Cancer? My poor baby Lex

[lexismom]

My white 1.5 year old boxer, Lexi, had the diarrhea for three days at the end January(25). So, like any good boxer mom, I took het to the vet. It wasn't giardea, the stool sample was neg, and I had recently changed foods. The vet decided it must be the food. In a few days, she seemed fine.

Lexi had started to slow down, at agility class she would just walk through the course. This was unlike her, but I thought she was losing some of her puppiness. When I came home from work Tuesday(only about 3 weeks after the Jan visit), she got up to see me and wagged her tail-JUST HER TAIL! Not the characteristic butt wiggle, I called the vet. She said Lex had a lump of about 8cm. It was hard to tell where, b/c she had fluid in her belly. The blood test came back with high calcium and phosphorus levels which indicate lymphoma. Surgery is Monday.

If you & your boxer have experienced this and the radiation that goes along with it, please let me know about the radiation & recovery.
Thanks
Kristi

 

[Krikkit]

Hugs to Lexi

I'm sorry Kristi and will be thinking good thoughts for you and Lexi. I've had experience with Lymphoma with Rebel but it was of a different type - his was in the Lymph nodes under his neck spreading through other regions around his head (chemo treatment). We found these website extremely helpful:

http://www.gulfcoastvetspec.com/oncology/y2k/

http://oncolink.upenn.edu/specialty/vet_onc/

http://www.acvim.org/wwwfp/onco/acvimoncol.htm

http://www.b-naturals.com/sum98.htm

http://www.altvetmed.com/Cancer.html


Wishing all the best for Lexi.

Take care, please keep us updated. Hopefully someone with experience with Radiation will respond.

 

[Tulsa-Dan]

I don't have any experience to offer, but I wanted to wish Lexi well and send my best thoughts and prayers your way.

My heart is with you.

Dan

 

[Clari's Mom]

So sorry to hear about Lexi

Hi

I also have a young Boxer, a 3 year old brindle, recently diagnosed with a different kind of cancer, lymphosarcoma.

We weren't going to treat it with chemo as I was so afraid of side effects but the more I researched it the more I kept hearing the same thing - dogs (and animals in general) don't have the side effects that people do. I hope the same will hold true for your Lexi for radiation therapy. I have read somewhere about "half-body" radiation (one of the oncology links, but cannot remember which) is being used in some cases as it doesn't have as much side effects long-term on their bones.

I feel for you and what you are going through - if there's anything I can do to help, please let me know. You and Lex will be in our prayers.

I have also switched Clari to an all raw diet as well as putting her on supplements prescribed by a holistic vet.

I have never been a huge believer about "alternative medicine" but I cannot help but think that these supplements and the diet have had a good effect on her because she was diagnosed at the end of December 2000 and the prognosis at that time was 2 months, without chemo.

Not only do we still have her but our chemo vet was rather surprised at how the small size of her lymph nodes are and that fact that her spleen wasn't enlarged, etc.!

I have literally spent days and days researching diet, on human cancer sites, as well as canine ones, and the common thread through all of these sites was that cancer is able to utilize carbohydrates easier than protein and basically the carbs go to the cancer cells first and the dog last, whereas protein is more difficult for cancer cells to utilize. I had previously had her on Eukanuba Premium Performance but switched her.

Again, if there is anything I can do, please don't hesitate to email me - I am generally home on and off during the day but do work nights.

Take care and good luck to you both!!

 

[Denise]

My Tierra has the same

Hi,

I just joined, because I wanted to see how common this is?

I have a five year old baby girl, named Tierra, she was just diagnosed with the same cancer. Except, I don't know where its located.
I believe God will heal her, He knows I can't afford to pay for any surgery or treatments. And I'm certanly not ready for her to go to doggie heaven. I cried and cried at first, but now I'm trusting God to heal her, as He has healed and delivered me from many things. Whatever His will is, I'll accept it gladly.

I'll pray for all the animals that are sick.

Denise

 

[buddy'smom]

I can't give you any advice or information, but I will be sending you my prayers and positive vibes. Best of luck to lexi!! Please keep us posted

 

[karens]

I lost my precious Sam to a rare intestinal Cancer almost two years ago, she was only three. I wish you the best in fighting Lexi's illness. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Sorry I cannot offer any advice on the matter.

