Osteo Thread V

[krissn333]

Any news about Tristan yet?

 

A sling is definitely good. Others here whose pups have had front leg amputations might have better advice specific to dealing with a front leg amputee. Don't be scared by what you see, think medically. It is a big surgery, you will see bruising and swelling, even with the Amicar. The first couple of days can be rough, don't let yourself freak out. We're all here to help and offer advice. You will all get through this and be okay.

 

You have no idea how happy I am to see you say you're moving to fight mode! Go team!

[Guest patterpaws]

As of 2:00pm he was anesthetized and shaved. They said everything was going good so far. We should get a phone call as soon as the surgeon is finished.

 

Its actually a huge relief to move out of "decide the fate of my beloved hound" to switch to "doing mode." I deal with active problem solving much better!

 

I haven't bought a sling yet- will a makeshift towel sling be okay for now? Or is it worth it to buy a commercially made one? I know you can order custom ones too, which would be ideal, but at this point we don't have a lot of time for ordering...

[MachosMom]

I just wanted to add my good thoughts for Tristan!!!

[greysmom]

For a front leg you may not need one (we were a rear and Dude refused to let us use it on him). He's going to be a little awkward until he figures out how to move around, but once he does, you won't be able to keep up with him, I guarantee it!

 

If he's comfortable at the vet (not stressed or anxious) you might think about leaving him there post-surgery until he's fully recovered. Dude stayed in the hospital or four days after his amp and he came home much more able to deal with everything - and we were too. He was eating and going potty, didn't have an IV or heavy duty pain meds. He was still on anitbiotics and oral pain rxs, but we could handle that. Dude LOVED being at the hospital, so we felt fine leaving him the extra days.

[Guest cashie]

Thoughts and prayers for Tristan today! Hope his surgery went well:)

[BauersMom]

A towel should work fine. Berkeley definitely needed some help (front leg amp) because he tried to do more than he could too soon, and I needed to help him. Like... two days after his amp, he tried to lift his leg to pee. He was talented, but not talented enough to manage a two-legged pee. We used a commercial harness just so it was always on him should he decide to do something decidedly dangerous.

 

We had to use a t-shirt on him to keep him from getting at the staples, and where the staples are also make it a little difficult to offer support - you'll just have to make sure to keep the towel clear of the staple line.

Edited July 19, 2012 by BauersMom

[TwiggysMom]

Hoping all went well today!

 

It is good to have a sling available, but he may or may not need it. Twiggy is a front-leg amp, too. The first couple days at the hospital, they used a sling to help her around, but the morning of day 4 when I took her home, she actually leapt into the car unaided (while I was standing around scratching my head trying to figure out how to get her in there). She was just annoyed by my efforts to help her with the sling.

 

I made a sling by taking a big sweatshirt and wrapping the body around the top part and basting it in place (the sweatshirt is still good as new, too!)

 

Using a t-shirt to cover the area is a good idea if he comes home without a big bandage on. Twiggy came home with a huge thick bandage that was to stay on for 5 more days. I don't recommend this - she developed an awful infection under there, and I had no idea because I couldn't keep an eye on the incision.

 

How well he does when he first comes home will depend a bit on how long he stays in the hospital. If he comes home in the next day or so, he won't be getting around as well as if he comes home this weekend.

 

You've probably already seen photos and heard others' stories, but he will be quite bruised (even with the amicar), and will have a fair amount of swelling and edema for at least a week or so. The bruising will look worse before it looks better. Also, if I hadn't been warned about the screaming freak-outs, I think I would have driven us into a ditch on the way home from OSU! They are gut-wrenching, but I think they come at least as much from surprise, panic, and pain-med reaction as from pain. For about a week after we got home, nearly every time Twiggy tried to stand up, she would buck and scream out. All of this passes, and then the recovery just comes so quicky, every day gets more and more normal.

 

Also, he will always have that hop-walk. It should have been obvious, but if I hadn't met Jane's Joe and seen how he walked ahead of time, it would have surprised me.

 

Finally, you might want to make a chart of all his meds - there will be a lot of them at first, and on odd schedules. Do check the labels/pills versus the doctors' instructions. I found that about half the medications had conflicting information about how much/often the dosages should be. And, if there is anything that strikes you as wrong (either with him or the meds), be sure to call the doctors - I always felt like I shouldn't because I'd be "bothering" them, but there were things that needed attention.

 

Hang in there!

[vjgrey]

 

Finally, you might want to make a chart of all his meds - there will be a lot of them at first, and on odd schedules.

