Osteo Thread Part 8

[Guest normaandburrell]

So sorry for your loss. We lost our first grey to a pathological fracture, presumably due to osteosarcoma, in May. It is so hard. You did everything you could for her.

[4My2Greys]

Tracy, I've been meaning to tell you how sorry I was about Jackie's diagnosis. I'm so sorry you lost her so quickly.

[quarrystepper]

So sorry for this devastating news.

[Rickiesmom]

I am so sorry you didn't have more time with your beloved Jackie. Hugs of comfort to you and to Lola.

[Batmom]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

Godspeed, Jackie.

[greysmom]

I'm very sorry you lost Jackie so quickly.

 

Run In Peace sweet girl....................

Edited August 9, 2014 by greysmom

[tra708]

[Charlies_Dad]

Tracy, I am so very sorry for the loss of your beautiful girl. Hang in there.

[krissn333]

So sorry to read that Jackie had to leave It sucks.

[TwiggysMom]

Adding my condolences about Jackie. She was a beautiful girl, and obviously very loved.

[Rickiesmom]

I haven't posted an update on Jaynie in awhile - she finished chemo on July 22. Yay!!

We are not doing any metronomic treatment, but instead are going with integrative (holistic) therapies. It may or may not improve her prognosis, but I felt it would give her the best quality of life for however long she has. Jaynie is kidney-compromised and her tumour location (proximal humerus) doesn't have the best outlook, so it is important to me that she feels totally herself with no side-effects, for as long as she has. I know when her time comes I will wonder if I chose the right path. It's a very personal decision, and a very hard one.

Right now though, she is doing great! Full of energy, great appetite - she was whining for dinner tonight. The real Jaynie is back, and the stinker in StinkerBelle is re-emerging

[4My2Greys]

What a great update. Jaynie's quality of life is what matters most and it looks like that is foremost in the plans you have made going forward. I pray that she not only has quality time, but a great quantity of it.

[greysmom]

Jaynie!

[Charlies_Dad]

Good to read Jaynie is doing well! Continued good thoughts your girl.

[MP_the4pack]

{{{{{{{{{Tracy}}}}}}}}}}

 

[EffieGrey]

We just had a suspicious X-ray taken of my 13 year 3 month old girl last night. We're still waiting on results from the radiologist but we are in shock and trying to figure out next steps. I have emailed Dr. Couto and will be sending him the X-rays to look at. Has anyone ever done amputation on a 13 year old? She's a young 13, still active and playful.

[TwiggysMom]

I so hope that this turns out to be something other than what you fear for your girl.

 

I can't advise as to age (b/c it really is just a number), but amputation is a very individual decision, and it's not right for every hound/home/situation.

 

For my girl Twiggy I did decide on amp, and have had a fabulously successful outcome, but she is not the typical result, so I can't say "look at her, this is what will happen".

 

This is a major surgery, and I think recoveries may be more difficult as age advances (based on human experience only - dogs seem to be more inclined to look for the possibilities rather than the difficulties).

 

If you choose to pursue amputation, do get Amicar on board for her beforehand to prevent the excessive bleeding that greys are prone to. Amputation (moreso for front-leg amps than hind-leg) has a lot of swelling and bruising, more than you can probably imagine. It gets worse before it gets better, and if you get to visit during the first couple days, you will barely recognize your hound. It does get better, albeit slowly. But, then, it gets better and fast!I

 

I think those of us with tripod hounds have found them to emerge somehow more than they ever were (both personality-wise and even (ironically), physically).

 

Sending good thoughts to you and your girl, I'm sorry you're going through this.

[EffieGrey]

It was confirmed by the radiologist and Dr Couto, Effie has cancer in her right humerus. We are heartbroken. We have an appointment on Saturday with the oncologist for next steps. I don't feel that she would tolerate amputation well but I'm waiting to hear what the vet says. We are thinking of radiation / pain management. This oncologist specializes in palliative care.

 

She still acts great and wants to run around and play. We celebrated her 9th gotcha day yesterday. Everything seems so surreal.

