BuffyTheDane

19/2/13

We just got back from Roseworthy and I got back my ‘piece of mind’. Clearly it’s me who needs the chill pill or maybe a really large scotch. The vet took the stitches out whilst we were there and gave her a really thorough once over. He has changed her antibiotics & given her other meds as well because she had a bit of a messy ‘mishap’ on our arrival which I think has more to do with her getting upset about going out there again but better to be safe than sorry, especially as she has the chemo on Friday. The pathology report came back on the leg & it definitely was osteosarcoma so it is good that they took the whole leg.

On the whole Buffy’s doing really well. I took her bandage off on the 15th and the wound is looking good. She is more unsettled though & whimpers at times. I don’t know if it’s pain although she lays on the stump & I can touch it without any issues, maybe aches from somewhere else on her body because of the strain on the rest of her or just the weather (it is really hot here). I am trying to keep her cool but she does wander at times & doesn’t seem to know what she wants & she’s not eating as much as she was when she was on the full blown pain meds. I’m taking her back to Roseworthy tomorrow morning just for a ‘piece of mind’ check.

15/2/13

Today I caught Buffy for the first time really giving her bandage a once over (it’s the first time I’ve had to use the ‘cone of silence’ not just threaten her with it). I guess the area must be itchy with the healing process not to mention the hair growing back. The bandage was due to came off today anyway and I’m pretty sure she’s happy I’ve removed it. The wound looks really good.

Now that the bandage is off though she will have to sleep with the ‘cone’ on, poor baby, bet she didn’t think of that. It’s only going down to 21 (degrees Celsius) tonight which will make wearing the ‘cone’ even more uncomfortable than it would be normally.

She’s still going for daily little hops up the street, eating well and looking for pats and attention. No moping for her. She really is an amazing girl.

14/2/13

Odin is our 9 month old Great Dane. He has been really good with Buffy only getting over excited a couple of times and jumping on her trying to get her to play.

9/2/13

I think the drug patch Buffy is wearing is starting to wear off. She seems a little more unsettled and I think her wound is starting to annoy her. I don’t want to put the cone of silence on her if I don’t have to which means watching her constantly.

Total for today from the drain is about 15ml which is really good.

10/2/13

Buffy’s doing really well. Last night I went out with her and she did No. 1 & then she came over to me lent against me and started to hunch (clear sign) so I held onto her waist and she did her first post-op No. 2 without too much difficulty. This morning she did another all by herself.

Total out of drain today was about 10ml.

11/2/13

The drain came out today and a fresh bandage went on. The bandage is only an extra precaution against infection because she is scheduled for chemo. That appointment is for the 22^nd and her stitches will come out on the same day.

Odin came home today and was really well behaved.

Tonight I finally get to sleep in my own bed.

12/2/13

I got Odin ready for a walk this morning and Buffy insisted that she wanted to come to just like normal. We let her go for a little walk (hop) to the front of the neighbour’s house before she was turned around and Odin and I continued on.

Buffy on her first little walk

This afternoon Buffy’s seemed a little out of sorts and having trouble settling, obviously in a little bit of pain. It seems to come and go but hasn’t really interfered with her appetite.

13/2/13

Buffy wanted a walk again this morning, talk about stubborn, so up to the neighbours and back again. She’s been really good today with only a couple of spells where she seemed unsettled.

7/2/13

About 1.00am I managed to get Buffy up and out for another drink. When I mentioned ‘wee’ she took off at a hoppy run, I had to let go of the towel I was holding trying to help her stay steady. Felt a little silly saying “wait for me, wait for me, so I can help” when clearly my help wasn’t needed. She had her wee and did another hoppy run back inside and jumped back on the couch. So proud.

I have to say sleeping on the couch with her isn’t as comfortable as my bed but I can’t bear the thought of leaving her alone.

Buffy had a sleep-in and got up, by herself, around 8.15 went for a wee and then ate breakfast which gave me the opportunity to give her the meds she has to take. Just knew she’d eat once she was settled at home.

At 11.50am I emptied the drain again and got out 25ml. Buffy ate an early lunch and then again around 3.00pm. We’ve spent most of the day outside, her on the daybed and me reading. At 6.30pm I gave her tea and then her antibiotics. She seems to be doing well and has a good appetite.