 

Again, we didn't (couldn't) go the amp route, so others can help you much more there, but for all Osteo care, this is great advice. At one point, Gabe was taking close to 20 pills, all to be given at different intervals, and some couldn't be given within two hours of food/other medication. The only way I could keep on top of it all was to set alarms on my iPhone where I noted what pill and/or meal needed to be given at what time. That way, however sleepy or busy or distracted I was, the alarms went off to remind me, and he got everything exactly on schedule, all the time.

[NeylasMom]

Finally, you might want to make a chart of all his meds - there will be a lot of them at first, and on odd schedules.

 

Again, we didn't (couldn't) go the amp route, so others can help you much more there, but for all Osteo care, this is great advice. At one point, Gabe was taking close to 20 pills, all to be given at different intervals, and some couldn't be given within two hours of food/other medication. The only way I could keep on top of it all was to set alarms on my iPhone where I noted what pill and/or meal needed to be given at what time. That way, however sleepy or busy or distracted I was, the alarms went off to remind me, and he got everything exactly on schedule, all the time.

I've never thought to mention this, but I did something like this too. I actually used a calendar template in Word and made one for each month. Part of why I needed it was because at the time the artemisinin folks were recommending a cycling regimen so we did this weird 10-day cycle, but it certainly also helped me to ensure that she got everything she needed at each interval. We were doing carafate (2 hrs away from meds and food) plus pepcid (30 min before food and meds) plus meds (to be given with food, some without) plus arte (given away from food) and so on...it's easy to lose track basically.

 

I just made the calendar monthly and checked things of as I administered them. I also kept a journal to monitor Neyla's pain and stomach, but post amp that shouldn't be as important.

[KF_in_Georgia]

Consider creating a pill schedule on Google's calendar feature. You can "subscribe" to the calendar on your phone, modify the calendar as needed, have it send you reminders (emails, text messages, pop-ups). And it's handy to be able to access the calendar on your phone if you need to discuss the pill schedule with your vet. Lots of colors available for coding, so you can have different pills in different colors, tell the calendar to repeat an "event" every day until further notice (rather than program it over and over again), etc.

[Guest patterpaws]

Woah just discovered the "multi-quote" feature...

 

It is good to have a sling available, but he may or may not need it. Twiggy is a front-leg amp, too. The first couple days at the hospital, they used a sling to help her around, but the morning of day 4 when I took her home, she actually leapt into the car unaided (while I was standing around scratching my head trying to figure out how to get her in there). She was just annoyed by my efforts to help her with the sling.

 

I made a sling by taking a big sweatshirt and wrapping the body around the top part and basting it in place (the sweatshirt is still good as new, too!)

 

Using a t-shirt to cover the area is a good idea if he comes home without a big bandage on. Twiggy came home with a huge thick bandage that was to stay on for 5 more days. I don't recommend this - she developed an awful infection under there, and I had no idea because I couldn't keep an eye on the incision.

 

How well he does when he first comes home will depend a bit on how long he stays in the hospital. If he comes home in the next day or so, he won't be getting around as well as if he comes home this weekend.

 

You've probably already seen photos and heard others' stories, but he will be quite bruised (even with the amicar), and will have a fair amount of swelling and edema for at least a week or so. The bruising will look worse before it looks better. Also, if I hadn't been warned about the screaming freak-outs, I think I would have driven us into a ditch on the way home from OSU! They are gut-wrenching, but I think they come at least as much from surprise, panic, and pain-med reaction as from pain. For about a week after we got home, nearly every time Twiggy tried to stand up, she would buck and scream out. All of this passes, and then the recovery just comes so quicky, every day gets more and more normal.

 

Also, he will always have that hop-walk. It should have been obvious, but if I hadn't met Jane's Joe and seen how he walked ahead of time, it would have surprised me.

 

Finally, you might want to make a chart of all his meds - there will be a lot of them at first, and on odd schedules. Do check the labels/pills versus the doctors' instructions. I found that about half the medications had conflicting information about how much/often the dosages should be. And, if there is anything that strikes you as wrong (either with him or the meds), be sure to call the doctors - I always felt like I shouldn't because I'd be "bothering" them, but there were things that needed attention.

 

Hang in there!

Thank you! That sweatshirt-sling technique sounds a lot easier than a towel, I think we will do that. I have a feeling he will want to be independent but we'll be there to help him as much as he needs.

