Osteo Thread Part 9

[gracegirl]

Are you guys ready for some good news? The nodule is shrinking!!! If the oncologist hadn’t know it was there from prior X-rays, she wouldn’t have even noticed it! The Palladia is doing it’s job. I’m thrilled. We’ll get the official report back from the radiologist tomorrow but there were no new nodules that the oncologist could spot so we are staying the course with our current meds and supplements. More X-rays in seven weeks to keep tabs, but I am so relieved. 

Edited May 5, 2023 by gracegirl

[1Moregrey]

 That is great news!!!

[ramonaghan]

 Go, Tessie, go!  

[FiveRoooooers]

 WTG Tessie!! 

[greysmom]

That's awesome news!!!!  Thanks for sharing her progress with us!!        

[EllenEveBaz]

   

 

[gracegirl]

Has anyone hear of the Budwig Remedy? I found this in a Facebook group and it sounds interesting  

 

The Budwig Diet was discovered/invented by Dr Johanna Budwig, a German biochemist who found high quality flax seed oil could bring oxygen to the tissues; but the flax seed oil needs the help of a sulfur containing protein to be well absorbed into the body – thus cottage cheese. Because cancer develops in a low oxygen environment, flax seed oil makes it harder for cancer to find that place to grow in the body.

Budwig Recipe:
2 tablespoons flaxseed oil, fresh, refrigerated 1/4 cup cottage cheese, organic
   Mix together so that the cottage cheese is no longer oily. If it is still oily, add more cottage cheese.
Feed this mixture to your pet two or three times a day every day on an empty stomach. Wait one hour to feed a regular meal.
Every day: Feed 1-2 teaspoons for cats, up to 1⁄2 cup twice a day for large breed dogs.
Make fresh at each meal. Flax seeds can be used but should be ground fresh then mixed into cottage cheese. While this won’t stop all cancers, it will go a long way to provide healing oxygen to the cells of your dog or cat’s body.
That in itself is incredibly healthful!

[greysmom]

It sounds like a good theory, but that's always how they rope you in, right???

I keep going back to what someone said to me years ago - when the low carb diet craze for cancer was going on - if this really worked, it would be EVERYWHERE in human cancer treatment.  If it really worked as promised, everyone in the world would know about it and use it.  Mammal biology isn't that different on the cellular level, so if it works for dogs it would work for people, and visa versa, which is why they can cross-purpose research between human and animal medicine (like how her targeted DNA therapy was developed).

Other than adding a LOT of fat to a diet - which could cause it's own problems - there's nothing that would "hurt" her, but there's also no reason to think this is any more effective than any other feeding strategy, or just regular food.

[ramonaghan]

Honestly I would keep doing what you're doing instead of introducing new variables. It's clearly agreeing with her!

[gracegirl]

The Yale vaccine expanded to 10 clinics. I made a call to MedVet in Salt Lake City to see if Tessie is eligible. I’m hearing rumors she might not be because of Torigen which would save me 32 hours of driving so we’ll see what happens. 

[greysmom]

I saw that announcement.  Very exciting!!

[Gim]

Thank you all for this amazing and informative thread!

Just to add to the discussion, last Friday our Greyhound unfortunately got diagnosed with a bone tumour on his rear leg. After a blood test, thankfully he doesn't have any other conditions. He's going to be turning 12 years in June, and our vet gave us 3 choices:

1. Leave him as is and provide painkillers as required

2. Perform an amputation on the infected rear leg

3. Perform the same amputation and conduct chemotherapy.

 

Currently, given the pain our Greyhound is receiving, we felt like an amputation would help alleviate his pain for his remaining time. However, we weren't sure about chemotherapy. Even if it extended his life, we are scared of its potential side effects which would make his remaining life miserable. 

 

Do people have any advice regarding chemotherapy on Greyhounds?

 

 

 

[Beachbum1]

Dogs do not react to chemo like humans do, so if you are comparing to what a family member has gone through, it doesn't happen like that.

Most dogs have little or no side effects, other than some possible nausea after administration, and that can be immediately controlled by taking Cerenia.  Maybe a little tired for a day or so.

Your oncologist can explain more.

  

Edited May 29, 2023 by Beachbum1

[gracegirl]

Echoing that dogs do not experience the same side effects from chemo. I would not amputate without also doing chemo as osteo is aggressive and likely lurking microscopically through the body, thus the importance of chemotherapy for the quality of life you’re looking for. 
 

I’m sorry for your diagnosis. It’s a terrible disease. 

