Osteo Thread

[TwiggysMom]

Here is a pic from about a week ago (and has the bonus of the only time Ever that Twiggy has allowed the kitties to share her bed with her):

 

 

The fur is coming back in a little funny. It feels coarser, I think partially because the ends were cut (maybe once completely new strands grow back it will be more normal),and also likely due to the chemo.

[BauersMom]

She looks great!!

[vjgrey]

Gabe had a really rough evening/night. By late yesterday, he'd gone from a slight limp on that back foot to not weight bearing at all. Because he's trying not to put too much pressure on the front tumor leg (same side), he's not very mobile at all. He is really restless, though, and was up every few hours last night, trying to change beds or adjust positions. I had to get up each time, because I was terrified he'd fall.

 

He has a radiology consult this afternoon, but I'm going to call his oncologist when they open in a few minutes and see if they want me to bring him in for x-rays. I'm scared he has a fracture in that back leg.

 

This is so. very. very hard.

[krissn333]

[winnie]

Hugs to you and Gabe today.

[Charlies_Dad]

Clark looks fantastic!!!

 

Kristin, Charlie has no fur on his 'stump' but then again he is not a 'bunny fur' Grey. Compared to Jack and Shelby, Charlie is naked! And don't worry too much about the spill Pinky took, it's going to happen unfortunately. As long as she didn't pull her staples.

 

Good thoughts for Gabe.

Edited November 18, 2011 by Charlies_Dad

[Guest Yankeegreyhound]

So happy for Clark and Hurley!!!

 

As for Pinky's hair - sara's grew back completely. Right over the scars and everything. She didn't have chemo and I think it grew back in about 3 months.

 

Gabe - Are you sure he didn't pull a muscle or something? Sara did that. Because she puts so much weight on her one back leg, it gets tired a lot and there was a week or so before we went to Dewey where she could hardly walk. Praying it's just a muscle strain for Gabe too.

[NeylasMom]

for Gabe

[vjgrey]

After more X-Rays, it looks like he does have osteo in the rear leg, too. His lungs still look clear, thankfully. His radiation has been bumped up to today (was Monday) and they'll do both sites. He's also getting amantadine added to his meds.

[winnie]

Oh no. I'm so sorry to hear this Valerie.

 

I'm off work until November 29. I went to the barn to ride Gracie this morning. With all that has been going on this week with Faye Oops, I haven't been out there since last Thursday. Gracie was wonderful. Animals are such good therapy.

 

When I got home, ALL of the dogs - including Faye Oops - ran to the door to greet me. I heard a thump when I was opening the door. Faye Oops hind end is still weak and she falls on the hardwood. Yet, she got right up, trotted into the family room and started tossing her bird toy around. She even went up/down the deck stairs (with her bird) to go potty. Faye Oops gets these bursts of energy where she almost seems like her old self. She just tries so hard to please us. Unfortunately, those moments don't seem to last long. I have to believe that we're doing the best thing for her on Monday. We're both now laying on the couch - Faye Oops positioned herself alongside me. I have things to do, but Faye Oops trumps all of them right now.

[BauersMom]

After more X-Rays, it looks like he does have osteo in the rear leg, too. His lungs still look clear, thankfully. His radiation has been bumped up to today (was Monday) and they'll do both sites. He's also getting amantadine added to his meds.

 

Crap. I'm so sorry for the double whammy.

 

Oh no. I'm so sorry to hear this Valerie.

 

I'm off work until November 29. I went to the barn to ride Gracie this morning. With all that has been going on this week with Faye Oops, I haven't been out there since last Thursday. Gracie was wonderful. Animals are such good therapy.

 

When I got home, ALL of the dogs - including Faye Oops - ran to the door to greet me. I heard a thump when I was opening the door. Faye Oops hind end is still weak and she falls on the hardwood. Yet, she got right up, trotted into the family room and started tossing her bird toy around. She even went up/down the deck stairs (with her bird) to go potty. Faye Oops gets these bursts of energy where she almost seems like her old self. She just tries so hard to please us. Unfortunately, those moments don't seem to last long. I have to believe that we're doing the best thing for her on Monday. We're both now laying on the couch - Faye Oops positioned herself alongside me. I have things to do, but Faye Oops trumps all of them right now.

