Osteo Thread V

[greysmom]

Tamara, Dynamo, your family.......

[RaineysMom]

Sadly, our fight didn't last long. We had to put Dynamo down last night. We just couldn't get in front of his pain, at least not fast enough. His face made it very clear that he was tired of hurting and not being able to keep up with his pack, or do his happy dinner dance, or even just stand up easily. I know we could have tried longer with pain meds, but I think I made the right call. I wish that made it hurt less.

 

Good luck to everyone else still fighting. I am going to keep watching Tristan's progress and recovery!

 

 

I am so very, very sorry that you had to let Dynamo go :cry1

 

 

I am so sorry! I fear we won't be that far behind.

 

 

sadly, I think we're in the same boat Nube continues to limp so badly....I know we still have room to go up with the Gabapentin, and maybe even 1 more Tramadol per dose....but he is not happy and 2 of his 3 favorite things are gone -- he cannot go for his walkies, and when I try to see if he'll squawk a stuffie, he doesn't even lift his head up The last thing is eating, and thankfully, his appetite is still great. But I can tell he is in pain and it is KILLING me. I do not want him to continue to suffer.

 

have any other hounds actually STOPPED limping with the right amount of meds or was it always still there?

[vjgrey]

 

have any other hounds actually STOPPED limping with the right amount of meds or was it always still there?

 

Yes. Gabe's limp went away with meds and radiation and stayed away completely for most of the four months between diagnosis and letting him go. The radiation, especially, was key for him. He was like a whole new dog after those treatments.

[45MPHK9]

have any other hounds actually STOPPED limping with the right amount of meds or was it always still there?

 

Yes, Bee Wiseman stopped limping completely with the right amount of Tramadol, Deramaxx, and Gabapentin. The increase in the Gabapentin made the greatest impact of all on her quality of life.

[NeylasMom]

Yes, we had 5 months where Neyla didn't really limp at all aside from a day or two here and there when we dealt with breakthrough pain. During that time, I had her use steps to avoid jumping down off of furniture and didn't let her run off lead outside, but otherwise she played (including running in my condo) normally and took reasonable walks, as much as a mile or less often 2 miles daily. It was after we came back from Dewey in October that we started to see progression on her x-rays and started to see increased pain that became harder to manage with meds, which is when we chose to do the IV pamidronate. That gave her good relief relatively quickly, but we couldn't repeat the treatment because of her kidneys, which is when I made the choice to let her go.

[RaineysMom]

ok, that's good to know. I don't know what the oncologist will want to do and I'm not thrilled at all about having to put him under to do it....but if it helps.

 

Nube is having an extremely bad day today he is restless and panting again, I ended up giving him an extra gabapentin (so 200mg) with his 1:30pm dosing (gave it at 1:15, actually) and will keep him at that now. Nothing seems to be helping. I have made myself physically ill (stomach) from worrying. I know that doesn't help anything but I can't help it

[MP_the4pack]

Kim

[MachosMom]

Big group hug.

[Guest snakes]

Big group hug.

 

I second that for everyone losses and current struggles.

[Guest GenetJen]

I gave Cash Tramadol 4 times yesterday since it can be given every 4-6 hours as needed. He definitely needed it:( Something is going on with his hind leg now too. I can't stand seeing him so broken:(

 

I know, it's terrible. We're doing every four hours now after talking to vet today.

 

sadly, I think we're in the same boat Nube continues to limp so badly....I know we still have room to go up with the Gabapentin, and maybe even 1 more Tramadol per dose....but he is not happy and 2 of his 3 favorite things are gone -- he cannot go for his walkies, and when I try to see if he'll squawk a stuffie, he doesn't even lift his head up The last thing is eating, and thankfully, his appetite is still great. But I can tell he is in pain and it is KILLING me. I do not want him to continue to suffer.

 

have any other hounds actually STOPPED limping with the right amount of meds or was it always still there?

