Osteo Thread V

[NeylasMom]

Machosmom, I'm very sorry you've had to join us here. I could really feel your pain in your post, it brought back a lot of tough memories from when I went through this with Neyla - especially the feeling robbed. It's so unfair and yet there's nothing you can do but try to focus on the time you have, otherwise you are just cheating yourself and Macho. I hope you have lots and lots of time left with your boy.

 

Xander passed away last night. I can't remember what, if anything I posted earlier about him. Xander was my first foster, all the way back in 2002. He was adopted by another volunteer, who became and still is a close friend of mine. Not long ago he was diagnosed with osteo and yesterday it was clear it was his time, although it came far too soon. I'm really sad, both for my friend and that he's gone. I put a thread in remembrance for him.

[Charlies_Dad]

 

 

kyle - how are you guys doing?? - talk about taking your breath away - when i saw your post re: jack i cried right along with you - we have both been given a swift kick again. i am SO sorry your jack had to leave you. are you still just in shock?? my feelings are very strange this time....for the first few days all i could do was the "ugly cry" and i felt as if i just couldn't get my breath. but i have been totally at peace with decisions because, well, there just weren't any decisions. i am, however, worried sick about our "survivor" - bleu has hardly come out of the closet in the last week - between the fireworks and losing her best buddy - she is taking this really hard.....any suggestions? the frozen yogurt treats i got her seem to be the only good thing in her life the last week.

 

Teri, we are not doing well after losing Jack. His death unfortunately was not gentle like it is when a vet helps your pup pass on. It's never easy but watching your pup die in front of you and being helpless to do anything while they struggle is beyond devastating. His death keeps playing over and over in our minds and we question everything we did not do to prevent this but know deep down that it was unlikely that we could have done anything to truly prevent it, perhaps extend his life some more but not truly extend it. The pain is very raw and has us both questioning when we will adopt again to be honest as losing our two boys at their ages has really beaten us down. Charlie was 9.5 and Jack was 8.5 and for both to pass so close together does put into question how much pain we can take and are now scared of adopting again. We are well aware all dogs pass much sooner than we would like however we truly thought at least one of our boys would get past 10 but alas that is was not to be. Perhaps in time but I know Lynn is very sensitive to adopting another Grey even though she loves them to death, Charlie's passing almost killed her and it's been a struggle to get back on solid ground and now Jack's passing has us both trying to come to terms with it.

 

As for your Bleu, I suggest perhaps getting her out to meet other Greys if you can. It may help stimulate her and get her back to her normal self. Animals grieve in their own special way. Hug your pups while you can, they are fur angels and when they earn their wings, you will not be able to hug them again.

[MachosMom]

Cindy, Teri, NeylasMom, Charlies_Dad - my hugs to all of you.

 

I still have a lot to read, but have some questions, if you all don't mind. Macho's tumor is grow very rapidly. It's grown 4" in the month since diagnosis. (We are one month and one week since diagnosis). Do I try the Artemin? If so, what's the dosage? I have a lot to read, but I worry if I don't ask now and order it if I need it that I'll miss the opportunity to help him while I'm researching.

 

Also on the Gabapentin, what dosage should I start him at?

 

Here is what he is at right now

2 tramadol in the am and 2 in the pm (this was to deal with the swelling in his leg that is going down) Each tramadol is 50mg..i'm going to back that off tonight as my partner and I will be home all weekend so we can monitor for pain and up it back up if needed. He just finished his last deramaxx this AM, and will be switching to Rimadyl tomorrow. The Rimadyl being 75mg. The bottle says 1 pill 2x a day... is this correct? I know some of it will depend on him, but I want to make sure I'm doing all I can for him while I have him.

 

He also gets essiac tea, a chinese herb mix, and 4 different homeopathy pellets (1 each a day) <-- from his holistic vet. OH! and 3 white willow and 3 feverfew ...I think those two are 3x a day. And he gets Boswellia in the AM.

 

I am trying to also up his protein and fat, so any suggestions on what I can make him would be appreciated as I try to catch up through 5 threads (one down, 4 to go!).. i give him hamburger, cottage cheese, cheese, mixed cooked greens, cooked potatoes with cheese (he won't eat them plain), regular kibble with high protein/fat ratio, eggs, chicken, liver. He eats way better than I do let me tell ya!

 

Thank you all so much.

[greysmom]

I believe you must have a wash out period of several days between NSAIDS. You should check this with your vet.

 

Is Macho being treated by a veterinary oncologist? If not, you should find one. They should be able to advise you about which holistic pills you can mix with the prescription drugs.

[Guest snakes]

Do I try the Artemin? If so, what's the dosage?