 

I have seen quite a few pics of the scars/bruising, so I'm prepared. But I have a feeling its one of those instances where... when its your hound... its harder than seeing the photos. I've taken care of quite a few sick/wounded animals, studied with a taxidermist where we did a lot of scientific-study dissections, and taken a pet first aide class, so I'll try to look at it from a medical standpoint as much as possible.

 

The screaming might be hard to take, I'm secretly hoping that he doesn't have too much of that issue.

 

The medical chart sounds like a good idea. I like the idea of using google calendar since I use that already. Hmm.

 

 

 

A towel should work fine. Berkeley definitely needed some help (front leg amp) because he tried to do more than he could too soon, and I needed to help him. Like... two days after his amp, he tried to lift his leg to pee. He was talented, but not talented enough to manage a two-legged pee. We used a commercial harness just so it was always on him should he decide to do something decidedly dangerous.

 

We had to use a t-shirt on him to keep him from getting at the staples, and where the staples are also make it a little difficult to offer support - you'll just have to make sure to keep the towel clear of the staple line.

Ah yes, we'll try to be careful of the staple line!

 

 

A sling is definitely good. Others here whose pups have had front leg amputations might have better advice specific to dealing with a front leg amputee. Don't be scared by what you see, think medically. It is a big surgery, you will see bruising and swelling, even with the Amicar. The first couple of days can be rough, don't let yourself freak out. We're all here to help and offer advice. You will all get through this and be okay.

 

You have no idea how happy I am to see you say you're moving to fight mode! Go team!

I will definitely think of this medically. The bruising and swelling might be hard to see, but I know they will heal. I say this now with confidence- later I might be freaking out! SO SO SO glad you guys are here, and that I finally found a trusted vet up here.

 

 

For a front leg you may not need one (we were a rear and Dude refused to let us use it on him). He's going to be a little awkward until he figures out how to move around, but once he does, you won't be able to keep up with him, I guarantee it!

 

If he's comfortable at the vet (not stressed or anxious) you might think about leaving him there post-surgery until he's fully recovered. Dude stayed in the hospital or four days after his amp and he came home much more able to deal with everything - and we were too. He was eating and going potty, didn't have an IV or heavy duty pain meds. He was still on anitbiotics and oral pain rxs, but we could handle that. Dude LOVED being at the hospital, so we felt fine leaving him the extra days.

I'll definitely let the vets know that I'd rather him stay longer vs sooner. I have a feeling Tristan might stress out a lot when he's there and might be more comfortable at home, but maybe he'll settle in. As much as I know I will try everything in my power to help him, I know the professionals have more knowledge and experience. I'm glad Dude was able to stay longer so he came home with an easier transition for all involved.

Edited July 19, 2012 by patterpaws

[Guest GenetJen]

Hoping Tristan is doing well!

 

I know I'm kind of late on the medication conversation, but wanted advice.

 

Maya's been on Tramadol for some time and we're doing 50 mg every 6 hours. (FYI: she's only 45 lbs right now) As of last Saturday, we added:

Gabapentin 100 mg only once per day (Which I'm now thinking is very low?!), and

Rimadyl 75 mg per day (split into two doses)

 

From Saturday evening until yesterday, she was acting like she felt great! Eating well and being much more active. This morning, I can tell she's in pain. Not eating much and panting. I guess the obvious step it to up her meds. (She is 11 and we've decided to go the palliative care route. Don't want to put her through amputation and have had two vets say they think it would not be wise.) I guess my question is how long do you continue to increase meds before deciding to let them go? I do NOT want her to be in pain or be miserable. I can't decide if I'm being selfish by trying to push more meds on her to get more time.

 

Someone in one of these Osteo-related threads (maybe on Nube's?) said something like: "It's better to let them go one day too early than one day too late." That really struck me.

 

Thanks for any advice.

 

 

A "fatter" Maya about a year ago.

[45MPHK9]

Gabapentin 100 mg only once per day (Which I'm now thinking is very low?!), and

 

Bee Wiseman was taking 900mg of Gabapentin each day towards the end (300mg TID). She took this in addition to Deramaxx and Tramadol.

[greysmom]

Genetjen, it's such a personal decision. We can tell you our experience but only you can decide what's right for you.

 

You have A LOT of room to increase her pain meds, both tramadol and gabapentin. Some dogs do have a reaction to both so you might want to increase gradually. Though if she's been on them she should be fine.

 

Good luck!

[Guest snakes]

A very individual decision on when is the "right" time to let our pups go, you need to be able to know the individual dog and see thier behavior.

