Staffyluv

I have just seen this - I am so sorry Brigitte... Maggie is now pain free and I am sure she will wait for you, until you come for her at the bridge... Hugs for you and yours at such a hard time Jodie

Happy birthday old man... From a baby to an old man

So sorry to hear this...RIP Leo

Dog or boyfriend, dog or boyfriend - I would choose the dog.. It is a shame she is still young enough to accept that it is OK to be controlled this way - I dare say she will eventually see the light...

Nope not sensitive at all babe... Only you know your situation and if it should continue or not:)

Hi di dee1, I'm sorry that you have had the need to undergo chemotherapy - I hope it has been successful for you. Cheotherapty in dogs is not the same as that for people. Dogs do not get the same dosage, and in general tolerate it well. They dont lose their hair,or spend days hurling up their breakfast. It is offered to 'improve the quality of their remaining life'. so when you undertake this option, you do so to make their days better. My love for Maggie is great enough that I wanted to do all I could to improve the days she had. Okay, in her case it was not overly successful - there are no guarantees - but then I cant say what it would have been like for her at this point had she not had the treatment. Brigitte That is correct Brigitte, dogs don't get the dose that humans get because they don't (well the first one was done this year) bone marrow transplants for pets, like they do with humans because of the massive doses of drugs they give humans compared to pets. It really is nothing like it. I watched my best friend pass away with breast cancer and she had chemo twice - horrible to watch such a sweet, life loving woman get so very ill... On the other hand, Ollie had 6 months of chemo with holistic treatment to help him stay well and we only had a couple of times when he was 'sick' - he has also outlived the canine oncologists expectations by over 4 years now... So very worth it and I personally would do it again. I too will have the heart to give him his wings when the time comes - so glad I chose the treatment option though or I doubt he would still be here now (loving his walks and playing like a loon at the ripe old age of nearly 13)... Each to their own, I would never look down on someone who chose not to treat with chemo but I also think it is unfair when someone 'assumes' it must be just like human chemo and that I am doing the wrong thing by my dog (believe me, I have had plenty of people tell me how cruel I am).. I thoroughly researched everything for Ollie and weighed up all the pros and cons, including the cost, and made my decision based on what I had read and other's experience with it...

I am so sorry greypets...It is hard to let go of the ones we love Rosie was my sisters girl and such a lovely little lady... She has also been a part of my life for the best part of 10 years on and off when I came up for holidays. I used to let her sneak up on the lounge with me (when she was supposed to sit on the floor) and she would hide under the blanket or just look at my sister with a funny look as if to say, it is OK, I am allowed:) I will miss not seeing her when I go to her house...

My sister gave her last Stafford her wings this afternoon. It looked like Rosie had suffered a stroke and there was nothing that could be done for her apart from giving her peace... Goodbye my beautiful girl, I will miss you so much Rosie 1st February 1999 to 6th June 2010

We have been here in Lismore for a couple of weeks now and he is settling in really well. He had a little holiday with my mum in Ballina for a couple of days last week (I had to go away for work) and loved her big backyard and the fact that she pinned the door so he could come and go whenever he wanted. Health wise he is doing well, no real issues to speak of. He still has MCT but it appears as though the remission is STILL holding and I am so very thankful for that... His cruciate ligaments are doing well, he gets a bit sore if he runs around like a loon or jumps when he plays with the kids too much but mostly he is just fine... Will get some pics of him when I get a weekend spare to take him to the beach - I can't wait to see his reaction to the waves and the sand (he has never seen waves before but used to have a sandpit to dig in when he was a little lad)... Cheers Jodie and Ollie dog

Ah the heartache of chemo... I remember thinking the same as you when Ollie was having chemo about 4 years ago. I don't think I ever really saw any improvement but obviously there was. I also remember him going to hospital on a couple of occasions, one of which was very distressing as we really thought we would not be bringing him home. Sometimes (not all chemo cases) can be very distressing... Are you treating holistically too? It can help to support them while they are going through it and I know from our experience I believe that it made all the difference to how well he recovered when he did get sick. I remember once, him being so ill and thinking I should stop this and let him go - but the holistic vet said to ask our vet to give him Vitamin C via a drip and the next morning, the dog we thought we were going to lose, he was up telling everyone he wanted out of the cage in the hospital... I think we all have slightly different journey's with chemo, no two are the same... And only we can know what our limitations are on what we will or won't put our dogs and ourselves through. Ollie had chemo for 6 months... one week intravenous, the next 5 pills and the next week off - then it started all over again... We have been very lucky, the chemo and the holistic treatment have given him a remission that has outlasted anything that was expected... Only you can really know what is best for you and Maggie but I wish you all the luck that we had and are still having.