[MP_the4pack]

I went through a front leg amp and chemo on a 12. She had a terrific 6 months. Even chasing deer, much to my chagrin. She was happy and pain free and I didn't worry about her breaking a leg.

[gracegirl]

I spoke with an oncologist at MedVet in Salt Lake City yesterday and we’ve been accepted into the trial for the Yale Vaccine. I’m going to my oncologist next Thursday for another set of chest X-rays and assuming they are clear or only a few small nodules, we will make arrangements to drive out to SLC for the trial. There’s really not enough data yet to say what the outcome might be, but if it can extend Tessie’s time with us, it will be worth it. 

[FiveRoooooers]

9 minutes ago, gracegirl said:

I spoke with an oncologist at MedVet in Salt Lake City yesterday and we’ve been accepted into the trial for the Yale Vaccine. I’m going to my oncologist next Thursday for another set of chest X-rays and assuming they are clear or only a few small nodules, we will make arrangements to drive out to SLC for the trial. There’s really not enough data yet to say what the outcome might be, but if it can extend Tessie’s time with us, it will be worth it. 

This is exciting! We’ll be thinking of you and Tessie, please keep us posted! 

 

[greysmom]

  for Tessie!!!

[Sundrop]

Hi all - was hoping to never post on this thread again, but here goes...

Our gorgeous 10-year-old girl was running down the stairs in our house when she hit the landing, she screamed in pain (and kept screaming and lashing out at us). Got her to the e-vet where they diagnosed a "high humerus" break (clean in two) and referred us to an orthopedic surgeon. I questioned if it was cancer and they were non-committal. This morning at the specialist, they are 99% sure it was due to osteosarcoma. She was still screaming in pain and literally our options were to amputate or euthanize since palliative care was not an option. 

We slept in the car with her last night in our driveway since we refused to leave her at the e-vet overnight (we did that once, and the practice screwed up and caused the death of our first greyhound) and we couldn't get her in the house due to pain. This morning we left her at the vet, they sedated her, gave her pain meds and they were doing her bloodwork. Chest x-ray was clean, bloodwork was clean and she went into surgery about 30 minutes ago. 

Been reading the blog on what to expect (pinned in the first post of this thread) - but a lot of the links were dead. Does anyone have current links to resources for comfortable amputee harnesses (it's her right front leg) and the cute t-shirts? We are already moving everything out of our bottom floor (carpeted) guest room (no stairs access to the backyard) and we will take turns living with her down there. Anything else that is imperative? 

So, she is 10 and was diagnosed with spondylosis earlier this year - it makes her stiff, but she still gets around. She was retired due to the back left hock tear that still gives her some trouble. Are we crazy for going forward with the amputation? We lost our last girl at 8.5 due to bone cancer and we didn't amputate and I always regretted that we didn't give her a fighting chance (hers was very aggressive). She is a tough little dog... I am so darned sad (and scared). 

[ramonaghan]

5 minutes ago, Sundrop said:

Hi all - was hoping to never post on this thread again, but here goes...

Our gorgeous 10-year-old girl was running down the stairs in our house when she hit the landing, she screamed in pain (and kept screaming and lashing out at us). Got her to the e-vet where they diagnosed a "high humerus" break (clean in two) and referred us to an orthopedic surgeon. I questioned if it was cancer and they were non-committal. This morning at the specialist, they are 99% sure it was due to osteosarcoma. She was still screaming in pain and literally our options were to amputate or euthanize since palliative care was not an option. 

We slept in the car with her last night in our driveway since we refused to leave her at the e-vet overnight (we did that once, and the practice screwed up and caused the death of our first greyhound) and we couldn't get her in the house due to pain. This morning we left her at the vet, they sedated her, gave her pain meds and they were doing her bloodwork. Chest x-ray was clean, bloodwork was clean and she went into surgery about 30 minutes ago. 

Been reading the blog on what to expect (pinned in the first post of this thread) - but a lot of the links were dead. Does anyone have current links to resources for comfortable amputee harnesses (it's her right front leg) and the cute t-shirts? We are already moving everything out of our bottom floor (carpeted) guest room (no stairs access to the backyard) and we will take turns living with her down there. Anything else that is imperative? 

So, she is 10 and was diagnosed with spondylosis earlier this year - it makes her stiff, but she still gets around. She was retired due to the back left hock tear that still gives her some trouble. Are we crazy for going forward with the amputation? We lost our last girl at 8.5 due to bone cancer and we didn't amputate and I always regretted that we didn't give her a fighting chance (hers was very aggressive). She is a tough little dog... I am so darned sad (and scared). 

