Osteo Thread Part 9

[MP_the4pack]

I'm sorry you joined this club. I went the amp route for two girls. A 9 year old, and 12 year old.

I went this route because I don't believe there's a strong enough med to keep them pain free. Maybe comfortable, not painless. They were in pain for 2 weeks post op. Then they enjoyed life thoroughly as tripods. My 12 year old made it 6 months. The 9 year old, 14 months. Both succumbed to OS spreading to another bone. Their lungs remained clear to the end.

 

But please remember, whatever choice you make is the right choice. You make it out of love for your girl.

[Guest gjohnson1989]

I'm sorry you joined this club. I went the amp route for two girls. A 9 year old, and 12 year old.

I went this route because I don't believe there's a strong enough med to keep them pain free. Maybe comfortable, not painless. They were in pain for 2 weeks post op. Then they enjoyed life thoroughly as tripods. My 12 year old made it 6 months. The 9 year old, 14 months. Both succumbed to OS spreading to another bone. Their lungs remained clear to the end.

 

But please remember, whatever choice you make is the right choice. You make it out of love for your girl.

Thank you for the advice. We're so nervous about amputation because our vet said we could still lose her suddenly. We don't want to put her through the stress and pain of a surgery where there's seemingly still a possibility it won't help. The vet also expressed a concern about her front left leg not being able to handle the increased pressure/weight due to probable arthritis. Our vet said she'd feel more comfortable if it were a rear leg but she said dogs carry 70% of their weight on their front legs so losing one causes a lot of stress and pressure.

[NeylasMom]

I'm sorry you're facing this. My opinion, that is a LOT of both medications for her to still be in pain. I've never even heard of giving that much Tramadol per dose to a female greyhound. I'm surprised she's not totally sedated. Also keep in mind that these guys mask pain very well and osteo is a very painful disease so if she's showing signs of pain, she's probably worse off than you realize.

[Guest gjohnson1989]

I'm sorry you're facing this. My opinion, that is a LOT of both medications for her to still be in pain. I've never even heard of giving that much Tramadol per dose to a female greyhound. I'm surprised she's not totally sedated. Also keep in mind that these guys mask pain very well and osteo is a very painful disease so if she's showing signs of pain, she's probably worse off than you realize.

Sorry for not being clear, those medication amounts are daily amounts not per dose. She gets 150 mg tramadol when I'm feeding breakfast at 530 before I leave for work. My wife then gives 150 mg tramadol, 500 mg gaba, and 1 tylenol 3 at 8 before she leaves for work. She then gets 150 mg tramadol at dinner around 5 when I get home from work then 150 mg tramadol, 500 mg gaba, and 1 tylenol 3 at 830. A few drops of CBD oil on her food at each meal.

Edited April 17, 2018 by gjohnson1989

[Charlies_Dad]

Not to influence anyone on which path to take, we chose amp and chemo for our angel Charlie and he survived 21mths post diagnosis. They were all very good months and only the last few days I saw that his fight was over so zero regrets with out decision. I know we were lucky but we were also very aggressive so that may have helped a bit who knows.

[BatterseaBrindl]

Sorry your girlie has been diagnosed with the EvilC.

Our Nixon had it in his upper left humerus and at age 12.5 we opted to keep him comfortable - which we did for 6 weeks on Gabapentin and MetaCam.

 

Partys medication dosages do sound quite high. Nixon was on half that does of Gaba, but of course all dogs react differently.

In a 10yr old dog, Imwould probably have the chest X-rays done and then decide if yiu want to do the amp.

 

[Guest gjohnson1989]

Sorry your girlie has been diagnosed with the EvilC.

Our Nixon had it in his upper left humerus and at age 12.5 we opted to keep him comfortable - which we did for 6 weeks on Gabapentin and MetaCam.

Partys medication dosages do sound quite high. Nixon was on half that does of Gaba, but of course all dogs react differently.

In a 10yr old dog, Imwould probably have the chest X-rays done and then decide if yiu want to do the amp.

Is it that much? According to our vet, we could go up to 900 mg a day of Tramadol, so we’re 2/3 maxed out. I’ve read a few things on this forum that says dogs can take a great deal of gaba. How much is considered high for a 75 lb female? (She’s a big girl!)

[NeylasMom]

Is it that much? According to our vet, we could go up to 900 mg a day of Tramadol, so were 2/3 maxed out. Ive read a few things on this forum that says dogs can take a great deal of gaba. How much is considered high for a 75 lb female? (Shes a big girl!)

I wasn't clear that that was total, not per dose. I think you would be better off splitting it between 3 doses daily. You do have room to increase the Gabapentin, but I still think its a fairly high amount of medication (including the Tylenol 3) for her to still be in pain.

 

As far as amp, they should be able to do the chest rads without anesthesia.

[Guest gjohnson1989]

We are going through with the amputation today. She had blood work done that didn't come back as great as the vet wanted. From my understanding, she's at risk of not being able to clot properly. Our vet said she would raise the danger of the surgery by 15%. My wife and I decided to go through with it because she's just in so much pain. The medications aren't doing a thing and she hasn't gotten a good nights rest in 4 or 5 nights. I gave her a big kiss and hug this morning as I dropped her off.

