Dog chemo
 

Anyone given their dog chemotherapy? Our old girl has just been diagnosed with Lymhoma. Not sure what stage though. She is 12yrs. old this summer. Currently on Prednisone, which I gather suppresses her immune system somewhat as it was in overdrive.

Seems even with the chemo her longevity outlook is not that great at that age. Our vet said if not chemo, then the steroid, {at a milder level} to help her as long as possible.

Anyways just wondering what others have done in a similar case. I certainly wont let her suffer at all. I owe her that for all her years of friendship.
Thanks

Sorry, I don't know anything about it, but I had a Lymphoma scare with my dog recently. Good luck with it.

www.pets.ca forums are really good. :)

Hey Doug sorry to hear about this, you could take her to a Naturopathic Vet to see if there is any alternative treatments availiable.

Depending on the breed it may be time to say goodbye, and put her down. I know it is a hard decision to do, but you may have to do what is best for the dog.

I think at 12 I would stay away from chemo, and go the steroid route to see how she responds, and give you both (you & the dog) some time together.

I ahve had several pets over the years, and have had to say good bye several times, and it is always difficult.

All I can really say it is your decision on what to do, and you just ahve to do what is best for yourself and the dog.

We had a cat with Lymphoma. About the same age. After 2 years of Chemo the cancer had spread. It was a very sad day.
I would have to say, though, his last 2 years during the chemo he was very happy and healthy in appearance. I'm not sure I would go through that again, as the expense was crazy and in our experience the result was not good.
I don't regret doing it as this cat was my wife's baby

J

I'd also get a second opinion if you can swing it. Unless you truly trust your vet.

I had a cancer scare with my cocker; the bills went through the roof for all the testing and drugs. I came within a few hours of putting him down when I decided to get another opinion. $30.00 in antibiotics cured his aspirated pneumonia. Today he is alive and happy ( he has other issues but still happy ) and has a different vet.

Well, barring expense (which is pretty high) chemo in pets is not the hell it is for people. You rarely see such terrible side effects and other than sometimes the first day or day after each treatment most pets feel themselves.
What most chemo in pets does is buy time, and as your dog is 12 allready, there is the possibility you can get almost or as much time left with her as you would have had if she had not gotten lymphoma. I've seen animals going through chemo (not my own, but patients in our vet hospital) and you really wouldn't know it unless the owner told you.
I understand if you can't do it for financial reasons but if you're thinking you'll make her suffer by "putting her through chemo" that's just not the case. I hope this helps, and I'm so sorry for what you're going through right now.

Ps: steroids can also buy you time but given in high doses present their own set of unpleasant side effects that you (or your carpet) may not enjoy.

As much as i hate to say it but i agree. 12 is a very good age for a dog to reach.

IMO as much as i love my hounds i could not justify the expense. esspecially when a new dog would be a fraction of the cost of CHEMO. this is relitivly cold i know and i am sorry but as much as i understand a dog being a part of the family i think it is also important to remember that it is after all a pet. sorry for this mentality but we had to put one of our dogs down at christmas last year. it wasnt easy but it WAS for the best. he was blind arthritic and 13.

Thats our plan so far but still a few days to change our mind if going with chemo.

Thanks for all the advice everyone and the link Myka.

I trust this particular vet Parker. He has been her doc since her baby shots.

I see the results already from the steroids Keri, but only outside so far. She drinks a lot of water now and its has to go somewhere. At least she now has some energy & an appetite back.

On another note, I consider my fish pets and our budgies were pets. Kia is our companion and friend. I know we relate their feelings in human terms but other pets dont try to make you feel better when sad or not feeling good. They dont look at you with those eyes, like they actually know what your saying or willing to risk their own well being for yours.

I guess its harder when spending so much time with her as we have since retiring. Or at least it seems so, compared with the times when we were working & younger, raising a family.

Anyways, sorry for rambling, thanks for the advice.

Doug, my sincere sympathies. Remember one thing though, it won't be any easier two years from now, than it is today. :cry: I'd stick with the predisone and give the girl some quality time.

Doug, I know what you're going through. We had the same issues with "Ozzy" our Boxer. Not cancer, but a debilitating heart condiltion. He was only 5 years old. We spent a lot of money on vet bills as well as $400 p/month on meds. We thought we'd give him as much time as we could. He lived for 5more months before his quality of life became an issue, and we had to put him down. In those 5 months he had some bad days; but a lot more good ones and despite the money and his "accidents", those 5 months were/are very important to us. Looking back, we think we made the right decision in our circumstance. Of course, everyone's circumstances are different. Anyhow, I feel for ya.
Lance

Thank-you Deb. I know what your dogs mean to you. After a discussion with the vet again today, and advice from here and some pms, plus reading threads on the board from the link Myka posted, it appears we will be doing exactly that.

When she finishes her current dose of predisone, she will cut back to half of that and then perhaps half again, depending on how the lymph nodes react.

