gwp4me Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Thanks, stans mum, wished this evil disease was curable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerRottweiler Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 Thanks, stans mum, wished this evil disease was curable. 10% chance, so there is always hope. Although I wouldn't bank it. That said, plenty of dogs have 2-3-4 year remissions. Well worth it! 18/06/2012: Nothing much to report, Bison had a few major tests done recently and everything is fine. He is still in remission and there are no signs of the cancer in his system. Last week he had chemo administered at home, no side effects to report. Diet/exercise, attitude etc are all fine. He doesn't have to go back to the vet for 3 weeks now! Not that he cares anyway, the idiot looks forward to chemo because he likes the staff there and he gets fed treats.....he literally runs into the clinic. Credit to the staff there I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr R & NR Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Great news DR, it must feel like a long haul though. Good he enjoys the vets, it would make it easier on both of you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbesotted Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 so glad to read that Bison continues to do well.. even better that he loves his outings.. less stress is so good. Remission is such a wonderful word isnt it? long may it be used with regard to Bison H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tannyboy Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Hi Der, Sending you good vibes from my end. Just love to know a bit more about your story and how Bison is going? I don't exactly have a purebred - But I've seen this is a predominately Aussie Dog Forum (and you are from Melbourne too) and the case for my pup is similar. My little maltese x - Sushi was diagnosed with Lymphoma on 11/7, waiting the on bloodwork results to see if he is a good candidate for Chemo today (13/7) and we are awaiting our meeting with the oncologist (and hopefully start treatment) on the 17/7 purely due to appointment issues. Love to know how Bison was in the initial stages - was he slower or listless. Just seems my pup (far from a puppy haha) is a bit slower but still happy to go for walks if the leash is picked up and is happy with the poached chicken he is being fed as advised by our vet. This dog is my partner's rock and since aside from the slow down - seems ok - hence the decision to treat him. So i'm going to be the gatherer of information from all internet forums :) Cheers Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerRottweiler Posted July 15, 2012 Author Share Posted July 15, 2012 (edited) Hi Der, Sending you good vibes from my end. Just love to know a bit more about your story and how Bison is going? I don't exactly have a purebred - But I've seen this is a predominately Aussie Dog Forum (and you are from Melbourne too) and the case for my pup is similar. My little maltese x - Sushi was diagnosed with Lymphoma on 11/7, waiting the on bloodwork results to see if he is a good candidate for Chemo today (13/7) and we are awaiting our meeting with the oncologist (and hopefully start treatment) on the 17/7 purely due to appointment issues. Love to know how Bison was in the initial stages - was he slower or listless. Just seems my pup (far from a puppy haha) is a bit slower but still happy to go for walks if the leash is picked up and is happy with the poached chicken he is being fed as advised by our vet. This dog is my partner's rock and since aside from the slow down - seems ok - hence the decision to treat him. So i'm going to be the gatherer of information from all internet forums :) Cheers Chris Hi Chris, Bison is doing really well and is still in complete remission. Prior to him being diagnosed, he was a bit sluggish for 2 days and didn't really eat properly. On commencement of treatment, he was pretty much back to normal. While his treatment is still ongoing (he know gets treated once or twice a month), thus far, he has only really had 2-3 off days at most. He hasn't been sick at all, his appetite has been strong throughout and his weight has been constant, at the 50kg mark. Given that dogs with lymphoma are given about 4-8 weeks when left untreated, I see no reason (besides cost) as to why one wouldn't pursuit the oncology treatment. Bison's life has been extended already, in exchange, he's had a few bad days where he didn't really eat and was just 'sick' because of the drugs in his system. But as the treatment progresses, the dog does get used to it and the side effects are very minimal. You'll need to be strict with diet, keep carbs on a minimal, feed mainly protein with some vegies mixed in. Good luck with the test results. If you don't mind me asking, which specialist clinic are you taking your dog to? Thanks. Edited July 15, 2012 by DerRottweiler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tannyboy Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Hi