 

Nube is having an extremely bad day today he is restless and panting again, I ended up giving him an extra gabapentin (so 200mg) with his 1:30pm dosing (gave it at 1:15, actually) and will keep him at that now. Nothing seems to be helping. I have made myself physically ill (stomach) from worrying. I know that doesn't help anything but I can't help it

 

 

I'm so, so sorry. Poor babies.

 

Regarding limping: Maya's leg had been non weight bearing since two weeks before she was diagnosed with osteo. She lost the majority of nerve function in her left rear leg (they thought it was an FCE) and it's hung there uselessly every since. Her thigh/hips are completely wasted and atrophied and now the tumor (upper leg) is quite large. It's one thing that makes it even harder for her. So she's essentially been a tripod this whole time. In addition, she's got a non-healing would on that back hip bone. No cushion. When I list all this stuff out, I'm realize how miserable she must be. Sigh.

 

She's still eating and went for a walk in the park tonight and was excited about it, but when my mom came over the other day she didn't run to the door or even lift her head. She always runs to meet "grandma." It was the first time my mom had seen her in months and I could see on her face how bad Maya looked. It was a reality check for me.

 

We are still battling with pain, but are now on a newer regimen of Tramadol 50mg every 4 hours. And Rimadyl/Gabapetin 3x per day. My vet also said I could pick up a Fentanyl patch tomorrow if I wanted. I'm afraid that will make her completely loopy. I'm afraid of her slipping and hurting herself.

 

I know at this point I'm probably being selfish. My husband and I talked about it today and have pretty much decided to get her pain well under control for one final week (before we can't control it any more). We're going to try to make it an amazing week for her, and then probably say goodbye this weekend. It sounds terrible, but I want to do it before the pain can't be managed any more. I don't want to be forced let her go after days or a week of horrible suffering, I'd rather do it while she still has the ability to feel some pain relief. She's such a sweet girl and it's a struggle. I don't want to cut her life short, but know her condition is terminal. It's not going to get better, it's only going to get worse. I have to tell myself she doesn't realize that she should have "x" amount of time left like we humans do. All she knows it that she's hurting and I'm responsible for her.

 

Ugh, unplanned vent.

 

Anyway, have been taking lots of pics of my pretty girl:

 

Watching mom prepare dinner:

[JJNg]

And Rimadyl/Gabapetin 3x per day.

 

How much Rimadyl are you giving 3x per day? Rimadyl only needs to be given 1-2x/day, and giving it more often will not improve pain control, and depending on the dose you're giving, may increase the risk of GI ulceration. I know you're looking at short term here, and I'm sorry you've reached this point with Maya. But if your goal is 1 more good week with her, I would hate to see her develop GI problems from too much Rimadyl during that time. You have a lot more flexibility with tramadol and gabapentin, but the NSAIDs have a much lower margin for error. Rimadyl dose should not be much more than 2mg per pound per day, and that can be given once daily or divided into 2 doses.

[Guest GenetJen]

And Rimadyl/Gabapetin 3x per day.

 

How much Rimadyl are you giving 3x per day? Rimadyl only needs to be given 1-2x/day, and giving it more often will not improve pain control, and depending on the dose you're giving, may increase the risk of GI ulceration. I know you're looking at short term here, and I'm sorry you've reached this point with Maya. But if your goal is 1 more good week with her, I would hate to see her develop GI problems from too much Rimadyl during that time. You have a lot more flexibility with tramadol and gabapentin, but the NSAIDs have a much lower margin for error. Rimadyl dose should not be much more than 2mg per pound per day, and that can be given once daily or divided into 2 doses.

 

We are giving 1/2 of a 75 mg tablet, so 37.5 mg at a time. Maya's about 45 lbs right now. The vet did give us about 8 days worth of misoprostol to give with the Rimadyl at first, but we ran out of that this morning. She didn't mention more misoprostol today when she told me I could do the Rimadyl and the Gabapentin 3x per day. (And I didn't think to ask.)

