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Mac was diagnosed with bone cancer on April 16.

Well, Saturday was a huge day for Mac! It marked TWO years since his amputation surgery. It is a tremendous feat and we feel overwhelmed with gratefulness and appreciation that he is still doing incredibly well at the ripe age of 13!!

The picture below was taken only a couple weeks ago. He still has us wrapped around his paw and demands belly pets at all hours of the day. He has started to show his age a bit in terms of recovering from an active day, but all things considered, he is doing great.

I know I haven’t posted in a while, but had to take a moment to acknowledge this sentimental milestone. Would love to hear all of your tips and tricks to keeping that front leg strong and healthy. I can tell that his shoulder gets sore a lot more easily than it used to. We ice/heat as often as we can, along with nightly massages (lucky dog!). We tried laser therapy and a bit of acupuncture a few weeks ago, but I did not see any improvement from that. If you can recommend any supplements or exercises that have really worked for your senior pup, I’d love to hear about it! We did a whole ton of x-rays in January of his front leg/shoulder/lungs – had a bit of a scare but all is clear 🙂

We wouldn’t be here without you guys, so thanks again for ALL your support.

§211 · May 1, 2017 · Uncategorized · (14 comments) ·


14 Comments to “2 Year ‘Ampuversary’!”

  1. misterrustybucket says:

    Congratulations! I just started a blog for Rusty today and he has also been tentatively diagnosed with chondrosarcoma. He is scheduled for amputation on Friday and I really appreciated the pictures and posts you have written about Mac. What type of chemo did he receive? It seems you had great success with his treatment so I wanted to find out. Thanks so much!

    • teammac says:

      Hi Amy and Rusty! We sure know how you feel. It can seem very daunting and scary (because it is!), but this community is great and got us through the worst of it. Mac did 4 rounds of carboplatin after his amputation surgery. He did great with the chemo – had almost 0 effect on him. We’ve been giving him San Shedan liquid and Artesmisnin (sp?) powder every day since the surgery and who knows if it is to credit for the lack of lung Mets, but I certainly will keep giving it to him! One vet claimed they’d never had a reoccurance of cancer using that method. We are also sure to give him the best quality kibble we can find (i.e. holistic or core wellness). Let me know if you want more info about his supplements. Good luck to you and Rusty and hang in there…it does get a bit easier.

      • misterrustybucket says:

        Thank you for getting back to me about Mac’s chemo treatments. Yes! I would love to know all about what you have been feeding him and any supplements you are using. What brands of San Shedan and Artesmisinin are you using? Dosage?
        This cancer is new to me but I was able to use different supplements as part of my other dog’s cancer treatment and believe they are very beneficial. Thank you very much for sharing your treatment plan with me. Thank you also for the encouragement.
        Cheers,
        Amy & Rusty
        (PS. Those pictures your friend took of Mac and the engagement pics are just gorgeous!! What a handsome boy)

        • teammac says:

          So we’ve changed his kibble quite a few times in the last few years but the latest have been Wellness Core Ocean Formula, and before that he got Holistic Select Turkey & Lentil. We try to find the best out there in terms of quality and where the ingredients are sourced.

          This was the website that I followed in the midst of all my research when Mac first got diagnosed: https://pathwithpaws.com/blog/2011/05/08/three-legged-and-happy-how-to-holistically-treat-osteosarcoma-bone-cancer-in-dogs/

          That’s where I got the info for the Artemisinin and San Shedan. I purchase both of those from Modern Herb Shop (free shipping today!):

          http://www.modernherbshop.com/for_chronic_or_acute_cough_with_stubborn_phlegm_p/sanshechuanbeiye.htm

          http://www.modernherbshop.com/Artemisinin_for_immune_system_support_p/qinghao.htm

          Mac is about 65ish pounds and he gets a vial of the San Shedan in the morning on his food (it’s kind of a pain because you need a syringe to extract the liquid) and about a teaspoon of the Artemisinin at night on his food.

          Again, no clue whether or not this treatment was to credit for his lack of lung mets, but I sure won’t stop it just in case! There’s a lot of info out there and I struggled with narrowing it down to a few supplements so that poor Mac wasn’t getting 10 different Chinese herbs with each meal. He does also get a high quality fish oil and takes Novox (off brand of Rimadyl).

          Hope this helps!

          • misterrustybucket says:

            Thank you so much for your email and all the info. on Mac’s supplements. I took advantage of the free shipping on Modern Herb Shop and ordered the San Shedan and Artemisinin. Rusty has been eating Halo Salmon and Potato but I am going to look at the brands you suggested and switch to grain free. I am also going to spend some time on the website you sent.
            I really do appreciate you sharing this information with me. Rusty’s surgery is scheduled for Friday morning and I am pretty nervous so having a plan in place and gathering information is very helpful to me.
            Give Mac a hug.
            Amy & Rusty

  2. elenlo says:

    So great! My pup has osteosarcoma and reading that yours has made it two years is so encouraging. We have only gotten through the amputative and one chemo session. Three more to go!

    • teammac says:

      Thanks Elena! Nice, Mac had 4 rounds, too. Be sure to stay close to this community – everyone really was so helpful and compassionate and understanding of the true pain we were all experiencing! It sucks to have your lil fur baby sick, but just stay positive and you’ll get there! Good luck to you all ❤️

  3. tinsch says:

    Jamie and Mac!! Happy ampuversary!! See, stories like yours give the rest of us hope! We did 5 round of chemo and are now in month 16 -if we make it to 24 I am one happy doggy mom!! Manni had become a little stiffer over the last months as well but we continue doing Physio and core strengthening exercises and I really feel they’ve been beneficial.
    Thank you for sharing!! We’re really happy for you!
    tina & Manni

    • teammac says:

      Thanks Tina and Manni! We definitely never stop worrying but the fact that he has made it this far, is technically now in ‘remission,’ AND is 13 years old is more than we could ever ask for. How old is Manni? Mac has definitely been getting a bit stiffer over the last few months. Trying to help in any way I can but it’s hard when they can’t tell you what hurts!

  4. Otisandtess says:

    Hoppy 2 year ampuversary!

  5. jerry says:

    SWEET! Oh YAY for Mac and all of you, this is such a wonderful update! I just can’t even believe two years has gone by. I remember the day you joined and the early stages of your journey, how worried you were (and of course who can blame you right?). We are THRILLED he’s still going strong.

    As for keeping fit and strong. You might want to download our recent podcast interview with world-famous ortho vet Dr. Denis Marcelin-Little. About halfway through we start talking about staying fit on three legs, supplements, etc.

    http://www.blogtalkradio.com/tripawds/2017/05/02/impact-of-amputation-on-dogs-and-cats-perspectives-from-a-vet-ortho-surgeon

    Also, not sure if you’re aware (I’m guessing you are) but oftentimes acupuncture takes at least three or even four sessions before it starts to show that it’s working. You may want to give it another round.

    Hugs & cheers to all of you!

  6. Jamie, Connor & Mac,
    I was thinking about you today. I just wanted to see how TeamMac was doing? I wanted to tell you again how thankful I am that you took the time to share Mac’s diet and supplements and some encouraging words when I first joined Tripawds. Rusty is one month post-amp and going strong. I think of you and Mac often as I feed Rusty his Wellness Core Ocean, San Shedan and Artemisinin every day. Thanks again for your encouragement. Oh and I saw your Halloween pictures in the forum – Big Mac and fries and the Hamburglar are you kidding me? Loved that. I can’t believe you made those costumes – wow! Hugs and Love – Amy & Rusty

    • teammac says:

      What a sweet note to receive! Thanks Amy and Rusty 🙂 All is fine on the homefront – Mac was really sore for about a month in April and about 3-4 weeks ago, something came over him and he’s been the most playful pup at nearly 13.5! Not sure if it’s out of nowhere or because we switched to Dasuquin but I’ll take it! How’s Mister Rusty Bucket doing?? After the 1 month mark it seems to get easier from there!

      • I’m so happy to hear that Mac is doing well, I bet he’s adorable playing like that, how sweet. Maybe that Dasuquin is magic!
        Thanks for asking about Mister Rusty, we celebrated his one month ampuversary with some ice cream so he was a very happy guy. He seems to be getting better at balancing every day and he loves physical therapy because it involves treats.
        Thanks for the update. I hope you can keep up with turbo Mac!
        Love – Amy & Rusty

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