Tristan's Experience With Osteosarcoma & Amputation

[joejoesmom]

So glad to hear that he is doing well. Absolutely love your pictures of your handsome hunk of a boyhound.

 

Jane

 

edited only because I can't spell!

Edited July 19, 2012 by joejoesmom

[MachosMom]

Awww yay Tristan!! Keep it up big man!! Thank you for the pics, he reminds me of my Macho Man. Such a cutie!

 

Here's to a fast and easy recovery and loads of fun to come!!!!

[carronstar]

So very happy to hear Tristan came through so well. Such great news. Love all the photos, he is a gorgeous boy who clearly knows he is loved.

[Guest patterpaws]

Tristan is coming home today!!!!! We'll pick him up around 5.

 

The vet said that he's very pleased with Tristan's recovery so far. The only time Tristan had trouble was with a bad reaction to some medication last night (I guess he reacted with pretty bad anxiety and restlessness), but after they switched meds he calmed down. He's got one of those pain patches on now, and they're watching him carefully to make sure he doesn't have a bad reaction. He's unable to walk on the slippery floors inside, but they said once they gurney him outside to the grass/pavement, he's actually doing pretty good hopping around on 3 legs already! He did his business outside with no problems. What a good boy!

 

The vet said he thought it would be safe to release Tristan tonight, after they make sure he has no reactions to the pain patch. He *could* stay another night if I wanted him to, though, or if there are any concerns that develop through the day. I'm thinking it would be nice to get him home and save the cost of another hospital overnight stay... though I wouldn't hesitate to have him stay longer if he needed it.

 

 

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.

Woah! Diamond sounds like a daredevil hound, jumping down 6 steps right after an amputation? She's hardcore! I'm glad she wasn't hurt, that must have been scary. I can imagine it happening in slow motion, like a movie. Glad that she slowed down after that! Phew! I'll watch Tristan carefully to make sure he doesn't attempt any acrobatic stunts like that- I actually wouldn't be surprised if he did.

 

 

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.

Yes!!! I'm touched that he has similarities to Charlie and Macho. They are all very special hounds. <3

Edited July 19, 2012 by patterpaws

[MachosMom]

Tristan is coming home today!!!!! We'll pick him up around 5.

 

 

YAY!!! That is excellent. Big gentle hugs to him from Macho and I!

[queenwinniesmom]

How you love your boy! It shows in every picture (and the feeling is obviously mutual) He is stunning, I might add. And you have definitely come to the right place as you take this journey. There is a wealth of knowledge here, as well as support from everyone, especially the ones who have fought osteo too. For you to be uncertain until making your decision is normal---we've gone through that, as well as the sadness, anger and fear. So please come here as often as you need to.

 

So much good advice---I'm in awe of the collective knowledge on GT. I can't add much more, except what I normally say---osteo is a crapshoot. You just do what you can, what you think is right for your precious boy, and know that there is no wrong decision. He is not thinking of the eventual sad finality of this disease, but lives in the moment. There will be adjustments, certainly, but the amp has removed the severe pain of the tumor. And most of them get along just fine on 3 legs. We were lucky to have Winnie ( looking down on you from my avatar) for 3 1/2 years after her amp.

 

I'm recent to the thread and might have skipped a few posts, so I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned artemisinin. We used it, and I'm pretty sure others here have too. Dr. Couto has done lots of studies on it. I would say it's worth a shot.

 

Sending lots of good thoughts and white light out to you and Tristan for a fast and uneventful recovery. So glad he's coming home. And of course, we'll need updates.

Edited July 19, 2012 by queenwinniesmom

[RaineysMom]

Glad he's coming home!!!! :yay praying for a quick and uneventful recovery!

[Xan]

Ah! : Okay, take it easy now, Tristan! I've got all available appendages crossed for a speedy and uneventful recovery!

[krissn333]

 

He'll likely be pretty quiet tonight and will sleep. They just don't sleep well at the hospital.