 

It is such a difficult decision. But as you said yourself earlier, better too soon than too late.

 

I tried to get a picture of Berkeley's hairless side, but he wasn't cooperating. The best I could get was a "holding a cookie while I take a photo" pose.

 

Pepper and Berk:

[Texasgreys]

After more X-Rays, it looks like he does have osteo in the rear leg, too. His lungs still look clear, thankfully. His radiation has been bumped up to today (was Monday) and they'll do both sites. He's also getting amantadine added to his meds.

I'm so sorry to read this about Gabe.

[TwiggysMom]

After more X-Rays, it looks like he does have osteo in the rear leg, too. His lungs still look clear, thankfully. His radiation has been bumped up to today (was Monday) and they'll do both sites. He's also getting amantadine added to his meds.

 

Oh, no. I don't even know what to say, I am so sorry. I hope he is getting some relief with the radiation and the new med, and am glad they were able to move up the treatment.

 

 

Oh no. I'm so sorry to hear this Valerie.

 

I'm off work until November 29. I went to the barn to ride Gracie this morning. With all that has been going on this week with Faye Oops, I haven't been out there since last Thursday. Gracie was wonderful. Animals are such good therapy.

 

When I got home, ALL of the dogs - including Faye Oops - ran to the door to greet me. I heard a thump when I was opening the door. Faye Oops hind end is still weak and she falls on the hardwood. Yet, she got right up, trotted into the family room and started tossing her bird toy around. She even went up/down the deck stairs (with her bird) to go potty. Faye Oops gets these bursts of energy where she almost seems like her old self. She just tries so hard to please us. Unfortunately, those moments don't seem to last long. I have to believe that we're doing the best thing for her on Monday. We're both now laying on the couch - Faye Oops positioned herself alongside me. I have things to do, but Faye Oops trumps all of them right now.

 

It warms my heart to hear about Faye Oops' bursts of normalcy. I know it must make Monday that much harder, but you know (and we know) it is better a little early than a little late. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend together. Give her some extra smooches from all of us here.

 

 

 

I tried to get a picture of Berkeley's hairless side, but he wasn't cooperating. The best I could get was a "holding a cookie while I take a photo" pose.

 

Pepper and Berk:

 

Berkeley: "Why would I turn away from the treat hand? Do you think I'm daft, woman???"

 

I can see where his shave line meets his undisturbed fur. It does look like it is coming back in a little slower than Twiggy's. Well, now that the cold is really settling in, it will probably start growing faster (hopefully). It seems odd to me how much of their bodies they shave for front leg amps. Twiggy was shaved about halfway down her ribcage, most of her neck, her belly, and nearly her whole remaining front leg. She's getting really grey too, especially on her hind legs

[GreytHurleyDawg]

Hugs to Gabe and Faye Oops!! I know it must be difficult right now!

 

 

I thought I'd share a few quick pics of Hurley now that he is recuperating at home. This is from yesterday, his first day home:

 

 

and he roached today! The bruising is obviously spreading now and changing the bandage was frightful because he kept trying to bite us as we removed the sticky part!!! Poor little dawgie! On the bright side, his incision is only oozing a little bit.:

 

 

So far, we are doing fine here, other than the few steps he has to do and e-collar time at night. I am using a towel as a sling on the steps so he doesn't pop a suture. Nighttimes will be rough. Apparently, Jim woke up half hour after we went to bed because he made noise. He had gotten stuck in the hallway trying to get a drink of water and couldn't see how to turn around. I don't even think our e-collar allows him to reach the water bowl so we'll have to figure something out.

[TwiggysMom]

Johanna,

 

We were posting at the same time!

 

Hurley looks awesome! And roaching - fantastic! (ok, I'm using a lot of exc!amation points here... but I think they're well-deserved).

