To hell with lymphoma! HELP

[Bowlforthedog]

As some of you may remember Roscoe had some major surgery. He was successful coming out of it but now almost a year later he has lymphoma. He is 8 1/2 years old. And I love him! There has been many trials, and tribulations with this story, with what he has been through. I am not sure WHAT TO DO at this point with him, besides keeping him happy. I took him to the Opthamologist Monday and the blood work obviously came positive for Lymphoma. His eyes got swollen and I was referred to the Ophthamologist for that reason. His eyes have that nasty looking discolored look to them. Although, I have since been giving him drops, they have been getting better. My question is what to do from here? I can get him back on predisone and see what happens or do Cemo. I am not sure that I want to do Cemo. What is best for him? Anyone, that has dealt with a Rottie, that has had this specific cancer, please let me know..

Only other options are to keep him on Tramadol, keep him on Predisone and his eye drops. Plus comfort FOR him... It hate this so much. I don't want to see my boy go!


Thanks!

[Anne]

I'm so sorry you are going through this with your beloved dog. It may be wise to consult with an oncologist who can guide you through this. The oncologist who attends my dog has been a tower of strength to us.

My girl also has cancer, not lymphoma but her days left with me are few and precious.
You and Roscoe are in my thoughts and prayers.

[Ceej]

First, let me express how sorry I am that you and your precious Roscoe are facing this horrible disease. Your post has moved me to tears. I remember all too well the day we found out about Ginger's lymphoma. My heart goes out to you both!!!

Ginger was diagnosed with lymphoma when she was approximately 10 years old. She was adopted from the shelter at about age 5 years. She started showing symptoms of eye redness that was gradually getting worse and so we took her in to the vet. The eye redness was her only overt sign that something was amiss. The vet found enlarged lymph nodes throughout her body and the diagnosis was made. That was in May 2006.

It was our decision, due to the advanced stage of her disease and her advanced age, to only give Ginger the Prednisone to try to slow the growth of the tumors and keep her comfortable. The Prednisone relieved the eye redness and she was her old self until the very end. One day, in late August, I could hear her breathing from the next room. The tumors had grown so large in her neck they were cutting off her trachea. I knew it was time to say goodbye. Ginger loved to go on walks, to eat, and to ride in the car. She did all those things with enthusiasm that last morning. She is missed terribly by all of us...still.

I can not advise you on what to do for Roscoe. That decision is up to you. I do believe that a trip to an oncologist would be prudent. See what treatments are available for Roscoe. Information is power.

Please keep us informed. Treat each day as the gift it is and know I'll be praying for you both...

[srzoe]

My dog Max got diagnosed with lymphoma with liver involvement at 4 and 1/2 years of age. Although it was quite expensive I decided to do the Wisconsin Protocol which is chemo that uses a number of different drugs. The median life span for a dog with lymphoma is 11 months with this protocol, but Max survived for 2 and 1/2 years. There were some tough times, but I would do it again because it bought me more time with my bud.

[hennie400]

Someone I know has an 8 year old dog with lymphoma. The first course of chemo put the dog in remission for 10 months. The dog has just dropped out of remission and the choice is a second course of chemo and the remission is likely to be similar or shorter or to go for a bone marrow transplant.

She has opted for the bone marrow transplant with a cure rate of 40%. There have been about 12 done where I live. The success rate depends on the type and spread of lymphoma when first discovered. The dog has to be put into remission and then bone marrow is harvested.

She has a blog which describes her journey with her dog which started in May 2007

Raven, Cypher & Spryte - An Agility Blog

[diane jensen]

Don't give up!
My dog was diagnosed last november. I am just ending the chemo. He went into remission right away and has stayed. No side effects. I changed his diet. Innova all meat. Also do immune inhancers, all herbal you can check online under canine lymphoma. Marley is 7 and his prognosis at this time is good. A cure is probably unlikely but there is much you can do to extend his life without compromising any quality.

[Bowlforthedog]

Thanks for the advice and kind words. I am having such a hard time deciding what to do. One minute I think yes, I want to do Chemo for him, then the next minute I am like nope that won't be good for him. About this time last year he was having major surgery...