 

In our situation here I usually wait 2-3days, but saying that, even when FedX had his worst pain he still wanted treats/food. The only time i remember (and won't forget) that i seriously thought "this is it" when his pain was so bad i carried him inside from his pee break and he seemed miserable and didn't even want a treat. That instance just happened to be a saturday night and I did not want to go to the evet. I was prepared to bring the grass inside to him if I had to, just to get him to monday to see our regular vet. The improvement by Monday was enough i hung in there and he eventually recovered to his old baseline.

Nowadays after going through a few bouts of severe pain and our last scare with the vasculitis has tought me that I need to wait 48hrs at least so the gabapentin changes go into effect or his homeopathic remedies have a chance to work.

Of course this is specific to our situation, and nowadays i can even tell the difference by his walk/behavior if he is having bone pain vs swelling/nerve pain or pain form his rear leg mast cell tumor.

 

From what I have read on here, most people, if not forced by a fractured leg, just "know" when it is the right time. My heart goes out to your family and Maya.

[Guest cashie]

Genetjen, Maya is beautiful! She looks like such a sweetie!!

 

I am feeling the exact same way about Cash. I also felt like he would not be a good candidate for amp and chose palliative care. On his good days I feel great about my decision, so happy that he can be around for one more treat, one more hug, one more day to be treated like the special guy he is. On his bad days I feel horrible that I am doing this to him. Does he even WANT to live this life? I've decided that if he is having more bad days than good, or if the pain meds aren't helping anymore then I will let him go.

 

About a week ago I thought we were there already. It happened almost exactly like you described above with Maya. Fine one day, then suddenly the next day he didn't really want to eat or get up or go outside. He was like that for 2 days. I made some chicken and hand fed it to him, upped his Tramadol dose. On the third day I was boiling more chicken for him and suddenly he was right there with his ears perked up, head cocked to the side as if he was saying "I know that's for me, hurry up Mom!" We got new meds on Saturday which also seem to be helping, although the Gabapentin made him a little groggy for a while.

 

Hang in there. It's definitely not easy:(

[Guest GenetJen]

Thanks everyone. I always seem to get on here and ask questions when I'm feeling emotional, which probably isn't the best thing. It is a very personal/individual decision. I'm just such an anal/"type A" person, it's hard for me. I want to KNOW exactly when I'll know, if that makes sense. lol. I know it's ridiculous and not at all logical. Taking it a day at a time. Upped her gabapentin and tramadol a little on my own today (vet never called me back). I'm going to get in touch with a vet tomorrow to get a more proper recommendation. I'm just afraid they won't want to up it I guess. The first vet ONLY gave us the 50 mg of tramadol 3x per day. At least the second vet changed that to 4x per day and added the gabapentin and rimadyl. I'm just afraid to do too much (on my own). I don't want her scary-sedated. I've seen her that way once on acepromazine. Not cool.

 

Snakes and Cashie: It is quite a roller-coaster, isn't it? Thanks so much for your experiences and kind words.

 

Anyway, Maya ate well this evening. I've been going through Mcdonald's drive thru more often than ever in my life. If she doesn't have much time, I don't care what she eats and long as she does and enjoys it. She looooves Mcnuggets.

[Guest patterpaws]

Thanks everyone. I always seem to get on here and ask questions when I'm feeling emotional, which probably isn't the best thing. It is a very personal/individual decision. I'm just such an anal/"type A" person, it's hard for me. I want to KNOW exactly when I'll know, if that makes sense. lol. I know it's ridiculous and not at all logical.

 

I'm the same way. Black and White please!!! No shades of grey, I can't handle it!

 

Sending lots of love and Mcnuggets your way.

[MachosMom]

*group hug* I am typing from my phone so I don't have all the cool smilies.... Cashie and patterpaws: i agree completely!

 

This sucks! This AM Macho was in a good mood but is refusing breakfast so of course worry kicka in. This week has also been riddled with doubts about what I am doing for him. Am I doing enough? Am I doing the right thing? Ugh!

 

Snakes - thanks for your advice, I like that waiting period to make te decision. That just struck a chord with me and I know it will help me on bad days be sure what kind of bad day it is. This disease just sucks so many ways.