 

Should I just do the 1/2 tab of Rimadyl 2x per day, then?

 

Is the 50 mg Tramadol every four hours appropriate?

And 100 mg Gabapentin 3x per day? Is it okay to increase this more at her weight?

What are you opinions on the Fentanyl patch in addition to these?

 

Thank you!!!

Edited July 24, 2012 by GenetJen

[Guest cashie]

We are in the same place with Cash:( I have the next two weeks off and decided to make them the best two weeks he has had. Unfortunately he seems to be getting worse despite the pain meds. (Gabapentin, 400mg three times per day, Rimadyl 75mg twice per day, and Tramadol 100-150mg three times per day.) Sunday he developed another limp in his back leg. It makes him stumble down the two steps to the backyard. He refuses to let us help him (I bought two different harnesses, tried a towel) and will not let us pick him up. When we do try to help he tries to get away from us and ends up jumping. Just walking into another room makes him exhausted. He is up all night agitated and can't get comfortable. I've been sleeping on his bed with him and trying to pet him all night to calm him down. Despite all of this, he is actually in a good mood. My neighbor brought over a gift bag full of treats and he had a great time sampling them all. No walks for us but we pretty much spent the entire past few days snuggling. He is still very demanding and if I stop petting him he nudges me with his nose. He gets very excited about his dinners and has a great appetite. I guess that's why this is so hard, because mentally he is great. Physically he is terrible. I know what I have to do, its just so hard:(

 

Please give all your hounds lots of hugs and kisses from us.

[NeylasMom]

I know at this point I'm probably being selfish. My husband and I talked about it today and have pretty much decided to get her pain well under control for one final week (before we can't control it any more). We're going to try to make it an amazing week for her, and then probably say goodbye this weekend. It sounds terrible, but I want to do it before the pain can't be managed any more. I don't want to be forced let her go after days or a week of horrible suffering, I'd rather do it while she still has the ability to feel some pain relief. She's such a sweet girl and it's a struggle. I don't want to cut her life short, but know her condition is terminal. It's not going to get better, it's only going to get worse. I have to tell myself she doesn't realize that she should have "x" amount of time left like we humans do. All she knows it that she's hurting and I'm responsible for her.

 

I'm really sorry you're facing this, I know how gutwrenchingly difficult it is. I am not saying this to try to sway you, but only to give you and others who are currently dealing with this some additional insight. This was what I decided to do. I made a decision on a Saturday that it was nearly time to let Neyla go. We had been holding off on increasing her Deramaxx any further (it was the med that seemed to give her the most relief although Gabapentin helped a lot) because of concerns about her kidneys and it was the only med of the 3 that we were not maxed out on, at least as far as she could tolerate without side effects. I thought I could increase her Deramaxx and let her go later in the week. If there is one thing I could redo about the whole process, this would have been it. I made the appt to have the vet come to our home on Thursday. As the week progressed, it was clear the Deramaxx wasn't doing what I had hoped - it just wasn't keeping up with her increasing pain. I was afraid to try the Fentanyl patch because once it's on and in their system, it takes some time to "undo" it if they have a bad reaction so we tried Tylenol w/codeine. It didn't do it. On Wednesday I thought about calling the vet to come sooner, but it was only one more day and I had in my head that we had that day left. Sadly, that last day she really wasn't herself - she barely had an appetite and she didn't want to open presents, which was one of her favorite activities. If I could go back and do it all over, I would have let her go the weekend I made the decision, I wouldn't have gone through that last week, or I would have at least let her go the day earlier. That last day was definitely for me and only me.

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - it seems to me like osteo can progress slowly (and often silently) for a long time, but when it gets to it's end game, it's incredibly aggressive. I had read this again and again, but I couldn't appreciate it (I think I thought we were different since we'd seen virtually no progression for 5 months and back then there were very few dogs on GT living that long with only palliative care) until we were in the middle of it and then it was too late.

