Osteo Thread

[NeylasMom]

So glad Twiggy has a new oncologist! I think you guys really needed a change.

 

There are actually 2 types of NSAIDs, don't quote me on this, but I believe Cox 1 and Cox 2 inhibitors, but it may be that all of the "new" NSAIDs are the same type so for all intents and purposes they are the same. I don't know anything about Piroxicam at all, but have had good experiences with Deramaxx at least in terms of pain relief. For whatever that's worth (nothing? ).

[krissn333]

We've certainly had better experience with Deramaxx than with Rimadyl. Rimadyl made Fritz act very strange (zombie like, really). Didn't do much for Skimmie either. They also seem to like the taste of Deramaxx more...that is a completely unscientific opinion just based on my own limited experience

[Guest snakes]

deramaxx worked well in years past for FedX. Now he is on generic rimadyl and does well. The generic, Carprofen is much cheaper. Of course none of these uses were part of a metronomic protocol.

[winnie]

Piroxicam was the NSAID that we had Faye Oops on (this was in addition to the Tramadol and Gabapentin).

[krissn333]

I saw this on Facebook today and of course I thought it was appropriate for our thread here...

 

[BauersMom]

love it

[BauersMom]

So, Berkeley, my bottom-of-every-totem pole, omega male tried to hump Pepper tonight. A tripod trying to hump? I tried to not laugh but it was pretty funny looking. I guess he was feeling frisky tonight.

Edited January 25, 2012 by BauersMom

[krissn333]

[krissn333]

Pinky's third chemo is tomorrow morning. Cross your fingers that her neutrophil count is high enough

[Zoolady]

We took Ben to the oncologist for his first consultation. She was very thorough and explained everything. She also showed us the x-rays and how much the bone is already destroyed. She talked about using carboplatin and alternating with pamidronate. We would continue using the rimadyl as it seems to be helping him. If we need it later, we can bring in the metacam or dermamax or tramadol. (please forgive my mis-spellings).

 

We don't know if the cancer will try to spread away from the iliac to the leg or the spine. Hopefully we can at least slow it down and he have lots more pain free time.

 

She also talked about something called palladia which stops the formation of blood vessels the cancer needs to grow and spread. I think this for after he finishes his treatments.

 

We briefly spoke about surgery which isn't an option for Ben but she did tell us they use something that decreases post-op bleeding. I think it's ACA (aminocaproic acid). The animal hospital has some articles about bleeding by OSU which I thought was encouraging.

 

The cost of doing the chemo, etc. is more than our wallet allows but thankfully because of the insurance, we could try. I've seen my GT family go through some awful things with chemo but also know the joy of when things go well. I haven't seen anybody say they wished they hadn't done it for amputation of a leg or chemo unless I missed it.

 

Oh, we have to stop the raw feeding for dinner while he is going through treatment too. She said we could cook meat or give him kibble.

 

She said the average survival is a year and a half but no guarantees. It could be two weeks or years. You never know.

 

So, Ben's adventure will begin next Wednesday. I will drop him off for chemo between 7:30 and 8:30 and Scott will pick him up after he finishes work. Ben will also go the next Wednesday for the pamidronate. (I think that's what they said.)

 

He's made friends with some of the staff already and we feel he is in good hands.

 

I just hope we've made the right decision.

Edited January 26, 2012 by Zoolady

[vjgrey]

Zoolady, you should contact OSU (via the consultation form on their website) and ask about receiving their free chemo. They've had some supply problems recently, but I believe their policy is that they'll provide it to any retired racer. They mail it to your vet/oncologist, and you just pay the administration fees. It's made a HUGE difference in our chemo bills for Gabe.

 

All fingers crossed for Pinky's neutrophil count.

 

And Berkeley...well, I don't know what to say about that. It's great that he's feeling well enough to feel frisky?

[Zoolady]

Zoolady, you should contact OSU (via the consultation form on their website) and ask about receiving their free chemo. They've had some supply problems recently, but I believe their policy is that they'll provide it to any retired racer. They mail it to your vet/oncologist, and you just pay the administration fees. It's made a HUGE difference in our chemo bills for Gabe.

 

I did the consultation form about two weeks ago but haven't heard anything so far. I also made a contribution which I was very happy to do, even without the consultation request. At that point I just had questions and was unsure how to get the films to them. I think the doctors here are confident about what Ben has.