 

Hoping for a good trip home (can one of you ride in the car with him to keep him laying down?). Pinky adjusted pretty quickly to car riding, but when she came home from the vet, I rode in the back of my jeep with her to keep her laying down.

[Guest cashie]

Wonderful news!! Praying for an uneventful, speedy recovery for Tristan!

[robinw]

:yay

[TwiggysMom]

So glad he gets to come home tonight!

 

Sending good thoughts for quick recovery!

[Guest GenetJen]

Glad he's home!! Just read your thread from start to finish. Tristan is gorgeous and my thoughts are with you both.

 

I related so much to your anxiety in your early posts. I started clicking MultiQuote, but gave up when I got to five. Suffice it to say, I'm with you.

[Guest patterpaws]

Oh my goodness, Tristan is doing fantastic! I am SO SO SO impressed with my brave guy. He walked himself into the waiting room to greet us and sat himself down on the waiting room bed while we were instructed on his care at home. His scar, while ghastly, isn't as bad as I feared. There's some bruising and weeping, but not too bad either. He's still shaky in the back end, and still learning, but doing GREAT for one day after the amputation if you ask me! If I was the one who had been amputated, I'd be a pathetic mess, I'd probably have to be carried around like some sort of delicate butterfly. Not Tristan.

 

I'm still nervous that perhaps i shouldn't have gone through with the amp since his rear is shaky, but the vet assured me that he's structurally sound back there. We'll just have to take things slow.

 

Also, after talking to the oncologist, we decided to go ahead and do the first chemo treatment.. I'm no expert on this stuff so not sure if that was the right choice, but she's had a lot of experience with all sorts of dogs, and greyhounds in particular... she said that she's been burned too many times by waiting, and then having the pup have a low survival rate afterwards. She said that as long as his white blood cell count wasn't too low, she'd prefer to start now. I've got anti-nausea medicine and will watch him for adverse side effects.

 

Here's a video to see him walking out of the vet, back home, and settling in on his bed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyx3Omke0Tk&feature=youtu.be

 

Here are some pics too. I don't know if you can tell, but I see a huge difference in him already. Maybe its the painkillers, maybe its the removal of the cancerous bone, but it seems like the light has come back into his eyes again. I can already see traces of my boy as he was a few weeks ago, before the cancer decided to be a douche.

 

Here's when he came to greet us, walking on the slick veterinary floor. I am SO impressed with him!!!!

 

Loaded in the Car... He jumped in all by himself!!!!

 

Warrior Tri-stan showing off his fresh battle scar:

 

A few more with his battle scar covered, as not to scare the children:

 

 

 

How you love your boy! It shows in every picture (and the feeling is obviously mutual) He is stunning, I might add. And you have definitely come to the right place as you take this journey. There is a wealth of knowledge here, as well as support from everyone, especially the ones who have fought osteo too. For you to be uncertain until making your decision is normal---we've gone through that, as well as the sadness, anger and fear. So please come here as often as you need to.

 

So much good advice---I'm in awe of the collective knowledge on GT. I can't add much more, except what I normally say---osteo is a crapshoot. You just do what you can, what you think is right for your precious boy, and know that there is no wrong decision. He is not thinking of the eventual sad finality of this disease, but lives in the moment. There will be adjustments, certainly, but the amp has removed the severe pain of the tumor. And most of them get along just fine on 3 legs. We were lucky to have Winnie ( looking down on you from my avatar) for 3 1/2 years after her amp.

 

I'm recent to the thread and might have skipped a few posts, so I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned artemisinin. We used it, and I'm pretty sure others here have too. Dr. Couto has done lots of studies on it. I would say it's worth a shot.

 

Sending lots of good thoughts and white light out to you and Tristan for a fast and uneventful recovery. So glad he's coming home. And of course, we'll need updates.

I'm in awe of all the wonderful people here too. If I didn't have this community as a resource... I probably wouldn't have been brave enough to choose the route we did. Yep, he's on artemisinin! Started it the morning of the operation.

 

I'm so impressed that Winnie lasted 3 1/2 years after the amp! Wow. If you have any secrets that got her that far, please share!