 

All of this to say, just be prepared - if you are maxed out on meds, adding something like a patch may not do what you hope in terms of managing pain, or it may have side effects you aren't happy with.

 

I also wanted to clarify my earlier response about Neyla not limping - she didn't limp for months, but we caught it very early. It wasn't like she had bad swelling and really bad limping and we got it under control with meds. I diagnosed her based on a single day of bad limping. By the next day, she was almost back to normal and by the following day she was totally fine and even when I removed the meds, the limp did not return. My vet had done x-rays and given her the all clear, but I insisted we follow up with the orthopedist, who is the one who got better x-rays and found the cancer. Hers was just barely progressed and I think her pain was virtually eliminated or at least well managed after that with minimal meds. It was only when we saw progression on the x-rays around 5 months taht we needed to really start increasing meds. And if we hadn't done the pamidronate, I would have had to let her go even sooner.

Edited July 24, 2012 by NeylasMom

[MachosMom]

I am so sorry to hear all this. SUPER BIG HUGS to cash and Maya's mom and their babies.

 

As much as I hate being part of this club, I am glad that I have such a support system, to celebrate the good moments, cry over the bad, and get the hand and support when the going gets really rough and I don't think I can keep going.

 

Macho has never stopped limping from the moment it was diagnosed. 3 weeks prior to his diagnosis he had hurt a front ankle playing in the yard, the vet took blood and xrays and nothing showed abnormal - just a sprain and bruising. Little did we know 3 weeks later, in his back leg this ugly disease would rear it's head and mock us. His tumor grew so fast in one month. From seeing nothing but being able to feel something there, to this clearly large tumor on his joint. And overnight he was no longer weight bearing on it. He is technically a tripod a this point, and is coping rather well, although sometimes he is frustrated. He can't do zoomies like he used to love to do. He can't go chase the ball, the ball must come to him. He is more tired than usual, but there are so many moments where he is silly and smiling, it reminds me we have time.

 

My partner and I have both individually sat with him and explained to him what is going on, and that we are not giving up on him. We have explained that if he feels pain to let us know so we can take care of it, and when he decides that it is time to move on to let us know that as well. That we do not want him in pain or to suffer and that as much as we would love to have him for well into senior years, we will not keep him in pain and want him to understand that we will be okay and will carry on in his name and share his joy.

[RaineysMom]

I know at this point I'm probably being selfish. My husband and I talked about it today and have pretty much decided to get her pain well under control for one final week (before we can't control it any more). We're going to try to make it an amazing week for her, and then probably say goodbye this weekend. It sounds terrible, but I want to do it before the pain can't be managed any more. I don't want to be forced let her go after days or a week of horrible suffering, I'd rather do it while she still has the ability to feel some pain relief. She's such a sweet girl and it's a struggle. I don't want to cut her life short, but know her condition is terminal. It's not going to get better, it's only going to get worse. I have to tell myself she doesn't realize that she should have "x" amount of time left like we humans do. All she knows it that she's hurting and I'm responsible for her.

 

I am so sorry Maya is not doing well :( I feel exactly the same way with Nube

 

ETA: forgot to say what a lovely girl Maya is! she looks like such a sweetie

 

We are in the same place with Cash:( I have the next two weeks off and decided to make them the best two weeks he has had. Unfortunately he seems to be getting worse despite the pain meds. (Gabapentin, 400mg three times per day, Rimadyl 75mg twice per day, and Tramadol 100-150mg three times per day.) Sunday he developed another limp in his back leg. It makes him stumble down the two steps to the backyard. He refuses to let us help him (I bought two different harnesses, tried a towel) and will not let us pick him up. When we do try to help he tries to get away from us and ends up jumping. Just walking into another room makes him exhausted. He is up all night agitated and can't get comfortable. I've been sleeping on his bed with him and trying to pet him all night to calm him down. Despite all of this, he is actually in a good mood. My neighbor brought over a gift bag full of treats and he had a great time sampling them all. No walks for us but we pretty much spent the entire past few days snuggling. He is still very demanding and if I stop petting him he nudges me with his nose. He gets very excited about his dinners and has a great appetite. I guess that's why this is so hard, because mentally he is great. Physically he is terrible. I know what I have to do, its just so hard:(

 

Please give all your hounds lots of hugs and kisses from us.