Der, Sending you good vibes from my end. Just love to know a bit more about your story and how Bison is going? I don't exactly have a purebred - But I've seen this is a predominately Aussie Dog Forum (and you are from Melbourne too) and the case for my pup is similar. My little maltese x - Sushi was diagnosed with Lymphoma on 11/7, waiting the on bloodwork results to see if he is a good candidate for Chemo today (13/7) and we are awaiting our meeting with the oncologist (and hopefully start treatment) on the 17/7 purely due to appointment issues. Love to know how Bison was in the initial stages - was he slower or listless. Just seems my pup (far from a puppy haha) is a bit slower but still happy to go for walks if the leash is picked up and is happy with the poached chicken he is being fed as advised by our vet. This dog is my partner's rock and since aside from the slow down - seems ok - hence the decision to treat him. So i'm going to be the gatherer of information from all internet forums :) Cheers Chris Hi Chris, Bison is doing really well and is still in complete remission. Prior to him being diagnosed, he was a bit sluggish for 2 days and didn't really eat properly. On commencement of treatment, he was pretty much back to normal. While his treatment is still ongoing (he know gets treated once or twice a month), thus far, he has only really had 2-3 off days at most. He hasn't been sick at all, his appetite has been strong throughout and his weight has been constant, at the 50kg mark. Given that dogs with lymphoma are given about 4-8 weeks when left untreated, I see no reason (besides cost) as to why one wouldn't pursuit the oncology treatment. Bison's life has been extended already, in exchange, he's had a few bad days where he didn't really eat and was just 'sick' because of the drugs in his system. But as the treatment progresses, the dog does get used to it and the side effects are very minimal. You'll need to be strict with diet, keep carbs on a minimal, feed mainly protein with some vegies mixed in. Good luck with the test results. If you don't mind me asking, which specialist clinic are you taking your dog to? Thanks. Thanks again for your response. Bloodwork came up with a few issues, but nothing major according to the vet. Our pup has been very sluggish today (although he did have a big day out at a friends big backyard to explore - so he could be over tired due to that). We are taking him back to the vet tomorrow, if he isn't chipper tomorrow morning. Eating fairly minimal at the moment - have been hand feeding poached chicken in very small portions as per the vet's instructions, but he isn't taking too much in. Keeping the fluids up though. Since our appointment isn't until Tuesday, any slight change we stress out quite a bit in this household. Our vet in Hawthorn has an oncologist to come on site so we don't need to go anywhere (i hope that's the right route to go down - I am aware of a few specialist clinics around town though) Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerRottweiler Posted July 16, 2012 Author Share Posted July 16, 2012 Hi Der, Sending you good vibes from my end. Just love to know a bit more about your story and how Bison is going? I don't exactly have a purebred - But I've seen this is a predominately Aussie Dog Forum (and you are from Melbourne too) and the case for my pup is similar. My little maltese x - Sushi was diagnosed with Lymphoma on 11/7, waiting the on bloodwork results to see if he is a good candidate for Chemo today (13/7) and we are awaiting our meeting with the oncologist (and hopefully start treatment) on the 17/7 purely due to appointment issues. Love to know how Bison was in the initial stages - was he slower or listless. Just seems my pup (far from a puppy haha) is a bit slower but still happy to go for walks if the leash is picked up and is happy with the poached chicken he is being fed as advised by our vet. This dog is my partner's rock and since aside from the slow down - seems ok - hence the decision to treat him. So i'm going to be the gatherer of information from all internet forums :) Cheers Chris Hi Chris, Bison is doing really well and is still in complete remission. Prior to him being diagnosed, he was a bit sluggish for 2 days and didn't really eat properly. On commencement of treatment, he was pretty much back to normal. While his treatment is still ongoing (he know gets treated once or twice a month), thus far, he has only really had 2-3 off days at most. He hasn't been sick at all, his appetite has been strong throughout and his weight has been constant, at the 50kg mark. Given that dogs with lymphoma are given about 4-8 weeks when left untreated, I see no reason (besides cost) as to why one wouldn't pursuit the oncology treatment. Bison's life has been extended already, in exchange, he's had a few bad days where he didn't really eat and was just 'sick' because of the drugs in his system. But as the treatment progresses, the dog does get used to it and the side effects are very minimal. You'll need to be strict with