Carboplatin - Swelling at IV Site

[Rickiesmom]

It hurts my heart to look at that leg and think of what she and you all have been through with this.  That the wound has been clean, no doubt thanks to your diligent care, is truly a blessing.

it is so good to know that Ginny is almost healed.   A good rehab practitioner will help if she doesn't start weight bearing once it is established there is no medical reason for it.

Thank you so much for the update, please do keep us posted.

[greytpups]

Oh my, I sure hope she’s weight bearing soon. Poor baby. 

[2greysdad]

The main problem is that our chemo treatment is now delayed and she has only had two rounds so far. The oncologist is advising us that there is no guarantee the next chemo treatment will be tolerated any better and we don't want to put her through this again. Also, she  wouldn't be get it anyway until the foot is healed. We are meeting with another oncologist next Friday to get a second opinion.

[Rickiesmom]

For what it's worth, my best experiences with oncology have been at a veterinary teaching hospital. Not only was the oncology centre fantastic, but there is a campus of board certified specialists to deal with whatever comes up.  If you have one near you, that may be an option to consider as well.

Also, there is a vaccine currently in trial, or has been recently, the trial may now be closed, not sure.  Admission requires completion of chemo, but please look into it - perhaps under Ginny's particular and exigent circumstances she might qualify on compassionate grounds.  Dr Nicola Mason at UPenn would be a good place to start. 

There are also post-chemo protocols intended to delay or slow down the progress of mets.  Your new oncologist or Dr. Couto whom you have dealt with already should be able to advise in general, as well as whether any of those would be worth pursuing.

Finally, there is increasing evidence that dogs who develop infections at the amputation site have longer survival times, sometimes years.  While Ginny hasn't had an infection her immune system has certainly been engaged, and that may help her too.

ETA:  I would wait for the opinion of another oncologist at a different clinic before accepting the opinion of your current one as definitive.  Which you are doing by having this consult, but please try not to take that advice to heart before an independent consult.

Edited July 7, 2019 by Rickiesmom

[2greysdad]

Rickiesmom, yes, absolutely. We are pursuing all options you mentioned. 

[NeylasMom]

Wow, that looks awful, but so so glad she finally seems to be on the mend.

[Rickiesmom]

A friend sent me a list of vet hospitals participating in the Aratana trial (not exactly the same vaccine as Dr Mason's).  Posting it here for you and anyone else for whom it may be timely:

• Southern Arizona Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center, Tucson, Ariz.
• Veterinary Cancer Group of Los Angeles, Culver City, Calif.
• SAGE Centers for Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Care, Campbell, Calif.
• Veterinary Specialty Hospital by ETHOS, San Diego, Calif.
• VRCC Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital, Englewood, Colo.
• Veterinary Cancer Center, Norwalk, Conn.
• Southeast Veterinary Oncology and Internal Medicine, Jacksonville, Fla.
• Blue Pearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Tampa, Fla.
• MedVet Medical & Cancer Centers for Pets, Carmel, Ind.
• Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
• Blue Pearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Overland Park, Kans.
• New England Veterinary Oncology Group, Waltham, Mass.
• Blue Pearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, Southfield, Mich.
• Oradell Animal Hospital, Paramus, N.J.
• VCA Veterinary Care Animal Hospital and Referral Center, Albuquerque, N.M
• Katonah Bedford Veterinary Center, Bedford Hills, N.Y.
• MedVet Medical & Cancer Centers for Pets – Columbus, Worthington, Ohio
• Veterinary Cancer & Surgery Specialists, Milwaukie, Ore.
• Hope Veterinary Specialists, Malvern, Penn.
• Upstate Veterinary Specialists, Greenville, S.C.
• Sugar Land Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Care, Sugar Land, Tex.
• Veterinary Specialist of North Texas, Ft. Worth, Tex.
• The LifeCentre, Springfield, Va.
• Bridge Animal Referral Center, Edmonds, Wash.
• Wisconsin Veterinary Referral Center, Waukesha, Wis.

[Rickiesmom]

The most recent Tripawds newsletter included a piece on how to search for clinical trials.  It provides a link to the AVMA search page.  There is an OSA trial going on in New York that is recruiting.  Note there are two ways of searching - using the form that appears on the page associated with this link or you can choose "Search all Studies" above the form, which takes you to a page where you can select filters.  I preferred that one.

 

[Rickiesmom]

Checking in, hoping things are going well !

[2greysdad]

Ginny is getting better but we are still waiting for the leg to heal. It’s a pretty deep wound so it will take some time.