 

oh no! another limp? poor Cashie!!! I'm so sorry he's not doing very well, either

 

he sounds so much like Nube, except that Nube seems depressed. He does the same thing, God forbid you stop petting him for 3 seconds and he's RIGHT there to remind you to keep going

 

I'm really sorry you're facing this, I know how gutwrenchingly difficult it is. I am not saying this to try to sway you, but only to give you and others who are currently dealing with this some additional insight. This was what I decided to do. I made a decision on a Saturday that it was nearly time to let Neyla go. We had been holding off on increasing her Deramaxx any further (it was the med that seemed to give her the most relief although Gabapentin helped a lot) because of concerns about her kidneys and it was the only med of the 3 that we were not maxed out on, at least as far as she could tolerate without side effects. I thought I could increase her Deramaxx and let her go later in the week. If there is one thing I could redo about the whole process, this would have been it. I made the appt to have the vet come to our home on Thursday. As the week progressed, it was clear the Deramaxx wasn't doing what I had hoped - it just wasn't keeping up with her increasing pain. I was afraid to try the Fentanyl patch because once it's on and in their system, it takes some time to "undo" it if they have a bad reaction so we tried Tylenol w/codeine. It didn't do it. On Wednesday I thought about calling the vet to come sooner, but it was only one more day and I had in my head that we had that day left. Sadly, that last day she really wasn't herself - she barely had an appetite and she didn't want to open presents, which was one of her favorite activities. If I could go back and do it all over, I would have let her go the weekend I made the decision, I wouldn't have gone through that last week, or I would have at least let her go the day earlier. That last day was definitely for me and only me.

 

it's so hard to know when is the right time. Even with Rainey, we probably should have let her go before we did, but we kept hoping something would change. Same here with Nube, I keep hoping today's the day he'll at least get a little better....but it's not happening.

 

 

I am so sorry to hear all this. SUPER BIG HUGS to cash and Maya's mom and their babies.

 

As much as I hate being part of this club, I am glad that I have such a support system, to celebrate the good moments, cry over the bad, and get the hand and support when the going gets really rough and I don't think I can keep going.

 

Macho has never stopped limping from the moment it was diagnosed. 3 weeks prior to his diagnosis he had hurt a front ankle playing in the yard, the vet took blood and xrays and nothing showed abnormal - just a sprain and bruising. Little did we know 3 weeks later, in his back leg this ugly disease would rear it's head and mock us. His tumor grew so fast in one month. From seeing nothing but being able to feel something there, to this clearly large tumor on his joint. And overnight he was no longer weight bearing on it. He is technically a tripod a this point, and is coping rather well, although sometimes he is frustrated. He can't do zoomies like he used to love to do. He can't go chase the ball, the ball must come to him. He is more tired than usual, but there are so many moments where he is silly and smiling, it reminds me we have time.

 

My partner and I have both individually sat with him and explained to him what is going on, and that we are not giving up on him. We have explained that if he feels pain to let us know so we can take care of it, and when he decides that it is time to move on to let us know that as well. That we do not want him in pain or to suffer and that as much as we would love to have him for well into senior years, we will not keep him in pain and want him to understand that we will be okay and will carry on in his name and share his joy.

 

I'm glad he's hanging in there as well as he is. Is he a good candidate for amputation?

 

He sounds like a sweet, loving boy. Sending many hugs to your Macho and to you.

Edited July 24, 2012 by RaineysMom

[Guest patterpaws]

Hugs going out to everyone...

