Osteo Thread

[winnie]

Hugs to Jane and Joe... and all of the other dogs still fighting this awful disease. I mainly just lurk now since the loss of our Faye Oops, but I think of you all often. Edited February 4, 2012 by winnie

[Guest snakes]

edited again to add: Dr. Couto gave me a syringe of Buprenex. I told him how worried I was that Joe would break his leg, be screaming in pain, and I wouldn't be able to get him in the car because he would be in so much pain. So, I think mainly to calm me, he gave me a syringe that I could inject in the event that Joe does break his leg.

 

Sounds like a good idea even if for peace of mind (which is worth A LOT). Just remember that it takes about 10 minutes after the injection for it to truley kick in when he will loose coordination with relieving the pain. Some dogs can become very anxious when this happens. I would store a muzzle right next to the Burprenex that doesn't get used for anything else, just in case.

 

Maybe having a little "just in case" box ready to go would help? It would have anything you might need and you wouldn't have to look around since we all know none of us would be in a good state of mind in that situation.

[joejoesmom]

Okay, the fence is up. My neighbor came and installed it (with what little help I was) in just 40 minutes. It would have taken me that long just to bang one fence post in. I used an inexpensive, thin gauge welded wire fence - I thought it would hold up better if the labradors decided to test it.

 

I will get a "just in case" box made up. Thank you for that suggestion. I also need to be extra careful to put my car keys where they belong (this is a continuing problem for me). I sure hope that I don't need any of this.

 

Joe is doing a little bit better today. I hope that is a sign of continuing pain improvement. It is just astonishing to me how fast he went downhill.

 

Jane

[robinw]

Jane, I'm so sorry.

[greysmom]

Jane!

 

With Dude it was less than 20 hours between when he began to go and when he was gone.

[Guest snakes]

 

I will get a "just in case" box made up. Thank you for that suggestion. I also need to be extra careful to put my car keys where they belong (this is a continuing problem for me). I sure hope that I don't need any of this.

 

I don't suppose you have an extra key? I know a lot of us don't given the new fancy computer type keys cars need nowadays! Also maybe a photocopy of your drivers license and a 'spare' credit card all kept in a small wallet. I hate to think of all this, but i know i would forget something simple like that if it were me...

Giving all this advice, maybe i should do as i suggest and make a box for myself.....

[joejoesmom]

I will get a "just in case" box made up. Thank you for that suggestion. I also need to be extra careful to put my car keys where they belong (this is a continuing problem for me). I sure hope that I don't need any of this.

 

I don't suppose you have an extra key? I know a lot of us don't given the new fancy computer type keys cars need nowadays! Also maybe a photocopy of your drivers license and a 'spare' credit card all kept in a small wallet. I hate to think of all this, but i know i would forget something simple like that if it were me...

Giving all this advice, maybe i should do as i suggest and make a box for myself.....

 

Unfortunately I don't have a second key. It has the anti-theft stuff in it. I should look into how much it would cost to get a second one made.

 

Jane

[MP_the4pack]

Jane, I'm so sorry to hear about Joe. The exact same thing happened to Diamond. OS returned to her left rear leg.

 

 

I hope the radiation gives you a little more time with him. He's such a character.

[MaryJane]

Just wanted to mention that the WSJ had an article about dogs and cancer - it was pretty interesting and sad as one of the facts that came up is how much faster cancer progresses in dogs compared with humans. They also mentioned that later this year the Cancer Research Center was going to do a study on dogs with osteosarcoma.

[krissn333]

Yesterday was Pinky's 3 month ampiversary What's odd is that it feels like it has been much longer than that. She's got a blood draw tomorrow morning and we go for chemo #4 next Thursday

 

A side note...Ace gets her stitches out tomorrow morning too

[Charlies_Dad]

Yesterday was Pinky's 3 month ampiversary What's odd is that it feels like it has been much longer than that. She's got a blood draw tomorrow morning and we go for chemo #4 next Thursday

 

A side note...Ace gets her stitches out tomorrow morning too

 

Way to go Pinky!!! Keep it up girl! Hope the WBC is good tomorrow.

