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Hi Jackie I am sorry to hear your news. I have just checked over these forums for the first time in ages but this is what I already posted on another forum; "Dusty has finished what is basically a 25 week chemotherapy course. It takes longer as before they receive the chemo they have a blood test and if the white blood cell count is low they put the chemo off until next week when another blood test is done. Overall there was very little negative reaction from the chemo. On a few occasions he vomited the night after the chemo and maybe a little the next day too but nothing serious. It was an expensive (approx $6500) treatment but ever since he started the chemo he has looked 100% and is still going very very well. It was the most painful moment of my life when I was told my mate had lymphoma but things have worked out well for dusty so for anyone out there facing the same situation there is hope! This is just a quick update but if anyone needs more information feel free to private message me or email me at [email protected]" So if you have any questions please feel free to contact me at [email protected]

I'm sorry I don't have time to reply to every comment but as for a quick update; He is looking really good as a result of the steroids. Took him to the beach last night and went crazy ripping into coconuts and running around like a mad man The Marlin Coast vet in Cairns are doing the chemo. I met the vet today who I think is also the owner, Rod something. Seemed confident and genuine about what he was doing. I dropped him off this morning and they will do blood tests then follow up with chemo via intravenous if all is well. I will also try to get in touch with the breeder and let them know about dusty. Here are some pics of my buddy; Thank you

Quick update; He had a great weekend running around beaches etc. Wouldn't even know he was sick. Then he had a biopsy done on Monday. What a terrible day that was. He look awful after the biopsy and was in the worst state he had been in. Thankfully he had recovered by Wednesday. We got the biopsy results back today and chemo will start by next Tuesday in Cairns. Today they also started him on a PREDNISOLONE just until he starts chemo. Thank you guys for all your comments

This is the info I have been after. The vet we have been using say they can't do it but another vet who is an hour away say they can but need to consult with the Oncologists in Brisbane. So I guess we will probably go to the close vet for blood tests then to the other vet if his cell counts are okay for chemo. We will sort something out after his biopsy on Monday. Apart from all that, he had a great time at the beach this morning. If I didn't know he had been diagnosed with Lymphoma then I honestly wouldn't be able to tell there was anything wrong with him. He ran just like he normally would the whole morning and even ate a bit of dry food.

Thank you for your thoughts. The little fella is showing good health and having a great time. We are getting a biopsy done on Monday and there may be a possibility we can do chemotherapy in the cairns region. For now though we plan to give him a great weekend I'll keep you posted.

The blood test results came back and they confirm he has Lymphoma. The vet is going to speak to the specialists in Brisbane about treatment and get back to us with the details. She did mention two alternatives that were in tablet form I think but she said they didn't have the life extending ability chemo has. I'll be expecting an email tomorrow with all options laid out. Until then any comments are welcome. Thank you

Hi, I have posted this on another forum but it can't hurt to post it here too. This is my mate Dusty He is a four and a half year old Australian Shepherd. Two weeks ago (Fri 3/6/11), he started eating less and became picky in what he ate, prior to this he wouldn't hesitate to eat and didn't stop until his meal was finished. Last Tuesday (7/6/11) we took him to the vet and the vet prescribed antibiotics. By Thursday he was getting worse so we had him admitted to the vet clinic and put on a drip. I visited him each day and whilst he was energetic and happy, he would eat very little if anything. On Friday we had blood samples sent off and yesterday (14/6/11) we received news that dusty most likely has Lymphoma but they would need more blood samples to confirm. We will apparently get these results tomorrow. It was such a shock because he is 4 years old, well looked after, very healthy and I'm certain he had never had swollen lymph-nodes at least in the neck before as I regularly check him for ticks and grass seeds. On the good side of things, he returned home yesterday and I gave him a bath after which he was very happy and ate a good amount of chicken and later on a bit of lamb. Today he has also eaten well but does require a bit of encouragement. Apart from the eating he seems pretty normal. I have done a lot of reading and searching but it is a lot to take on in such a short time so I have a few questions and I welcome any feedback at all. My questions are; Can they confirm Lymphoma with just blood tests? What are my options for treatment? ie a. no treatment b. chemo c. ??? d. ??? Does chemotherapy have to be done by a specialist as we live in Cairns and from what I understand there are no specialists? I'm sure the vet will tell me more when they receive the test results but I'm anxious to know more now. Thank you very much