 

My heart breaks to hear of the hard times everyone is having.

 

Thanks everyone. I am so sorry for Cash and Maya and anyone else who might be close behind us. Thinking of all of you and your hounds. I definitely don't regret my decision and I am sure Dynamo would be grateful. It is just difficult for those of us left behind who miss them.

It is very difficult. You are very brave to have made the decision.

 

 

I know at this point I'm probably being selfish. My husband and I talked about it today and have pretty much decided to get her pain well under control for one final week (before we can't control it any more). We're going to try to make it an amazing week for her, and then probably say goodbye this weekend. It sounds terrible, but I want to do it before the pain can't be managed any more. I don't want to be forced let her go after days or a week of horrible suffering, I'd rather do it while she still has the ability to feel some pain relief. She's such a sweet girl and it's a struggle. I don't want to cut her life short, but know her condition is terminal. It's not going to get better, it's only going to get worse. I have to tell myself she doesn't realize that she should have "x" amount of time left like we humans do. All she knows it that she's hurting and I'm responsible for her.

 

Ugh, unplanned vent.

 

Anyway, have been taking lots of pics of my pretty girl:

 

Watching mom prepare dinner:

Aw Maya, such a pretty girl! She's so elegant and beautiful, even when dealing with adversity. Thank you for posting these pics. I'm so sorry she is having a rough time. I wish there was something more I could do or say.

 

 

We are in the same place with Cash:( I have the next two weeks off and decided to make them the best two weeks he has had. Unfortunately he seems to be getting worse despite the pain meds. (Gabapentin, 400mg three times per day, Rimadyl 75mg twice per day, and Tramadol 100-150mg three times per day.) Sunday he developed another limp in his back leg. It makes him stumble down the two steps to the backyard. He refuses to let us help him (I bought two different harnesses, tried a towel) and will not let us pick him up. When we do try to help he tries to get away from us and ends up jumping. Just walking into another room makes him exhausted. He is up all night agitated and can't get comfortable. I've been sleeping on his bed with him and trying to pet him all night to calm him down. Despite all of this, he is actually in a good mood. My neighbor brought over a gift bag full of treats and he had a great time sampling them all. No walks for us but we pretty much spent the entire past few days snuggling. He is still very demanding and if I stop petting him he nudges me with his nose. He gets very excited about his dinners and has a great appetite. I guess that's why this is so hard, because mentally he is great. Physically he is terrible. I know what I have to do, its just so hard:(

 

Please give all your hounds lots of hugs and kisses from us.

I think its one of the worst things, to see them in pain yet still have a signs of enjoyment left, still have enthusiasm for life. Rhetorical questions....How do you make the decision.... When all enjoyment is gone and its truly obvious that they are ready? Or would that be waiting until its too late? I would want to do it before it gets to the point where *all* enjoyment is lost but that is a very tough call to make, especially when you're so close to them and its either a slow gradual decline or a really fast one where the physical situation changes faster than your emotional side can register and process. My heart is really going out to everyone who is facing this decision sooner rather than later, I know I will return to this situation too at some point. I hope you get lots of nice snuggles with Cash before his time comes.

 

 

I am so sorry to hear all this. SUPER BIG HUGS to cash and Maya's mom and their babies.

 

As much as I hate being part of this club, I am glad that I have such a support system, to celebrate the good moments, cry over the bad, and get the hand and support when the going gets really rough and I don't think I can keep going.

 

Macho has never stopped limping from the moment it was diagnosed. 3 weeks prior to his diagnosis he had hurt a front ankle playing in the yard, the vet took blood and xrays and nothing showed abnormal - just a sprain and bruising. Little did we know 3 weeks later, in his back leg this ugly disease would rear it's head and mock us. His tumor grew so fast in one month. From seeing nothing but being able to feel something there, to this clearly large tumor on his joint. And overnight he was no longer weight bearing on it. He is technically a tripod a this point, and is coping rather well, although sometimes he is frustrated. He can't do zoomies like he used to love to do. He can't go chase the ball, the ball must come to him. He is more tired than usual, but there are so many moments where he is silly and smiling, it reminds me we have time.

