"Ribby", age 9.5 yrs diagnosed with Gastric Carcinoma

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TossBranAbi

TossBranAbi

Boxer Insane
Cherish the time you have with your girl. It is so tough losing them but the love and loyalty they give make the whole experience worth it.

Spoil her rotten (even more than she already is, if possible ;) ) and live like there is no tomorrow. Take plenty of pictures and curl up on the couch with her and read, just the two of you (Art of Racing in The Rain is an excellent book, good choice!)

I'm sorry you haven't had the best of news but at least you know what is to come and live life to the fullest until that time comes.

Sending happy, feel good vibes Ribby's way! :)
 
BudH

BudH

Boxer Pal
Can't get Ribby to eat.

Returned Ribby to two 20 mg doses of Prednisone today. We'd been weaning her off it to try some other meds but yesterday she at absolutely nothing and today is no better. Just gave her the second dose. Hope she will eat. I did force some nutrition jell into her belly by feeding it to her via syringe. She's such a dear. We played catch the tire and catch the red laser dot a few times today and she was happy to do it. Any ideas on what to feed her? She loves cheese - probably her favorite thing to eat but not today. Same with her steak and eggs. And to think a month ago I was yelling at her to eat slower! What a horrible disease stomach cancer is...
 
EKR16

EKR16

Boxer Booster
I don't know how Ribby feels about ice cream, but as long as I mix it in ice cream, Romie will eat ANYTHING! I've been rolling her pills into little ice cream balls so that way she won't run from me when she knows it's medicine time. Before it was a way traumatic ordeal & we both ended up covered in low-res Science Diet...not very fun!
 
Linda/NJ

Linda/NJ

Boxer Insane
:( Bud, I am sorry to hear this sad news. Like you and your wife, we too have no kids and our boxer is "our child". When we lost our first girl it was really difficult, she was never sick till the last day of her life, so we were not prepared at all. :( The only advice I can tell you is make each day special with your girl. No one can ever prepare themselves for losing a pet. Hugs to you both.
 
BudH

BudH

Boxer Pal
Ribby refuses to eat

EKR16 said:
I jinxed myself...now Romie won't eat ice cream or anything else :( How is Ribby?
Click to expand...

Sadly, Ribby absolutely refuses to eat. She's shown no interest in eating for the past week. I used your suggestion; my wife bought some Bryers Vanilla ice cream (after unsuccessfully trying Frosty Paws dog ice cream that she used to love). I even put some Bryers in her mouth and she did swallow it and even licked at some more that was in her dish. But that was about it...

Yesterday, her Oncologist vet had me pick up a prescription (from a human drug store) for a small pill that I cut in half and give once a day. It's supposed to increase her appetite. I'm sorry, I'll have to post the name of the drug when I get home tonight. Speaking of pills - she hates them! I'm wondering now if perhaps she's not spitting out more of them than I know. I always check but she's a smart little bugger!

I really hope this new prescription shows some results soon! In the interim, I've been feeding her with a syringe. Needless to say, Ribby doesn't care for that at all! I don't think she's ready to say goodbye to us quite yet though. She still enjoys playing her Tire & Laser Games and shows excitement when I mention those games. She also loves when we have guests so we've encouraged our friends to drop by whenever they can. While not appearing to be in any pain, she does seem to be frequently depressed.

However, I know it's only a matter of time before I must take her to our local veteranarian so that her discomfort can be ended. It's the least I owe my girl...
 
johann

johann

Boxer Insane
Will she eat sardines or tuna fish? Those two usually get our renal failure cat to eat and perk back up for a little bit.


((hugs and gentle wiggles)) to you and your boxer.
 
RoccoBoxr

RoccoBoxr

Boxer Buddy
Eat lots Ribby!

Hi Bud - is the pill working?

I'm thinking of you and sending SO many positive thoughts for Ribby - take care
 
EKR16

EKR16

Boxer Booster
Romie is on Mirtazapine too. Have you tried giving her some Pepcid AC? The vet told me that the Prednisone can sometimes cause stomach ulcers so that will help keep the acid levels low. Also, she is on a pill that I have to dissolve in water & shoot into her mouth called Sucralfate that I'm supposed to give her an hour before meals to help coat her stomach. Maybe one of those will help? I roll her pills into ice cream & she will usually eat them, but if not I open her mouth & put them as far back in her mouth as I can (again, rolled in either ice cream or can dog food) & then hold her mouth shut & rub her throat to stimulate swallowing. Then I have to watch her for a few minutes or distract her with toys to keep her from hacking them back up!

My girl just seems to be on a rollercoaster. One day she won't eat at all (not even her ice cream), then the next day she rebounds & wants to eat anything & everything. It is very scary b/c I'm always afraid she isn't going to have another "up-swing" & start eating again! People keep telling me I shouldn't be letting her eat the stuff I do, but what else am I supposed to do? She refuses to eat her regular kibble or anything proper & I refuse to let her starve to death when I know she'll eat something else. Also, I mean how much more damage can be done? As much as I hate to say it, I know that she is dying, why not allow her the things she wants? I like to describe it as the "Make a Wish" program for doggies ;)
 
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