betaman – Page 19 – for ingesting porpoises only

Eating again, and on the road.

September 25, 2008 by betaman

Jerry regains his appetite after refusing his canine cancer supplement diet, and a visit to Dr. Mullins where he received new medications for his advanced osteosarcoma canine cancer metastasis.

Happy Ampuversary to Eisen and Calpurnia

September 21, 2008 by betaman

Two three legged Colorado dogs celebrate one year after cancer diagnosis and amputation surgery.

Tripawd Memory Books: Easy to Make, Fun to Give, Last Forever

September 18, 2008 by betaman

And now, a word from my pawrents:

You and I know; every pawstep your beloved Tripawd takes is a remarkable achievement, and one that deserves to be celebrated. So as you embark on your new journey together, be sure to capture these beautiful moments, by making your own custom Tripawds Memory Book on your computer, with free digital scrapbooking software.

It’s easy to do, even for technically challenged humans. These free tutorials can show you how.

Once your design is complete, you can either print individual pages to drop into photo albums, or order custom hard-bound coffee table books printed from your artwork. Page and book sizes range from 8″ x 8″ to 12″ x 12.” The options are endless. Read on to find out more or see how we can design a custom memory book for you!

What to expect next …

September 17, 2008 by betaman

Personally, I expect to be treated like a King! Yeah, like I haven’t been all my life already. But since this site is all about sharing cancer dog experiences to help others prepare and cope, here goes …

During my recent visit with Dr. Mullins, we got the low down on what to expect now that my lung mets have started to really hinder my breathing:

With one lung only working at about 10% capacity, I can expect to get really tired, really quick. So long walks and playing hard are out of the question.
With my new medication, hopefully my appetite will return within a few days. But there are no promises at this point.
There is no stopping the osteosarcoma metastasis anymore. It got smart and found a way to beat the Cytoxan that worked for months as part of my metronomic protocol therapy.
I will pant heavily and let out a deep wet cough, more frequently as time goes on.
With a mass as large as I have growing out of control now, there is a small chance that it could fragment and throw a clot into my bloodstream. This could cause a sudden cardiac arrest at anytime.
At some point in the not too distant future, my people will need to make some serious quality of life decisions.
All things considered, this is a pretty classic progression of the disease.

On the cover of PlayPup magazine

September 16, 2008 by betaman

PlayPup Magazine Features Jerry the Three Legged Dog on the cover of special Tripawds edition.

Living Life One Day at a Time

September 15, 2008 by betaman

First off, thanks everyone for your loving thoughts and words that you’ve been sending my way. We are so blown away by your concern. We love you guys!

Today I went to see Dr. Marie Mullins, my oncologist in Denver, at the Animal Hospital Center. I haven’t seen her since we were in Santa Fe last May. She is such a great doc, and it was so reassuring and calming to be around her again now that she’s in Denver. She says that I look really good overall, and that I don’t have that “I’m tired/done/pooped” look that she’s seen before in other cancer dogs nearing their end days.

But as you know, I haven’t been eating much, if anything lately. I’ve just had the “blahs” and have been turning away from the great foods that my pawrents have put in front of me. The last few days, Mom and Dad let me skip my supplements, just hoping to get me to eat something that wasn’t filled with pills or green things I might be sick of eating.

Salute to Three Legged Giant Breed Dogs: Your Pics Wanted

September 14, 2008 by betaman

Photos of three legged giant breed dogs after amputation surgery.

On my Way to the Clinic in Denver

September 12, 2008 by betaman

Hey everyone, guess what? My favorite oncologist, Dr. Marie Mullins, has relocated from Santa Fe’s Veterinary Cancer Care clinic, to the Animal Hospital Center in Denver, Colorado. What a neat coincidence that she’s there now, because my Mom and Dad are worried about my lack of appetite lately, and they think I should see the doc. And Denver is a lot closer to where we are now, so on Saturday, we are packing up and leaving the ranch. My appointment is on Monday afternoon.

I’m gonna be honest with you all, because we’re family here, right? My pawrents started this blog as a way to update friends and family about how I’m doing . . . all the good news, and any bad news too. It’s therapy for us, and we hope, for you as well.

So here goes . . .

The Power of Pawsitive Thinking

September 10, 2008 by betaman

Thinking positive thoughts will also help your dog heal from amputation surgery and battle a cancer diagnosis.

Life After Lalla: Three Big Paws to Fill

September 7, 2008 by betaman

The following post was generously written by Sasha, dog Mom to our dear beloved friend Lalla, who sadly passed away in June.

Yesterday marked a big event in the life of Troy, our new eighteen month old chocolate Labrador; he met Star, our hero Tripawd neighbor.

It was fascinating to watch this hyper-love bundle glue himself to Star’s side as they walked together, and I am sure that Star imparted a lot of information (backed by affectionate “get off, you big lump” growls) in a way that I never could to our new boy.

Troy arrived a week ago, with the healing power of a dynamo powered Mack truck, embracing life with an attitude that Lalla had as well; in fact many people who meet Troy think he’s Lalla’s own son, a legacy I’m sure he bears with pride. He hears her name on a regular basis, and her story is marked in his environment.

I really had no idea when I was going to take a new dog on into my life; I was mourning, and still mourn for Lalla, but her joy and bravery vanquishes nearly every up and coming flood of tears. That’s what it’s like when you’ve had the privilege of living with a hero – you’re inspired.