[NeylasMom]

Thanks everyone. I always seem to get on here and ask questions when I'm feeling emotional, which probably isn't the best thing. It is a very personal/individual decision. I'm just such an anal/"type A" person, it's hard for me. I want to KNOW exactly when I'll know, if that makes sense. lol. I know it's ridiculous and not at all logical. Taking it a day at a time. Upped her gabapentin and tramadol a little on my own today (vet never called me back). I'm going to get in touch with a vet tomorrow to get a more proper recommendation. I'm just afraid they won't want to up it I guess. The first vet ONLY gave us the 50 mg of tramadol 3x per day. At least the second vet changed that to 4x per day and added the gabapentin and rimadyl. I'm just afraid to do too much (on my own). I don't want her scary-sedated. I've seen her that way once on acepromazine. Not cool.

 

Snakes and Cashie: It is quite a roller-coaster, isn't it? Thanks so much for your experiences and kind words.

 

Anyway, Maya ate well this evening. I've been going through Mcdonald's drive thru more often than ever in my life. If she doesn't have much time, I don't care what she eats and long as she does and enjoys it. She looooves Mcnuggets.

Me too, type A with a super capital A.

 

If your vet won't go along with increasing meds, you need to find another vet to work with. Honestly, I think it's best to consult with an oncologist - they seem to understand better what you're facing and what medication dosages are reasonable. You don't have to continue to see them after the initial consult - they can work with you through your own vet, or you can continue to consult directly with them. The initial consult will likely be a little pricey, but specialists are worth their wait in gold imo. I say this a lot these days, but if you had cancer, you'd see an oncologist. If you had a toe fracture, you'd see a podiatrist. And so on. Point being, there are specialists for a reason - not to mention that human doctors only have to know humans, vets have to know cats, dogs, birds, guinea pigs, snakes, rats, hamsters, ferrets, rabbits...You get my point.

 

Also, sedation from Gabapentin and especially Tramadol isn't likely to equal that of something like Ace, which is an actual sedative. The one thing I do think you need to be careful about is how you increase the Gabapentin - when I went too quickly, Neyla definitely got woozy and stumbled, which isn't what you want with a dog with bone cancer. But if you gradually increase the dose, the effects seem to be mitigated/non-existent.

Edited July 20, 2012 by NeylasMom

[RaineysMom]

Thanks everyone. I always seem to get on here and ask questions when I'm feeling emotional, which probably isn't the best thing. It is a very personal/individual decision. I'm just such an anal/"type A" person, it's hard for me. I want to KNOW exactly when I'll know, if that makes sense. lol. I know it's ridiculous and not at all logical.

 

I'm the same way. Black and White please!!! No shades of grey, I can't handle it!

 

Sending lots of love and Mcnuggets your way.

 

add me to the A list as well. This is driving me nuts, not being able to do something more for him.

 

hugs to all of you going through this.

 

Thanks everyone. I always seem to get on here and ask questions when I'm feeling emotional, which probably isn't the best thing. It is a very personal/individual decision. I'm just such an anal/"type A" person, it's hard for me. I want to KNOW exactly when I'll know, if that makes sense. lol. I know it's ridiculous and not at all logical. Taking it a day at a time. Upped her gabapentin and tramadol a little on my own today (vet never called me back). I'm going to get in touch with a vet tomorrow to get a more proper recommendation. I'm just afraid they won't want to up it I guess. The first vet ONLY gave us the 50 mg of tramadol 3x per day. At least the second vet changed that to 4x per day and added the gabapentin and rimadyl. I'm just afraid to do too much (on my own). I don't want her scary-sedated. I've seen her that way once on acepromazine. Not cool.

 

Snakes and Cashie: It is quite a roller-coaster, isn't it? Thanks so much for your experiences and kind words.

 

Anyway, Maya ate well this evening. I've been going through Mcdonald's drive thru more often than ever in my life. If she doesn't have much time, I don't care what she eats and long as she does and enjoys it. She looooves Mcnuggets.

Me too, type A with a super capital A.

 

If your vet won't go along with increasing meds, you need to find another vet to work with. Honestly, I think it's best to consult with an oncologist - they seem to understand better what you're facing and what medication dosages are reasonable. You don't have to continue to see them after the initial consult - they can work with you through your own vet, or you can continue to consult directly with them. The initial consult will likely be a little pricey, but specialists are worth their wait in gold imo. I say this a lot these days, but if you had cancer, you'd see an oncologist. If you had a toe fracture, you'd see a podiatrist. And so on. Point being, there are specialists for a reason - not to mention that human doctors only have to know humans, vets have to know cats, dogs, birds, guinea pigs, snakes, rats, hamsters, ferrets, rabbits...You get my point.