 

It doesn't even look like he's got any significant swelling or edema, and his bruising looks quite minimal compared to Twiggy's. (They told me that Twiggy had minimal bruising and swelling, but now seeing pictures so soon after surgery of both Hurley and Pinky, I am beginning to wonder. Maybe it is different for front versus rear leg?) It is so odd to me to see such a small suture line. Twiggy had at least a foot total of staples going off in 3 directions.

 

It's wonderful that he gets to recuperate at home. He's got to feel much more comfortable that way.

 

Do you have a stool cup for his muzzle? The holes in the cup would allow him to drink but not lick. If you don't have one, you could duct tape up the front and bottom of the muzzle and poke some holes in the tape so he could still drink. (If I was a little closer, I'd bring you mine).

 

Keep up the excellent progress!

[GreytHurleyDawg]

Thanks for writing, Wendy! (I also added many more pics to my other thread on H&M)

I always use exclamation points so I wouldn't notice if you were overusing them! I like to add them to uplift my sentence even if it is just neutral.

 

I think the thing with the small suture line is that Hurley (anyway) got to keep his hip so the muscles leading to the bottom of the leg were folded around the base of his stump. It must be less traumatic that way. In the front leg, it would be like keeping the shoulder. He still wants to lick at it all the same so maybe the taped muzzle would work better. I just think he would use the muzzle to club himself if it was itchy. I guess that's not true! I'll try it anyway and monitor it or just try one night to see. Thanks for the suggestion!! We do have a stool cup muzzle for the poop-eating Petra but she likes poop so much, the outside sometimes smells like poop so I wouldn't feel safe to use that unless I boiled it forever!!!!! Such a horrible habit for an otherwise lovely girl.

 

I was totally surprised to find no staples on him. For his gastropexy, he had 50 or so staples since he bled so much without the Aminocaproic acid.

 

We LOVE having him at home!!

[greysmom]

A muzzle might get caught on the staples/sutures, which is why the e-collar is a better bet I think. For the first week or so, and then when he was doing chemo, we always offered Dude extra water about every hour - just brought a bowl to him and let him drink as much as he wanted. Especially in the e-collar since he couldn't reach the bowl to drink!

[BauersMom]

 

 

I can see where his shave line meets his undisturbed fur. It does look like it is coming back in a little slower than Twiggy's. Well, now that the cold is really settling in, it will probably start growing faster (hopefully). It seems odd to me how much of their bodies they shave for front leg amps. Twiggy was shaved about halfway down her ribcage, most of her neck, her belly, and nearly her whole remaining front leg. She's getting really grey too, especially on her hind legs

 

Yeah, I was so surprised to see how nicely Twiggy's fur has come in, his is much slower growing. Berkeley was shaved just about as much. I've heard chemo can cause some of the graying?

 

 

So far, we are doing fine here, other than the few steps he has to do and e-collar time at night. I am using a towel as a sling on the steps so he doesn't pop a suture. Nighttimes will be rough. Apparently, Jim woke up half hour after we went to bed because he made noise. He had gotten stuck in the hallway trying to get a drink of water and couldn't see how to turn around. I don't even think our e-collar allows him to reach the water bowl so we'll have to figure something out.

 

He looks great!!

 

The first week or so, I didn't let him wander at night - he was in a pen, with my bed on the floor next to it, so I would know if he wanted to get up. I was afraid he'd get up and try to do something and might hurt himself.

[krissn333]

Kyle, once upon a time, you posted about all of Charlie's supplements...can you point me to that again (or was it that your wife has kept a blog?)....in any case, if you wouldn't mind sharing again, I'm sure there are several of us "new to tripod" people that would be interested

[Charlies_Dad]

Kristin,

 

Sure, the list is fairly long and it's likely easier to see it on the blog here http://pinneyandpnut.blogspot.com/search/label/Dog%20Health as it also shows Charlie's diet. You will need to scroll half way down the page or so. The short version is as follows:

 

 

Vitamin E (Charlie gets 3 x E400)

Vitamin C (Charlie gets 1000 mg Ester-C in am and another in the pm)

Bonemeal Powder (sprinkling)

Lecithin granules (sprinkling)

Cod liver oil (drizzle)

Salmon oil capsule (Charlie gets 4 per day: split as 2 in am and another 2 in pm)

Glucosamine (Charlie gets 2 x 500mg)

*Antioxidant spice blend: (sprinkle )

CoQ10 100 mg: one

Selenium 100 mg: one

L-Glutamine 1000mg or two 500mg

L-arginine 1000mg or two 500mg

Note: we split these supplements so he gets some in his morning meal and some in his nightly meal otherwise it’s just too many pills.