 

My partner and I have both individually sat with him and explained to him what is going on, and that we are not giving up on him. We have explained that if he feels pain to let us know so we can take care of it, and when he decides that it is time to move on to let us know that as well. That we do not want him in pain or to suffer and that as much as we would love to have him for well into senior years, we will not keep him in pain and want him to understand that we will be okay and will carry on in his name and share his joy.

I'm glad Macho is hanging in there and enjoying life even if he's slowed down. Hoping this time lasts and you can spoil him and enjoy each other's company. Its very sweet that you've sat him down and explained things to him. I've had one hound (before Tristan) who really seemed to understand what I was telling her--- Tristan, not so much. I tell him anyway even tho he usually looks at me like "ok quit talking, why don't we go get some more beer livers instead okay???" hehe. Sending many hugs to you and sweet Macho.

 

Good thoughts going out for a productive appointment for Nube tomorrow!!!

Edited July 25, 2012 by patterpaws

[JJNg]

We are giving 1/2 of a 75 mg tablet, so 37.5 mg at a time. Maya's about 45 lbs right now. The vet did give us about 8 days worth of misoprostol to give with the Rimadyl at first, but we ran out of that this morning. She didn't mention more misoprostol today when she told me I could do the Rimadyl and the Gabapentin 3x per day. (And I didn't think to ask.)

 

Should I just do the 1/2 tab of Rimadyl 2x per day, then?

 

Is the 50 mg Tramadol every four hours appropriate?

And 100 mg Gabapentin 3x per day? Is it okay to increase this more at her weight?

What are you opinions on the Fentanyl patch in addition to these?

 

At Maya's weight, her max dose of Rimadyl would be 90 mg/day. So 1/2 tab of the 75 mg twice a day is a little less than what she could get. You're currently giving 112.5 mg, so that's a little more than ideal, but not a huge amount more so if she's tolerating it ok (no GI upset), that may be fine for a few more days. Although if you decide to stay at that dose, I'd probably give her 3/4 tab twice daily as I'm not sure giving a lower dose more often will help as much for pain.

 

For general reference, though, if I was going to increase Rimadyl for a 45 lb dog, I'd switch to the 100 mg tabs and dose at 1/2 tab (50 mg) twice daily.

 

The dose range for tramadol is 2-5 mg/kg every 6-8 hours (3-4x daily). So 50 mg for Maya is closer to the lower end of the dose range, but every 4 hours is a little more often than most vets would do. A 45-lb dog could get up to 100 mg every 6-8 hours.

 

Commonly used dose range for gabapentin for pain is 5-10 mg/kg every 8-12 hours (2-3x daily). At 100 mg, Maya is at the low end of that. A 45-lb dog could get up to 200 mg each dose. Of course, it's best to contact your vet before making any dose adjustments.

 

I'm not sure a fentanyl patch would be all that helpful at this point. I believe they take about 18-24 hours after application before even kicking in. Plus, a lot of greyhounds seem to get dysphoric (act restless, agitated, etc) on opioids. If I had to pick one, I'd probably increase the gabapentin.

[NeylasMom]

Aww, I couldn't see Maya's pictures at work yesterday. She is beautiful.

[RaineysMom]

well, we got back from the Buffalo Grove specialists a short while ago. Long day for us and even longer for Nube.

 

We consulted with Dr. Feinmehl, who was very nice (actually everyone there was great) and gave us our (non-amp) options. We could do radiation, oral chemo and/or pamidronate injections as well as adding amantadine.

 

We are starting with radiation first then will see what happens, then do chemo and/or pamidronate as well, if it goes well. I thought she was going to start the amantadine too, but it’s not on any of the estimates – we’ll ask next week. The did take a urine sample to test for blastomycosis, which I’m sure it’s not, but it’s best to make sure.