[Bosko]

First Let me say I'm sorry. I lost my boy back in November to the exact same thing. I decided not to do the chemo and he was given the steriods (predisone) and the drops for his eyes as they would swell. When he was first diagnosed, I did some online research and found some info that stated "left untreated most will survive 4-8 wks". The cancer was found in early october and I lost him one week after thanksgiving. Lymphoma is a very aggressive form of cancer and easy spreads through out the body. The best advice I can give is to watch him for signs that it's time. My boy completely degraded in about 2 days.
Again, I am very sorry..

[poohbearsmom]

Originally Posted by Bowlforthedog

As some of you may remember Roscoe had some major surgery. He was successful coming out of it but now almost a year later he has lymphoma. He is 8 1/2 years old. And I love him! There has been many trials, and tribulations with this story, with what he has been through. I am not sure WHAT TO DO at this point with him, besides keeping him happy. I took him to the Opthamologist Monday and the blood work obviously came positive for Lymphoma. His eyes got swollen and I was referred to the Ophthamologist for that reason. His eyes have that nasty looking discolored look to them. Although, I have since been giving him drops, they have been getting better. My question is what to do from here? I can get him back on predisone and see what happens or do Cemo. I am not sure that I want to do Cemo. What is best for him? Anyone, that has dealt with a Rottie, that has had this specific cancer, please let me know..

Only other options are to keep him on Tramadol, keep him on Predisone and his eye drops. Plus comfort FOR him... It hate this so much. I don't want to see my boy go!


Thanks!

With prednisone and tramadol, you are doing what can be done for lymphoma. The prednisone will slow down the onslought a bit, and the tramadol will numb the pain a bit. Enjoy the time you have with him, and keep him comfortable.

Re: Chemo. This is a very personal choice. However, I beg you to look at things from your dog's perspective a bit. He's 8 1/2 yo. He's not young and strong anymore. The dibilitating effects of chemo are not pretty for a human, who KNOWS what's going on and why he feels this way... the dog has no understanding of why, he only knows he feels like crap. On top of that, the financial side is extreme, and in the end, you are really only prolonging the inevitable.

We had a member ont he forums that basicly racked up 18,000 in chemo bills, only to have the dog come out of remission and go terminal less than a year later. Do you really want your boy's last days on earth filled with nausea, pain and suffering, or do you want them to be filled with comfort and empathy and love from you?

My 2 cents.

[AngieA]

My sweet 8 year old boy Chalupa was diagnosis with Lyphoma on 08/26/07 and we had to PTS on 09/06/07. With my boy we had him on eye drops and prednisone we were going to try a chemo drug given every 21 days but we never had the chance to try it because his cancer progressed too fast and he was having such difficulty breathing. My husband and I made the most painful decision to end his suffering although it broke my heart I couldn't bear to have him suffer.
With your baby I can only suggest to try what you can and keep him comfortable and pain free. Diet is important is your guy eating OK ? I was told Lymphoma can respond well with chemo. Good luck to you !!!!!!!!!!!
I know completely too well what you are going through and pray he can recover for you! God Bless!
Angie

[Bowlforthedog]

Sorry to read about your loss Angie. Yes, he is still eating. I am feeding him chicken noodle soup over his food. He likes that!

Has anyone used any Homeopathic methods?

[Bowlforthedog]

I have decided not to do Chemo on my boy. I have found a doctor here in my home town that practices natural medicine. I am going to take him there for some comfort and see what she has to offer. At this point I just want him to be as content as possible... She also does acupunture. It was a very tough decision to make not to do Chemo but apparently he does have STAGE V Lymphoma...

Let ya know how it goes.....

[Ceej]

I'll continue to hold you and Roscoe close in prayer!!!

Thanks for the update and let us know how it goes...

[poohbearsmom]

These decisions can be very difficult to make, but when we take ourselves out of the picture, sometimes even that can be a little comfort. Spoil him.

Peace be with you.

[Bowlforthedog]

I have been working on his diet some. As he doesn't enjoy the kibble unless it is mixed with yogurt, cottage cheese, vegtable soup, chicken soup or maybe mackeral. I also bought some canned Pink Salmon. Furthermore, I have been feeding him some raw beef and raw chicken wings. I am trying to incorporate some good protein into his diet... Any thoughts on this? Is Raw ok for dogs that have cancer? I have read conflicting info. Although, I did read on B-Naturals it is ok to feed raw with cancer...
I will be getting him some supplements tomorrow, at the Holistic vet, I suspect, for his immune system, to help keep it strong. Or maybe I will order them from B-Naturals?? Has anyone ordered from them? Are they good?

Thanks!