Staffyluv

I have a black stafford and pale timber flooring and I think that staffords drop heaps of hair. I could sweep twice a day with the amount that Ollie drops. Perhaps try a different diet - see an holistic vet to get the right type of diet for her allergies. I would be giving her 1000mg of fish oil in tablet form every day as well. Her tummy being all red, sounds like some sort of contact allergy, maybe a grass that she is lying on. Good luck at the vet Jodie

We are back from the vet and he has had blood taken to see how his white cell count is - more was taken in case further testing is required. He is still lame, he cannot put any weight on his front legs and his back left leg. He has a temperature and is not eating or drinking - if he does not drink (or eat, but not such much eating) by 4pm this afternoon he has to hospital. The vet suggests: That he may have an infection in his joints - he has pain in his elbows and hip joint (as his immune system is compromised anyway, he tends to get a few little infections, we have just been lucky, up til now). If this is the case, the vet wants to do a joint something or other (he sedates Ollie, uses a needle to get some joint fluid to test). Also xrays to check out the joints. If it is an infection, we can treat it and he will bounce back like he always does. Worst case scenerio is that he has a small MCT on his spine - if this is the case, judging from his lameness, the vet thinks it may be high up near his neck. I am hoping and praying that it is not this. There is no treatment for this scenerio. He has had some antibiotics and an injection for pain and is now resting peacefully under my desk here in the office (I am so glad I work for myself sometimes).

Please keep your fingers crossed for us this morning. Ollie went lame last night and still won't get up this morning - I have no idea what is going on and we are in to see the vet at 8.10am. Jodie

Thanks all, he bounced right back last night, so we went for a walk in the park this morning. He seems fine at the moment but still did not eat his dinner again. I am not worried about him at the moment, I think I will wait and see before I make another vet appointment. Cheers J

Isn't it great that we can share all the ideas of how our pets are treated to help each other. So glad to hear that she liked the sweet potato - Ollie is stuck on it and has been for quite a while now but the vet said if that is what he wants, then give it to him... He does have other veges mixed in as well but I would say that half is sweet potato at the moment. He picked up again this morning - enough to go for a walk in the park. Thanks for asking. All the best J

Sounds like your vet has covered all the bases Willow. It will be a time thing now and wait and see what becomes of it all. Hopefully, especially with the amputation and clear margins, that will be the end of it. Best of luck

You are doing a great job with her CnR, just keep doing what you are doing. Glad to hear she is hungry. Ollie is not eating again tonight, he is a bit flat again but he will bounce back as soon as I offer him a walk in the morning. Hugs to the boofer Jodie

Morning sunshine. Dealing with a dog with cancer is without doubt one of the most difficult things I have had to do in my life - unlike humans, they can't tell us where it hurts or even if it is hurting. As their owners we question ourselves, almost on a daily basis, of whether we are doing the right or wrong thing, would it be kinder to let them go, should we hold out just a few more days to see if they pick up - there are so many more questions than answers. However, they continue to surprise us every day, with their will to live and love us back. Their loyalty is unfaltering - which is why we continue to do everything in our power to keep them as well as we can. Ollie's immune system was compromised on numerous occasions too, but our vet continued to live by the, 'it is all about quality of life now, not quantity'. We used to take Ollie to places like the local park or down to the river (he can't swim but he did like to lay on the edge of the water). I don't regret for one minute the times I took him out, even after the oncologist suggested it was risky - he enjoyed it too much to keep him confined all the time. He used to come home exhausted and often not eat dinner because he just wanted to sleep but it was worth it to see that staffy smile. I know not everyone is prepared to take the risks that I have with Ollie but we all we can do, is what we think is the right thing for our own dogs. Keep your chin up CnR, you are doing the very best for Sophie and she knows it. Give her a big hug Jodie

True, we were amusing ourselves for a couple of days before you came He is doing much better today - always the way. As soon as I make a doctors appointment for him he perks up. So I cancelled it this time, instead of taking a well dog up to show them.

PMSL.. I completely forgot that you asked me to dress him up

Thanks Paula. The old buggar has bounced back - he always seems to when I make a vet appointment. He is his usual fiesty old self today.

So sorry for your loss Puggles. RIP Miss Mollie

Just an update: The old boy is not himself this week. (He will be 11 in June). He is getting confused as to where he is. He tends to stop and look around, then he looks at me like he does not know where he is. But he still insists on going for his walk every morning (we only walk for about 20 minutes at the park now). He is off his food a bit (which won't hurt him) and he is so picky about what he eats at the moment. Can you believe I actually cooked him turkey and veg and when he did not want it, I went out and bought him a tuna steak (one of his favourite foods, fresh tuna) and cooked that. He is also passing the most unsavoury smells at the moment (for the last few weeks) and his diet has not changed any. He can no longer jump in the car and he is having trouble getting up on the lounge (he just stands there and looks at the lounge until someone comes along, then he gives them this little woo woo and they lift him up - yep we are all trained). The tumour in his tummy is now bigger than my fist but does not seem to bother him any when touched or prodded and he has 4 other tumour sites, his glands are always swollen too now. He usually only has one or two off days each month but this week has seen him really lost. I think I will book him in for a check up at the end of the week and see how we go from there.

It is better if both the vet and the holistic vet know what each other is doing so they can work together - you will need to coordinate between them all, to make sure that everyone is up to date with what the other is doing. Good luck

Forgot to mention in my last post. My dog too has put on weight since her cancer diagnosis. I've always kept her at 42kg. At her weigh in last Thursday she tipped the scales at 46.6Kg. I think this is due to the change in diet. It's a good sign. Ollie gained a considerable amount of weight because the chemo stopped his thyroid from working - he is now on thyroxine to counter this. The chemo has also upset his stomach and he tends to drink copious amounts of water and regurgitate it (not vomit it as there is no contraction of his stomach at all). Oh I am sorry to hear this. I am in Canberra and I deal with All Natural Vet Care in Sydney - we liaise via phone/email and out local vet and oncologist. Our vet deals with the oncologist and sends copies of all reports to the holistic vet, so she is kept up to date with other drugs being used. They have a website and they come highly recommended. They also have a good deal of experience with cancer patients. Website all natural vet care Best of luck and there are a lot of us in the same boat, so ask lots of questions, we are all in it together.

Firstly, take a deep breath. Relax, there is no point getting upset until you know for sure what is going on. I have a 10 year old stafford that was diagnosed with MCT grade 2. no clear margins and he is still here more than 2 years post dxd. Once your pooch is diagnosed with lymphoma, there are a couple of different routes you can take; Conventional medicine - usually chemo Holistic - lots of chinese herbs, vitamins, diet changes etc or Both - a combination is what has worked for my boy But I know of others that have had success with others as well. Let us know how you get on with the diagnosis and I am sure we can steer you in the right direction. Best of luck and hoping it is only because he has an ear infection Jodie

Thinking of you and Sophie CnR. Just thought I would come and check and see how she was going. I am sorry to hear that her liver tests were not the best - Ollie had this a couple of times during chemo and we stopped the protocol for a couple of weeks and then restarted it. It did make a difference - we never changed the drugs, just the timing. As Sophie's cancer is so different and more aggressive than Ollie's was, it is hard to say if this would work in her case, but you can always ask - it gives the liver time to 'detox' as such. Big hugs to both of you Jodie and Ollie dog

Glad to hear good news for you and Sophie CnR. The metronomic protocol sounds like it may be tailored to the dog and the prgression of the disease (based on what I just read in your post). Ollie had a similar protocol (different drugs - diff cancer, some had to be handled with gloves and some were by canula) but we still had to give some on an empty stomach, some after food, some before bed etc... Well, whatever you are doing, you are doing it right - keep up the great work and give the girl a hug from me. Jodie

CnR, I cook all of Ollies meat - no raw. He just stopped eating raw one day a few years back and I have been cooking for him ever since. What about yoghurt and manuka honey - they both have good bacteria in them, maybe you could use the honey on her tumour? I use if for Ollie as he has some stomach ulceration from the chemo that has never really healed. But when he is on the honey, he really does much better, his stomach does not seem to be so reactive to food. Hope it all went well Jodie

Good luck with Sophie today CnR. I hope her blood tests are all OK. If she is anything like Ollie, he loves turkey mince with mashed zucchini and sweet potato at the moment. He also gets other types of mince - chicken, veal, roo (all human grade and when I have the extra funds, organic)... He does like other veges too but seems to prefer these two at the moment.

Hiya Shoey, It was so great to watch you and the rest of your team run, congrats on Miss Molly doing so well. Cheers Jodie

So very sorry for the sad passing of such a beautiful young boy. RIP Zed Jodie and Ollie dog

I never met the man but I have been following his story for a while now. I am so sorry for your loss, he was a truely gorgeous boy. RIP Zed, free from pain forever. Jodie and Ollie dog

Sounds like Zed had a great time with is GF. I bet he slept well after an afternoon of playing. Quality of life is so much more important than quantity. Having them happy is pure joy when you know their time here is limited. Let us know how you and Sophie go with the Onco - hopefully they will be able to slow the growth down some or can they remove some of it? Wolfgirl, it is good news that Pearl does not have a tumour. Big hugs to all the owners and poochs Jodie and Ollie dog

He is great at the moment, thanks for asking. Still enjoying his walks, food and play time (not necessarily in that order). I will duck into the unwell rotts thread and see how Sophie and the other angels are doing. Cheers Jodie