Boxer Cancer

[Wayne Guthrie]

Thanks for your reply.

If you had some diet information you could send to me it would be appreciated. We have Mister on a special food the vet perscribed, which is a senior diet. He was on Eucanuba Premium Performance, but it got to the point where he would not eat it. This he likes.

Regards,

Wayne

 

[None-removed]

My heart goes out to you and Mister. I lost a girl (my once in a lifetime dog) to a combination of Renal Failure and cancer at just over 2 years old. Like you, I decided that quality was much more important than quantity, and opted out of continuing radical chemo and any invasive treatments. Basically we just tried to make her life as much fun, as comfortable and as pain free as it could be - looking back I don't regret that decision in the least. Her life lasted only a few months after that decision was made, but she was happy, in control and cognitive. The only "real" treatments that were given at that point were for pain management only.

Dixie did, absolutely, let me know when it was time to let her go. And I was able to let her go knowing that she had been happy in her final months, and above all she never questioned that she was loved.

The decision you are facing is a very personal one, and as long as the decision is made in Mister's best interest, it is the right one.

I hope the best for you and Mister.



Also, I agree completely with Susan, diet played a huge part in Dix's comfort level and activity level.

 

[boxmom]

I am so sorry about Mister's diagnosis of lymphoma. Last March my Bailey (4 1/2 then) was also dx with lymphoma. We started her on chemo and she is doing great. The cancer has been in remission since her 4th treatment. I know that choosing what to do in this situation is a very difficult decision. I just wanted to let you and anyone else who finds themselves in this situation know that dogs respond so much differently to chemo than do humans. Bailey rarely has any side effects from the chemo, and like Adelle was saying, Bailley has also reverted back to a youthful pup. The chemo is expensive, we are well over $3000 now, and you are right, it will most likely not cure the lymphoma. I just want to let you know my experience with this, not to sway you or anything. Whatever you decide for treatment of this dreaded disease, it will be your love and compassion that will be most important to Mister. Best wishes to you.

 

[lindi]

canine lymphoma

Dear Wayne,

I am so sorry to hear about your Boxer with lymphoma. I have an amazing story that I can't share because of lack of room here, but yesterday my Boxer Popeye was laid to rest after a year from his fight with lymphoma. He had a rare form of lymphoma (follicular small b-cell) which is a slow growing type and is very hard to treat. Most of them are large b-cell and are much easier to treat and your dog can live up to 2 years more (according to many medical articles on the Internet). Read the story at http://www.pyrbred.org/lymphoma.html. If I were you and were interested, I would consult with an oncologist. It sounds like you should not be wasting any time if he is already deteriorating. The man who wrote the information on the above website is very friendly and told me who the oncologist was that treated his dog. My vet got in touch with her but by the time we got the new protocol sorted out, it was too late for our dog and he was in far too much pain to put him through any more chemo. I would never hesitate to give another dog chemo because it didn't make him sick at all and it gave me an extra year with him. As long as you can afford it, and you are prepared for sickness in case it happens, chemo isn't all that bad. Dogs don't get the same amount as humans do and that's why they don't get as sick. I hope this helps you out. Best of luck with your precious friend.

Lindi

p.s. We tried Hills n/d for cancer but it was very fatty and was not easy on Popeye's stomach.

 

[Adelle]

Here is some interesting information regarding chemo in pets

http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/showarticle.cfm?id=6

 

[Lilly888]

We lost our female boxer Rocky two years ago this month. She was 11 years old. The pain is still very fresh for me, as I held her to the end. She had Lymphoma, but did not respond too well to prednisone. I think it gave her a bit of time, but she was tired and sick. She laid on my bed sleeping in her urine and did not care. The prednisone made her very thirsty and therefore increased her need to pee. She also would not eat and I got to the point where I gave her whatever she wanted. I carried her all over the house because like most boxers, she followed me around all day and it made her very tired. It has been two years and we are just now ready to get a new boxer. Perhaps her older age made it more difficult to tolerate the prednisone, because I feel it helped at first.

 

[lindi]

Our Boxers in heaven.

I understand completely how you feel about your girl Rocky. You are so lucky to have had more time with her than we had with our little man, Popeye. He was just 2 and a half months short of 9 when we had to put him to sleep. It was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do because of the depth of love that the whole family has for him, and that although his lymphoma was giving him uncontrollable pain, he still had quality of life during the short durations that pain killers worked, and he had not stopped eating and drinking. He looked bright when he was put to sleep, which tore my heart out. Everytime I think of it, I burst into tears. Popeye was my constant companion and I miss him a great deal. His pictures grace many of our walls and although it is hard to look at them sometimes, it's also comforting to see him in every room. We are getting a new puppy (only after 6 weeks of him being gone) but the way I look at it is that I can give another Boxer (rescue like him) a great home with tons of love, and even though many people gasp and say "you're replacing Popeye so soon", I'm not. I am only filling a void in our house and hearts with a new playmate for Popeye. The new puppy looks totally different from Popeye (Popeye was flashy fawn and the puppy is plain brindle) so that they can never be compared. No dog can replace Popeye. They can only join him in our hearts and I know that Popeye would not want me to keep crying so much every day, because he got upset when I cried. Popeye will never be forgotten, but will remain a very special member of our family who we lost to an ugly disease. Not everyone thinks like I do about this and each of us have to do what is best for us. I know you'll love a new dog just as much as you did Rocky, and you'll know when the time is right for you to bring the new addition home.