At 9.00pm I emptied the drain and got out another 25ml.

Total for today is somewhere between 50ml.

8/2/13

Day 3 post-op & Buffy’s doing well. ‘Little Miss Independent’ is up and about without assistance (has been since she took off on me the first night) & I don’t think she really appreciates me hovering (just in case) when she goes to the toilet. Unfortunately the drain will probably have to stay in till Monday, I was really hoping it would come out sooner, but it’s still sucking out quite a bit of fluid & the fluid is still quite red. It’s supposed to become clearer & of course a lot less.

She’s doing better than me – damn couch has cricked my neck and given me a headache.

I probably should mention that when she had the leg & was constantly holding it up she curved her spine around & leaned a little which would have been a strain on the rest of her body. I had envisioned weekly chiro visits. Since the leg has gone she’s standing straight like she would be if she had both. It must be a huge relief to the rest of her body. She’ll no doubt still need the chiro but maybe not as often.

Total for today is about 45ml which means the drain has to stay in till Monday because the vet who did the surgery wants to be the one to see her and take it out.

5/2/13

Dropped Buffy off for her surgery at 8.30am. The look of panic on her face as I left was heartbreaking.

The surgeon called at 7.00pm – the surgery went well & Buffy’s good. They’ve had to take the whole leg because there was not enough muscle to wrap around a stump of bone but the surgeon is really happy with everything. He said we (us & Buffy of course) were really lucky because as they took the leg off & lifted it up it fractured. I should find out late tomorrow morning whether I pick her up or whether she’s spending another night there.

6/2/13

10.00am – called to check on Buffy. She’s doing well and had a comfortable night. The vet is running late (other patients) and hasn’t seen her yet.

The surgeon called and I’m meeting with him at 5.00pm tonight and will be bringing Buffy home, yay. I have spoken to him and he is happy with how she is today and how the drain from the wound is working. He took her out for a little walk and was pleased with how she went. She won’t eat for them but he wasn’t too concerned believing she’ll probably eat when she gets home. I had to agree with him because when she gets upset she will miss a meal or 2, and I know she has to be upset at the moment, regardless of the drugs because I deserted her. (Don’t you just love the way they look at you and make you feel like the worst person on Earth even if you are doing what’s best for them.) Anyway, it will probably be tomorrow before she eats but I will offer tonight just in case.

I’d arranged for Odin (our pup) to have a sleepover with Scout (the pup we looked after) so that I can look after her tonight without a big head getting in my way. However after seeing how the drain is attached I’ve asked for him to stay with them until it comes out. We can’t afford him pulling on it by accident and causing a problem.

The first thing Buffy did when we got home was have a big drink and then lay down on the ground. She’s very wobbly on her feet but that’s the drugs. It took me 3 attempts to get her up on the lounge but that’s because all she wanted to do was lay down or get a drink. When I finally got her on the couch she crashed.

Just before midnight I emptied her drain for the first time and got out somewhere between 10 – 15ml.

25/1/2013

Back from oncologist with all questions answered but more questions created because they discovered that Buffy has cardiomyopathy. The oncologist said that if the heart was 100% Buffy is a perfect candidate for amputation if another chest X-ray is clear. Now the heart has put a question mark on that. Next week I take her back for the chest X-ray & an ultrasound. What happens next depends on the results. If all good we’re probably off to the heart ‘specialist’ who will also take over on the osteosarcoma. If not, we’ll have to reassess options. The oncologist was extremely happy with Buffy’s health other than that & thought she was a perfect weight for her build at around 45kg (bugger wouldn’t stay still on the scale but that is the weight she generally hovers around). Fingers crossed that the new X-ray (last was taken 2 weeks ago) has no change.

31/1/2013

Buffy had her chest X-rays and an abdomen scan today and all came back clear. The anesthetist was impressed how she handled the anesthetic and after a team meeting they don’t believe there is any reason to worry about her heart (the oncologist is going to discuss with the vet who specialises in heart disease) but they’re starting to think it is a quirk she has that when she gets anxious her heartbeat goes a bit funny but when she’s calm it’s normal. Just more proof of how ‘special’ she is. I should find out tomorrow if she has surgery next week.