 

Scott and I talked about the free chemo but we didn't feel right asking for it because we have insurance. We thought perhaps OSU could help someone without insurance. We are regular hard working people with not very deep pockets but I know the gift of free chemo would be a god send and make a difference in some lucky pup's life who isn't insured. Of course free chemo would be wonderful but it just doesn't somehow feel right to ask for and accept it.

[BauersMom]

Pinky's third chemo is tomorrow morning. Cross your fingers that her neutrophil count is high enough

 

Good luck Pinky!!

 

And fingers crossed for Ben. It's hard to make the decision, and harder to know if it's "right", but you just have to remember there is no real right or wrong. We're all just trying to make the best of a bad diagnosis.

 

(btw, no humping today. )

[MaryJane]

Zoolady, you should contact OSU (via the consultation form on their website) and ask about receiving their free chemo. They've had some supply problems recently, but I believe their policy is that they'll provide it to any retired racer. They mail it to your vet/oncologist, and you just pay the administration fees. It's made a HUGE difference in our chemo bills for Gabe.

 

I did the consultation form about two weeks ago but haven't heard anything so far. I also made a contribution which I was very happy to do, even without the consultation request. At that point I just had questions and was unsure how to get the films to them. I think the doctors here are confident about what Ben has.

 

Scott and I talked about the free chemo but we didn't feel right asking for it because we have insurance. We thought perhaps OSU could help someone without insurance. We are regular hard working people with not very deep pockets but I know the gift of free chemo would be a god send and make a difference in some lucky pup's life who isn't insured. Of course free chemo would be wonderful but it just doesn't somehow feel right to ask for and accept it.

 

 

If you haven't heard in two weeks - submit it again, they got back to me in about 2 days on an x-ray I sent to them.

[GreytHurleyDawg]

I have one big update: Hurley is done with his chemo! Apparently since he did not do carbo and doxy together, he is done after 4 doses! I might have been getting my info from here, I don't know where I got mixed up. He is doing fine. I asked my onco about metronomic protocol and she did not offer much info. I was not armed with my info since I thought we had 2 more chemos. So I will be going to a wellness vet soon for some holistic and other treatments but I may or may not start an official protocol backed by osu. It would be nicer to get in on their studies than to have to chart it out alone and fund it considering the prices mentioned. Unless insurance will help? Does anyone know if becoming a greyhound consultation member helps with that? I still have to pay it...have been putting it off!

[joejoesmom]

I have one big update: Hurley is done with his chemo! Apparently since he did not do carbo and doxy together, he is done after 4 doses! I might have been getting my info from here, I don't know where I got mixed up. He is doing fine. I asked my onco about metronomic protocol and she did not offer much info. I was not armed with my info since I thought we had 2 more chemos. So I will be going to a wellness vet soon for some holistic and other treatments but I may or may not start an official protocol backed by osu. It would be nicer to get in on their studies than to have to chart it out alone and fund it considering the prices mentioned. Unless insurance will help? Does anyone know if becoming a greyhound consultation member helps with that? I still have to pay it...have been putting it off!

 

Becoming a OSU greyhound health and wellness member does not provide any additional chemo or consult benefits. OSU's goal is to make chemo drugs and email consults available to all, regardless of ability to pay. Being a member does help fund the program and gives you access to some additional features on the website. Last I checked, OSU will provide free IV chemo but not oral chemo. Please someone correct me if I am wrong. This means that a metronomic protocol is not funded by OSU unless you are physically close enough to participate in a study. However, with the exception of Palladia, the metronomic protocols that are out there are relatively low cost. If you have insurance, I would think it would help (as long as it covers cancer treatments) since using a metronomic protocol is pretty standard for bone cancer. My guess is that it wouldn't cover Palladia for bone cancer.

[krissn333]

OSU will only send you 4 doses, but it's still pretty standard to do 6 rounds of chemo, regardless of whether you do carboplatin, doxorubicin, or both. I have just planned on paying for Pinky's last two out of my own pocket.

 

At least that's what I've always been told

[krissn333]

Pinky's counts are good! The tech just came to take her back

[greysmom]

My info - Many people do OPT to do 6 doses of IV chemo, whether it's carbo or doxyrubin. But there is no information indicating an additional benefit from any more than 4 doses. If you want to do six doses you have to pay for them yourself. I doubt if insurance will cover additional doses as they are not medically indicated. Contact your insurance company regardingwhther they will cover the metronomic protocol. However, it's not really that expensive - less than $80 a month if you get multiple months at a time.

