Hi jetred,
From your post a year ago… this is exactly the type of information I'm searching for, "I know this might not be survivable for her but I can't find any advice on how to get a dog through cancer, what to look out for, when is she truly in pain, what spindle cell does over time and when is enough for her and time to set her free."
So I am wondering, what was your plan with Luna? How did you make decisions? What information did you learn that you think is important to know about the spindle cell cancer disease process?
I have a 15 yr old girl (aussie shepard mix) who is in good spirits, enjoys slow short walks, putting her nose in the wind, eating, etc all normally. We've had two surgeries already to debulk the tumor on her rear leg. One in 2013, and the second recently in June from which she recovered well for her age. Though it returned quickly (3 mos) and larger this time. It's now an open lesion. I am both astounded and perplexed at how she acts pretty normal given this! My vet (who is a new vet to us as I just moved) initially discussed end of life decisions and then also offered amputation as an option to consider. I would so appreciate any thoughts you have and/or hear more about your story.
Thank you.
Malu's Diet and Potty Schedule
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I've had Malu for a few days now. Everything is going well, maybe too well? He doesn't really drink a lot of water, and consequently he only goes pee about 4 times a day (roughly every 4-5 hours). He hasn't woken up to pee at night. He goes into the crate when I go to bed around 10 and gets up when I do between 5:30-6:30. He doesn't ever finish his food. I may be feeding him too much (1/3 cup Canidae Grain Free, softened with water , 3 times a day). He has been pooping twice in the morning (once first thing and once after he eats and plays) and then usually once again in the evening. After reading other threads about the high demands of a puppy I worry that something my be a little off with my dog. Hopefully I just got lucky and he is fine.
Thanks for any advice/comments!
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I've had Malu for a few days now. Everything is going well, maybe too well? He doesn't really drink a lot of water, and consequently he only goes pee about 4 times a day (roughly every 4-5 hours). He hasn't woken up to pee at night. He goes into the crate when I go to bed around 10 and gets up when I do between 5:30-6:30. He doesn't ever finish his food. I may be feeding him too much (1/3 cup Canidae Grain Free, softened with water , 3 times a day). He has been pooping twice in the morning (once first thing and once after he eats and plays) and then usually once again in the evening. After reading other threads about the high demands of a puppy I worry that something my be a little off with my dog. Hopefully I just got lucky and he is fine.
Thanks for any advice/comments!
Sound normal to me…. every one is different. And if he is not cleaning up his food, cut it back some till he is eating all of it. It is usually a big adjustment from fighting with littermates over food (competition) to having it all to yourself
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Originally I was giving him 1/2 cup 3 times a day. He didn't even come close to finishing it so I moved it to 1/3. I leave it out for about a 30-45min hr as it is. I don't really want him to have too much time to eat it but he usually won't eat more than half of it in the first 15 min. I am trying to slowly bring down the time he has access to it so he eats it all at once.
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You might try mixing his food with a little bit of good canned food…no more than a tablespoon would be sufficient...in addition to the water. I've been feeding both Blaze & Gracie Evanger's grain free Beef, Chicken & Liver (they have other flavors, too) mixed with their dry food (Orijen) and they both gobble their food up like they hadn't eaten in days!
I, too, feed 3 times a day. Gracie could go to 2 times, but she'd get her panties in a wad if Blaze was eating and she wasn't, so I take her daily allowance (3/4 cup) and divide it into 3 meals).
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The Breeder recommended I stick with 3 times a day for a while. I feel that Malu would be fine with 2 times a day, he really doesn't seem that hungry in the afternoon, probably because he isn't that active, especially if he is crated during the day.
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Kipawa doesn't seem to need lots of water either. It is there for him to drink, however, to make the night go more smoothly, I remove the water bowl around 8 p.m. He is just over 5 months now, and I can now just get up at 5:30 a.m. to let him pee. That is 6.5 hours of not needing to pee while everyone sleeps.
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That eating and pooping schedule sounds about the same as what Gambit does. the only problem I have with her is after she poops she has a tendency to dance backwards through it, causing a trip to the paw washing station.
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Kipawa doesn't seem to need lots of water either. It is there for him to drink, however, to make the night go more smoothly, I remove the water bowl around 8 p.m. He is just over 5 months now, and I can now just get up at 5:30 a.m. to let him pee. That is 6.5 hours of not needing to pee while everyone sleeps.
I actually leave water in his crate overnight, because I was worried about him not drinking enough. He doesn't really use it and at 10 weeks, he is still sleeping through the night. I guess I just hope this continues.
