Struppie's Battle To Stay Alive A Bit Longer

[shepherds]

It certainly sounds like you are giving him all the supportive supplements he needs and it's a buggar isn't it, trying to keep them within the limits of what they can do without further aggravating things.

That's always been Levi's biggest downfall, he constantly gets his ambitions mixed up with his capabilities and always ends up the worse for it.

Hope Adi is on the improve and Struppie is doing well.

[gwp4me]

This is what I mean (old photo), plus worse, Adi and Teddy chasing each other at full speed, sliding on tiles inside house, etc.

Adi had one Carprieve tablet at midnight, will get another at lunchtime. He can get up now, walk around, climb up on lounge (that's what he wants to do), but has whinged once with pain, when lying on the bad hip. He is resting/sleeping a lot, which should do some healing. We discourage Teddy from stiring Adi up, he has tried a few times. This morning, OH took Struppie for a walk along the river, when a mullet jumped out of the water, Struppie jumped in without hesitation, and did a few laps. He is still on the ball, not bad for the boy on chemo since nearly 11 months. :)

[shepherds]

Oh dear.....Adi and Teddy :laugh: They so much look they are having a great time....is going to suck for you having to be the fun police....good luck with keeping those two quiet.

And for Struppie.....that's got to have put a smile on your face.... Living in the moment and doing what he loves.

[Bindo]

Glad he was well enough to have his chemo and sounds like he coped really well. It's hard isn't it, if you had that crystal ball it would be easy to make a decision on whether or not to change the current regime.

Kobe is on quite a few things, whether they are all working or not is debatable...but I'm to bloody scared to stop any of them as what if the thing I stop is the magic bullet....

I have noticed that with Kobe as well, his head seems to have shrunk....but maybe it is an ageing thing as well.

Is there anything else that can done done for the fat in the blood or do you just have to manage it with diet?

Hi guys, glad to hear that Struppie is feeling well enough to take a dive in the river and that Adi is improving. Re the head shrinking issue, I have noticed the same with Lucy - head and neck area. I've had to adjust both her collar and car harness. My vet told me it's a side effect of the prednisone, as they get muscle wastage and it's very visible on this part of their body. I think Lucy's has improved a bit these days, she doesn't seem so 'sunken' around this area, but maybe that is just wishful thinking? Must compare some recent and old photos to see the difference.

I just arrived home after 5 nights away without the the girls (took my elderly parents on a short break) and it's so lovely to be back with dogs at my feet :) My son does a great job as dog sitter and general spoiler.

[gwp4me]

Very interesting old thread about Prednisone

http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/191202-prednisone/

[kayla1]

Glad he was well enough to have his chemo and sounds like he coped really well. It's hard isn't it, if you had that crystal ball it would be easy to make a decision on whether or not to change the current regime.

Kobe is on quite a few things, whether they are all working or not is debatable...but I'm to bloody scared to stop any of them as what if the thing I stop is the magic bullet....

I have noticed that with Kobe as well, his head seems to have shrunk....but maybe it is an ageing thing as well.

Is there anything else that can done done for the fat in the blood or do you just have to manage it with diet?

Hi guys, glad to hear that Struppie is feeling well enough to take a dive in the river and that Adi is improving. Re the head shrinking issue, I have noticed the same with Lucy - head and neck area. I've had to adjust both her collar and car harness. My vet told me it's a side effect of the prednisone, as they get muscle wastage and it's very visible on this part of their body. I think Lucy's has improved a bit these days, she doesn't seem so 'sunken' around this area, but maybe that is just wishful thinking? Must compare some recent and old photos to see the difference.

I just arrived home after 5 nights away without the the girls (took my elderly parents on a short break) and it's so lovely to be back with dogs at my feet :) My son does a great job as dog sitter and general spoiler.

Just want to add...I found the same thing with my boy who was on cortisone long term, the muscle wastage around his head was very noticeable.

Hope all in this thread are doing ok.

[gwp4me]

Well, the head shrinkage must be from the Cortisone then, thanks for explaining that to me. :)

Struppie had chemo again today, he is going more bald, has sores underneath his tail, small calcium deposits under skin on top of neck - like in Cushing's Disease, and his white blood cells are down. The vet did skin scrapings, but found nothing. Our plan now, is to keep giving fortnightly chemo, Cortisone tablets only every second day, fluid tablets only every second day, and to put Struppie on antibiotics. He is not keen on his vegetables anymore, nothing I can do about it, he is a bit more fussy about eating his cooked fish and chicken. He is down to 40kg, but that includes the fluid in his abdomen. He loves to go for walks with the other dogs, I have to stop him from wobbling around and overheating. He does not seem to be in pain, we wonder how much more time we can cheat for him.