1/2/2013

Just spoke to the oncologist who has spoken to the heart ‘specialist’. They have decided to do a heart scan on Monday to ensure her heart is ok and she is booked in for her amputation on Tuesday. She’ll spend the night at Roseworthy and I’ll pick her up on Wednesday (at this stage).

Now I wait for a call from the Adelaide Specialist Centre for confirmation of Monday and cost and also a call from the surgeon to discuss Tuesday and the cost.

4/2/2013

Buffy had an ultrasound on her heart this morning and there appeared to be no physical issues which is good but they’re not sure if medication can be used later on for her heart problem (apparently in humans meds don’t work and a pacemaker is needed) but further investigation would have to be done requiring her to wear a heart monitor for 24 hours. She’s done that before but we have to get over the bigger hurdle of the leg before that’s even looked at and the ultrasound today was more for the surgical team so they know what they may be up against. She’s been given a slow release pain med patch which they hope will have her nice and chilled by the time I drop her off for surgery tomorrow. That’s the next step – amputation for our poor baby.

(I’ve been documenting everything that has happened so far but it is too much to put into one post, well I think so anyway, so I will split them up into 5 parts.)

17/1/2013

Buffy, has been diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer). It is in the ankle of her right back leg. Her chest x-ray appeared clear. We have a follow up appointment next Monday to get more information and go through the options and obviously we want what is best for her not us. At this stage the vet doesn’t believe she would cope with an amputation because she’s a large breed even though she is hopping around on 3 legs quite well and compensating when she goes to the toilet by putting her front leg roughly where the back one should be for support. We’ve done some Internet research & found quite a few Great Dane amputees in the States but they all had a front leg removed. I’m sure someone somewhere must have had an experience with a back leg amputation but I haven’t found any information yet. We’re also looking into alternative therapies to assist her.

Buffy is fairly petite for a Dane, just under 45kg & at times I have trouble keeping her ribs covered, combination of fussy eater & worrier. She burns a lot of energy doing nothing. Hopefully being light-ish will help the 3 legs she’s currently using.

The vet has said that the pathology report is not 100% conclusive & that more than one pathologist could not rule 100% but it is the most likely cause. At least that’s what my shocked little brain remembers. I’ll be looking for more answers at her appointment on Monday & will probably ask for my regular vet to take a look. Same surgery but he wasn’t available when I took her in & they didn’t want to wait to do the X-rays.

21/1/2013

We caught it early which is good, but as the possible speed at which it will spread is an unknown whether we should look at amputation is still a question mark. Of course the possibility that little micro cells have spread already is a reality. The vet is going to talk to the oncologist – more waiting. I also gave him copies of the info I found on line about natural treatments that might help her immune system & help her quality of life. More waiting whilst he looks at it and he said he would talk to the oncologist about it also.

22/1/2013

We now have an appointment at the Roseworthy Veterinary Campus with the only oncologist in SA on Friday morning. Apparently after discussions with the vet she believes there are options we can pursue and she’s willing to take a look at Buffy. Even if it’s only to improve the quality of her life in the weeks & hopefully months to come it will be worth it.

It’s scary when a family member (doesn’t matter if they have 2 or 4 legs) is diagnosed with cancer. It becomes even more scary when you’re told that it is the most painful of them all – bone cancer.

Our family member inflicted with this enemy is Buffy our 7 ½ year old Great Dane. She is quirky, loveable, a nuisance, grumpy, cuddly, infuriating, neurotic, and much much more but most importantly she is family. From the moment I looked deep into her wide innocent eyes as an 8 week old puppy I made the promise to look after her for the rest of her life. Back then I had no idea what our particular journey would entail but the Big C was not included in it.

The worst thing at this point is that there is no cure and everything that we do for her is purely to make her more comfortable for the inevitable. I am really having trouble coming to terms with that, with the fact that there is not even a glimmer of hope.

I have been told that by the time a lump is found miro-cells would already be racing through the body. Apparently we have found it early but in reality that doesn’t really mean much.

I am documenting this last part of our journey together as a cathartic tool for me (selfish) but also to let others, who might now or in the future face the same situation, know what happens from a first person perspective. This is a big unknown for me so if I can help light the way for someone else, it will at least be one positive from a huge negative.