 

They gave Nube the first of 3 radiation treatments today, he is only under for less than an hour – this one took almost 2 hours but the next 2 (next two Wednesdays) will only take an hour each. They said the first one may not show any improvement and in fact, he may be sore on the OTHER leg since they had to manipulate him some He finally got a small lunch about a ½ hour ago and is on his Snuggleball next to Larry. Oh, and we brought Larry with (since we don’t know how he crates by himself) and he GOT ATTACKED by a mastiff!!! he just got a tiny scratch, thank GOD. This guy could have killed him. The dog just walked past Larry, sniffed his butt, then laid into him. Larry is fine and it could have been a lot worse. The owner was very apologetic and I wasn’t a jerk back to him, his dog was in a sling and I’m sure in pain and not himself.

 

So, we’ll see how the next few days go. I want him to feel better but once he does, the chance of the leg breaking is higher since he’ll be up and about more (only potty on leash in the yard – but he gets pretty goofy in the house no matter what we do sometimes).

 

Oh….and if you’re wondering, radiation/chemo/palmidrate = Bruce’s SECOND new truck (Rainey's vet bills were the first ). Geesh. I guess Nube is determined to surpass even Rainey’s total bills. Yikes

 

He’s worth every penny and I’m so grateful we are able to try to help him. I just hope it helps

 

Thanks again for everyone’s concern and prayers for our Nubers. If it’s not too much to ask he sure could use to keep them coming.

 

Hugs to everyone and their hounds.

[Guest cashie]

Good news! Prayers that these treatments help!

 

Poor Larry-first his brother is sick and then he gets attacked:( Aww Bruce, just wasn't meant to be, but hopefully you'll get the old Nubers back to being happy again!

 

Thanks for the update, hope Nube is feeling better:)

[RaineysMom]

Good news! Prayers that these treatments help!

 

Poor Larry-first his brother is sick and then he gets attacked:( Aww Bruce, just wasn't meant to be, but hopefully you'll get the old Nubers back to being happy again!

 

Thanks for the update, hope Nube is feeling better:)

 

the "new truck" is really just a joke Bruce doesn't want one, we just joke that we've spent enough on the hounds to BUY one well, maybe NOT "LOL" You know what I mean.

 

forgot to mention that she upped his Gabapentin to 300mg 3 x day (glad I took everyone's advice and have been upping it!), was thrilled he's getting low-carb home-cooked meals now and also added hydromorphone (an opiate-type narcotic) for severe pain if needed.

 

hugs to Cashie, Macho, Tristan and all the others going through this too.

Edited July 25, 2012 by RaineysMom

[MachosMom]

Thanks for the update on Nube! We are keeping him in our prayers and positive thoughts. Give him extra kisses from us. And hugs and smoochies to Larry too! Poor guy, glad he is ok.

[krissn333]

I am pretty sure that over the time I've had multiple hounds, I've spent enough money on vet bills for big illness diagnosis and treatment I could have bought a couple of brand new Jeep Grand Cherokees. Jeeps don't give kisses or make me laugh with their silliness though.

[Guest cashie]

Just wanted to let everyone know that my sweet Cashie went peacefully to the Rainbow Bridge tonight. We had a wonderful vet come to our home, he fell asleep in my arms and never woke up. He had a great last few days with lots of hugs, kisses, snuggles and visits from everyone that loved him. Up until the end I really feel like he was happy, just tired and in pain.

 

I miss him terribly already, but feel somewhat relieved that he will no longer feel any pain. I know that he is up there running free with his greyhound buddies.

 

Thank you to everyone who loved him without even knowing him, and for offering me the support that I needed to get through this. I will write up something in the remembrance section later, right now I am just too numb to fully comprehend this huge hole in my heart.

 

Kelly

Edited July 26, 2012 by cashie