I. Am. Tired.

September 28, 2008 by betaman

It’s funny how a little thing like not being able to breathe, can really slow a dog down. I sure want to run and play, but I just can’t.

The last couple of days have been hard. Although I’m eating like a horse (because of the Prednisone I’m now on), the nasty lung mets have been taking their toll on my breathing, and I’ve been hacking and coughing an awful lot.

Even an increased dosage of Prednisone didn’t really seem to keep me from panting. Robitussin doesn’t help anymore and I’ve stopped getting up to nose around, except to go to the bathroom.

Mom and Dad have been agonizing over what to do next. The “only thing” really wrong with me, is that I can’t breathe. I’m eating, I’m going potty, and I’m just as cuddly as ever.

Last night I had a hard time settling down, and coughed all night. My breathing went from bad to worse in less than 24 hours. This surprised and scared my pawrents enough to bring me to the closest town, Jackson, Wyoming, to hopefully see a vet tomorrow.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Help Tripawds Swim with K-9 Float Coat!

September 4, 2008 by betaman

New Ruff Wear Float Coats Now Available!

Order Ruff Wear Big Eddy and Portage Life Jackets Now – All Sizes Available!

Please visit the Tripawds Gear Shop!

Summer Sale: All Sizes Only $48.95!

Save up to $21.00! Price includes shipping to continental U.S.
Order now while supplies last!

Ruff Wear Inventory Closeout: Color may be substituted if preferred choice is unavailable. NO RETURNS OR EXCHANGES!

OUT OF STOCK:
LG Yellow, LG Red, MED Yellow, MED Red, SM Red, XS Yellow, XS Red

REMAINING AVAILABLE STYLES:
XL Red, XL Yellow, SM Yellow, XXS Red, XXS Yellow

(August 4, 2008) I love to swim. And yes, we three legged dogs really can swim! But since we tire easily, we can sometimes take on water.

My people discovered this the hard way, and stopped taking me to the lakes I love so much. That’s why I’m glad they got me a new K-9 Float Coat from Ruff Wear!

Now I can swim farther and longer than ever before. Ruff Wear’s new K-9 Float Coat provides the extra buoyancy your tripawd needs to truly enjoy swimming. Keep reading to read our product review and view the demonstration video we produced, or to order yours today!

What’s on the Menu Tonight, Ma?

September 3, 2008 by betaman

Three legged cancer dog Jerry wants new meal recipes and ideas for hiding supplements.

Dog Prescription Labels and Information Sheets: Please Read them

August 28, 2008 by betaman

Metronomic protocol dog cancer therapy requires doxycyline which cannot be given with diary products.

Navigating the Pet Health Insurance Maze

July 26, 2008 by betaman

Nine years ago, when Mom and Dad took me to my first vet visit, Mom saw pet insurance brochures on the counter. She remembers thinking to herself; “Insurance, for dogs? You’ve gotta be kidding.” Being new to dog parenting, she didn’t give it a thought after that, for a while.

During the first several years of my life, my vet bills were never more than a couple hundred bucks a year. But then I got cancer.

And as they say, houndsight is 20/20. Mom now thinks differently about insurance. She feels that if health insurance is so important for her, and my Dad, why not for me? I’m a family member too!