Lymphoma-Please share your experiences w/ chemotherapy & experiences w/out treating

[rbrianboyd]

Hi. Bailey is 8 years old and has been with me ever since she was 8 weeks old. Needless to say, best dog ever and loved member of our family. Unfortunately, she was recently diagnosed with T-Cell Lymphoma. Like many before us, we are faced now with the decision whether to pursue chemotherapy treatment or to not pursue chemotherapy and make her comfortable as she lives out the remaining weeks of her life. I have already scheduled her 1st appointment to begin chemotherapy for this Saturday. However, I do have fears that my trying to help her may cause her more harm, but from what I have read already, I think I am doing the right thing for her. We understand that chemo is not a cure and the goal is to extend her life while allowing her to enjoy the extension with a few bad days mixed here and there.

I've found this site to be very helpful and all members to be very loving and compassionate. However, when trying to find a thread to read on others experiences, I find a majority of the posts are "sorry to hear of that but I have no experience with lymphoma or chemo" mixed with one or two helpful stories. So...we are asking members WHO HAVE HAD EXPERIENCES with chemotherapy treatment to tell others of their experiences, both good and bad. We are also asking members who opted not to pursue this course of treatment to tell others of their experiences, both good and bad. While we appreciate all member's compassion and love for all boxers and willingness to reach out and say sorry (as we feel the same for anyone else) please please please only post to this thread if you have an experience to share.


More about Bailey and what we were told....

Our local vet referred us to the Animal Cancer Care Clinic in Fort Lauderdale. We were told by the oncologist after testing that Bailey is stage 3 – all of the lymph nodes are effected but no organs are effected that they can tell of and she has no clinical signs – meaning other than the lump in her neck awe haven’t noticed her being any different. We were also told that T-Cell is the most aggressive type of Lymphoma and that the typical survival time without any treatment is 6 to 8 weeks from diagnosis – in her case it could be a little longer b/c she has no clinical signs and has an appetite.

We were told that with treatment the typical survival time is 6 to 8 months – typical means over 50% of the dogs make it this long with 90% of the dogs go into remission for some period of time. Only 15% of dogs make it a year or more, even with treatment. We were told are treatment options are

1. Chop – oral medications and injections 1 time a week for 12 weeks
2. Oral only – once every three weeks
3. Prednisone only – which may shrink her lymph nodes and make her feel better but will not change her survival time

I've read a bit about eliminating carbs from her diet and the oncologist also recommended doing so, but cautioned to slowly transition. We have also started the cottage cheese and flax seed oil Budwig's regimen and are helping to boost her immune system with K-9 Immunity Plus.

Thank you in advance for sharing your experiences.

Loving our boxer as much as you love yours.

 

[hurleygirl]

Our Hurley was also 8 when he was diagnosed. He had already been showing signs, i.e., poor appetite. We thought it was just because we changed his food, but then the whole left side of his neck swelled up and we knew something was terribly wrong. Our vet told us that with chemo we could extend his life about 4 months and recommended Prednisone to keep him comfortable. We opted for the Prednisone and he was like a new dog(or a puppy) for several weeks. We had our goofball back and we spoiled him rotten. But when the Prednisone quit working he went downhill VERY fast. It was difficult for him to breathe and you could see in his eyes that he just wanted to go. That night our vet opened his office and put him out of his misery. He looked so peaceful, just like he was asleep. Your outcome could be completely different tho and you could enjoy several years with your boxer. Just get all the info you can and go from there. But, I would treat everyday like it was the last. Spoil, spoil, spoil. You'll have great memories if the outcome is not good and even if the outcome is terrific.

 

[shindig]

First of all sorry to hear about Bailey. My boxer, Bandit, also has lymphoma and he is 7. He has been on chemo (CHOP) for 6 months and has gone out of remission once. I think he is close to coming out of remission again (can feel a few small lumps on his neck), but his oncologist still considers him in remission for the time being since no other areas of his body are affected/swollen. He was on lomustine for one treatment after he went out of remission in March, but didn't do so well on it. About a week after receiving lomustine, he stepped on a thorn and had to be hospitalized for 3 days because of his low white blood cell counts. From then we took about 2 weeks off of chemo and he started up again in late March.

To say the least, it is a very draining process. You will most likely encounter many days of a lethargic boxer, uninterested in food and activities, which sadly goes against their personalities. Most likely Bailey will be on prednisone for 4 weeks which will cause him to eat and drink like no other. Be prepared to clean up some messes in the morning. Bandit will frequently have accidents on the hardwork floor or on the kitchen tile during the night, so stock up on paper towels and gloves.

I've also got Bandit on K9 Immunity Plus. Can't say it's helped, but I continue to purchase it. He's also on a grain free diet (Orijen Chicken), which I mix in with some Evanger's grain free whole meat (pheasant, duck, bison, rabbit). This makes it easy to mix all his pills and supplements as well. He's also on l-argintine, l-glutamine, vitamen E, milk thistle and fish oil along with a natural probiotic. You might also want to get a fiber supplement (pumpkin flavor) to help with Baily's stools. I also give Bandit cottage cheese and flaxseel oil twice a day. In the cottage cheese I also mix in some kale or parsely.