[KF_in_Georgia]

Sam's been limping and hobbling for the last few days, and I thought I was coming close to losing him. The only identified cancer we know of is the lung cancer, but I was worried about osteo popping up in one of his rear legs, as an explanation for his limping. (And Sam would be just the dog to do it all backwards, and have lung mets show up on x-rays before the osteo did.)

 

But the vet doesn't think the pain is in his legs and doesn't think it's osteo. When Sam was diagnosed in November, we did spinal x-rays and found a slightly herniated disk and a lot of arthritis, and the vet thinks that is Sam's current problem. You can get a pretty clear pain reaction if you mess with Sam's lower spine (or if he thinks you're going to mess with it), but there's no pain reaction to manipulation of either of his rear legs.

 

Sam is pretty much maxed out on meloxicam, methocarbamol, and gabapentin. We're going to add tramadol to the mix. If that isn't helping--or if he reacts badly to it--we'll drop the meloxicam, wait 48 hours, then try prednisone for a while. If those aren't effective, we'll have to rethink what we're doing. I don't want to keep him hanging on if he's in pain, but I do want to take a good shot at managing the pain--especially when he's still enjoying ear scritches, whippy cream, and cuddles. Thank goodness he's a champ about taking pills; I think we're up to 20+ a day now.

 

I was all braced for bad news at the vet's office today; instead, it looks as if I'll be trying to keep this boy out of the trash cans for a while yet.

[krissn333]

Sam Hoping a med change manages things for him

 

We are 11 hours out from Pinky's chemo and she just snarfed down her dinner She is such a champ...I am just so dang proud of her. Today when Dr. Thomsen brought her back to me and he sat down to talk to me for a moment, she went over to him and leaned on him briefly and looked up at him with love He said "but I'm the bad guy who sticks you with needles!" She just leaned a little bit harder . Everyone at the office is so nice...the techs all see her name on the schedule and even if they aren't working with Dr. T that day, they all come out to say hello to her. We are so very blessed. If we had to deal with osteo, this is definitely the way it should be. It is so wonderful to know that the people helping me help Pinky along care about her as much as I do

Edited January 27, 2012 by krissn333

[Guest snakes]

FedX and I have an interesting dilemma, any input welcome!

So i noticed a couple days ago that one of this front teeth (the one next to the canine close to the front) looked kinda funny. Once i looked closer i noticed that the tooth seems to have slipped downward as if its falling out. If i really try to play with it it is a little loose. part of his gum seems to have stayed around the tooth but separated from the main gum (i initially thought it was some rawhide stuck to the tooth).

He is eating fine and really doesn't have any pain with it since he will let me tough it and look at it. The gums around the tooth seem a bit inflamed but not badly.

I'll admit that ever since the OS diagnosis last january i have been slack on brushing his teeth.

I am going to talk to one of the vets on tuesday (she is the better vet to talk to about his issues presently).

The question i have is to whether or not bothering with a dental to remove the tooth. It isn't bothering him right now and doesn't appear infected. I hate to sacrifice money for a dental that could be used towards his treatments if it isn't really necessary but i don't want it to become painful for him or infected which could set off a whole bunch of complications. The fact he would have to have aneasthesia to have the tooth out would be a concern as well. I also don't know if maybe the tooth will just eventually fall out on its own...

[NeylasMom]

I think you need to have your vet evaluate the situation before you can make any decisions. I would think it would depend a lot on whether it is potentially painful or may become so or lead to bigger problems if left untreated and you won't know that until the vet looks at him. I'd want to know first and foremost whether it got knocked out accidentally or there is dental disease that is causing it to fall out.

[Guest snakes]

I think you need to have your vet evaluate the situation before you can make any decisions. I would think it would depend a lot on whether it is potentially painful or may become so or lead to bigger problems if left untreated and you won't know that until the vet looks at him. I'd want to know first and foremost whether it got knocked out accidentally or there is dental disease that is causing it to fall out.

 

More than likely dental disease i think. I keep him fairly quite due to the leg and he hasn't had anything out of the ordinary happen recently. the only other thing that could have done it is a rawhide, but it is one of the little teeth so i don't think that is it. His teeth aren't fantastic anyway, although for a greyhound probably average So far it isn't painful, of course he is already on pain meds which could be covering any pain up!

I sense a credit card vet visit in my near future....luckily he is doing well so i can postpone his next pamidronate and save my pennies

[vjgrey]

Please think good thoughts for Gabe, who will have Chemo #4 tomorrow if his numbers are right. He's been doing really well lately - in fact, we frequently have to KEEP him from running around like a crazy dog.