Month: December 2020

Happy New Years Eve!  This is two days after the first chemo treatment.  Feeling very happy today as last night Jessee had slightly soft stools so was getting concerned.  Added a bit of natural pumpkin to her dinner and firmed it right up, YAY.

Incision is healing really well and fur is growing back.  She is so alert and happy and just wants to be a part of everything.  It really is a totally different atmosphere in the house and in my heart than it’s been the past three weeks.

I love this group, the support and the knowledge that you can get here is amazing.  The oncologist praised us for making the decision to amputate so quickly, but without researching here and previsouly having a tripawd it might have been harder to do.  It certainly was the right decision for Jessee without a doubt.  She is such a happy girl again.  Stay safe everyone

Happy Wednesday!  Yesterday was a long day meeting the oncologist for the first time.  Jessee had her first treatment with carboplatin and had her stitches removed.  She left a happy girl with a new chemo bandana and a suckie baby toy.  So far so good!  She ate dinner last night and breakfast and lunch today.  Fingers crossed.  Bowels are a bit soft today so will need to watch that.  Oncologist also recommended she get started on 5 Defenders Real Mushroom capsules.  So we started those today.  We are also pursuing a oncologist nutrition consultant for a optimal diet for her.  We already make her an organic chicken stew (actually both the danes) so a bit more cooking is no big deal.  The next two weeks will be bloodwork each Tuesday and then the next carboplatin treatment.  The oncologist told me the vaccine that will be produced from her cancer cells is not a proven treatment so they will do the full course of the carboplatin first and then she will receive the targeted vaccine after.  She was a little bit lethargic last night but I guess that’s to be expected.  Her seromas are all gone from the surgery, all the discoloration on her stomach is gone and her front right foot has reduced swelling.  I guess overall she’s in pretty darn good shape considering.  Just wanted to share.  I’m so so so glad we amputated when we did.  It was only 8 days from diagnosis to amputation and its just so good not to see her in pain.

Jessee has always loved the front porch.  She is a people watcher and loves to bark (greet) everyone who goes by.  Yesterday i let her come out on the porch for the first time since the surgery.  One leg up onto the cushion of the stool so she could get a better view.  Then a post at the front gate.  My heart just fills with so much happiness right now with these days we are having.

She seems to be pretty much all healed up.  True to advice I received here, I did need to put a soft cone around her head as at night she would sneak a lick at the sutures.  Stopped that really fast.  Sneaky girl.  But overall things are going spectacularly well.  So tomorrow is first chemo appointment.  Hopefully things continue the way they are.

This was such a scarey morning on Dec 15th.  Eight days earlier she had been diagnosed with bone cancer after we were treating a slight limp and swollen foot.  Never thought it would happen so quickly.  On the way out the door I wanted to get one more picture of that nasty leg with all the cancer in it.  Turned out the surgeon said it was the size of a small grapefruit.  OMG.  No wonder she was in such pain.  So I made my feelings known but writing BAD on that leg.  Then off we went for a 4.5 hour anesthesia and a 2.5 hour procedure.  Surgeon told us later it was really difficult but she got good margins and lymph nodes were clear.  She’s been such a good patient.

Wanted to post these cause it was so scarey for me to see them.  this was the day we got the bandages taken off, which was last Monday or Dec 21.  She was such a good girl for the vets and was giving kisses and tail wags.  I thought I would be shocked but to my surprise I really wasn’t.  She’s still my sweet adorable diva dane.  She got her tripawd balance very quickly.  Probably because she had been in so much pain from that bad front left leg it must have been a huge relief to have it gone.  We were very fortunate from the time of diagnosis to the time of amputation was about 8 days.  It was a very long and painful 8 days for Jessee and us, but still it was quick with the holidays and COVID restrictions.  So thankful.

So she is healing very well.  She is walking really well.  Trying to keep her from doing too much which is interesting.  Involves alot of babysitting which is ok by me.  Having time with her is what it’s all about, painfree quality time!