Tristan's Experience With Osteosarcoma & Amputation

[NeylasMom]

Any updates?

[Guest patterpaws]

Latest update- at about 2:00pm he was anesthetized about to be shaved. So far so good....

 

I think one factor in going ahead with the surgery is that my DH and I were very impressed with this surgeon and oncologist. I have faith that he is in good hands.

 

 

My DH's facebook status this afternoon:

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Gut wrenching moment of the day #1: Dropping off Tristan at the Animal Surgical Center and getting a look of pure trust and fear as we led him into a cage and then had to walk away.

 

Gut wrenching moment of the day #2: Returning home and there's no dog to greet me.

 

After agonizing over countless hours of research, talking with people who have been through it with their own dogs, and getting a real good pitch from the surgical center staff, we opted to go the route of amputation and chemotherapy. It was an EXTREMELY difficult decision to make, and only time will tell if it was the right one for Tristan.

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I'd love to hear any tips on how to "tripawd" proof the home, Jane! We have carpet so slippery floors shouldn't be a problem, and no stairs. I think we're going to have to make do with a towel sling for now since I haven't been able to order a custom one in time.

[Xan]

What a roller-coaster ride! Big hugs to you all, as you go through this next phase. Get as much rest as you can! Your commitment to be strong for Tristan moved me to tears. We'll all be watching and holding you all in our thoughts!

[Charlies_Dad]

I'd love to hear any tips on how to "tripawd" proof the home, Jane! We have carpet so slippery floors shouldn't be a problem, and no stairs. I think we're going to have to make do with a towel sling for now since I haven't been able to order a custom one in time.

 

If you already have carpets, then you are way ahead of many of us who have wood/tile floors. The things you want to do before/when Tristan comes home are:

 

- Try to move his bed into a nice safe location he won't bump into things like tables, chairs, etc.

- He will need/want attention a lot so you will find putting your bed on the floor near him for a short period can really help

- Make sure to have plenty of pain meds and discuss with your vet PRIOR to coming home what you can increase safely as you want to stay ahead of the pain

- Obtain your vets mobile number if you can

- Some meds will make him anxious like Tramadol and sometimes the patch does this as well, don't panic!

- Have warm/cold compresses ready as you will want to apply this to his wound to help reduce swelling, bruising

- A sling or harness is needed even though some pups are tough enough to go outside all by themselves depending on how long they stayed in the hospital

- If you can, make food in advance for you and your husband as again Tristan will demand time of you over the coming days when he is back home

- Take some time off work if you can (one of you) as you really should not leave him alone for the first week if possible

- Get some rest before he comes home as you will need it

- The wound site will leak so you may want to place towels over his bed for easier cleaning

Edited July 18, 2012 by Charlies_Dad

[NeylasMom]

Ah, I hadn't noticed where you lived, which explained why I didn't understand why there weren't already updates. Hope the surgery went/is going well and you have another positive update for us soon.

[Guest patterpaws]

I'd love to hear any tips on how to "tripawd" proof the home, Jane! We have carpet so slippery floors shouldn't be a problem, and no stairs. I think we're going to have to make do with a towel sling for now since I haven't been able to order a custom one in time.

 

If you already have carpets, then you are way ahead of many of us who have wood/tile floors. The things you want to do before/when Tristan comes home are:

 

- Try to move his bed into a nice safe location he won't bump into things like tables, chairs, etc.

- He will need/want attention a lot so you will find putting your bed on the floor near him for a short period can really help

- Make sure to have plenty of pain meds and discuss with your vet PRIOR to coming home what you can increase safely as you want to stay ahead of the pain

- Obtain your vets mobile number if you can

- Some meds will make him anxious like Tramadol and sometimes the patch does this as well, don't panic!

- Have warm/cold compresses ready as you will want to apply this to his wound to help reduce swelling, bruising

- A sling or harness is needed even though some pups are tough enough to go outside all by themselves depending on how long they stayed in the hospital

- If you can, make food in advance for you and your husband as again Tristan will demand time of you over the coming days when he is back home

- Take some time off work if you can (one of you) as you really should not leave him alone for the first week if possible

- Get some rest before he comes home as you will need it

- The wound site will leak so you may want to place towels over his bed for easier cleaning

 

Cool, thank you so much for these tips! We have an area of the living room set up for him, I will pad it so there's nothing harsh for him to bump into. The couch is facing his area and its really comfy, I will be sleeping there while he is recuperating.

