My lovely girl Lucy is now three days post op from her front leg amputation. She is a bit more alert with her Fentanyl patch to be removed tomorrow. He appetite is poor. Although shaky in the legs, when she does get up, she is managing hoping around fine. She tires very easily. My main concern is her rate of breathing. It seems as though her resting breath rate is 45-50 breaths per minute. Her confirmed diagnosis is not yet in but is probably osetosarcoma as the bone on her xray was eaten away. My worry is that it is already in her lungs making her breathing compromised. How do dogs present when the cancer has invaded her lungs? She really only presented a few weeks ago with a limp.
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Another Amazing Tripawds Three Legged Dog Blog
Hello and welcome to Tripawds- you’ve been in the forums, right? I seem to remember Lucy’s story. If you haven’t been there you should check them out: http://tripawds.com/forums/ lots of info on amputation, recovery and treatment. And more people there too.
Your vet probably xrayed the lungs before surgery? That is the most common method used to see lung mets. Unfortunately even if they are not seen xray the cancer is often in the body in microscopic form. That being said- I’ve never heard of any pup having lung issues from mets if they were not visible on an xray.
Hopping takes a huge amount more effort than walking, and the pain meds make many dogs pant, even at rest.
Of course you should check with your vet if you are concerned.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Awwww, what a beautiful girl. Welcome Lucy.
Maybe if you look at some of the forums you can get some answers. There are a lot of experienced people here, and we’re all here to support you. I notice increased breathing with our dog sometimes. Seems to be linked with humidity I think. The first 2 weeks after amputation are the hardest…. then with each passing day it gets better. Our dog is two and a 1/2 months after amputation and he’s doing steps, swimming, walking and more. I sure hope Lucy has a wonderful recovery and you get a lot more time with her. How old is she?
Has your vet diagnosed cancer. We have a cancer dog and elected to treat it by changing diet. Grains, sugars and most processed foods will feed cancer cells, so we have started a regimen of fresh fruit, and par cooked vegetables to supplement his grain free kibble. There are several good brands on the market today.
Can you give me the name of good brands on the market. I have read about carbs feeding the cancer cells but might not always have time to make home made. thanks
Lookin’ good Lucy!
We are not vets, but it is very doubtful that her breathig is a sign of metastasis so soon. While “micromets” are usually present at the time of diagnosis, they usually don’t even show up on x-rays. And they won’t affect breathing until they start to consume both lungs. It is far to early to think about such things, but search the forums and blogs for metastasis if you want to learn more.
Her breathing is likely elevated because she is still on pain meds and tires very easily as she rebuilds her strength. Sounds like she’s doing great, thanks for the update.
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Thanks all for your comments. She did have a clear chest x ray and will have her Fentanyl patch taken off tomorrow. she went outside to lay in the grass and listen to the late fall sounds this evening…it was so good to see her do something she loves…I am new to this blog thing and will look at the forums for further information….This site is great…I told the guys at U of Penn vet clinic that it was so helpful to see what to expect….I also downloaded the boo “Three Legs and a Spare” such a great resource….Thank you all again…
We had Hunter on Orijen 6 Fish grain free kibble, but it has 25% carbs. (I called the company) Our vet doesn’t believe in any carbs for a dog that is fighting cancer so we switched to the raw diet by Nature’s Variety, chicken. He is doing superbly on this food. We also have him on a ton of supplements and blended green veggies. This is something you might want to look into.