 

Good to hear Ace is having the stitches out. It's always nice to get these things done and gone!

[krissn333]

Her neutrophil count is 2900 So as long as we don't dip much more (he won't do it if neutrophils are under 2000), we're a go for next Thursday! They are all in awe of how well she has tolerated it-she has had NO side effects...I really haven't seen her even extra tired afterward, just a tiny bit subdued.

 

I find it fascinating how big the spectrum is regarding how they tolerate chemo. But I guess I really shouldn't be that surprised...dogs have a wide spectrum of food tolerance too-for some the littlest thing causes the big D, while others can eat anything and still have a normal poop :blink Now I'm wondering if there's any connection between the two. Pinky has a cast iron stomach, and has had no real side effects from chemo. I am wondering if those with more delicate systems have experienced more chemo side effects? Please share

 

Jane, how's our buddy Joe doing?

[greysmom]

Dude was an eat-anything-not-fastened-down type dog. He would literally eat whatever I handed him with no gastro problems. He did have some tiredness and nausea for three or four days following chemo, but nothing really super bad. I could always get him to eat his meal eventually. I think he mostly liked the extra attentiona and hand-feeding!

[BauersMom]

So totally odd thing happened tonight.

 

Gave Berkeley his arteminisin - hidden in PB on a little cookie - and he got it stuck in his mouth somehow. He started pawing at his face to get at it, but since he's one-legged in the front, it became this spastic jump-whack-at-the-face with the one paw. As he was bouncing around the room, I'm chasing him trying to get him to stop, so I can help him.

 

The cookie finally dislodges and he eats it... and then I see that he has blood all down the side of his face that he was pawing at, and blood all over the leg.

 

I get him to lie on a bed and I examine him and I can't for the life of me figure out where the blood came from!

 

Geez Louise!

[krissn333]

Oh goodness! I hope everything is alright!

 

So, my group occasionally does "strolls" at local parks. Basically we get together and cause a big commotion because everyone stops to ask about the dogs But its great publicity. Anyway, there's one on Sunday, and I'm planning to take Pinky. She did just fine at our holiday party for several hours, I see no reason why she couldn't go to a stroll for 45 minutes-an hour, do any of you? Of course if she seems tired we can leave any time we want to

 

Side note about Berkeley...the mental image I got of him is still pretty darn impressive, that he's able to paw at his face and coordinate all of that having one front leg! I do hope he didn't hurt himself though

[JJNg]

I get him to lie on a bed and I examine him and I can't for the life of me figure out where the blood came from!

How are his teeth? My first guess would be his gums, or a loose tooth.

[greysmom]

Berks might have caught a dew claw on his gums or lip flaps. Hope he's OK now!

 

GO PINKY! She should be fine! We took Dude to several events and just left or let him lay down when he started to get tired.

[vjgrey]

Yesterday was Pinky's 3 month ampiversary What's odd is that it feels like it has been much longer than that.

 

Isn't it a weird feeling? Yesterday was three months since Gabe's diagnosis, and it feels like it's been so much longer. Which is okay, because with him, I WANT time to slow down.

 

I am wondering if those with more delicate systems have experienced more chemo side effects? Please share

 

Gabe has a pretty sensitive stomach, but he's had no real problems with chemo (knock on wood). The only side effect we've seen is a little tiredness for a day or so after his fourth.

[krissn333]

Fudgefudgefudgefudgefudge. Just got word that my friend Deb (who posted in here once about her beautiful girl Fine Point) and her husband had to let Fine Point go very early this morning. Damn it. Just 11 weeks post-diagnosis

 

Rest in peace, beautiful girl...

 

 

Haven't heard from Jane lately...a little bit worried here.

[joejoesmom]

Fudgefudgefudgefudgefudge. Just got word that my friend Deb (who posted in here once about her beautiful girl Fine Point) and her husband had to let Fine Point go very early this morning. Damn it. Just 11 weeks post-diagnosis

 

Rest in peace, beautiful girl...