diet, keep carbs on a minimal, feed mainly protein with some vegies mixed in. Good luck with the test results. If you don't mind me asking, which specialist clinic are you taking your dog to? Thanks. Thanks again for your response. Bloodwork came up with a few issues, but nothing major according to the vet. Our pup has been very sluggish today (although he did have a big day out at a friends big backyard to explore - so he could be over tired due to that). We are taking him back to the vet tomorrow, if he isn't chipper tomorrow morning. Eating fairly minimal at the moment - have been hand feeding poached chicken in very small portions as per the vet's instructions, but he isn't taking too much in. Keeping the fluids up though. Since our appointment isn't until Tuesday, any slight change we stress out quite a bit in this household. Our vet in Hawthorn has an oncologist to come on site so we don't need to go anywhere (i hope that's the right route to go down - I am aware of a few specialist clinics around town though) Cheers No problems. Has he been given any injections? My dog was given an injection to decrease swelling and increase his appetite whilst waiting for his first chemo session. It worked a treat. Any oncologist is fine, so long as they have experience. Good luck and keep us all updated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerRottweiler Posted August 2, 2012 Author Share Posted August 2, 2012 I haven't updated in quite some time, so here goes. 02/08/2012: Bison had chemo again today, he is now getting treated much less, around 1-2 times a month. He is still in complete remission which is great. He is eating well, exercising well, his energy levels are high and he has a hiqh quality of life. I find it amazing that the same dog, left untreated, would have been gone, months back. Today he weighed in at his normal adult weight of 51kgs, when he was getting weekly treatments, this went down to around 48kgs. Thanks for reading, I'll try get some pics up shortly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.H.M Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Great to hear DR, I was thinking about your dog the other day and wondering how he was going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laneka Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 I am so happy for you and Bison. I hope he stays in remission for a very long time. Please give him a hug from me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bianca.a Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 That is fantastic news! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazyWal Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Wonderful update DR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Woohoo, great news Bison :whee: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjelkier Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Fantastic news Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerRottweiler Posted August 5, 2012 Author Share Posted August 5, 2012 Thanks for all the support guys. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoofnHoof Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 That is awesome news DR :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Great news Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaffy Magee Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Thank you for sharing your journey DR. IT gives me hope as Im about to embark on the same road with my girl Kalais. I hope Bison continues to be well and lives for a long while yet :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerRottweiler Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 Hi everyone, 28/08/2012 A sad update. Over the last few days I noticed that Bison's lymph nodes were starting to swell again. Last night he had difficulty breathing. I took him to the Oncologist today who confirmed that Bison has indeed relapsed. I was given two options. 1: Chemo again. However, this time, there was only a 50% chance of it working and if remission is achieved, it is usually only 2/3rds of the first remission in length. (Thus around 4 months max). 2: Prednisolone. This should improve his quality of life and is administered twice daily. Although it is short lasting and in the vets opinion will work for 6 to 12 weeks. Given that the odds are now stacked against him, I've decided that I won't pursue further chemo in the hope to get a few extra months, I'd rather give him a higher quality of life for a slightly shorter period of time. Either way, it seems my friend doesn't have long left on this planet. I've come to terms with the imminence of his death, so I'm just going to focus on enjoying the time that we have left. He has been spoilt these last 6 or so months and I'll continue to spoil him further. When the time comes to say goodbye, I won't hesitate, as I've read a few times on this forum, better to be a minute too soon than a minute too late. Thanks all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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