Osteo Thread Part V I I

[Charlies_Dad]

I am glad the Chemo session went well for Casper! Keep it up sweetie.

 

Still keeping Libby in our thoughts.

[a_daerr]

Henry's oncology consult was originally scheduled for January 4, but Dr. Urie wants to see him sooner. We're going in tomorrow at 9:30. She said even though it's a fibrosarcoma, the plan will still most likely be chemo. There's a chance the cancer could behave like osteo, in which case, they want to be aggressive with treatment. Poor Henry has to go to the vet on his birthday!

[Guest fastcasper]

It sucks that it is on his birthday but I'm glad they are proactive with it so he can have many more birthdays. Good luck and keep us posted!

[MaryJane]

Henry's oncology consult was originally scheduled for January 4, but Dr. Urie wants to see him sooner. We're going in tomorrow at 9:30. She said even though it's a fibrosarcoma, the plan will still most likely be chemo. There's a chance the cancer could behave like osteo, in which case, they want to be aggressive with treatment. Poor Henry has to go to the vet on his birthday!

 

I was wondering if they were going to do chemo with Henry - thanks for updating with that information. Are they using the same type of chemo used in osteo or are they opting for a different protocol?

[a_daerr]

 

I was wondering if they were going to do chemo with Henry - thanks for updating with that information. Are they using the same type of chemo used in osteo or are they opting for a different protocol?

 

Good question. I guess we'll find out tomorrow. I've heard of the 5FU (fluorouracil) injections being used for spindle cell sarcoma, but I believe that's mostly for post-op dogs whose tumors had incomplete margins. Because the tumor was on the tibia, and we amputated the entire leg, I imagine that the margins had to have been wide enough. So because of that, I'm not sure if she'll want to go that route or a more traditional one. I think for most types of soft tissue cancer, they start with adriamycin.

[dex95lucy]

Michelle, I tried to pm you but you don't have enough of posts. Weisers has boneless skinless chicken breasts on sale, $1.99/lb, packs run about $7. I stock up when it's this price. I cut the pieces length wise and boil close to an hour until it is really tender. Give her a gentle hug from me. I am SO glad that the visit went well. Lori was worried that Micah would be too active for Libby, but it sounds like Libby needed the visit from her friend.

sue

[Victor]

I hope Libby's new combination of meds are managing her pain without too many side effects.

 

That's great that Casper's 2nd round of Doxo went well! He deserves a special Christmas present this year!

 

Hope Henry's oncology appointment goes well tomorrow.

 

Keep up the good work, Treetop!

 

Update on Lana: We thought we were going to lose our little girl earlier this week. She was having trouble breathing, she was panting heavily, she didn't want to eat, and she had very little energy, not to mention ever increasing amounts of yellowish, mucusy discharge from her eyes. We had an appointment scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, but when her temperature hit 103.7 Monday night we decided to take her to the ER. They did some blood work but didn't find any evidence of infection. They said her elevated temperature could also be due to pain, inflammation, and/or paraneoplastic reaction, where the cancer affects the body's ability to regulate temperature. By the time the blood work had come back Lana's temperature had returned to normal, so they let us take her home until her appointment with her regular vet.

 

Tuesday morning we were heartbroken, thinking we might have to say goodbye that afternoon. To get Lana to eat we gave her a breakfast of pan-fried beef tenderloin. We also gave her a Previcox on the off chance it might help. Right before Lana's appointment we took her for a walk, and she surprised us with her enthusiasm; there was life in her eyes again! At the appointment they did more blood work and a chest x-ray. The chest x-ray showed additional growth of the previous lung mets and some new mets, but no pneumonia. They recommended starting Lana on Clavimox to treat her conjunctivitis and any possible upper respiratory tract infection. They also put her back on gabapentin to manage any pain she might be having. (Previcox treats both pain and inflammation, but they advised against it due to all her recent GI problems.)

 

Wednesday morning the discharge from Lana's eyes was gone and she was ready for a walk at 7:30am! She also ate breakfast without coaxing, and her breathing seemed less labored. It seems the Clavimox is working! We know Lana's lung function will continue to decline despite this improvement, but for now we're just happy she's still with us!