Edited April 20, 2018 by gjohnson1989

[NeylasMom]

for a smooth surgery and recovery

[greysmom]

For Party

 

Treatment options for osteo are a very personal thing. Your decision depends on so many factors that are very individual to your situation including your finances, your home set up, how Party tolerates lots of trips to the vet, her physical condition in the rest of her body. Whatever decision you make is the right one for your family.

 

Your vet should have been able to get chest xrays without sedation. Our vet never sedated our boy for any xrays. And the amp isn't a curative procedure, it's *entirely* to reduce the hideous pain from bone cancer. If you read through the very first post in this thread there are a lot of links to a ton of information about trreatments and follow ups. You don't say what part of the country you're in, but there are several trials right now of vaccines for osteo - make sure and ask your oncologist if Party qualifies and if you are near any on-going study centers.

 

Goinig forward: Right now, find some Amicar (arminocaproeic acid, I think it's spelled ?) . It's a drug that helps in clotting for dogs that have issues. It doesn't help in all cases, but it does seem to work in most greyhounds. It's a human drug used to treat excessive bleeding in women so you should be able to find it at most large pharmacies. An alternative is tranexamic acid.

 

If she can't have nsaids that limits your pain medications a little. Ask your vet about a new drug called Galliprant, which is being introduced now as a substitute for nsaids. Also tramadol never worked for us, and it can cause anxiety and restlessness in many greyhounds. We have use Codiene sulfate exclusively for several years when we need a pain reliever. High doses of gabapentin can also cause anxiousness if given in too high a dose. Fortunately it has a huge dosing range and comes in quite a few pill sizes so you can customize it for your dog. In general, with greyhounds, who metabolize many drugs faster that other breeds, you should opt for closer dosing times (every 6-8 hours) rather than higher doses farther apart.

 

Good luck and keep us posted!!

[tbhounds]

Amicar amicar amicar amicar!!!

[Guest gjohnson1989]

Thanks everyone! We got Amicar last night at the pharmacy. We were kind of blindsided by the price of that, $400.

 

We are in central Indiana. Our closest potential option for maybe getting into a trial is at Purdue University. They have an amazing veterinary school there and we were just there on Wednesdsay. No one mentioned anything about a trial but we will certainly call and ask.

 

Unfortunately, Party can have no NSAIDs. We almost lost her to a complication with Carprofen after first finding out about her osteo. The oncologist at Purdue did mention galliprant so I will ask our primary vet.

 

We will be starting chemo as soon as we can.

 

The vet called about an hour ago. Party is out of surgery and resting. Everything went well. Blood pressure stayed stable throughout. Breathing tube is out and she's swallowing on her own. No leakage so the vet says she is clotting well on her own. She's going to spend the rest of the day at the vet for observation and we will be picking her up around 7 pm tonight.

[MP_the4pack]

You are in my prayers. Remember, the first 2 weeks are difficult. You will doubt yourself probably every day. Hold on!

 

We are all here for you through this journey.

[BatterseaBrindl]

[macoduck]

For future reference, Tranexamic Acid can be a substitute for Amicar, says Dr Couto. Some pharmacies may have to order it but I got it at Walmart for less the $50.

[tbhounds]

For future reference, Tranexamic Acid can be a substitute for Amicar, says Dr Couto. Some pharmacies may have to order it but I got it at Walmart for less the $50.

Also compounding pharmacies will be a less expensive option for amicar. Diamondback and Wedgewood are two options.

[MP_the4pack]

How is she doing today?

 

How are you doing today?

[Guest gjohnson1989]

The first night was ROUGH. She was crying and yelping all night. She only seemed to get relatively comfy if we held her and rocked her a bit. Wife and I took shifts. We took her to the vet this morning to drain the drainage bag. Vet said everything looked good and her crying could have been due to coming around from the anesthesia. She got a shot of pain meds that allowed her to sleep on her bed for about 2 hours so the wife and I could get some interrupted sleep. Shes not wanting to walk at all but the vet said it could be due to all the pain meds on board.

[MaryJane]

The first 2 weeks are hell after amputation but, the recovery after that is usually astounding. They are usually out of pain and they are feeling so much better - it just awhile to get used to hopping. Make sure to give the amicar for the 5 days as they recommend and make sure it is the proper dose - you can check with Dr. Couto on the amount to give.

[Guest gjohnson1989]

Thanks for the info. We have a good schedule set up for the meds. We got lucky we could get the surgery on Friday so we could be here over the weekend for her. My wife is working from home on Monday and Wednesday and Im taking Tuesday off so she will have one or both of us for 5 days post op.

[Guest gjohnson1989]

What are some things we can do besides the pain meds to help keep her comfortable?

[tbhounds]

What are some things we can do besides the pain meds to help keep her comfortable?

Icing the area will help

[MP_the4pack]

Please keep the faith. Two weeks. You can do it. And it'll be worth it.

 

Do you have a sling?

[Guest gjohnson1989]

Thanks!

 

We do not have a sling. We were trying a towel under belly.