Osteo Thread

[joejoesmom]

Berkeley broke his remaining front leg today, running in the yard. A truly horrific experience. My heart is shattered into a million pieces.

 

I want to thank you all for the support you've given me over the last seven months.

 

Oh no, I'm so terribly sorry. This is my worst nightmare now that we know Joe has osteo in one of his three remaining legs. I am horrible at finding words at times like this. He knew you loved him with all your heart. Run free sweet Berkeley.

 

Jane

[vjgrey]

Berkeley broke his remaining front leg today, running in the yard. A truly horrific experience. My heart is shattered into a million pieces.

 

I want to thank you all for the support you've given me over the last seven months.

 

I just can't express how very sorry I am for your loss. They leave such big holes in our lives when they go.

[MaryJane]

Berkeley broke his remaining front leg today, running in the yard. A truly horrific experience. My heart is shattered into a million pieces.

 

I want to thank you all for the support you've given me over the last seven months.

 

 

I am so sorry to read this.

[BertnLil]

I am so sorry to read about Berkeley.

[45MPHK9]

Oh my God, Emma. I am so sorry.

 

Weeping here. Each one of these osteo losses just kills me.

[krissn333]

Oh my God...NO! . I'm so very sorry

 

Berkeley has always made my heart smile, always a trooper. He will be greatly missed.

[greysmom]

Oh, Emma. I'm so sorry! Berkely had such a bright spirit!

 

Run far and fast and pain free sweet boy...........................................................

[FiveRoooooers]

{{{Emma}}}

[dmswartzfager]

So sorry... so so sorry - I so enjoyed the video of him playing.... *hugs*

[TwiggysMom]

Oh no, what a shock. I am just so, so sorry.

 

You and he fought hard and well through all of this.

[BauersMom]

Thank you all. You continue to be so supportive - it's nice to have a group that totally 'gets it', you know?

 

Jane - a break wasn't even on my radar. He had run in the yard a few days prior, with no limping and no slowing down. In fact, he did a lap around the yard before the leg shattered. That moment keeps playing in my head and it will torment me forever.

 

I opted for the amp in large part because I wanted to lessen the risk of him breaking the compromised leg, since I know him and know how much he would still try to run, jump etc. And yet, that's exactly what happened. Truly horrific to watch him try to get up with no viable front legs. I feel like I completely failed him in his last moments.

 

Thankfully, a neighbor was in ear shot and came to help. Logistically, I think everyone has to be prepared for every possible "what if" with this disease. You want to focus on the here and now, but the future changes very quickly.

 

Hugs your hounds for me tonight.

[NeylasMom]

Berkeley broke his remaining front leg today, running in the yard. A truly horrific experience. My heart is shattered into a million pieces.

 

I want to thank you all for the support you've given me over the last seven months.

Oh no, I am so sorry. What a total shock. There really aren't words. I am so very sorry for your loss.

[Guest snakes]

I am so sorry you had to experience those moments with Berkeley. I wish there was something to say to make it easier/better, but there are no words. I am sure he knew you loved him and was comforted having you with him for everything you have all been through right up to the end.

[joejoesmom]

 

Jane - a break wasn't even on my radar. He had run in the yard a few days prior, with no limping and no slowing down. In fact, he did a lap around the yard before the leg shattered. That moment keeps playing in my head and it will torment me forever.

 

I opted for the amp in large part because I wanted to lessen the risk of him breaking the compromised leg, since I know him and know how much he would still try to run, jump etc. And yet, that's exactly what happened. Truly horrific to watch him try to get up with no viable front legs. I feel like I completely failed him in his last moments.

 

 

Emma,

 

You DID NOT fail him. You gave him extra time to be spoiled, to be loved, and to love in return. You said it yourself "He had run in the yard a few days prior, with no limping and no slowing down. In fact, he did a lap around the yard before the leg shattered." You couldn't have known that it was his time. Your neighbor came and helped you quickly so it sounds like you got him to the vet as quickly as possible given the circumstances.

 

I know this probably won't take your feelings of guilt away -- but I believe that you did the best you could do for Berkeley.

 

I pray that I will somehow know that a break is imminent with Joe. How I could know that is beyond me; but I still pray for that knowledge.

 

Jane

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

Oh no, I am so sorry. YOU DID NOT FAIL HIM! You gave him so much!

[Charlies_Dad]

YOU DID NOT FAIL HIM! You gave him so much!

 

Indeed. Emma you gave him a life he would not have had and he loved every minute of it. I am truly sorry for your loss of Berk, he was such a trooper. It is always very sad when we lose one of the group, very very sad.

[giadog]

I am so unbelievably sorry you had to go through that, Emma. My heart hurts for you.

[BauersMom]

I know you all are right, but the rawness of it all is just too fresh for me to see it. It will take me time to get there.

 

I have two bottles of arteminisin that I would be happy to pass on to someone. One is unopened, one is opened, both from Holly. PM me if you are interested.

 

Keep fighting the good fight, everyone.

