Week 1 has been a roller coaster of ups and downs for us. This surgery has been especially hard for a senior dog. For us, Porter puts on a happy face and tries his hardest, I imagine to please us; And we are so thankful for such a big hearted companion! Yesterday while the dog sitter was there, Porter stumbled on a small step and fell on his incision. No harm done, but after getting up and going to the bathroom, he laid down in the grass and refused to move. He had to be carried back inside. Overall he is doing remarkably well but there are these little regressions that remind us of what an ordeal this surgery is for our dogs. Yesterday evening Porter had his first car ride since surgery. He went back to the vets to be shaved and have his last fentanyl patch applied. He walked to the car and only needed minimal help getting in and out of the car, less than before surgery. He is still eating and drinking well and his incision is healing nicely. Waiting…we are waiting for the dreaded biopsy report. Maybe tomorrow or early next week. And then decision time. Right now we are thinking we will not do chemotherapy if it is recommended.
We are so thankful for your website. Not only is it a place to vent our feelings, but by putting our experiences into words it helps give us the courage to assimilate each step we take and move on. Reading the blogs of others is like a glimpse along the path we will most likely take before we actually walk it or hop, if you are a tripawd. These blogs give us time to prepare for the hurdles that will come… Thank you!
I apologize for being rude but I’ll cut to the chase: why would you not agree to do the chemo? My vet said that amputation plus chemo provided the best prognosis. I really trust the vets at the U niversity of Wisconsin. They said that chemo only produces side effects in about 20-25% of patients and the med they use is called “carboplatin” and it interacts directly with DNA to interfere with DNA repair and halts the replication of neoplastic cells.
I am not trying to change your mind but as I told my friend in Jan when she lost her cocker spaniel to cancer: you don’t want to look back and wonder if you should have done something differently. I will keep you in my prayers.
Oscar’s mom (Lora), Oscar and Gus
Good luck in the coming weeks with Porter and your decisions. Follow your heart and your gut in your decisions with how to continue to treat Porter. My tripawd, Maggie, has been treated homeopathically, by Dr. Charles Loops(does phone consults), so that could be an option for you too. I haven’t done chemo on Maggie and she is coming up on her 4th year of amputation. She is now fighting a different battle of kidney disease…
Hugs to you and know I’m thinking of you and have “been there, done that”…you are in good company here!
Tracy & Maggie
Thanks so much for the encouragement. We are living one day at a time right now. And enjoying each one…
KT
Porter, you are one fine looking up!! Beautiful coat by the way….even with so much shaved off!
I KNOW this recovery time is sooooo hard to watch. Porter is doing exactly what happens to most “mature” larger dogs. It just takes awhile longer. Actually though, this is still so early in recoveryit’s too early to tell if it will take longer or ot!!
Just a “for whatever it’s worth
ooooops…..anyway..for whatever it’s worth…..some dogs stopped the patch and went with just tramadol as the patch jist made them way too woozy and lots of crashes. Just a thought.
Whatever decisin you make treatment wise will be the right decision! You k ow Your Porter better than anyone and any decision made out of love is always the right decision? You will always be supported here!! No judgement..just lots of love:-) 🙂
The good news is–right now you don’t have to worry about that. Keep it chunked down and focus just on today.
Your immediate goal is to get Porter’s recovery flowi g smoothly—-seeing that tail wag and that sparkle in his eyes!
And that’s happening! Stay stuck to us like glue! We are here every step of the way!! We’ve got tns of Elmer’s glue over ere!
Look forward to your updates AND great pnotos!
GOOD JOB MOM AND PORTER! Great team!
Sally and Happy Hannah
You are doing a wonderful job and your love and devotion comes shi ing through!!
Porter has such a lovable face. I just want to lay down and snuggle next to him.
That is great that he is eating well as so many struggle after surgery. Shooter is a senior too (almost 14) and has adapted well. I think Porter is right on schedule.
Hang in there – we are sending our best thoughts your way. Whatever decisions you make will be the right ones for you.
Take care!
Luanne and Shooter