 

He also gets this before going to bed:

 

Budwig blend: Charlie’s bedtime treat

4 TBSP full fat or 2% cottage cheese

2 TBSP flax oil

Blend well with hand blender,

Add 1 TBSP flax seed you have just freshly ground in coffee grinder plus 1 tsp of the herbs I listed above and blend. We add the Artimisinin pills in this when applicable. Add a little water if too thick.

 

We also cycle Artemisinin 7 days on, 7 days off as well as Palladia which is given every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

 

And finally he is on cancer fighting herbal tonic infusions. There get mixed with his food.

 

Whew...okay now I'm tired! Oh and I 'lied' by the way. Charlie's stump does have fur on it, very peach-like fur but nothing on the bottom where it was sutured.

 

I am very happy to read that Hurley is doing well!!! Way to go Hurley!

Edited November 19, 2011 by Charlies_Dad

[Guest azlorenz]

Hey Kyle, have you thought about writing a book? I am totally serious.

[krissn333]

How is everyone doing today?

 

Pinky is doing well, eating well and taking her meds like a good girl. At this moment she is just on cephalexin for another couple of days-she has been off of her Deramaxx for about 5 days now.

 

She is getting around really well, though after her stumble the other day she is a little bit hesitant with furniture. I hope that in time she will regain her confidence-she has always been a couch girl and a bed hog.

[winnie]

I'm confused today. Faye Oops has had an amazing two days. I don't know what to think or what to do. DH and I reached the very difficult decision to help her cross the bridge on Monday. She had some really rough days last week. Now, I'm starting to wonder it might have just been the meds.

 

We added the gabapentin on Monday night after she was so restless on Sunday night. She then had a really bad Tuesday night and Wednesday. She had little control of her hind end (despite the fact that the osteo is in her left front up near her shoulder). She even fell down the stairs. We were 100% confident it was her time, so we made the appointment with our vet for Monday. We ran out of piroxicam on Wednesday night. When I scheduled Monday's appointment, I asked the vet if we should renew the script for the piroxicam. She said she'd think that Faye Oops would be fine these last few days without it. She is currently on 100mg Tramadol 2x/day and 300mg gabapentin 2x/day.

 

On Friday, Faye Oops was almost back to her normal self. It's the most alert she has been in 2 weeks. She greeted me at the door with wagging tail (abeit a still weak rear end), played with her bird toy and then hopped on the couch for a snuggle. She slept right through the night - no apparent discomfort. Today, she hopped right into bed this morning for snuggles with not even so much as a whimper. She even went up and down stairs with minimal assistance. She is now sleeping peacefully. Faye Oops is eating well and still using all 4 legs too.

 

We just don't know what to do. Do we go forward with the appointment on Monday and err on the side of too early is better than too late? We so want to do what is right for our girl. Is she trying to tell us it's not her time yet? Another stress is that we're having DH brother's family this Wednesday for Thanksgiving. We didn't want to put stress on Faye Oops. My parents are here right now and she seems to enjoy the company.

 

[BauersMom]

Oh wow. So are you thinking it was a matter of finding the right combination of meds?

 

No one can really tell you the right thing to do. It's such a personal decision and no matter what you decide, you are making the decision out of love.

[greysmom]

If you have the flexibility, see what she says to you Monday morning. I think most vets would be happy to cancel that kind of an appointment. This disease is such a roller coaster, and I think, in some respects, it helps to stay in the moment like your dog does.