Other than that, I don't know what else to tell you. It's an ordeal and one that I never want to go through again. Bandit is my first dog as well and I've had him since he was 10 weeks old. It is heartbreaking, because you want them to live a full and happy life, but you know deep down that the cancer will get the better of them sooner or later. They are precious dogs and unfortunately on borrowed time now. Just love on Bailey as much as you can, don't get upset with him when he has an accident on the floor or won't eat his dinner. Try to enjoy each day with him and don't be afraid to ask your oncologist lots of questions. I txt my oncologist anytime I think Bandit is acting different/strange. She's great and gets right back with me. Also, do your research. There is so much information out there on the internet, it's really difficult to weed through it all, but you can find some inspiring stories.

I sometimes wonder if I am doing the right thing for Bandit. I don't want him to suffer but I also don't want him to lose his dignitiy. I know he feels bad when he has accidents on the floor because he lowers his head and looks away. It makes me feel horrible even though I've never gotten upset with him.

If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me.

Kevin

 

[Barkley]

I will start a new thread, so as not to disrupt this one, but I would really appreciate if all three of you could respond with a little detail on how your pups were diagnosed...it might be helpful for my boy.
Thanks,
Jenn

 

[Albie]

I'm so sorry to hear about Bailey. It's such a difficult diagnosis, and the statistics for long term survival are shocking. Since Jack was symptom free, we knew we couldn't just sit back and do nothing, so we decided to try chemotherapy. After looking at the average remission times and weighing the costs, we decided on a single agent protocol, doxorubicin, which will be administered by IV once every three weeks for a total of five treatments. Jack has only had one chemo treatment so far. He was also supposed to have a month long course of prednisone. While Jack tolerated the chemo really well, the prednisone gave him some trouble. After only three days on the pred, I spoke with the oncologist and we reduced the dose. Now that he is on the reduced dose, the side effects are much more manageable. On the initial high dose, Jack would have bouts of heavy panting that lasted for two or three hours at a time, drank water like crazy, and peed all the time. Now on the lower dose we notice some panting, but not like before, he still drinks and pees more than usual, and is hungry all the time. He doesn't seem bothered by any of these side effects. Jack had bloodwork on Thursday, and his white blood cell count hasn't changed. The vet was very pleased. He's scheduled for his next chemo treatment on June 7. We plan on giving him the anti-nausea medication prescribed by the oncologist before treatment since he experienced some nausea a couple hours after his first treatment. Hopefully all will go as well as the first time.

 

[shindig]

Bandit had his chemo treatment Tuesday of doxorubicin and he hasn't eaten much at all since Wednesday. Actually last night as I was getting ready to eat, he thru up all over the love seat in the living room....boy what a mess that was. Amazingly, he felt so much better afterwards and started chewing on his raw bone . The anti-nausea Cerenia does work and I give it to Bandit before his chemo treatment and usually 2-3 days after. You can also give them some Pepcid AC between 10-20 mg if their tummy is really upset.

Kevin

 

[rbrianboyd]

Bailey has her first chemo appointment tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, the clinic was so booked we had to wait a week and a half to get on their Saturday schedule so she can treat once a week. I have noticed that the nodes in her throat have doubled in size over the last weeks and she is gradually becoming more and more lethargic as the days fly. Surprisingly, I am actually looking forward to her appointment tomorrow and am not as apprehensive as I thought I would be. I realize this is likely because I see subtle changes in her and the treatment provides me a glimmer of hope that she will go into remission and get some relief from how she must be feeling.

Of note, the oncologist's office advised that I do not have to alter her eating schedule or do anything special prior to the chemo appointment. This was a bit surprising to me as I'm pretty sure that the medications will make her sick to her stomach. I thought a preemptive approach to the nausea would be in order.

Luckily, like a true boxer, Bailey remains in good spirits - still wags her nub, still has that silly grin on her face, still likes to play and is still eating normally. Besides being a little tired and having super-sized nodes in her neck, you wouldn't be able to tell that she is sick. So...we are all trying our best to take full advantage of her good mood and we could tell the other night when she was on her back in the living room with all 4 legs up in the air wiggling her but to scratch her back while having her belly rubbed - that she is loving all the attention.

 

[shindig]

I'm sure she'll do wonderful. Sorry in my first post I was thinking she was a he . I'd ask your oncologist about Cerenia (anti-nausea) medication once you pick her up. They might just go ahead and give her some after her chemo treatment, but it becomes more expensive over time if they administer it themselves. Plus you'll probably need some for those days when she's not feeling well.

Good luck.

Kevin

 

[Albie]

Good luck tomorrow! I'm sure Bailey will do great. She sounds like a sweet girl, wagging her nub and rolling around without a care in the world! You just have to love these wonderful dogs! At our first appointment the vet sent us home with the anti-nausea medication (ondansetron) with instructions to give it if Jack only if he started to feel nauseous. Jack's chemo treatment was at noon, and it wasn't until 10 pm that night that he started drooling and gulping and licking his lips. I gave him his medication and it took a couple hours for him to start feeling better. When I called the oncologist the next day she said to give him the anti-nausea medication for a couple more days and see how he does. At that point he had no problems but I kept giving it to him just in case. We decided I should give him the ondansetron prior to his next treatment just in case. They said they could give it to him there but I figure I already bought the medication so I'll just give it to him before we go. We were also told to give Jack a Pepcid every day for gastric support.

Kevin - Sorry about your love seat... yuck! I hope Bandit starts feeling better soon!

 

[Albie]

Kevin - quick question. Was Bandit on a grain free diet before his diagnosis? Jack's oncologist said not to change his diet, but the more I read on the internet, the more I think we should switch him to a grain free diet.