DerRottweiler

Sorry for your loss. Looks like you made the right decision and the right time. :)

Good luck with the trial drug, I hope it works well and that your dog recovers and exceeds his life expectancy. :). 4 years old is far too young . Doing really well. :). Thanks for asking. 03/05/2012: Bison had chemo again today after a 2 week break. He has been adminstered this particular drug with no issues, so I assume he'll be fine again. Good news from the Oncologist today, everything is in on track and there aren't any swollen nodes or cancer cells in the blood. Next week Bison is being treated at home again, that being the only drug that he didn't react well to so far. So will be interesting to see how it goes, I have anti nausea meds this time. In terms of everything else, is appetite is perfect, he is exercising and very active, basically his usual self with no complications. :) Thanks for reading all.

Thanks again guys. 27/04/2012: No chemo for Bison this week, but I can honestly say he is 100%. He is eating very well and is very active and happy. No side effects to report at all. :)

Sorry for your loss. She was a pretty dog.

Ollie dog did so well and you were there every step of the way for him. He was a great dog and you were/are a great owner. Ollie's story is truly inspirational and a lesson for others. I am sorry for your loss but I'm also happy that he lived so long and that he defied the odds. No doubt you would have cherished every moment with him.

If she keeps doing it and your dog runs the chance of getting infected, the vet should consider removal all together. Try all other avenues first obviously.

Miss Squish. It is really good to hear. :). Glad to see Ruger is doing so well and I hope he continues to do well. Gives me great hope too.

Thanks again all. 22/04/2012: Who gave my dog Red Bull? He has been very energetic all day lol. We were having BBQ for dinner tonight, so I fed him that instead of his usual chicken mince/vegies. Another good day.

Sorry for your loss. Gone much too soon.

Sorry for your loss. She was a nice dog.

Indeed it does. :) 25 weeks, he is on the 25 week UW-Madison protocol. Similar to this: http://daveola.com/Zoo/Kodi/Health/Madison.html 21/04/2012: Everything is still fine. No sides, Bison is happy and healthy. :)

Bison had chemo treament again on Thursday. Again, so far so good and no sides. I *think* that is the last of the different medicines he'll have (might have 1 more have to check). So out of the 4 that have been used so far, he only reacts badly to one (the oral tablets). They'll all be cycled in a different manner now. Of course he might still show sides in the coming days. As of 21/04/2012, nothing to report. Everything is going well, all lymph node swelling is gone and cancerous cells in the blood are minimal. It seems remission isn't too far away if everything continues smoothly. Bison doesn't have chemo next week, he has a rest and continues in a fortnight.

Sorry for your loss. Sad news

Hi guys, I've convinced my cousin to go down the pure breed route. Can anyone suggest a good chow chow breeder in Melbourne/Victoria? Thanks.

Thanks Kiwi. :) 16/04/2012: Still smooth sailing. Pleased with how things are going so far. Chemo again on Thursday.

15/04/2012: A very good weekend in general. Bison was energetic all weekend, ate plenty of food and generally in good spirits. It seems no side effects what so ever.

Thanks for all the well wishes everyone. :) 12/04/2012: Yesterday went fine, a blood test was performed and everything was fine in that regard, so Bison was given his 3rd treatment. All lymph nodes have gone down significantly, although they're still abnormal and there are still abnormal cells present in his bloodstream. Everything seems on track though and is going as planned. He doesn't really get any side effects with the particular drug he was given yesterday. For the one that is adminsitered at home, he will be given anti-nausea tablets in future. Next week is his 4th treatment and a drug that he hasn't used yet. In terms of suppliments/diet, the Oncologist advised not to change anything just yet and not to add anything either. He doesn't want to fiddle with anything while everything is going well, he said later on in treatment or during remission, the supps might help. So that's a no go for now.......I have started cooking his food however and he loves it. 13/04/2012: Bison is showing no side effects just yet. When I left this morning, he was sleeping in the sun, it is a very nice day in Melbourne today. :)

He's doing very well. :) I feed him cooked food today, he demolished it. He has chemo again at 10am, this time it will be at the vet so I'll post an update after we're done.

Thanks again for your input. It is truly helpful and I think all the advice I'm taking in is proving to be beneficial. I will see the Oncologist on Thursday and I'll have a detailed discussion about supps and diet. :) 09/04/2012: Bison is doing very well. No further side effects from his treatment on Friday. So it seems from two of the drugs he's used, he's had no or little side effects. I think there are another two that he'll use down the track, but so far, all seems good. He has good energy levels and is eating very well. I'm feeding him human grade mince only mixed with vegies. This week I'll start cooking his food and adding supps after speaking to the oncologist. Thanks all. :)

When I spoke to the oncologist on the phone, he seemed rather negative about supps/natural approach and insisted that there is no proof that anything works. He did say you can use this or that and it won't interfere with the chemo, but he also said vitamin C wil and so on. When I meet him in person again I'll have a whole stack of questions to get through regarding diet and appropriate supps. He did say that transfer factor and immunity plus are fine to use, but again, there is no proof it works, or they'd have put a study out etc. I'll start cooking his food as of next week, don't want to change his diet too suddenly just in case he stops eating on account of being fussy...and I'll think it is a side effect or something. 07/04/2012: Bison is himself again. He is full of energy and is eating very well. I know for next time, when he is given the oral medication that I can expect him to be lethargic/put off food/water for around a day. He looks very healthy at the moment, I'll try and get some pics up tomorrow. :).

Thanks guys. He has what I'd classify as minor sides. He seemed very lethargic most of today and wasn't interested in food/water. I gave him a few ice cubes which he loved. He then started drinking and just before, he ate around 75% of what he'd normally eat a night. So not too bad. He's still happy though, enjoying pats from my relatives and he did go for a bit of a stroll around the block before. Now that some time has passed he seems to be doing a lot better and is a bit more energetic (but not yet his usual self).

Thank you. :) I got some good news from the oncologist yesterday, Bison's lymphoma is associated with type B cells. Therefore, it is easier to treat and his prognosis is much better. :D 06/04/2012: Well today was Bison's second treatment, which I adminstered at home. I had to give him 5 small tablets (the anti-cancer drug) and 1 other tablet (I think it induces thirst so that the dog drinks more). Easy done, I put the tablets inside some chicken mince and hand fed it to him. Now...the waiting game begins. I'll be watching him closely to make sure he doesn't throw up the drugs. Will be watching for side effects too, but they're unlikely for at least 48 hours. Had to use rubber gloves and wash hands thoroughly after.... That's all for now. :)

So sorry to hear. On a plus note, at least you have time to say goodbye properly and 11 years is a good innings for any dog. :)

Thanks for the advice. I was giving him raw mince, because that's what he's used to. I guess I'll start cooking his mince, once I meet with the Oncologist to discuss particulars regarding, diet, supps etc. I still haven't purchased any supps just in case they prove to be detrimental. Thank you! All support is appreciated. 05/04/2012: Bison is still doing very well. He seems fine in all aspects. Diet, exercise, you name it. Although, it seems that he has officially forgotten the meaning of the word 'no', because everyone is letting him do whatever he wants pretty much lol. Tomorrow he will have chemo administered at home, I'll post up pics/details tomorrow. :).

Thanks for all the comments/info everyone. :) 04/04/2012: Things are still as they were yesterday. His next treament is on Friday, which will be adminstered at home. I spoke to the Oncologist today, he said, it is normal for the lymph nodes to go up/down in the first few weeks, so I shouldn't gauge success by the absence of the lymph node growth or failure on it coming back. Fair enough. Still early days.