[Guest fastcasper]

I AM OVERJOYED ABOUT LANA'S NEWS!!!! Way to go Lana!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Victor]

Thanks, Kim!

[Charlies_Dad]

I'm very glad Lana is doing a bit better. She is in our thoughts as we know the battle you are fighting and every day is gift to have her around.

[Victor]

Thanks, Charlies_Dad. We appreciate it!

[krissn333]

I know I don't say much around here...I always check in though. I'm thinking of all of you as you are on this journey. I share your happiness when someone is doing well, and I feel your sadness when things aren't quite right. Hoping everyone here is able to have a nice holiday season with these special pups

[a_daerr]

Tentatively, the plan is for Henry to go forward with chemo. Assuming he tolerates it well, he'll do five rounds of Doxo. Each time, they'll do bloodwork and chest x-rays, then administer the Doxo over a 30 minute IV drip. They're going to give him meds ahead of time to prevent nausea and diarrhea. Dr. Urie was a real pleasure to deal with. If for whatever reason our pet insurance doesn't cover the chemo, she has agreed to refer us to the hospital's nonprofit for payment.

 

Henry's been going on walks for the past few days, and getting out and about has really seemed to boost his energy and confidence. He jumped into the Jeep yesterday, and he's also started going up the carpeted stairs. He had a great birthday yesterday, and we're looking forward to many more.

[Guest dockellogg]

Henry's oncology consult was originally scheduled for January 4, but Dr. Urie wants to see him sooner. We're going in tomorrow at 9:30. She said even though it's a fibrosarcoma, the plan will still most likely be chemo. There's a chance the cancer could behave like osteo, in which case, they want to be aggressive with treatment. Poor Henry has to go to the vet on his birthday!

 

You're in excellent hands with Dr Urie - pass on a hello from me.

 

Christine Kellogg

[Guest fastcasper]

Christine Kellogg! I chatted with you via email about my hound Casper this past spring!! Good to see you on the website!

Henry's game plan sound solid. I hope he does well on the Doxo. Casper had his 2nd round this week of that stuff. He is tolerating it fine. He just gets a reaction when administrating the drug into him. Good luck Henry!!

[a_daerr]

 

You're in excellent hands with Dr Urie - pass on a hello from me.

 

Christine Kellogg

 

Thanks, Dr. Kellogg!! I will.

[Guest fastcasper]

Casper and I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I really hope for happier times in 2014 for most of us. It has been a rough year, and some wonderful greys went across the rainbow bridge far too soon. They are all in my thoughts and I am taking one day at a time with my own boy as I know this is his last Christmas.

 

Kim

[cristar]

Make it his best Christmas ever. He has no idea what is happening, all he

knows is that he is loved, and that's all that counts.

 

My heart goes out to all of you that have had to deal with this dreaded disease

with your beautiful loved ones and your continued dedication and love in trying

to help them.

Bless your hearts....you're good people.

[MrAlexTheDog]

as of today it's been three months since katie's death. recently we were informed that an artist friend of ours was commissioned by a group of greyhound friends to do a memorial portrait of her. we didn't really know what to say, but it goes a long way to show the kind of people that bring these remarkable dogs into their homes when their racing days are done.

 

the portrait is based on this picture of katie i took in 2011:

 

the artist has written in her blog a work-in-progress thread about the portrait. we're looking forward to the finished painting as we've been wanting to hang one of her works in our house for a long time. but we're all enjoying seeing the painting develop from start-to-finish, too. and to be honest, i'd be more than happy to have her stop at any point -- her work is that good.

[Victor]

What a beautiful photo of Katie. That's such a nice thing of your greyhound friends to do.

 

Wishing Casper, Henry, Libby, Twiggy, and all the other greyhounds on here a greyt holiday!

