Hi to our friends,
Finn is a little over 5 weeks post-amputation today and I am so happy to report that he seems to be 90% back to his old self. All I can say for folks who are struggling with Phantom Limb Pain is hang in there. There are options. I know because I exhausted them all! For us, the best thing we ever did was take Finn to a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist – he is a DVM who also studied traditional Chinese veterinary medicine so has a very blended approach (I know I said all this in my last post but I can’t stress enough how much I adore him and his thinking!). It has truly been night and day for Finn. We went from constant restlessness, readjusting, muscle spasms and whining, to zero of these symptoms in a week. I know it sounds really dramatic but it has been life-changing for him and for us. My stress and guilt levels have completely dropped knowing he will be OK and happy again. We have had two sessions so far and will continue to do them through chemo.
For cancer treatment, today was Finn’s last Yale immunotherapy vaccine dose, which means we were able to schedule his first chemo appointment for next week. We have also started Finn on few new supplements as prescribed by the new vet he sees. He is continuing his low dose of gabapentin and CBD oil. We have added Wei Qi Booster (Chinese herbal supplement), Stasis Breaker (another Chinese herbal supplement) and a complex mushroom supplement.
We’ve been walking about every 2 or 3 days. Short walks, of course. We even walked down to his favorite neighbor (always comes out to give him treats). Well, when said neighbor did not come out and I told Finn we had to go home, he refused to leave. I had to then coerce/drag (I know I looked like an idiot) a giant, stubborn dog back to the house which one of the other neighbors interpreted as he was hurt and needed help. I then had to explain his cancer/amputation/stalling tactics/pain-in-the-buttness to them which was embarrassing. So yeah, you can say he is back to normal.
The only other hiccup we’ve run into is a pressure sore on his back right foot. I’ve been doing my best to keep him off it but it has developed a small sore on it. I ordered some Manuka honey after reading a lot about it here and received it today. Tonight I cleaned it well, applied the honey and dressed it. Stay tuned for results…We are definitely keeping an eye on it as the last thing we want is an infection.
Thanks as always for all the love and support. We couldn’t have done or continue to do this journey alone. The Tripawds community is something to be overwhelmingly grateful for.
Lots of love,
Finn and Casey
I like that Finn knows what he needs – a treat from the neighbour!! He’s doing so well! Eurydice a European great dane would wear booties. Her mom Teresa got them made for her because she was a big dog.
I’m glad to hear Finn’s treatments are working so well.
Enjoy the summer,
Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona
Casey – This is the best update ever! You are one fierce mama, not stopping on your quest to find the best pain management approach for Finn and it paid off in spades! That photo of him showing his goofy, happy self makes me smile so big my face hurts! You both have been through some really rough patches and I know your honesty in sharing those struggles has helped others. Thank you for being so open and for sharing the practices that have worked for Finn. Good luck with starting chemo – my fingers are crossed that he sails smoothly through the treatments! Hugs to both of you!!!! Stacy
Ohmydog ohmydog ohmydog! Thank you for sharing what happened Casey, this is SUCH an important part of recovery, for others to know that if things look bad, they CAN get better. All it takes is the determination to never take no for an answer and investigate ALL options. You are a ROCK STAR and Finn is a SUPERNOVA! Wow I’m so impressed that the acupuncture helped so much. I’m going to share this in an upcoming blog post. Mind if I swipe some of your Instagram photos for it?
YAY!!!!!! Tripawd Power really works!!!!
OH and kudos for the other treatment/therapies he is getting! Look out cancer, Finn’s kicking your butt!
Thank you, Jerry!! And of course I don’t mind! If I can pay it forward to anyone else with our story, I’d be thrilled!
Thank you so much, Kerren and Stacy!!! Xoxo