I'm so sorry for this diagnosis. What a horrible shock and such a hard decision to have to make so quickly. No, you're not crazy for doing the amp. You want to remove the source of your girl's horrific pain. We did it for Sweep at age 11 and she had some hind end weakness and an arthritic toe from an old racing injury, but she did fine and we got 14 good months with her after the initial leg break. I am sure the specialists and surgeon would have said if they thought your girl wasn't a good candidate.

Sweep was a hind leg amp, but we really liked the Flagline harness from Ruffwear and it gets good reviews from front leg amps as well. Sweep was about 62 lbs pre-amp and the medium fit her well. In the meantime, a folded towel or pillowcase will work as a makeshift sling to help get her out to potty. She will likely be very woozy and wobbly, so it's not a bad idea to have pee pads on hand as well as plenty of clean blankets and towels to make a pallet on the floor for her that can be easily washed in the event of drainage (unlikely) or accidents. 

She probably won't want to eat the first 2-3 days. Don't force antibiotics on an empty stomach. Pediasure, plain Pedialyte (no fake sugars), oatmeal, boiled chicken, coconut water are all things that got Sweep eating again, and she felt so much better then. You won't want to be running back and forth to the grocery store the first few days, so stock up on a few things that might entice her.

Is she on Amicar? Hopefully so. Gabapentin was prescribed but it always made Sweep unsteady (not good for a new tripod), so we ditched it as soon as she was off the Amicar and we could restart an NSAID. Immediate improvement in her mobility and apparent pain level once she had Previcox on board.

Just remember the first week or two are hell and then things improve dramatically. We're here if you need us.  

[Sundrop]

Thank you, ramonaghan!

We didn't know anything about Amicar until I started reading this thread. It all happened so fast. She was already on Rimadyl for her spondylosis and we were given Gabapentin at the e-vet last night for pain. Is this something I should ask the surgeon about when we bring her home? We will definitely stock on foods/drinks for her. We will both be home with her and we live super close to multiple grocery stores, so we can definitely run out to get her whatever she needs. Will definitely order some pee pads today so they'll be here, we have lots of old towels that we will use in the meantime. 

She hasn't been eating well for awhile now and I've taken her to the vet a few times and they never found anything. I had a terrible feeling it was something like this and I am guessing she's been in pain, though she wasn't limping at all on that leg. 

[ramonaghan]

8 minutes ago, Sundrop said:

Thank you, ramonaghan!

We didn't know anything about Amicar until I started reading this thread. It all happened so fast. She was already on Rimadyl for her spondylosis and we were given Gabapentin at the e-vet last night for pain. Is this something I should ask the surgeon about when we bring her home? We will definitely stock on foods/drinks for her. We will both be home with her and we live super close to multiple grocery stores, so we can definitely run out to get her whatever she needs. Will definitely order some pee pads today so they'll be here, we have lots of old towels that we will use in the meantime. 

She hasn't been eating well for awhile now and I've taken her to the vet a few times and they never found anything. I had a terrible feeling it was something like this and I am guessing she's been in pain, though she wasn't limping at all on that leg. 

Sweep never limped either. These dogs are SO stoic.

Yes, I'd ask the surgeon about Gabapentin only because it usually requires an adjustment period even for four-leggers, so if she's not used to it, the additional wobbliness won't do her any favors. She will probably be cleared for Rimadyl as soon as she finishes Amicar (and *definitely* ask about getting some Amicar to take home).

I am glad there are two of you. I couldn't have done this without my husband. They are fairly helpless when they first get home and quite challenging (read: heavy) to get in and out the first couple of days. Do you know yet whether the clinic plans to keep her one night or two? If she's not too anxious and it doesn't break the bank, you might appreciate having her there an extra night. 

Edited June 13, 2023 by ramonaghan

[FiveRoooooers]

I am so sorry that you all know, and need to know, so much about this hideous disease. 

[Sundrop]

Got a prescription for Amicar and found a great coupon on GoodRX (it's SO expensive otherwise). Brought her home about an hour ago - she is able to hop around already and she's resting comfortably in her new home downstairs.  Official biopsy results will be 7-14 days and we already have a referral to an oncologist. 

/fingers crossed

[ramonaghan]

Sounds like she's doing great. I know you're glad to have her home! Good news on the Amicar. 

 Keep us posted.