 

 

 

He'll likely be pretty quiet tonight and will sleep. They just don't sleep well at the hospital.

 

Hoping for a good trip home (can one of you ride in the car with him to keep him laying down?). Pinky adjusted pretty quickly to car riding, but when she came home from the vet, I rode in the back of my jeep with her to keep her laying down.

Tristan was pretty enthusiastic to hop around when he first got home (stopping to rest in the grass or on his bed in between outings), but now he's passed out. Poor guy, I doubt he got much sleep at the hospital either! He's also drinking like a fiend and has gone out twice to pee a huge lake. I got pics of him peeing (unassisted, he wisely decided to squat) but I'll let him have a shred of dignity and not post them.

 

Glad he's home!! Just read your thread from start to finish. Tristan is gorgeous and my thoughts are with you both.

 

I related so much to your anxiety in your early posts. I started clicking MultiQuote, but gave up when I got to five. Suffice it to say, I'm with you.

Oh man, its hard to describe the angst and agony I was in when trying to decide what to do. I do NOT deal well with answering existential questions and/or deciding whether or not to end the life of a beloved pet who still has that "fire in their belly," as my uncle would say. I was so upset, I took off like 3 days of work since I was constantly crying. I'm really lucky my boss was so understanding. ;__; I still don't know if I did the right thing, as I think there are very valid reasons for and against any course of action. I was coming to terms with putting him down, and then a few factors changed my mind since I was on the fence. I know eventually I'm most likely going to come back to that same dillema if/when the cancer comes back. Its so hard not knowing how much pain they are in, and whether you're really keeping them alive for them or for you. Gut-wrenching, Heart-wrenching... ahhh. I'm thinking of you and Maya, and Nube... my heart really goes out to all of you, this stuff is HARD.

 

My uncle wrote me a really really nice email concerning a dog he had to let go years ago... I'll change the names for his anonymity.. it really touched me:

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

As to Tristan, I am so, so sorry to hear about the cancer. Obviously, I am not an expert in this area, but we did have to make a decision about our beloved Scamp about 6 years ago. He developed cancer of the mouth/GI tract, and was not really processing food anymore. He had many other problems, but his heart and his spirit were very strong and we did not know what to do. I talked to our local and trusted vets, and one suggested chemo and the other was hesitant. Later I talked to another vet that I knew personally, and his advice was not to do chemotherapy. His argument was that it is bad enough for humans, but humans can endure the pain knowing there may be some benefit. Whereas pets just have to endure enormous pain for what is a very limited extension of life benefit. He also pointed out that it is very costly. I wasn't bothered by the cost at all, just the idea of how much pain Scamp would have to endure for what might be a few extra months of life. In that case, even if he survived the cancer and the treatment, his quality of life was not high due to other deteriorating systems.

 

So we made a decision to have him euthanized at home, and I have to tell you it was one of the most painful things I have ever experienced. To make the decision to end his life, and to stop his strong heart was just unbearably painful, and I hope it is something I never have to do again. Our dog before Scamp was Fluffy, who at the age of 17 suddenly developed congestive heart failure and died within about 48 hours. As painful as that was, it did not require us to end her life, and for that I am forever grateful.

 

Sean, you asked for observations on your facebook page, and I offer the above as my observations only with no recommendation, since I don't know what is right. I do know that you folks have given him a wonderful life, and you should feel very good about that. As to what therapies to try to extend life, and how to maximize his remaining quality of life are questions too difficult for a humble, country woodworker like myself.

 

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

In his situation, Scamp was much older in the scheme of a dog's life, and other systems were shutting down so he felt like the procedures/chemo were too much for Scamp to bear, since his odds of survival were low.

 

Here's the email he sent out after Scamp was put to sleep, years ago. This is probably what I will one day face with Tristan, as much as I hate to think of it:

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Our vet came over last Sunday evening and gave Scamp the injections that ended his life. It was a very difficult decision for us, but he went peacefully and under the best imaginable circumstances. We have had pets almost our entire married life, and this is the first time we had to actively make a decision to end a life.