 

Also, sedation from Gabapentin and especially Tramadol isn't likely to equal that of something like Ace, which is an actual sedative. The one thing I do think you need to be careful about is how you increase the Gabapentin - when I went too quickly, Neyla definitely got woozy and stumbled, which isn't what you want with a dog with bone cancer. But if you gradually increase the dose, the effects seem to be mitigated/non-existent.

 

we actually bit the bullet and gave Nube another Gabapentin last night (12 hours apart from 1st one) w/o talking to the vet. I did talk to him this morning, and he's ok with adding 1 but said to do it as 2 100mg pills at one time, not 12 hours apart, as it "peaks" and would be more effective that way, rather than spread out (smaller peaks I guess). I asked what the max would be for both meds (in case I can't get a hold of him) and he said that's the max of Gab he would like and we could go up 1 more Tramadol (so 4 pills 3 x day). I know a lot on here are on way more Gab than that, and hopefully the oncologist we see next Wednesday (argh it's so far away!!! ) will have better ideas, like you suggest he will.

Edited July 20, 2012 by RaineysMom

[tamara3462]

Well, sadly, it is time for us to join this group. Dynamo was dx'ed with osteo today. In May he was limping and in pain from his shoulder but the x-rays were clear, so the vet thought it was just arthritis and sent him home with 75mg Rimadyl twice per day. That worked until this past week when he started limping again. Tried adding tramadol into the mix, but it didn't help. We redid the x-rays today and the changes in his shoulder are terrible. The vet said she couldn't 100% confirm osteo without further testing, but she is pretty sure.

 

He is 11.5 with arthritis everywhere, including all of his toes (legacy of an amazing racing career I assume, he did 276 races) so I am not going to do amputation/chemo. We added gabapentin today to see if we can keep him comfortable for awhile longer, but I can tell we are nearing the end. I don't want to see that pain in his eyes again.

 

Off to make a shopping list of all of his favorite things. If gabapentin can buy us some time, I am going to make sure Mo goes out in gourmet style in least!

[MachosMom]

Well, sadly, it is time for us to join this group. Dynamo was dx'ed with osteo today. In May he was limping and in pain from his shoulder but the x-rays were clear, so the vet thought it was just arthritis and sent him home with 75mg Rimadyl twice per day. That worked until this past week when he started limping again. Tried adding tramadol into the mix, but it didn't help. We redid the x-rays today and the changes in his shoulder are terrible. The vet said she couldn't 100% confirm osteo without further testing, but she is pretty sure.

 

He is 11.5 with arthritis everywhere, including all of his toes (legacy of an amazing racing career I assume, he did 276 races) so I am not going to do amputation/chemo. We added gabapentin today to see if we can keep him comfortable for awhile longer, but I can tell we are nearing the end. I don't want to see that pain in his eyes again.

 

Off to make a shopping list of all of his favorite things. If gabapentin can buy us some time, I am going to make sure Mo goes out in gourmet style in least!

 

Well drat! This is no fun. I am so sorry to hear you are joining us. Hugs to Dynamo and you. I hope you have more time so you can spoil him rotten and give him all the goodies he wants.

[RaineysMom]

Well, sadly, it is time for us to join this group. Dynamo was dx'ed with osteo today. In May he was limping and in pain from his shoulder but the x-rays were clear, so the vet thought it was just arthritis and sent him home with 75mg Rimadyl twice per day. That worked until this past week when he started limping again. Tried adding tramadol into the mix, but it didn't help. We redid the x-rays today and the changes in his shoulder are terrible. The vet said she couldn't 100% confirm osteo without further testing, but she is pretty sure.

 

He is 11.5 with arthritis everywhere, including all of his toes (legacy of an amazing racing career I assume, he did 276 races) so I am not going to do amputation/chemo. We added gabapentin today to see if we can keep him comfortable for awhile longer, but I can tell we are nearing the end. I don't want to see that pain in his eyes again.

 

Off to make a shopping list of all of his favorite things. If gabapentin can buy us some time, I am going to make sure Mo goes out in gourmet style in least!

 

Well drat! This is no fun. I am so sorry to hear you are joining us. Hugs to Dynamo and you. I hope you have more time so you can spoil him rotten and give him all the goodies he wants.

 

this osteo SUCKS :( I'm so sorry. Spoil him rotten.

[Charlies_Dad]

I'm sorry to read of Dynamo's diagnosis. The big thing is to manage his pain as best you can. Tramadol and Gabapentin in the correct quantities can allow him some good quality time.