[dogbesotted]

just popping in to say Hi to you and Struppie. I am so glad that despite everything he is enjoying good times and loving his walks with the other dogs.. maybe change his meals to something different for a day or two.. nice a smelly like mackerel cooked or salmon.

the calcium deposits are possibly caused by the pred ( they are a symptom of cushings)..

sending you all loads of positive energy and gentle blessings

helen

[shepherds]

Hi gwp4me

Sounds like Struppie has a bit going on and you are more worried than usual, I hope you can continue to cheat things a lot longer. I think I mentioned I was having lots of food issues with Kobe. After two weeks of little eating and being very very fussy (even turned his nose up at fresh hot barbecue chicken) in desperation we gave him vitamin b, which seems to have worked wonders.

He was given one two weeks ago (which was IV and the effect was almost instantaneous), one last week and will get another one tomorrow, (which are subcutaneous to save his veins which are getting a bit weary from the vitamin C IV's). While he still won't eat his vegetables, he is (touch wood and every other superstition you can think of) now happily eating his favourite things and looking for food and to be honest I can't remember the last time he did that.

As I understand it, cancers affect vitamin B absorption which lack of it can have a big impact on appetite and nausea.

Given as subcutaneous it does take two or three days to start kicking in and if Struppie is low in it, it might take a couple of shots. But I think it is well worth talking to your vet about, because I can't believe the change in Kobe.

Vitamin B shots hurt, so my vet puts saline fluid in first, then puts the vitamin b shot in to the bubble of saline she has created under the skin (if that makes sense).

Edited April 25, 2013 by shepherds

[gwp4me]

I just cooked chicken thighs with chicken powder for flavouring, also still warm, Struppie is not interested in eating it. He seems a bit low all day, but ate Advance Adult Weight Control dry dogfood this morning (which I don't usually allow him to eat), he was also interested in dry bread and cooked bratwurst. I think he is sick of having to eat the same food/special diet for Lymphoma - since the last 11 months. No carbohydrates, no sugars, as they will feed the tumor. I suppose I sooner or later have to give him what he wants to eat, not what is meant to starve the tumor. I gave him a change of taste last night, a tin of pink salmon, which he ate, I had to finish handfeeding him. I have a jar of high strength Vitamin B formula tabs at hand, I might be able to give him one later. Will google for the right dosage first. He takes tablets easy, when inserted in a blob of liverwurst.

Thanks, shepherds, for the hint about Vit B, wonder if tablets will do the trick? Thanks Helen, for good wishes.

Yes, vet said calcium deposits under skin might come from Cortisone, so we will only use Macrolone every second day. As it is cooling off outside now, I will attempt to take the dogs for a walk, see how he goes. :)

[shepherds]

I just cooked chicken thighs with chicken powder for flavouring, also still warm, Struppie is not interested in eating it. He seems a bit low all day, but ate Advance Adult Weight Control dry dogfood this morning (which I don't usually allow him to eat), he was also interested in dry bread and cooked bratwurst. I think he is sick of having to eat the same food/special diet for Lymphoma - since the last 11 months. No carbohydrates, no sugars, as they will feed the tumor. I suppose I sooner or later have to give him what he wants to eat, not what is meant to starve the tumor. I gave him a change of taste last night, a tin of pink salmon, which he ate, I had to finish handfeeding him. I have a jar of high strength Vitamin B formula tabs at hand, I might be able to give him one later. Will google for the right dosage first. He takes tablets easy, when inserted in a blob of liverwurst.

Thanks, shepherds, for the hint about Vit B, wonder if tablets will do the trick? Thanks Helen, for good wishes.

Yes, vet said calcium deposits under skin might come from Cortisone, so we will only use Macrolone every second day. As it is cooling off outside now, I will attempt to take the dogs for a walk, see how he goes. :)

Struppie sounds like he is the same position as what Kobe was, turning his nose up at everything, handfeeding to get them to try and eat (I would spend breakfast and dinner sitting on the floor and if he wouldnt take it out of my hand I was poking it in the side of his mouth). It was really really doing my head in, not to mention how stressful breakfast and dinner times became, always trying to think up new and exciting ways of what to try and feed him, then getting him to eat then the crashing disappointment and worry when he wouldnt.

It was after I binned yet another home prepared meal (more or less like a shepherds pie for us humans), that no dog in its right mind would walk away from (and I dont think my cooking is that bad) and that was the 2nd day in a row with no food, after discussion with the vet we decided to try the vitamin B.

