Isa's Story

Albeit not much of one.

As of Friday evening, Isa was better. Stronger, eating and drinking and hopping around some. Vet said he thought the circulation problem was getting better but wouldn’t commit to much. She spent the weekend at the vet, getting the care she needs. It was harsh for me being at home without her, and vacuuming up all the dog hair not knowing if she’d be home to replace it.

They said she was still doing well this morning. I haven’t talked to the vet yet, he’s supposed to call at some point today so we can figure out what’s next. I’m afraid to get my hopes up too much.

I’ll keep you posted. Thanks so much everyone! It helps not being alone with all this.

T

So we were supposed to go in yesterday morning for the cortisone shot for her back. That was the plan anyway. But between Monday morning (25th) and yesterday morning she had slid so far downhill that I heard the words no pet parent wants to hear from their vet: “Holy hell, what happened?”

We don’t know how or why but she lost circulation to one of her front legs and the skin and tissue was necrotizing. A smallish patch had sluffed off during the night (I thought it was a pressure sore and had a grand time beating myself up over that) and evidently a larger patch during the day at the vet’s yesterday. (Grossed even him out – not easy to do!) She also had a huge edema on (in?) her belly. That was what really what shocked the vet and the fact that she was obviously in a great deal of pain.

As of last night, she was up and moving around. Eating and drinking and on, I imagine, some really awesome pain meds. He’s giving her fluids to beef up her blood volume to restart circulation to her front leg. Honestly, I don’t even know what all he’s doing. I do know he’s doing his best and everything he can think of.

She was still doing well this morning, eating and drinking and moving around. We’re taking it one day at a time. Or the vet is and I’m going to try to. Not something I’m very good at but you can teach an old dog new tricks. Or so I hear.

I know Isa is tough and all heart. I also know it’s up to her, whether she decides to get better.

One day at a time.

Couple of days/weeks later, here I am. I’m something of a dinosaur so forgive me my technical issues, please.

Isa is an utter sweetheart, loves everyone she meets. A lab/rottweiler mix I refer to as a lab in a rottweiler suit. Her markings are mostly rottie but she is built like a lab. Pre-amp she was 87ish pounds. Even aside from her leg, she’s lost some weight. She’s 12 or 13, I’ve never really known. We celebrate her birthday on the day I adopted her, June 7, so we’ve been together nine years now.

Diagnosed July 1 with osteosarcoma, right rear leg amputation on July 12, and first round of carboplatin on July 18. Things were going great the first week and a half, miraculously great. Reading the forums, I couldn’t believe how well she was doing. Was I doing something right? Or maybe just lucky?

Turns out it was luck and that luck explosively crashed Sunday/Monday of this week. I posted on the forums about this a little bit ago as a cry for help. But it turns out Isa’s back is pretty messed up. Why did we not do any spine x-rays pre-op? How is that possible? I’ve no doubt that if we had done those x-rays, the amputation decision would have been hugely complicated. What’s done is done and I really don’t regret the decision. Or I didn’t before this happened. That first week post-op I saw flashes of my girl from before the cancer reared it’s ugly head. Just moments but with Tripawds information, I knew there would be, could be, more.

Boy howdy, have I been naive about so many things. Learning fast now.

We go back to the vet tomorrow morning for cortisone shot(s) in her spine. He said that with the cortisone she should be running around, good as new, by next Monday (8/1).

Think good thoughts for us.

Thanks.

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