I have been reading on homeopathic therapy but seem to have found mostly only commercial ones, that are very costly.

Thanks Lance. Must have posted at the same time. I remember reading a post about your dog and several others for that matter, from members who have gone through the same.

Again, thanks to all for their advice and opinions.

One thing you might want to ask your vet about is the option to try dexamethasone vs prednisone.

EmilyB was on prednisone in her last years and it was pretty rough with the incontinence. (At this point, in case you need it, I will recommend a visit to a human health supply store to get the green rubber backed pads that can be washed (not dried in a dryer). These allowed Emily to pretty much sleep where she used to..................not going there......:wink:)

Anyway, our new dobe has airborn allergies and went through three vets and a pile of drugs before we got positive results. She's now on allergy shots but crashes occasionally and needs a steroid, we tried prednisone, but when I told the vet it was getting pretty damp around here, she switched her to dex. Amazing difference.

Don't know if that is suitable in your situation, but just a thought I had tonight.

Thanks Deb. I will stop by and ask him today.

I apoligize i had no idea that you were retired. this does make it a different situation. you would spend an increased amount of time with him. as for for the looks, i agree they do know when somethings bothering you and such.

However speaking as someone who has been through chemo IMO i dont think it is always the best course. in my case yes, however seeing what people went through with other types of cancer their is NO way i would do it in their place (Seeing what they had to endure). and the time given up to treatment is usually more then what you get in return any way (serious Cases). in my opinion im not so sure it is better to live an extra 2 years in pain after a years worth of treatment, when you could have lived 1-2 years without haveng to endure the trial and tribulations of treatment, with the same or less pain. Sometimes the time you have left is the least painful. the treatment itself can be worse than the symptoms. However what one can endure for their family rather then alone is quite incredible.

IMO from seeing people having cases from skin, testicular, lung, throat, kidney, breast, colon, stomache cancers.

When you spend a week a monthe for a year in incare you see some things and meet some people.

Sorry i have much to say on the topic and i will end with this which i hope does not take over this thread but .....

I feel euthinism (mercy killing) should be legal.

No need for anyone to apologize for anything. I started the thread looking for opinions and all are welcome. If one of my posts came off that way, then I apologize.

I hesitated to post this today but figured since I started it, may as well finish it. We had to put her to sleep today. Cant remember when I last bawled this much. How do we become so attached. Guess its their unconditional love and caring.

You would not believe how she went downhill in a week. Never seen anything like it. had to be more advanced than we figured. Even increasing her prednisone did not alleviate the symptoms anymore. I wont go into all her syptoms but they were getting bad and getting worse everyday. This morning was her worse, so we went for a check-up.

My wife, myself & our daughter, {her first owner}, were all with her when she passed. Had her head on my lap. Anyways, we have great memories and she was a good companion and friend. Thanks again for all the advice.

My deepest sympathies. I know how upset you are. I dread the day when I have to part with my dogs. There is a bond between most owners and dogs that is on a different level than with most other pets. No replies from cat people please...A dog is a member of the family that gives its love unconditionally to you. I do believe you made the correct if not the most difficult decision of what was in the best interest of the dog. No animal should suffer. Cherish the great memories of your companion and she will always be in your heart...

IM sorry to hear if you need to talk or need to get anything else off your chest im here for you its never an easy choice but somtimes a nessary one please let me know if you need anything

Very sorry to hear that Doug. It's always hard, only people who truly love their pets can really understand. At least she had a good life with your family and she is no longer suffering.

[...]

I'm so sorry Doug. I know it hurts like hell, but try to remember the good times and not dwell on the bad ones. At least she went with her family at her side. I think that's important.

Sorry to hear Doug :sad:

I understand totally what you are going through and my thoughts are with you. Dogs are very much like our children when we let them be that.

Thank-you all for the kind words. Perhaps thats why we post these times here. To share with others who fell the same way, somehow seems to help with the grieving and healing process.

We are going to put her ashes in the country someplace, which is where she loved to be so much after we adopted her. She loved the daily walks in the boonies we went on.


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Oh God...I just teared up a little. My condolences to you and your family.

Doug, So sorry to hear your very sad news.
It's never easy to loose such a loved member of your family.
It's amazing how much Love is shared between a family pet and the family

My condolences to you and your family

Jason

Sorry to hear that doug my condolenses to you and your family.
And thats just dust in my eye. must have been tough being in the room for it. kudos for being so stronge and able to be there for it.

Sorry for your loss :sad:

Sorry to hear Doug.. :cry:

I can believe how bad that was. Much worse than I thought it would be. The image is now part of me and although its what had to be, its very haunting.

Yea, I have had a bot of dust in my eyes the last few day.



Thanks to all, for the condolence,s. I think sharing one,s grief helps in some way.

Rainbow Bridge
 

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Sorry for your loss.
Kim