Also on the Gabapentin, what dosage should I start him at?

 

I'm sure all the others will chime in, in our situation here with FedX who is only on pain management/palliative care, this is what we did in respocne to your questions:

Artemisinin - i figure I couldn't hurt, from what I have read it doesn't interact with many medications, just radiation. It is more effective when given witha high fat bit of food away form any main meal with protien. I now have FedX (78lbs) on 300mg once a day for four days a week, the dosage is weight based. I started with 100mg and worked up to make sure he tolerated it well.

Gabapentin - We started at 100mg once a day, currently we are at 200mg three times a day. His OS has been slowly progressing though and we upped the dosage gradually as his pain worsened. Every dog reacts differently and some are wobbly at first. Most do better with smaller doses more frequently. Most people here buy the 100mg capsules so it is easier to adjust the dosage and it is generally cheaper at human pharmacies. The full effect of the dosing is reached after giving it for 48hrs so if you don't see immediate relief don't get too worried.

 

We have used similar homepathic remedies and some chinese herbs with no interactions with his meds and no oncologist was able to give any input as all the ones we saw were not trained or experiences with alternative medicine.

 

My vet also recommended fish oil and cod liver oil (vit D+E) to up the antioxidants (he finds them tasty too!).

[krissn333]

There's a risk of gastric ulcer when switching between NSAIDS and a washout period is generally recommended, but, that's being very cautious. We switched Carrie from Rimadyl to Deramaxx and then from Deramaxx to prednisone with no problems. There was no way I could let her go 5 days without an anti-inflammatory. She did receive Prilosec before her doses just in case. This was all done with our vet's guidance, of course.

[BauersMom]

This Sunday is the one year mark from Berkeley's diagnosis.

 

Kyle - I am so sorry you are having a tough time. Honestly, we're not doing much better.... I lost my first greyhound Bauer at 7. Ivy and Princess were gone within 6 months of each other, and within a year, I had lost three dogs... and Berkeley was only 9. It's very tough and I have not yet come to terms with losing Berkeley the way we did. I don't know when I'll be able to adopt again and I feel so guilty that Pepper is an "only" greyhound. Sigh.

 

Hugs to everyone.

[TwiggysMom]

MachosMom, my heart breaks for you. It does for everyone who goes down this path, but for Macho to be so very young, and to have been with you such a short time before he was diagnosed, is just especially unfair.

 

I'm glad to hear that he had such a good day. I think it's important to be able to take advantage of all the good time, and completely understand about how hard it is to leave them to go to work. (I'll admit it is quite a distraction while I'm at work, knowing my girl is home waiting for me, and not knowing how much time she's got left).

 

My continued support and condolences to all of you who are continuing to try to deal with your recent losses.

[MachosMom]

Thank you everyone! We are trying to do a washout before giving the rimadyl. The vet didn't seem concerned, but we aren't big on just trusting a vet. His vet doesn't have much alternative medicine experience but his holistic doctor used to be a vet also so he has been easy to work with.

 

I think I will order the artemisin. And will see about the gabapentin to have on hand. He loves fish so fish oil should be easy peasy!

 

Yesterday was an amazing day for macho! He rood and played and was his old self. The warm compresses have elimated his swelling. Phew! I am very very thankful for yesterday especially because it was the second time this week that the person who was to be over mid day for a check-in and medicine didn't bother to stop by or let either of us know so we could make alternate plans for him. When that happened Monday, I came home to see my baby in such pain I lost it. I ended up outside with my Shepard on the ground in tears - as my Shepard gives me hugs. Luckily yesterday instead Macho was in the best mood ever. Still unforgivable to me to go to a park and do this and that andnot fulfill the duty of coming to checking our baby like they said they would. Said person still hasn't contacted either of us and this is after seeing him posts on Facebook about all he did yesterday. I am so livid. Just tell me you won't be able to come so I can make other arrangements for my baby. We don't have enough money for a dog walker everyday.. So we trying to work out what to do. Sorry for the vent... But I am sure you all can understand.Macho is not my dog. He is my child.

 

Hugs to everyone!

Edited July 7, 2012 by MachosMom

[Tallgreydogmom]

Did anyone mention to order the Artemisin from Holley Pharmacies?

[Guest snakes]

Did anyone mention to order the Artemisin from Holley Pharmacies?

 

Good point as that is the one that OSU and a lot of researchers of artemisinin recommend.

I personally had better luck with Swanson brand, but you do what you feel is best for your pup. The yahoo group on artemisinin has some very helpfull files and info on Arte. you can download.