[Guest snakes]

What a rollercoaster we are all on. FedX has been doing so well lately, then we were walking sunday morning (luckily only a block away), we crossed behind me and at the same time let out the GSOD. I turn around and he is holding his leg up and won't put it down. So we hobble/carry him home. Of course from the anxiety/pain he has a seizure half way back so we had to wait a few minutes to let that pass. But we get home and he goes to his bed. (Thank god UPS is fabulous in these situations!)

Now similar instances have happened to him before, usually it requires upping the pain meds, and weeks of walking very very short distances just to pee/poop and back inside. So I now have him on 300mg gabapentin three times a day, 75mg carprofen in the morning and 35 at night, and tramadol as he needs it. Since it was the weekend, i decided i would wait and see how the pain meds helped.

Well we are now at wednesday and he is putting some weight on the leg (he wasn't doing more than toe touching before). He still loves to go outside and i can tell he needs to see people/animals, he LOVES any attention. And he gets super excited for treats and meal times.

So all in all it isn't his time quite yet, but all of this is soo stressfull!! If he doesn't continue to improve, i'll possibly take him for an xray. I want to wait and see if he improves any more before having another pamidronate treatment. If he doesn't improve any more in the next week, i'd rather get the xray before spending the $400 for the pamidronate because if there is a fracture it doesn't make sense to have the infusion.

I know noone can do anything for him, but it is nice to just have a place to vent everything that is happening....

[krissn333]

Those of you using cytoxan, can you tell me how much it costs?

[greysmom]

I think it cost about $30 a month. It didn't seem too bad to me, so maybe that's high?????

[joejoesmom]

Those of you using cytoxan, can you tell me how much it costs?

 

I got mine from SBH in Columbus. They are primarily a mail order compounding pharmacy (at least in regards to pets). I believe that I paid about $45 for 30 (10 week supply) 10 mg capsules. They also put it in the smallest capsule they can so if you have a picky dog, it is easier to hide it.

 

http://www.sbhmed.com/

 

Jane

[krissn333]

Ah, okay thanks. I'm trying to work all of this out in my head. OSU sent me their metronomic protocol, but, it includes Palladia, which is really pretty cost-prohibitive for me, and our vet wasn't terribly excited by it when I asked his opinion.

 

So I wonder if it's worth it to do the cytoxan only (Along with artemisinin)?

 

In so many ways this is more confusing than everything else we've been through so far. I'd almost prefer to just do artemisinin and quit pumping her full of toxic stuff. We've been really lucky that the IV chemo hasn't phased her at all...

 

But then I wonder if we just do artemisinin and nothing else, if I'd be dropping the ball and we'd have a greater chance of the cancer returning. It was caught SO early that it didn't even have time to eat the bone away much, if at all...just the marrow cavity...so I sort of feel like we don't necessarily *need* to keep doing a bunch of stuff. Aargh, this is very frustrating.

[NeylasMom]

Kristin, I think the sad reality is that very very few people catch it before there are mets, and even the standard course of chemo doesn't always address them. Otherwise, we'd see a lot more dogs "cured" of osteo than we do. So I think it's totally reasonably if you choose not to pursue it for cost reasons or because you don't want to continue using chemicals that suppress her immune system, but you may be rationalizing a bit if you chalk it up to not needing it. I hope that doesn't sound harsh, I don't mean it to be.

 

If you do decide to skip the Palladia and decide to use the Artemisinin, I would suggest joining the arte yahoo group and using their protocols. My personal opinion is that Dr. Couto's (unless he's changed it) is too conservative. I checked in recently to see what the most up to date thinking is and they no longer recommend cycling or curcumin, but they do recommend using a combination of artemisinin and its derivatives (which I was doing with Neyla) and they do recommend the use of Butyrate to enhance the effect of the arte. They also recommend anti-oxidants in the AM, away from the arte (vits A & E I think).

 

There are a lot of other holistic supplements you could choose as well. I didn't focus much on supplements geared specifically at mets, but Dr. Dressler's book does talk about some. You can also do general anti-cancer supplements - fish oil is huge (there's no reason why she couldn't already be on that one now), but plenty of other ones to choose from. You could just decide on 2-3 you think are more likely to be helpful and give those. Or do arte and then cycle on and off a couple of other supplements.

 

There are also chinese herbs.

 

Basically, lots of options for you other than just more chemo.

Edited March 14, 2012 by NeylasMom

[krissn333]

Mainly what I meant by that is that I worry that continuing with more chemo stuff will do more harm than good, know what I mean? Like we actually might have a better outcome and better quality of life for her if we forego the cytoxan.

 

Granted, she has had ZERO side effects from the carboplatin, so maybe she'd have no issues with the cytoxan either, but, with her having the lupus on top of everything else, I just don't know if I want to tax her kidneys anymore.

 

This is just really difficult and I hate it. Choose to do it, risk her being sick and unhappy. Choose not to do it, risk another primary tumor and/or lung mets (which really are a risk even WITH the chemo). Either way I am sure that when I lose her (which will hopefully be a very long time from now), I will feel like I should have made a different choice