Yesterday afternoon we took Maniac Mads in for her follow up and for what I thought was suture removal. Turns out there were no stitches to remove (she was released by the ER team, not her surgeon and I guess they just assumed there were stitches to be removed). The surgeon is very pleased with her progress. Told us what a great patient she was and that we needed to get her off all the pain meds and “let Maddie be Maddie”. She takes anti-anxiety meds before the visits and she is still half drugged almost 24 hours later. But she did really well, walked really far and generally was good-natured about the whole experience. She’s still reluctant to drink and has suddenly become picky with her food. She ate and drank like a champ up until about Day 9, then suddenly decided she didn’t want water, just ice. The doctor wasn’t concerned and said he thought it was the pain meds. So she’s off them now, hasn’t had any since yesterday morning. We got confirmation via biopsy that it was indeed Osteosarcoma. I had no doubt though, because Maddie’s vet, the oncologist and the surgeon all had no doubts. The good news is the lymph nodes they biopsied were clear, so that is a positive!!! Also, she slept solid all night – no getting up and changing positions, no trying to find a good spot. Now we are going to schedule her first chemo and I’m going to start reading the forums for supplements, etc. to get her on. I’m a bit of a foodie, especially with my doggies and the oncologist told me that most vets feed their dogs purina and that’s what I should give Maddie, not the fancy stuff. She told me this when she asked what Maddie ate. I told her and she gave me a bit of a lecture about feeding her the store-bought (instinct, stella & chewy, primal) raw food. This is not her entire diet, she also gets Orijen or Acana kibble (which she won’t eat now lol). She told me if I wanted to feed her “people food” I should cook it. I’ve struggled a bit with this, but decided to keep her on the food she’s been on. I don’t see what the benefit would be switching her. If there is one, I’m sure I’ll find it on the forums here when I move on to supplements and food!
ALEIGHTY MISS MADDIE! A GOOD CHECK UP! YAY!!
The appetite and water drinking seem to fluctuate for some reason off and on during recovery and varies dog to dog. My Happy Hannah NEVER missed a meaw, but she did not want to drink water for awhile!
As far as nutrition, check our Dog Food Advisor, or The Whole Food Dog Journal, as well as our Nutrition Blog. Tons of great information! Most Vets are not Nutritionist and have very little current knowledge of dog foods, raw, etc. I think you’ll find, and you probably already know, Purina products are not as highly rated ss the ones you are feeding Maddie.
Of course I’m not techie enough to find them, but several on the site have done some raw and have outlined their menus.
You can also chexk out The Dog Cancer Survival Guide (book) and read about the Dog Food Cancer Diet. The book is several years old now, but it’s a good start.
You’re doing an excellent job! Remember to make every moment count and to make every day be the best day ever!! BE MORE MADDIE and have no worries, no fears, just enjoy the bliss of being in the present! 🙂
Love and hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Things sound like they’re moving along much better than before, that’s great!
As for the diet…yeah, go with your gut and if she’s doing well with what she is on, why mix it up? Purina? Really. Um, okay. Everyone has an opinion about food.
What we find in the Tripawds community is that whatever works for the dog is the best food for them. Whether it’s cooked, raw or a bag of Ol’ Roy, if the dog eats and their body does fine on the food, then that’s the best one for them. Check out the Tripawds Nutrition blog and you’ll see what others have and are feeding.
http://nutrition.tripawds.com