This Tripawds Foundation ASAP grant helped pay the amputation surgery cost for new Tripawd Remi. Read on for his story, and learn more about the Tripawds Amputation Surgery Assistance Program. See if you or someone you know qualifies for our pet amputation financial assistance.
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To prevent the Squamous Cell Carcinoma from spreading to his lymph nodes: On Tuesday 7/02/, I drove Remi to Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital (CSU), in Ft. Collins, CO. They prescribed the right dosage of antibiotics, cleaned and dressed the wound.
The following is the observation results from Remi’s examination.
Remi Requires Unaffordable Amputation Surgery Cost
We evaluated Remi for a bleeding wound occurring at the site of a previously amputated digit (toe). On presentation, Remi was bright, alert, and responsive, and his vitals were within normal limits. On physical examination, the wound on Remi’s right hind leg was bleeding, and oozing large amounts of purulent discharge (pus) indicating a deep infection. He also had a mildly enlarged lymph node on that leg, likely due to the infection present in that region.
The remainder of the physical examination was unremarkable. As we discussed we suspect that this is a recurrence of Remi’s previously diagnosed cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, and less likely the amputation incision reopening or infection. Photo’s you provided of the site around the time of suture removal we also concerning for this, with irregular swelling not typically seen after toe amputation. Biopsy of the area would be needed to confirm this, however, may bring the risk of not healing.
We recommended wound care and a further workup for cancer staging in order to determine if cancer has spread to other parts of Remi’s body. CSU Oncology service was consulted and advised that given the advanced infection and state of the wound, surgical management (amputation of the limb) would likely be the best curative option. Radiation can be considered; however, the infection is unlikely to clear enough for the wound to heal in order to pursue this treatment modality. Staging workup includes abdominal ultrasound and thoracic radiographs to assess for spread of the cancer to other organs and parts of the body. We also recommended lymph node aspiration, culture of the wound to help guide our choice of antibiotic to the most effective, and cytology to look for cancerous cells.
~ Michael and Remi