 

[knewsham]

The effects of chemotherapy are not the same as people get. I took my dog for treatments and from my experience (I had an 8 yr old boxer who died of lymphoma 6 months after diagnosis), I don't think I would do chemotherapy again (after 12 wks he came out of remission and it was very draining on him), but I think the homeopathic and herbal supplements did keep him going strong (which you can get at the health food store) - along with the last resort of (Prednisone) steroids which took the swelling away.

Although I'd given him about 21 herbs, homeopathic and vitamin supplements in total per day, I didn't see improvement from all of them.

I think the best things I gave to him were Missing Link, Essiac, Pepto Bismol tablets (for stomach upset, diarrehea and nausea), Coral Calcium, Viscosum (mistletoe), CarboVeg (homeopathic - helps breathing), and for the diarrehea activated charchol caps (away from supplements). Also get your dog on a organic high protein diet, with lots of vegetables & some fruit.

My dog Sampson, lost his appetite but would eat rotisserie roasted chicken, so that's what he got! He felt good with plenty of energy for six months more until we realized his breathing was affected (he was panting even when at rest) - after taking him to the vet we found his organs were enlarged making him uncomfortable which was when we made that extremely tough decision we still feel bad about. Let me know if I can help during this tough time in any way. The hardest thing I found was the feeling that you don't know who to turn to.

 

[susan fulcher]

Lexis

My heart and prayers go out to Lexi and all our boxer kids who have to battle cancer.I do not dismiss conventional medicine,but I am a beleiver in Holistic medicine.We need both.I am in a buisness that deals with animals.I meet a lot of cats and dogs with cancer and I see the difficult choice their guradians must make.I've seen dogs get chemo and not get chemo and what I have seen is they live about the same amount of time, the difference is the quality of life.Those that use a good holistic vet bond more with their dogs because they play a big part in the healing process.You don't just take them in to get zapped and get pills,With holistic care you learn how to prepare a good cancer fighting diet,you add the vitamins,supps,herbs or homeoptic remedies ,you stay and watch the accupuncturist do his stuff,and theres massage therapy and TTouch.Holistic care is something worth looking into and you don't go into instant debt.Some people do both but most holistic vets do not work with chemo,some are trying too.Also I don't know if you are familiar with Flower Essences,they work on emotions.I'm an intern Bach Flower Practicioner and your local health food store has these essences.For example Crabapple is for cleansing the body,Gentian can be used if lexi gets feeling down from her cancer,Gorse is if she reaches a point where she feels like giving up,Olive can be used if the cancer has exhausted her and she has no energy to go on, and Walnut is great for transition such as new home,or palacing rescue animals and it can help with dying,making it an easier transition.They are safe can be put in the water,food,directly given,bath rinse,rubbed on,sprayed in the air,but best results they should be given 4 times a day.When my dogs and cats are not well I use everything I can to make them better.Also I have a holistic homeoptic vet and she worked with my pets for 1 1\2 years and what I haved learned about homeopathy is you must be careful using to many herbs because some herbs cancel out the remedies.Also essential oils can cancel the homeoptic remedies.So it's best to work with a holistic vet and do not be afraid to ask qustion vets are only people. Good Luck to you and Lexi.

 

[boxer4]

I`m so sorry

My late Dutch also had this it started with a small ball the size of grape under her jaw in the back,I thought it was an absessed tooth but got the news a week after her 10th birthday January 30,98.I took her for chemo and was told she went into remission after the third treatment she was fine and acted like a pup for 4mo. but in June she started a cough and had labored breathing,I was told it was back.I was told I could try another round of chemo again but usually once the cancer comes back it is much harder to fight because it becomes immune to the drugs this time she also showed a growth near her heart and one pushing up on her air ways we still tried anyway and the second round were just to much for her especially at her age.She lost her hair and had bloody loose stools fainted and threw up alot.I finally let her go on sept 5,98. In the begining when I was having trouble deciding where or not to try my vet said one thing I`ll never forget.He said if this was a child we wouldn`t be having this conversation,you would do what you had to to try and save them.Well she was my child so I don`t regret trying. I was lucky to have a vet that told me he would be honest and tell me when he didn`t think we should go on,and he did.I hope you your vet is as kind. I wish there was something I could say or do to help you. Dutch never had radiation or surgery because of her age I know the dogs that had both when we were there faired much better. I would never tell you not to try,your baby has a much better chance being younger, Please feel free to e-mail me if there are any questions.