Sounds almost exactly like Ollie's dxd going on 5 years in October/November this year... He was originally given 12-18 months and he is still here, still well and still has MCT... Ollie's main wound was about the same (on a stafford) and they went in a second time to try for clear margins but were not successful plus they did a lymph node biopsy which showed up active mast cells... Check out his thread here if you get some time and also the Rotty thread as it has some really great advice. Good luck

Glad to hear it was a lipoma My boy Ollie has MCT (MCT grade 2 - no clear margins and multiple tumour sites - has had it for nearly 5 years now).. MCT can take various forms - some look like dark moles and some look like pinkish warts and then there are the ones under the skin - to me these feel like very hard peas just sitting there: they don't move. When smaller they almost look like they have a point - the fur stands up but as they grow they tend to smooth out and become rounder. Ollie also has a history of lipoma (fatty lumps that don't cause a problem unless they get big and interfere with movement or they get bumped all the time): these often feel like spongy lumps and are usually soft... We have never had an MCT that was soft, like a lipoma.

That is what I was thinking to pers... Ollie has lost most of his hearing and jumps when we touch him because he does not hear us coming. I always make sure I approach him from the front so he can see me now... His night vision is going too so we leave a night light on for him now (at the suggestion of the vet) so he can see where he is going of a night

Check with the vet - I always recommend that you do that even with info that has worked for others because everyones case is just that bit different. I really can't see how the inner health plus could hurt to be honest but ask the vet, just to be sure. Mylanta was suggested to us because Ollie developed a very small stomach ulcer and although not proven, the vet does think it probably come from the chemo... Ollie's protocol was 3 weekly (week 1 was chemo via drip, week 2 was chemo via 5 tablets and then a week off) for 6 months - it was bloody hard. More so with having blood tests every Monday before the chemo on Wednesday to make sure the white cell count was high enough to have it... You are right the carafate might bind her up more, so forget that. You sound like you are already adding fibre to her diet, so you have that covered - is she drinking plenty of water?

This is what we do - flax oil and cottage cheese and either more cheese (cheddar) or some banana...Mis well and let it sit for a bit before giving it to him. He gets fish oil tablets as well. All meat should be cooked for cancer dogs (remove all bones before cooking as they can't have any cooked bones but I guess you already know that) Digestion problems can be caused by the chemo (Ollie still has issues and it has been 4 years since he had chemo).. We got carafate from the vet and we get the prescription filled at the chemist because it is cheaper than getting it from the vets. Dogs can also have mylanta - from memory Ollie is 23kg and had about 4-5ml in a small syringe squirted down the back of his mouth. A really good tablet to give to improve the stomach and intestines is the Inner Health tablets from the chemist - they are a bit expensive but they really do work.

A belated thanks Helen - he had a great time with the boys around so much over easter this year. He is doing well - actually the same, no really big change in him. The vet thought he had lost some weight and the scales said about a kilo but that is OK because it brings him to the weight the vet would prefer to see him at, instead of his chubby self... I think the weight loss is due to the cancer because his diet has not changed and he eats about the same as I have always given him. Probably not a good sign but he has kicked this MCT for nearly 5 years now and he has been nothing short of an absolute trooper when it comes down to it... We are on the move to Lismore on the far north coast NSW on the 21st of May and it will just be him and I - not sure how that will go with him as he loves the whole family, even though I am the one who spends most of the time with him...

OMG the poor little girl - it is going to be a long road to recovery...

