Sheba's Osteosarcoma Story

It is with a heavy heart that we write this passage to inform the tripawd community of Sheba’s passing. Sheba got her angel wings on June 25, 2017 with her pawrents by her side.

On June 10th, we noticed an oddity to Sheba’s behaviour–she no longer wanted to perform select movements for her treats. Two days later she started to exhibit some possible symptoms of pain/nausea (lip smacking, swallowing, panting) which were worse in the evenings. A visit to the vet and some tests revealed no abnormalities; chest x-rays were clear and blood tests all normal. We went home with some pain medication in the case that it was a soft tissue injury that escaped our observation. However, her condition did not improve and a week after we went in for further x-rays along her spine as she was exhibiting some back pain symptoms as well as slight back leg gait abnormality. Sadly the xray revealed an aggressive tumour along one of the vertebrae in her lower back, likely a metastatic lesion from her original cancer (or another primary lesion).

On June 24, Sheba was still more lethargic than her normal self and her back leg mobility was deteriorating, however she had a memorable day with her pawrents filled with park romps and good eats. The evening passed uneventfully as well as overnight.

On the morning of June 25, Sheba’s condition rapidly deteriorated and culminated to a painful condition, possibly due to spinal cord compression. As there was no cure for her condition, we did what we vowed to do two years ago–to not let her suffer. Sheba passed away peacefully after having delicious baked chicken, all the while being surrounded by her loving pawrents.

Sheba’s life was extraordinary, just as she was. Although life threw some pretty nasty hits at her, she took them all like a trooper. She never lost her zest for life. She was such a special little girl, sweet in demeanor yet tough as steel. She touched the hearts of many in her hoppy three-legged happy-go-lucky way. She will always be a beacon of light reminding us of what’s good and important in life. She lived each day to the fullest.

Altogether Sheba lived 737 days post-amputation, of which 723 were symptom free and SOME OF THE BEST OF HER LIFE! Although we did not receive the miracle that we had hoped for, Sheba was a true statement to the fact that there is life after amputation and a cancer diagnosis–and a good one at that!

We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the tripawd community for all the support over the last two years. Her pawrents weren’t very good at keeping up with this blog after month 7, but we were just too busy having fun with our Sheebs. We hope Sheba’s story/pictures/videos can be of help and inspiration to others. For all those out there, keep up the good fight!

Here are some pictures and videos of Sheba enjoying life on three:

This past Sunday was Sheba’s 7 month ampuversary! Her pawrents celebrated with her by going on a fun hike in the snow and she got a delicious beef trachea to munch on afterwards.

Sheba’s health continues to be excellent. She is now 3 months past her last chemo treatment and had a follow up visit to the vet this past weekend. The vet gave her a thorough checkup and took some xrays. Everything came back great, no lung mets!!

Sheba continues to get her special diet, TCM, and other supplements, as well as lots of love and attention. She will also continue to receive quarterly acupuncture sessions.

It is wonderful to say that Sheba is living a pretty normal and awesome dog’s life now.

Here are some recent pics

 

 

 

 

 

It’s been a while since we’ve updated and that’s just because we’ve been enjoying good days with Sheba. Sheba has completed 6 rounds of Chemo (Carboplatin) with very little side effects. The last round was reduced slightly due to low white blood cell counts.  She made it through the final round without issues and is now living life chemo free.  Sheba remains on her traditional Chinese medicine regimen as well as supplements.  She will still be going to the holistic vet for checkups and acupuncture every 3 months.  We’re happy to say that Sheba is now heading towards her 6 month ampuversary.

Since our last update Sheba has celebrated her 4^th Birthday and 1^st Adoptaversary, completed a 2km SPCA fundraiser walk and Terry Fox Run, and enjoyed many hikes (with a 6” beef trachea as reward to top it off).  She is now loving playing in the newly fallen snow.  We’re pretty sure Sheba thinks she has one less leg to get in the way of her playing and is upping her antics, giving her Mom borderline heart attacks.

Here are some recent pictures and a video of Sheba enjoying life as a tripawd:

Sheba is at the vet today getting her fourth round of chemo.  Everything has been pawesome with her and she just had some chest xrays that came out clean! No mets!!  We are so hoppy 🙂

 

 

This is Sheba’s 4th round of chemo and she will be getting 6 rounds since she is tolerating it so well. She is also doing very well with her various supplements and acupuncture.

Sheba has really been enjoying life lately, her energy has been excellent.  We have started taking her on short hikes which she loves! She gets so excited and runs at top speed and scares her pawrents with her crazy running.

 

 

 

 

It has been fantastic exercise for her and she is very happy to get a nice treat after her hikes.

 

 

It has been a while since our last update, and a lot has happened!  Since our last post Sheba has gone through 2 rounds of chemotherapy, started her Chinese meds, received acupuncture treatment, and is having a great fun filled life!

Chemo was started July 2^nd and Sheba has now been through 2 rounds of Carboplatin and will be going in for her 3^rd round on Aug 12^th.  She has not experienced any notable side effects from the Carboplatin so far.  She actually seems to get an energy boost for a day or two after chemo and we now call it her red bull.  So far it has been smooth sailing 🙂

As mentioned before, we are supplementing chemo with Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) and Acupuncture.  Sheba has been taking the following two Chinese herbal medicines.

• Xiao Chai Hu Tang – http://tinyurl.com/q8j5878
• Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang – http://tinyurl.com/pzbzpgw

Xiao Chai Hu Tang was started two weeks after chemo and has been very well tolerated, there have been zero negative side effects.  Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang was started 2 weeks after that and has also been very well tolerated.  We have also just started giving Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang which is a chemo herbal support.  It is indicated to help support digestion, the immune system, adrenal function, and blood counts.  Sheba’s bloodwork indicated a mild decrease in platelet count so we are using this formula as a preventative measure against myelosuppression.

Sheba has had two acupuncture sessions.  For the first session Sheba was given acupuncture by cold laser therapy and this visit was more about getting Sheba used to the whole process.  On the second visit small needles were used and this went quite well.  It is hard to say at this point if this has been beneficial but the vet we are seeing for acupuncture is very knowledgeable in holistic treatments and very caring.  Overall this has been a beneficial experience for us and Sheba.

While we have focused a lot on various treatments and cancer therapies, a good life is ultimately what is most important.  We are spending lots of time with Sheba and making sure life is full of fun and good times. Sheba gets 2 walks a day, spends lots of time with her people, and is getting plenty of exercise running in parks, having fun, and enjoying new experiences.  She also very much enjoys her new meals with fresh veggies and meat, and her daily yogurt is now her favorite snack. So good in fact that it is drool inducing.

Sheba is getting around as good as ever at this point, and she is able to run amazingly fast.  Even though she has quickly learned how to get around on 3 legs it has not been without its stumbles.  The first time she ran at top speed she took a tumble when she tried to stop. She quickly learned stopping was going to be different now and has not fallen since.

She is also enjoying a new game we have discovered which is searching for the cat.  Our cat’s name is Hitch and we simply have to say “Where’s Hitch” and Sheba’s ears perk up and she starts searching.  This is quite a fun game for her and us and she is always successful in her search.

We recently took Sheba to the ocean for the first time.  She is not too fond of the water but she had a blast running on the beach with other dogs.  She was tuckered out pretty good after that run and we spent the rest of the time there lazing around and enjoying the nice weather.

We have also taken her to the drive-in movie theatre with us twice.  She quite enjoys visiting with other dogs there and sitting outside with us enjoying a show.

And now for some pictures and a running video!

Running at the beach: