Frankie Goes Up & Down Stairs

Frankie Chilling with Simba... To Your Separate Corners! (older picture)

This weekend Frankie expressed her frustration at my nephew puppy, Simba, by barking orders at him for hours.  Old story of old dog being annoyed with new puppy.  Simba is an adorable 4 month old GoldenDoodle that kept sniffing around Frankie’s “area” and she wanted nothing to do with him.  With that said, Frankie kept walking up and down stairs to stay away from Simba.  She also ran away from him, and beat him to her favorite toys so he couldn’t play.  She chased after her squeaky tennis balls, and played soccer with another.  Not very sharing of Frankie, however, my point is… Frankie is doing extremely well.  She walks down the stairs carefully and climbs up them with certainty.   It’s a wonderful sight.

Frankie in her cast getting into SUV.

Frankie is on her way to the Vet to get her cast off.  We have tried different ramps, which have been difficult for her to walk up, and big and heavy for us to store in the car with her.  Someone recommended this website that has the step ladders, different sizes and heights.  It’s great.  Frankie practices walking up it and gets more use to the steps every time.  This is a video of Frankie getting use to walking up the steps into the car.  The steps are a great option for larger dogs because they are not steep, they are wide, and they fold so that they do not take up tons of space in the backseat while the dog’s in the car.

Frankie’s Cousin.. Boomer

It’s been a tough year for the dogs in our family.  Both Frankie and Boomer were diagnosed with osteosarcoma in one of their front legs.  Boomer, a labrador retriever from Philadelphia, and Frankie’s first cousin, had his front leg amputated to remove the bone cancer.  Boomer is now on chemotherapy, carboplatin and doxorubicin.  Though Boomer has slowed down some, he still enjoyed frisbees and tennis balls being thrown in the ocean as he chased after to retrieve them. 

 

 

 

Frankie's cousin Boomer relaxing on a chair after dinner. (this was before surgery)

 

Frankie’s Surgery

I came across this website, which was extremely helpful, after my 7 year old Saint Bernard, Frankie, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in her right front leg confined to the wrist.   Our choices were limited as far as removal of the leg, which is very life-altering and logisticially difficult in a 138 lb St. Bernard; or make her comfortable and accept 3-4 months survival. 

After reading and seeing many stories on Tripawd, specifically St. Bernard stories, my family was still torn as to what to do.  My father finally searched long and hard for a vet that specializes in Limb Sparing surgery.  This option is not for all dogs, however, if a candidate for the procedure, it is a very viable option.  I had not come across any of this information on Tripawd, so I thought I’d share our story about Frankie.

Frankie is a female 7 year old St. Bernard who has one blue eye (hence “Frank”ie).  She is extremely active, and not just for a Saint.  She plays soccer, lover her toys, runs laps around the backyard, and lives in Florida for 6 months.  Some times I say she is not normal;  She loves the laying in the sun and thinks she is a lap dog.  Frankie is submissive to small dogs and therefore makes many friends in both NY and Florida.  She is loving with all people and is protective of me, her sister. 

With this diagnosis, we were not ready to say goodbye, but wanted her to be comfortable and not have any pain.  What to do….

Please see my pictures and videos of Frankie after surgery.  Limb sparing surgery is expensive, but for those going the surgical route anyway it is a great option for large and extra large breed dogs.  Removal of the leg and chemotherapy is the standard of care for osteosarcoma in dogs, and thanks to finding a physician that will remove the tumor and section of bone affected, Frankie gets to keep her leg, which allows better physical capabilities for her size. 
Frankie Enjoying Sitting Outside in her green cast after surgery