Hi Michelle, Thanks for thinking of Maggie ! Maggie had her first chemo last Thursday. I didn't know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised to pick her up afterward and she was full of beans. She was a bit flat the next day, but overall is doing very well. Certainly has no loss of appetite :D Hubby is getting used to going to the fridge and knowing that all the good stuff he sees, yogurt, cottage cheese, fresh cooked chicken, steamed carrot and broccoli - is not for him. I hear him grumbling but know he is smiling while he does.... : D Methinks I might come and raid your fridge too LOL I still dont really know what to expect from here on in - Are the first days the ones she is most likely to feel unwell, or could that increase over the next week ? if ithe chemo works, how long before we should see a difference? Also, does anyone know if subsequent chemos affect the differently? I thought they might as surely they start each one somewhat depleted from the last round of chemo ? Brigitte I hope someone can answer these questions for you B Michelle Hi Brigitte, I can answer those questions for you What to expect differs greatly depending on how well she is when she has the chemo - the reason we used holistic treatment as well, to keep him as well as possible while the chemo did its thing... If Ollie was flat it was usually a day or two after chemo and sometimes for a day or two... It did vary and sometimes he was not flat at all - I think the tablets were worse than the drip (he had chemo via a drip one week, then 5 tablets the next week, then a week off for 6 months)... One of the most important things was to keep track of his temperature during chemo - are you doing that? This will give an indication if she is flat or sick because it is hard to tell. Flat is a bit nauseous and low energy and sick is something she has picked up that could make her worse very quickly due to a lower than usual immune system... Like I said, it will vary depending on what chemo she is having, how often, her diet and supplements (vitamin C was the best we used and is a great all round tonic for dogs)... But the lower her immune system gets, the more chance she has of picking up something that will make her sick - which will prolong the chemo because she can't have it if she is not well and different chemo protocols go for different lengths of time... So, a good diet, exercise and the right supplements and I am sure she will do well - but the temp check thing is really important (I don't know why more vets don't push this - I used to take Ollie's temp twice a day, morning and night. So the slightest increase we could get him antibiotics and he was fine most of the time)... We did have a few scary moments and you may or may not have them too - Ollie did get really sick (hospital sick) a few times during chemo when he picked up a bug, could not keep food down and ended up on a drip to get well - the longest stint in hospital was 3 days... Good luck

Total crap. You don't know anything about them. Dogs were bred to fight, but bred to be people safe. Fighting other dogs doesn't equate to attacks on people, never has, never will. No medium to large sized dog should be owned by idiots. There has never been a fatal attack by a pitbull in Aust. What does that tell you? Pitbulls are way down the attack list stats, even when they are numerically adjusted. Be frightened of cattle dogs, german shepherds, labradors, they are way ahead of pitbulls. Do you research before posting your feelings disguised as fact, and fact shaped by skewed media propaganda. :D Great reply Jed... It always amazes me that people can't see that dogs originally bred for fighting, were also bred NOT to be dangerous to people.. People had to get the dogs out of the fight... They just see the media report and carry on with what the usual dribble that they are being force fed by the media (sheep and all that)... The media are on the war path again and sadly I think the Stafford will come off second best if another round of BSL hits us... I hope the the medical staff can save her arm and she heals quickly...

I am so very sorry for your loss BB... Rest in peace girl

You know I don't like that anymore than the next person but if the dog was in pain and they did not have the money to treat, what else can they do??? These sorts of situations are usually critical and need attending to right now - no time to organise finance or try to borrow the funds... There are also people who just don't see dogs like DOLers do... There are also some cultures that do much worse than putting down a sick dog that they don't have the funds to spend on... We have spent well over $10,000 on Ollie with chemo and ongoing treatment but I would take out a second mortgage for this boy in a heartbeat... At least the pup is free from pain. RIP little one.

Agree with SBT123...

I am so very sorry halledaisy... May she rest in peace now...

We are in Canberra and dealt with All Natural Vet Care in Sydney via email, phone and fax - worked out great for us. Our vet used to fax them all Ollie's results and they treated him from a distance... I talked to them on the phone, explaining what was going on, how he was, what he ate etc and they planned all his supplements based on the info supplied by me, the vet and the canine oncologist - who just happened to be in Brisbane... Rod Straw is an amazing man and has a great team to help him (oncologist)... Good luck and keep us updated

From memory there were 4 or 5 times where I thought I was doing the wrong thing by Ollie - times when he got sick during chemo... And it is so hard to see them sick like that but honestly they do pick up, they do have times when the chemo does nothing at all, they also have times like these that make you question why you are doing this - is it worth it, are they in pain... Sometimes the drugs to make them ill but it could also be a combination of the drugs and something she has picked up - the chemo does drop their immune system which makes them more prone to pick up any bugs going around... (this was Ollie's problem because I would not keep him locked up at home, we still went to the park every day for a walk)... The no food for a couple of days really won't hurt but you have to be able to keep them hydrated because a sick dog (with a temperature) will dehydrate very quickly... She is in the best place at the vets on a drip... Good luck