We've got a pretty good supply of "pet towels" to use. I've taken a pet first-aide class and have had to dress wounds in the past so hopefully that experience will come in handy. Luckily DH has been working from home on contract- his contract is over so he's without work, which is kind of sucky but its ended up being good timing because he can be there 24/7 to take care of Tristan. I'll have to come to work. I was so upset this last week, I had to take some time off and I don't think I can take anymore with our project's schedule, though if theres an emergency my boss is SUPER understanding and has told me I can leave at any time if needed.

 

Here's the T-Man when we left him this morning. Augh! Those eyes! Its like total trust and bewilderment as to why we were abandoning him. I wonder if he had flashbacks to life on the track. I can't wait to see him again.

 

 

Edited to add: If you look on the bed next to the pillows, you can see his favorite plushie, the grunting/squeaking/crinkle-tail skunk!

Edited July 18, 2012 by patterpaws

[krissn333]

 

With Pinky, I got out my air mattress and set up camp in the living room with her, just shared the bed with her. Not all hounds are into that though. She seemed to like me to be right there next to her, and if she was laying with her back to me, she'd tilt her head backwards a bit so she could see me I liked being able to reach over and pet her to calm her if she got antsy in the middle of the night.

 

Our surgeon likes to keep them wrapped up until they get their staples removed, with a couple of bandage changes in between. Seems to help with swelling and oozing and it really was the way to go for Pinky. Plus then her staple line was padded and if she bumped it, I didn't worry about her losing a staple. She looked like a sumo wrestler wearing a big pink diaper, but, it worked for us

[joejoesmom]

In addition to what Charlie's dad has posted:

 

A towel would be fine, especially if there are no steps. Are there steps to get outside? He might try to jump over a step or two so be prepared. If you have more than a couple of steps, a sling modified with a breast strap (front leg amputee only) is helpful for the first few days. If he is a leg lifter, you might need to balance him some. A sling would be easier than a towel.

 

Obtain a large children's or small adult T-shirt. Get two rubberbands. Get some self adhesive maxi-pads. You will put the shirt on him with his head through the neck and his one front leg through one of the arm holes. Use a rubber band at the neck to take up slack. Use the other rubber band at the bottom of the shirt to take up slack. Be sure to take up enough slack that he won't pee on it. Stick maxi-pads on the inside of the shirt where his incision is if it is not covered and is weeping.

 

When it starts to heal he will likely try to lick it. I like using a muzzle with an attached stool guard. Be sure to file the edges of the end of the zip tie used to attach the stool guard (no sharp edges to catch staples or to scratch skin). You can also use duct tape on the end of the muzzle, be sure to leave some openings so he can drink. I don't leave the stool guard and muzzle on if I am not there watching him. I worry about aspiration if he should vomit. You can also use a bite-not collar. If you use an E-collar, it works better if you use gauze to attach it to a relatively tight tag collar. Otherwise they tend to slip it off over their head.

 

Stock up on his favorite foods to entice him to eat.

 

Put rubber backed runners over any hard surface flooring to create a safe path for him. Large home centers sell this by the foot. I know you said you had carpet, but what about the kitchen and bathrooms. They need a path through them if he is used to going there and will have access. It seems they tend to think they can do stuff before it is really safe to try it alone.

 

Be sure to get him up and walking around regularly. At OSU they will stand the dog up the first night and get him walking a few steps. This is good for the circulation and can help healing and reduce swelling. Your vet will instruct you on this.

 

Expect bruising and swelling. If you are concerned take a picture and email it to your vet. So get the vets email, his after hours number, etc.

 

Swelling often moves from the incision area to the legs. Talk to your vet, but my vet recommended gentle upwards massage combined with alternating heat and cold.

 

It would not be unusual for him to cry out or whine occassionally. Crying out could be from pain but is often from surprise. For the first week or two, he might wake up and try to move, not remembering that the leg is missing. This can freak him out, causing him to scream. However, this should not be constant. If it seems excessive, contact your vet. This typically goes away within about 10 to 14 days.

 

At some point, you will second guess yourself as to whether you did the right thing. This is normal. Just hang in there and remind yourself that they do recover from the amputation. Try to remember the videos of Charlie running around and playing. Your Tristan will be able to do this too.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Jane

[NeylasMom]

Okay, now I think it's late enough that I can ask for post surgery updates. Hoping you've heard that he made it through with flying colors?

Edited July 19, 2012 by NeylasMom

[krissn333]

Pinky had swelling in her remaining rear leg...fluid. We massaged, alternated hit and cold, and elevated the leg to try to get her body to reabsorb it.

