaps of radiation to try alleivate pain and buy Gibson more time, or making ourselves get ready to let him go. I would greatly appreciate hearing from anyone who has used a similar treatment. Did it work a seond time? Radiation requires general anesthesia for 2 days in a row. I will do it if we can hope for more pain relief but I don't want to put Gibson through it if his time is running out. All advice is welcome. Thanks so much.

 

Hoping to help someone else....I only scanned through messages in this thread before posting. There is so much and it will take some time to read it all. Sorry. I noticed several posts about amounts of pain medication. When Gibson started limping last week vet greatly increased his pain medication. Gibson gets 100mg of of Tramadol three times a day, 75mg of Rimadyl twice a day, and 300mg of Gabapentin twice a day. It sounds like a ton. At first I was afraid to give Gibson so much. We eased up to the full dosage over a few days. He's fine on it. Not goofy or sleepy. Quality of life is everything. A comotose dog has no quality of life.

 

Best Wishes,

Karen Ferguson

[Charlies_Dad]

Karen, I am sorry you have to join this thread and that your Gibson was diagnosed. I do not have any experience with radiation treatments as we went amp & chemo for Charlie. The pain meds do sound like a lot but you haven't quite max'ed out on all yet. I understand that you want to keep Gibson lucid and enjoying his time. I am sure someone will chime in concerning your questions. Out thoughts are with you during this difficult time.

[Guest snakes]

\Instead we went with 2 zaps of radiation and monthly pamidronate infusions. After the first treatment we were able to greatly reduce Gibson's pain medication and he didn't limp for 7 weeks. Last week he started limping again. Apparently that is about typical. We were told that radiation MIGHT reduce Gibson's pain for 2-3 months. Xray last week revealed that the tumor is growing very slowly for osteo. Only about 25% increase in size since July.

 

Now we are faced with the question of doing another 2 zaps of radiation to try alleivate pain and buy Gibson more time, or making ourselves get ready to let him go. I would greatly appreciate hearing from anyone who has used a similar treatment. Did it work a seond time? Radiation requires general anesthesia for 2 days in a row. I will do it if we can hope for more pain relief but I don't want to put Gibson through it if his time is running out. All advice is welcome. Thanks so much.

 

Karen,

Are you still doing the pamidronate? Our own personal experience was that radiation did not help but made things worse. The pamidronate works wonders. SO our experience was not a positive one with radiation.

I find if you have the financial and time resources to try then if it might help and not make it worse it might be worth a try. Unfortunately there is no clear cut answer

 

Just another thought, has it been very humid or raining where you are the past week? Whenever rainy weather comes FedX's pain gets worse. Also with fedX when he was in a lot of pain, increasing the the tramadol actually caused more pain (hyperanalgesia). I had to space the dosages out differently and actually decrease the dose slightly.

 

Good luck!

Edited October 2, 2011 by snakes

[Guest KarenFergie]

Thanks for your reply Sr Grey Lover. Gibson had radiation and his first pamidronate infusion at the same time. A month later he had a second pamidronate infusion. We don't know which (or both) helped with Gibson's pain for seven weeks. I don't think we will ever know. Gibson is having another round of radiation starting tomorrow and he is due for pamidronate next week. We will keep using both and hope that one or the other buys him more time.

 

Gibson started limping again when our weather was very damp for several days. I took that into consideration, thinking that maybe the dampness was making things worse. Maybe it did. However, after a few clear days Gibson continued to limp so I consulted our vets.

 

Best wishes to you and your dog. This is a horrible disease.

 

Karen

[BauersMom]

Berkeley goes in for his three month lung trays tomorrow if you can spare some good thoughts. We could use some good news this week!!

 

He's doing really well except he's been burping up food and water on occasion - any idea what's up with that? It almost seems like hopping right after he eats or drinks makes him spit up a bit.

[Charlies_Dad]

Good thoughts for Berkeley!!!