[Zoolady]

Ben's future treatment decision has been made. We were at the regular vet's today for a small cyst on one of the cats and brought Ben's x-rays with us that we haven't been able to see. Today we saw the tumor/sunburst area of the pelvis pretty much looks like it did in January and has more bone proliferation. Through the good advice we have received here and from what we saw, there is no reason not to continue treatments.

 

We will go with the palladia and a monthly pamidronate treatment for now. I will also ask his oncologist about artemisinin. Ben looks absolutely fantastic, his coat looks so shiney it looks oiled, he is eating well and has even resumed running with the others (gently). We stop them before they really get crazy. It is so nice to see him being his old self and enjoying life. You'd never know he was sick.

 

We didn't have insurance and lost our Wonder very quickly to osteo of the shoulder. Ben's is in his pelvis area which isn't weight bearing so that is good, plus he has Trupanion insurance and we pay exam fees ($59.90 a visit) and 10%. Everything else is covered, no limits. The oncologist bills the insurance company directly, the claim is paid within days and we settle up with exactly what we owe at the end of the month.

[Guest cashie]

Hello everyone:) I am new to this thread but became a member in May when my boy was diagnosed with "probable Osteo" and I was waiting for a biopsy report. I cried and cried and cried for days, and sometimes I still loose it just by looking at him. I started an earlier thread when I was battling with the decision to amputate and give chemo since Cash is 11. I can't begin to tell you how much this site has meant to me. Reading all of your stories helps me to know that I'm not alone in this, and has helped me to make peace with my decision to choose palliative care for Cash. I plan on scheduling an appointment with Dr. Couto and have already received two emails from his office-and I just filled out the consultation form last night! His tumor is slow growing and he seems to be doing well with just the Tramadol, although after reading more of this thread I am wondering why he hasn't been prescribed some of the other medications too. He has even started to go on walks again in the past few days. Maybe Cash will be the next Fedex!

Thank you, thank you, thank you. My heart goes out to all of you, especially Charlies_Dad, Cindy, Teri, BauersMom and NeylasMom for your recent losses, and to those of you watching your furry children battle this disease everyday. To all of you who have responded to my earlier questions or just gave me support, I am eternally grateful.

[Guest snakes]

Maybe Cash will be the next Fedex!

 

We can always use more success stories! I hope Cash has a lengthy and pain free time with you. Defiantly ask about gabapentin, it has relatively few side effects (and none that i know if to other organs). It has been a wonder drug for FedX, and it helps that it is affordable from human pharmacies!

Edited July 8, 2012 by snakes

[krissn333]

I'm at the vet with Carrie for xrays. I got home from lunch with a friend to find her limping on her right front leg. It might be nothing, but, I'm already a 2 time member of this club, and I'm not in the business of waiting to see if it resolves anymore. I'll let you know what I find out...

[MachosMom]

I'm at the vet with Carrie for xrays. I got home from lunch with a friend to find her limping on her right front leg. It might be nothing, but, I'm already a 2 time member of this club, and I'm not in the business of waiting to see if it resolves anymore. I'll let you know what I find out...

 

OH NO!!!! Fingers crossed that it is nothing, and Carrie is fine.

[Charlies_Dad]

Good thoughts for Carrie. I hope it's nothing serious.

[Guest cashie]

Thoughts and prayers for Carrie!

 

I emailed Cash's xrays to Dr. Kellogg last night and she emailed me with a confirmation today. I tried not have my hopes up but I did.

[krissn333]

Carrie's xray didn't show anything of interest - so we're thinking soft tissue injury, pulled muscle, something to that effect. I am to up her pred to every day for right now and we're adding the robaxin back in, and I'll be icing it for her a few times a day. Hopefully that will help. I just wonder if she tripped over something in the yard - Skimmie has been digging holes and eating the dirt and I do my best to keep up with them but sometimes I don't know he's been working on a new one until it's obvious it's there.

 

So sorry to see we've got some new club members

[KF_in_Georgia]

Carrie's xray didn't show anything of interest

 

Goody. I love boring x-rays.

[45MPHK9]

I emailed Cash's xrays to Dr. Kellogg last night and she emailed me with a confirmation today. I tried not have my hopes up but I did.

 

So, so sorry.

[KF_in_Georgia]

I'm sorry to hear about Cash.

[MachosMom]

Yay for Carrie's boring Xray!!!! PHEW.

 

Boooooooo on Cash's Xray. Not nice. I am so so sorry. I tried not to get my hopes up while we waited for Macho's to be reviewed by OSU. But, we did. Then they came back and the world crashed all over again

[dmswartzfager]

Symbra's chemotherapy vets requested a met check one month after finishing chemo, so I am taking her in to work tomorrow for that; it was the five month ampiversary yesterday.

[krissn333]

for Symbra!