I know it has been a little while. Carly is doing well. She had her 4th round of Carboplatin yesterday, and besides being really tired after the big day, she has done great! She is getting around great although got mad at us when we put up a temporary fence to keep her off the hill in the back yard when we got snow. But, she has adapted! She has also lost some more weight, and is down to 59 kg. (130 pounds), so, the doctor is very happy about that. She has been a very happy puppy, getting around great, and is enjoying life! The one doctor that gave her the treatment this time said that she usually only does 5 treatments. Her other doctor said she will do 6 as long as the dog is handling it okay. So, when we go back in a month, we are going to talk to her original doctor and see what she thinks. Has anyone else ever had this decision to make? In my eyes, if the 6th treatment will help just a little more, I’m all for it. She is doing okay with the treatments so I don’t see any harm in it. Thoughts? I will try to update a little sooner next time! Off to cuddle with my girl!
Second Try for Round 2 Chemo Successful!
I’m sorry it has been a while since I’ve posted, but, been busy with the holiday’s, working, and spending lots of cuddle time with my girl. Carly’s levels bounced back after waiting another week for the chemo treatment, so, they have decided to keep the level of medicine the same, but just push the treatments to 4 weeks apart instead of 3, to help her body adjust more after each treatment. The second treatment went well. She was so excited to go and see all the nurses there, they spoil her! We got her home, and she slept the rest of the day. Usually wears her out. Her appetite has been good since. There was one morning, 3 days after treatment, she didn’t finish her breakfast, but other than that, she has scarfed down her food. I have noticed the last couple days she seems to tire easily. She will be outside, or even inside, and she will be up for a bit, but then will need to lay down and rest. I’m sure that it’s okay, just worry I’m not doing something right for her. She has not lost anymore weight, but has not gained either, remaining steady at 61 kg. When I asked the doctor about it, she said ideally, they would like to see her lost about 8-10 pounds. But she seems to be getting along great, so they are not overly concerned, but would still like to see her lost that to ease the pressure on her other joints. I’ve changed her to a Grain Free Healthy Weight version of the same brand of food. We will see if that makes any difference. She is still getting 3 smaller meals a day, but this does not seem to do much as far as her appetite. But, she is definitely a very happy pup since her surgery, which is nearing 2 months now (on the 13th)!!. We have been spoiling her. She enjoyed putting the Christmas tree up, as you can see from the picture above. We’ve gotten her and our other pup Gracie a lot of toys and bones for Christmas already! Just enjoying every minute we have with her, knowing it is a blessing! Well, I will try to do better at updates. Thank you for following Carly’s story!
Well, that was a real bummer. Took Carly to OSU for her second chemo treatment, but bloodwork failed to pass the stipulations. Her white blood cell count was very low at 700, and they will not do the chemo treatment unless it is 2,000+ because it will make her really sick. We don’t want that! So, with Thanksgiving coming up it got pushed back a little farther than normal. So we go back next Monday. They put her on an antibiotic for 5 days to boost her cell count back up. Just makes me worry because with her immune system so low, I’m afraid that that gives the cancer an upper hand. She has been so full of energy, and in such a good mood, getting around great, but, with her diet change to help her lose weight, she gained 1 kb. So that stinks because she acts like she is constantly starving! But, as you can see from the picture, she still loves looking out her window, and she was looking for my husband because she heard the truck, and she always wants to go for a ride. So, guess this was one of those little bumps in the road people talk about. I just hope it’s a little one.
Blood work check 1 week post chemo
So, we took Carly and had her blood work done to make sure the chemo was at the right amount and was not affecting her white cell count or her liver. All looks great. We go back in 2 weeks for round 2 of chemo. We got a little frustrated at this visit because they were talking about Carly’s weight, and suggested that she lose some weight. So, we have basically did our own “diet” since she was diagnosed. It has mainly consisted of chicken breast, brown rice, broccoli, an occasional serving of cottage cheese or yogurt, and her kibble as well as oats. She has not wanted to eat much kibble, and that might be because we have her spoiled. So, they basically told us today, with Carly’s weight at 60 kg. (132 pounds), they would like her on a 1,600 calorie diet. Now, before she went into surgery, she was 156. So she has lost about 6 pounds with the leg, and the rest has been weight loss. I didn’t think that was too bad, and Carly looks good. I realize it’s more about muscle mass and getting that back. What we are running into is, with the food we have switched her too, Whole Earth Farms Chicken and Turkey Grain Free, she gets one cup of that (348 calories), one cup of chicken breast (231 calories), one cup of brown rice (320 calories) or broccoli and one cup of cottage cheese (210 calories) or a couple tablespoons of yogurt, she is getting about 1100 calories IN ONE MEAL! And we have noticed, the last 3 or 4 days, she has been acting like she is starving, eating her food faster, and starting to beg again. So basically we are going to have to cut that one meal in half. So we want her to be able to move around easier and lessen the pressure on her other joints, although she is having no problems getting around now, she does tend to tire easy. Anyone else have any suggestions or dealt with this kind of calorie restriction with their Tripawd with Osteosarcoma? Other than the weight, Carly is doing amazing! Spending a lot of time on her hill, just watching, and we are enjoying our time outside as much as possible while the weather permits us!
3 Day Post Chemo
Well, so far, Carly has not had any side effects with the chemo treatment other than maybe some lethargy. Appetite is as good as ever! Yeah! I’m trying to find a better dog food for her though. She was on Pedigree Healthy Joints before, and I noticed the first ingredient is Corn, which is not good for cancer. But, we had her on Blue Diamond a while ago, and it irritated her stomach and we had to take her off of it. I was wondering what you all suggested. Maybe a happy medium. She also loves her chicken, brown rice and broccoli as well as steel cut oats for breakfast. Thank you all in advance for suggestions!
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