As far as I know gwp4me, oral vitamin B (if it is the missing link and will help) will take far to long to get into his system and for it to build up enough for any effect. Orally it has to go through the gut, be digested to then be absorbed and going the oral route will take too long to build up what he needs and improve things for him.

the 1st one we gave Kobe as I mentioned was IV and effect was almost instantaneous, got home from the vets and he ate a decent amount that night, with the next day normal appetite restored. Approx a week later the appetite started to go off again and over the course of two days disappeared.

The next vitamin B was administered subcutaneous (as his veins are getting very very messy) and subcut it took 3 full days to kick in. Last vitamin B shot was last Friday night and by Monday his appetite was back to what it was after the IV B the week before. He is getting another subcut tomorrow which hopefully will maintain levels and if need be I will keep getting them done every other week.

I did try to reintroduce pumpkin today, but hes not having a barr of it, but tonight happily ate chicken and our veggies mashed in together. I was following the no carbohydrate, no sugar cancer diet with him as well, but it has got to the point that I need him to eat and stop losing weight, so for now have made the decision to feed what he will eat. I did wrestle with that decision, but he needs food, he needs to keep things moving through and it is what it is......

How did your walk go?

[gwp4me]

Well, Struppie went for a walk, even slowly trotting a bit, he slowed down and nearly came to a standstill when walking up the little slope back to the house. He ate one apple and a large cup of Advance dry dogfood, but wants to sleep a lot, maybe he is tired because his white blood cell count is down? The dry dogfood seems to be the go now, probably because he was not allowed to eat it for so long. His neck got thinner again, and one now can feel bones along his topline. My husband thinks he will not be with us for very long, my daughter hopes he is still alive when she visits in 3 weeks time. He greedily ate all his tablets, plus Vit B, with liverwurst. He better come good by tomorrow, as I want to start my working week on a happy note.

[shepherds]

I hope Struppie has a good nights sleep with his belly full and you get the start you want to your working week.

[gwp4me]

I am lucky Struppie is a bit brighter today, ate 2 1/2 small cooked fish fillets for breakfast, and later a large cup of dry dogfood, plus a banana. I chose not to take the dogs for a walk, as it is very sunny, paddocks are undulating, and Struppie could overheat. Now I can concentrate on my day at work, and what it will dish up for me. :)

shepherds, I hope Kobe is travelling well, and keeping you great company.

To everyone with a sick pet, may they be with you for a long time, wishing a good weekend.

Edited April 26, 2013 by gwp4me

[k9angel]

Great to hear Struppie was a bit brighter today Gwp4me. :)

[gwp4me]

Thanks, k9angel, he seemed happy this morning, when I got up, he looks a mess with his hairloss, but he is alive. He is absolutely over his anti - cancer diet. He had a banana for breakfast, will be offered a few Frankfurts later on, dry dog food is available for him all day, he is picky about that one, now, too. He seems to prefer human food, anything, as long as it is not fatty, might have to do.

How are you getting on, how are your son/doggies going? :)

[Bindo]

Hi gwp4me, sorry to hear about all the ups and downs with Struppie recently (I have been away for a week). It must be so difficult when they are not interested in food and you know that they need to eat to keep up their strength. I think I would also be doing the same - just give them what they want (within reason) and let them enjoy it. I'm glad that he has been enjoying his little walks, when the weather allows. Don't know about you, but I am so over this summer; just wish the cooler days would arrive.

I will give a Lucy update in her thread, so as not to hijack this one, but many thanks for asking about her :)

[k9angel]

Thanks, k9angel, he seemed happy this morning, when I got up, he looks a mess with his hairloss, but he is alive. He is absolutely over his anti - cancer diet. He had a banana for breakfast, will be offered a few Frankfurts later on, dry dog food is available for him all day, he is picky about that one, now, too. He seems to prefer human food, anything, as long as it is not fatty, might have to do.

How are you getting on, how are your son/doggies going? :)

Aww poor Struppie. I hope he is still feeling happy.

Is he allowed to have some home baked dog treats? I'd love to bake and send him some. Just say the word and PM your address and I will start baking. :)

And thankyou for asking how we are. The dogs seem to be coping ok but there's been a few times when Jack will see Teddy or Takoda laying flat on their backs sleeping and he panics. He'll say to me "Mum, look at Cody, what is she doing?" or "Look at Teddy Mum, is he ok?", the look on his face when he says it... You can see the fear in his eye's, poor buggar. I just wake them up and reassure him they're ok and only sleeping.

[kayla1]

I hope everyone in here is looking after themselves. We spend so much time focused on our dogs during these stressful times and often forget about ourselves.

Hope Struppie and Lucy are doing ok, and shepherds I hope you are managing to get through such a difficult time.

[Bindo]

Just wondering how Struppie is going at the moment? Hope the big boy is stable and enjoying the beautiful autumn weather. :)