 

 

Haven't heard from Jane lately...a little bit worried here.

 

Sorry, I didn't mean to worry anyone.

 

Fine Point was a beautiful girl. Please tell your friends that I am very sorry for their loss.

 

Joe had his second radiation treatment on Thursday. His pain is very well controlled by the radiation plus meds (3 50mg tramadol plus 37.5mg deramaxx per day). He is still goofy and playful. He even tried to play tug of war with one of the foster labradors today -- he lost, as usual

 

I am now sort of glad that he was never successful in teaching them to play like a greyhound. Even though he would try to run slow, they quickly figured out that they could never catch him. So they would just stop and wrestle each other. I could see Joe thinking "What's fun about that? Chasing is where its at!"

 

Joe is enjoying all the special treats I've been giving him. After months of a very steady weight, he gained over the last week. OSU said that he is still a good weight, but that I should be a bit more careful about my spoiling -- where's the fun in that? Actually, I do understand how important it is, I will need to be more careful.

 

As for me, I am surviving. For the most part I have dug my head in the sand and have been ignoring the future as much as I can.

 

Jane

[krissn333]

That's a positive update though, Jane! Don't bury yourself too far, we love that you share him with us It sounds like he is doing well and wow, that's not really a lot in terms of pain meds, so if his pain is controlled with that and he's tolerating the radiation, that's awesome! Enjoy the present, try not to worry too much about the future

 

My pups get along just fine with other breeds, but, they are a bit confused by the wrestling play as well. Fritz likes to just bark at the dogs who are wrestling and Ace just plain steers clear of it Pinky hasn't been to the dog park much, and the times that we went, she found the other black dogs in the park and followed them around, or I'd find her soaking up some petting from someone who was just sitting on a park bench

[TwiggysMom]

I'm so sorry to hear about Fine Point. Please pass along my sympathies to her family, as well.

 

Good to hear that Joe is having fun and acting like himself :colgate it's great that the radiation is helping him so much.

 

Kristin, I thought Twiggy was going to sail through chemo. She handled the first 5 like a champ, has always been pretty bomb-proof. I was even thinking we should just continue iv chemo past 6 treatments because she seemed to handle them so well. Then #6 came along, and she hasn't been the same since. It's been over a month, and she is now a week into her metronomic protocol. Her bloodwork and urinalysis came back outstanding (except for a normal-for-her, and slightly greyhound-high creat); but she just isn't the same. Hardly plays anymore. Starts, but just seconds into it stops, acts sad or surprised and goes to lay down for the night. I don't want to scare you or anyone else with this, but it seems that the effects of the chemo are cumulative, and there does come a point when it isn't well-tolerated any more. Hopefully, that point comes after the full 6 doses, and you never have to experience the down side though!

 

So many new diagnoses this week, it breaks my heart every time. There were two new cases in GPA-WI where Twiggy and Hurley are from, too. Just so sad.

[BauersMom]

Berkeley has a sensitive stomach and started to show side-effects from the chemo after #2 (nausea and fatigue, mostly). I don't know if the two are linked, but it's plausible. I'm sorry Twiggy is still not feeling well.

 

Thankfully he's doing a lot better since finishing up the chemo, here's a video of the nightly routine around here:

 

 

At the end of the video is Pepper, poor thing got left outside while I videotaped.

[TwiggysMom]

Love seeing Berk having so much fun! (and love Pepper's "let me at him" foot-stomp!!)

[joejoesmom]

I loved seeing Berk's play. He reminds me a bit of Joey. I sure wish Joe wasn't so afraid of camera's. I would love to get video of him in action but he just runs and hides as soon as the camera comes out.

 

Wendy, has Twiggy had her 3 month x-rays yet? You might want them to do a full orthopedic exam and appropriate x-rays just to make sure nothing else is going on. Can you tell if she has any pain? Hopefully it is nothing and she will recover soon. If you suspect that her tummy is upset you can try adding some meds -- sucralfate, cerenia, reglan, etc.

 

Jane