 

Lana was at the vet again yesterday for her conjunctivitis and increased difficulty breathing. They did a number of tests on her eyes, all of which came back normal. Here's the interesting thing: the ophthalmologist said dogs with lung mets often have conjunctivitis. They don't know why. This got me thinking about the on-and-off nature of Lana's conjunctivitis. The only consistent factor seemed to be whether she was taking Previcox at the time. When we stopped giving her Previcox (for example, when starting her on Palladia or when trying to get her GI tract settled), she would have conjunctivitis and difficulty breathing. As soon as we started her back on Previcox, her conjunctivitis would go away and her breathing would become more relaxed. We always attributed it to the conjunctivitis treatment at the time (eye drops, antibiotics, etc.), but now it seems it was actually the Previcox that was doing the trick. Last night Lana was really miserable (despite having started yet another antibiotic and eye ointment), so we decided to give her a dose of Previcox. Sure enough, within an hour or so the heavy panting stopped and she was breathing easier, and this morning she had almost no discharge from her eyes!

 

In summary, if your grey (1) has lung mets, (2) isn't on an NSAID, and (3) has persistent conjunctivitis, see if you can get him or her on an NSAID. Incidentally, NSAIDs apparently also help with breathing difficulties from lung mets by reducing inflammation in the lung.

[a_daerr]

Wishing happy holidays to you and your hounds.

Henry is celebrating early, and giving Stewie a run for his money.

 

He got so excited, his ears fell off.

[Guest fastcasper]

What great photos of Katie and Henry! Hands down, greyhounds are one of the most majestic creatures on earth and we are so lucky to be able to have them in our lives!

Than you for the holiday wishes for Casper. My mom is in town and he LOVES getting on the guest bed and cuddling with her.

 

That is very interesting about Lana and her eyes and breathing. Thank you so much for the info, I am going to keep it handy in case Casper develops it.

[4My2Greys]

Wishing happy holidays to you and your hounds.

Henry is celebrating early, and giving Stewie a run for his money.

 

He got so excited, his ears fell off.

No, no, that wasn't any accident. It was strategic planning at it's best on Henry's part. He was making his head more aerodynamic so that it would fit in the jar better to reach ALL of the peanut butter.

[o_rooly]

Was hoping never to set foot in this thread on Aston's behalf, but here's a toe-in.

The inner side of his left hock is swollen, and has been so since Sunday. Took him in for xrays, and while that leg on its own looks fine, the bone underneath the swelling is slightly larger than its mirror on the right leg. Vet is currently unsure. Could be osteoarthritis. Could be early osteosarcoma. Could be that his hock has always been that way, as it's never been the target of an xray before (or if it has landed in a pastern/knee xray, we didn't have the right leg done for comparison).

She is advising that I watch that joint for the next few days, and let her know if swelling does not subside, or gets worse, or if there's pain. Right now, Aston is not tender or limping -- in fact, he has been TROTTING everywhere -- our walks are now Trots -- ever since his left-hind-foot issues finally resolved post-prednisone. Even if swelling goes down -- re-doing rads in 3 weeks.
The swelling is worrisome given that Aston is already on Deramaxx to fight general inflammation. Vet has advised that I add turmeric and spirulina to his food 2x daily to further the fight (now to find a place that sells these that's open... this might have to wait until Dec. 26).

She's emailing the rads to me now. In light of recent large non-Aston expenses, still considering firing the rads off to Dr. Couto for his input. "Wait-and-see" doesn't sit well with an anxious mind.

for all humans participating in this thread, and to the hounds who are fighting, or have fought, the good fight.

[a_daerr]

"Wait-and-see" doesn't sit well with an anxious mind.

 

Me neither. I can't really comment because Henry's tumor was on the tibia, and it had lots of lesions. They were very apparent even to my untrained eye. I do know that many people get two and three rads when the first ones are inconclusive. I'd probably email Couto or consult with a specialty vet in your area for a second opinion. If it turns out being cancer (worst case scenario), it's essential to catch it sooner than later. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Aston that it's anything but osteo.

 

P.S. Just a word of advice (and I think you're already on the right track), don't let the limp be your gauge. I was rationalizing and doing the same thing with Henry, since his limp was slight and hardly noticeable. I thought, "There's no way it could be cancer, he'd visibly be in more pain." But by the time I got him to the vet and reviewed the rads, the bone was full of lesions. It looked like swiss cheese. I knew it couldn't have happened overnight, so he must've been in pain for way longer than what was apparent to me. Dogs are incredibly adept at disguising their pain.