[Guest patterpaws]

The vet says he made it through great! the only thing he was concerned about was a low white blood cell count, but he consulted with the oncologist who thought it was within the realm to be expected (I didn't get the exact numbers, DH talked to him since I was on the bus home when he called.) Tristan wasn't accepting visitors for the night, but we'll get another update tomorrow. I'm not sure if they want to keep him another night of if he's being discharged tomorrow- I don't want to rush him home unless he's really stressed staying there, since that whole bleeding danger scares me and I'd rather him have more time being watched by the professionals if they think he might need it.

 

Thank you for all the tips! I'm taking copious notes and appreciate all of them!

 

Kristin- sounds like a lovely setup you had. Now I'm thinking that I'll pull out my camping equipment and sleep in my sleeping bag so I can be on the same level as Tristan. Thank you for the tip about the leg swelling too- we'll have to watch out for that.

 

Jane- thank you so much for all the information! It sounds like I have most of the items you mention, but there are a few I'll stock up on before we get him home. He doesn't ever go in the bathroom (I think he stays away since he associates it with the b-a-t-h and its really small, he doesn't like getting into any space that he'd have to walk backwards out of)- he does sometimes step into the kitchen but ours is really small and I can easily block it with a baby gate for now. No steps, even to the outside, but I'll keep an eye on him in the backyard since he might get adventurous and try to hop over a stone or something. He's a leg lifter some of the time so we'll have to watch that situation too...

[krissn333]

Tristan!

 

Get some sleep! I'll check back in in the morning and hopefully another update!

[Charlies_Dad]

Glad to hear that the surgery went well. We'll keep our fingers crossed that he continues to do well.

[TwiggysMom]

Wonderful news!

 

I posted some stuff in the osteo thread too, but most of that has been similarly covered in here.

 

One more recommendation for both of you - try to get a really good night of sleep (or two!) before Tristan comes home. You likely won't sleep much for at least the first week.

 

It sounds like your house is very well set up to handle him post op, so you're way ahead of the game there!

 

You all are in my thoughts.

[Guest patterpaws]

Its weird to be in the house without the hound tonight. Been sorting through a bunch of unorganized photos, thought I'd post a few more. Thanks again to everyone for each and every comment here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest patterpaws]

oh here's the first day he came home:

 

 

Ok going to bed! Will update tomorrow with how his recuperation is going.

[tbhounds]

Thanks for the update- I've been thinking about you both. Let's hope he's home soon.

Love the tubby pictures- poor boy :-)

[4My2Greys]

I lost count of how many times I checked back here yesterday and it was the first thing I opened this morning. I was glad to learn you had decided on amputation and that you moved quickly with it. Lots of healing thoughts and positive energy for a quick recovery and strength going out to Tristan and you and your husband.

Here's to Tristan following in the pawsteps of loooong time survivors like Maggie Mae and Darcy and running with absolute joy and wild abandonment like Charlie.

[FountainLady]

I'm SO happy that the surgery went well - I hope you can get some rest before Tristan comes home.

I hope he'll heal quickly from the surgery, and make a smooth- as possible - adjustment into being a tripod.

We continue to send hugs and prayers to you.

[maryz]

I'm so happy Tristan did well with the surgery. Praying for an uneventful recovery and lots of time together. He looks so adorable in the tub. I just want to kiss that face.

[greytpups]

I'm so happy Tristan did well with the surgery. Praying for an uneventful recovery and lots of time together. He looks so adorable in the tub. I just want to kiss that face.

 

me too

[MP_the4pack]

I haven't read thru the whole thread from where I left off, so I apologies if someone already mentioned it.

 

Tristan may (probably will) try to do things that he can't handle yet. When my Diamond came home she was going all out as if nothing happened. I figured she would know her own limits. WRONG. Before I could catch up to her, she went out the dog door and JUMPED down 6 steps. As I saw her in mid flight I just knew she was going to break her one remaining front leg. And that it was all over. Dang, she did survive the jump by falling on her newly amp'd shoulder. Not breaking anything. But she was so quick!

However she did decide after that that the ramp was much easier to use than the stairs. And I realized that she wasnt smart enough to know what she could handle.

[TheFullHouse]

Glad to hear he came through the surgery with no problems. Hope he has a speedy recovery!

[Charlies_Dad]

Love the pics! Tristan has one of those very emotional faces some Greys have just like my Charlie boy. The one with you both on the beach and him behind you is great. I do see a lot of Charlie in those pics and I hope you have as much and more time than I did with my special boy post amp (21 mths).

[RaineysMom]

such a handsome boy he is!!!!!!!