 

Scamp had lost almost all control over the back legs and ended up dragging around his hind quarters. Most of the time, however, we just carried him from place to place and of course up or down stairs. Apart from the lost of the hind limbs, the cancer was eating away at his mouth and the GI tract...he was not absorbing much food or nutrient and continued to lose weight. Despite all of this, his appetite was good and there was still fire in the old boy, and he was alert and attentive much of the time. That is what made it so difficult. He was not getting any better, was continuing to deteriorate, and the only question was how long we wanted to put off the inevitable.

 

So the vet came by last Sunday, we all went up to the upper stone patio---one of Scamp's favorite spots, and he lay across our laps. We petted him while the vet injected a sedative to ease his pain...then after a few minutes, a second injection stopped his heart. He went very peacefully and without pain. I dug a grave in one of the upper flower beds, we wrapped him in a sheet, put him in the grave, placed roses on top of the shroud, and covered him up. Many tears were shed.

 

Scamp, the healing dog, and friend to all, is at peace and no longer subject to the insults of which flesh is heir to. His spirit is free, and he will always be alive in our memory.

Edited July 20, 2012 by patterpaws

[Guest patterpaws]

oops i mistook artemisinin for aminocapric acid.... I know I've read about it before, but haven't started that yet... I'll research it more. Thank you!

[Greydawg]

He looks great! I hope his & your first night was okay.

Thanks for the video/photo update. I have been so worried about him the last couple of days.

Give him an extra hug and an attaboy!

 

[tbhounds]

There's no place like home! He looks amazing--he's a lucky boy he picked you as his human. He's so obviously loved.

[4My2Greys]

oops i mistook artemisinin for aminocapric acid.... I know I've read about it before, but haven't started that yet... I'll research it more. Thank you!

 

I'm sure your already aware of the artemisinin_cancer yahoo group. I have been doing a lot of reading and research on cancer treatments lately myself because my American bulldog Bruiser was just recently diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma after a splenectomy to remove a 4-1/2 lb tumor. Anyway in my digging through the internet for information I also came across this posting in another forum in which many articles were cited and linked regarding artemisinin.

 

http://www.her2support.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=43153

 

Another very promising supplement I learned about for it's anti-cancer properties and immune support during conventional cancer treatments was AHCC (Active Hexose Correlated Compound).

Here is the link to numerous published studies from the AHCC research website.

 

http://www.ahccresearch.com/published-studies.php

 

I feel that this would be especially of benefit to Tristan since you are starting early with the chemotherapy. Bruiser by the way is also going through chemotherapy (doxorubicin) with no noticeable effects. I just received the AHCC yesterday but I have had him on a high Ig colostrum supplement for immune support.

 

A gentle for Tristan and a big for you.

[MachosMom]

Yay! Lookit you Tristan! You are way braver than I would be! Showing off your battle scar and look at the happiness in your face! So adorable!

 

Thank you sooo much for the update and video and photos! Love it!

[maryz]

He looks great and so happy to be home. I cannot tell you how much I admire you for the decisions you've made. I don't know that I would be strong enough. I'm also one of those

people who agonize and think things through over and over. I will pray that your handsome boy has loads of time left with you and your DH.

[greytpups]

any decision you made was the right decision because it came from your heart. he looks wonderful and I hope he continues to do well.

[Charlies_Dad]

Tristan looks fantastic!!! So happy he is home! Here's to a safe and quick healing. It seems to be me so far, he will do well as a tripod and will likely continue to surprise you.

[CherylB]

I've been following Tristan's story and just wanted to say "Wow!" He looks great after his surgery! Continued good thoughts for all of you during his recovery, and here's to many more happy days ahead.

[carronstar]

Don't question your decision. You've made it, you made if with love and Tristan looks wonderful. He looks happy to be home. He knows how loved he is. Hoping for a swift and non-eventful healing process for you all.

[vjgrey]

Your update made me smile. He looks fantastic and does seem very happy to be home.