[Rickiesmom]

I am so sorry for your news, it is a very hard diagnosis to digest. But for now Effie is feeling good. Hoping you have plenty of quality time left with her. :hugs

[Guest beetle_slayer]

After explaining to my 8yr daughter that out Barbie is "sick" and there is no cure, she asked, "why does it happen?" I got the diagnosis a month ago after six or so weeks of limping every now and again. Amputation of the left front leg was done last Tuesday. This was an extremely difficult decision due to the prognosis. She is 6 1/2 years old. So young and so happy. After her amputation she bounced back really fast, with one problem. She has slipped a few times and now her left rear leg is hurting. She is in pain and now only with three legs. This surgery was supposed to rid the pain so she could be happy. I am questioning my/our decision now. I know there is only hope and no cure. She is still walking around and can jump up onto the couch and chair, but whimpers at times due to the pain. I will give it a few days to see if it improves. I don't want to talk about anything past that. I have already lost one girl to 3 leg breaks on the same leg within 6 weeks. The first available chemo date is Sep 10, my daughter's bday. This is the first I have really typed about it. I don't want to read to much around here because I have to deal with my own emotions and be strong for my 2 dogs, wife, and 2 children. So so hard as you all know. Dr. took her off tramadol for a few days and back on Previcox to help with the pain. The Previcox was driving up her bilirubin values from her liver. My goal was to let her be pain free and still have time to enjoy what she enjoys most: her couch up side down next to her daddy (me), her chair looking outside, and sunbathing. These are what make her happy. She is outside right now just enjoying the evening.

If it helps anyone reading this, NO decision is easy. As I am not in a completely clear mind from the whirlwind, I can't say I would or wouldn't do it again if I could turn back time. I didn't realize how hard this would be on me emotionally which I feel is something people should take into consideration. Fond someone who has been through it or is going through it and talk.

[tra708]

Hugs to you. It's hard to take, no matter which treatment you decide to go with. Sounds like you have a good doctor to advise you; that's really great.

[Rickiesmom]

beetle_slayer, please do not lose hope.

 

I have been down a very similar road - my Jaynie lost her left front leg to osteo at the beginning of April. Like Barbie, she bounced back incredibly well. We had no problems at the outset, and she started chemo and was sailing along, but at the beginning of June she started having trouble walking. I thought the cancer had returned in one of her back legs. My vet didn't think so and sent us to a neurologist. MRI showed a disc bulge at the lumbar-sacral junction.

 

We were going through chemo, so steroids were not a good choice, and, Jaynie has compromised kidneys, so we cannot use NSAIDs like Previcox. We went with rest (only short leash walks) Tramadol and Gabapentin. She also received cold laser treatments in the affected area.

 

Over time she improved and I was able to gradually wean the pain meds down to nothing, and at the same time very slowly and carefully increase her walking distance.

 

She hasn't shown any sign of discomfort for a number of weeks, but I waited until about two weeks ago to let her offleash, as I was very worried about a re-injury.

 

Jaynie runs again in the backyard, is doing very respectable distance walks considering she only has one front leg, and is a happy, happy girl.

 

Please do not lose hope. It is possible, as was the case with Jaynie, that what looks like a back leg problem could be a back problem.

 

This journey is a rollercoaster, especially in the early days. Please lean on us, as we have leaned on each other. :hugs

[Guest beetle_slayer]

I can feel her leg muscles twitching as she is lying down. I know the spinal cord nerves can cause all types of problems. The vet and I have both seen her with butt down and back legs splayed out screaming on more than one occasion. This was how my first grey fractured her hip when she slipped on the wet floor coming in from the snow. She didn't have good control of her back legs due to a previous FCE. She went down and never got back up until after surgery (FHO). She could have a back issue as you say, but I'm thinking it is a leg/knee/hip issue. I don't want to hit the heavy steroids if I don't have too. My wife is a recovery nurse in a hospital, so this helps a ton. I just wish I was a fraction as strong as her.

[Guest beetle_slayer]

We took Barbie home the evening after surgery and it was total hell with the narcotic keeping her wired and screaming. The vet recommended overnight care at an emergency clinic, but my wife and I wanted her home with us and knew we could take her to a much closer emergency clinic if needed. My wife rain an IV through her overnight that the Dr sent home. She never came to until morning. I loaded her up Wed, Thurs, and Fri and took her back for day visits at the vet. The ran fluids, checked urine, kept an eye on her. This was a HUGE stress reliever as she was in great hands. The day office visit was only 48.65 plus anything else they needed to do. The ghost pains seemed to last mostly just a day after surgery. She is a tough girl without the drama screaming my boy has. But her whimpering and whining tells me she is hurting.

Thank you for the support.

[greysmom]

I'm so sorry Barbie seems to be having a tough time. Just from experience, the first two weeks are the hardest ones. You are braver than I was to bring her home so soon. We left our boy in the hospital for 5 days post-surgery to be sure he was over the meds, and up and walking around on his own. They were great with him and we had a few extra days to get over the shock of a whirlwind weekend of very hard decisions.

 

Why did your vet take her off tramadol? The most effective pain releif seems to be from a trio of drugs working in concert - tramadol, gabapentin, and an nsaid (as tolerated). Tramadol and gabapentin have large dosing ranges so they can be adjusted as needed.

 

I'm also sorry to hear about Effie. HUGS to you and your family. My grandmother's name was "Effie."