Teebs Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 (edited) My parents 9 year old bulldog Spook has just been confirmed to have high grade lymphoma and liver cancer. We have an appointment in an hour to talk about treatment options, the weekend to think about it and any treatment to start Tuesday. our options are chemo, steroids or nothing. Just wondering what people's experiences are with the above? We have been told we might get 12 months out of her at best if we go chemo and the other options are unknown. Thanks Edited June 5, 2015 by Teebs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henrietta Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 My parents 9 year old bulldog Spook has just been confirmed to have high grade lymphoma and liver cancer. We have an appointment in an hour to talk about treatment options, the weekend to think about it and any treatment to start Tuesday. our options are chemo, steroids or nothing. Just wondering what people's experiences are with the above? We have been told we might get 12 months out of her at best if we go chemo and the other options are unknown. Thanks I can't really help you with experiences Teebs, but I'm sorry your family is going through this. How did the appointment go this afternoon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted June 6, 2015 Author Share Posted June 6, 2015 She has 3 months left if lucky. starts steroids Thursday (she had a biopsy and we have been told they can stop the healing process so they want the wound to be ok first) Chemo is just too pricy and no guarantee she would get more than 6 months. We keep her comfy and the second she gets worse she will be pts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 (edited) Sorry to hear about your parents dog Teebs I lost my dog, Digby, to lymphoma last year. It had already spread to multiple locations before he was diagnosed. We also chose not to go down the chemo route, he was not a good candidate for it. But he was on the cortisone which helped a lot. We had a lovely 8 weeks spoiling him so much and creating lots of lovely memories. In the last few days he was not coping with the cold and because it was winter it meant he couldn't enjoy his walks, and there were a few other little things also, and so I knew it was time. I wanted to make sure I didn't leave it too late. The cortisone did an amazing job at alleviating his symptoms and I think may have even slightly shrunk the tumour in his chest as he was no longer coughing after a few days on the medication. It does cause its own whole set of symptoms though. Towards the end it was hard as it not only causes increased need to urinate but also makes them restless at night, so I spent a lot of time up with him. He began to be a bit incontinent and this was managed with adult nappies when needed. Anyway, I wish your parents and their dog all the best and hope they can share some lovely times together before the end. Edited June 6, 2015 by raineth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted June 6, 2015 Author Share Posted June 6, 2015 Thanks. Bring up isn't an issue, mum and dad both have medical issues and neither sleep well anyways! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowanbree Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 My 5yr old sheltie was diagnosed with this in November. I was advised that chemo wasn't an option for him and that he didn't have long. He is still with me today, breathing is a bit noisy when he runs but he is otherwise quite happy. He takes pred, Duirn and an antibiotic twice daily and it has certainly stopped all coughing. I had him re-xrayed 2mths ago and they were grim but I am just enjoying every extra day I have with him. Hopefully your parents will be as fortunate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trifecta Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Cowanbree, Teebs and parents..... Sorry no words, but sending you all strength Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted June 8, 2015 Author Share Posted June 8, 2015 Thanks guys She is pretty crook so i cant see us getting to the end of the year with her... but who knows? Maybe she will surprise us all! She is only eating sausages at the moment, mum worried about it and i said it cant cause much more damage and while she is happy eating something, to stick with it for now. Once the tablets have started working we will keep an eye out for her going downhill again, the second the swelling starts we are going to PTS - while she is happy and not in pain and is herself. while we may get a bit more time out of her... none of us want to see her get worse and suffer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted June 8, 2015 Author Share Posted June 8, 2015 Can I ask. Those who went steroids, did your dog have many negative issues because of them ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 Poor girl, that's no good she is feeling unwell The prednisone made Digby lose muscle tone, gave him a bit of a pot belly, increased his hunger like you wouldn't believe, and his thirst, made him urinate more and need to poo more. I think that was it although, I might have just forgotten something. These side effects got more intense as time went on. But I do believe it really made him feel loads better and he was very bright eyed and bushy tailed for the most part. He did have a day early on where he stopped drinking and he began having blood in his urine. I made him a huge pot of home made stock (just from lambs fry) and that got him drinking again, and made the problem go away. Can I ask what you mean by the second the swelling starts? Are you talking about new tumours popping up? Hope your parents are holding up ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted June 8, 2015 Author Share Posted June 8, 2015 Parents aren't good. At this stage they are up every 2 hours or she pees everywhere. They are worried the meds will make it worse. Spook also hates winter. They are now wondering if it's nicer to let her go now over having to make her go out in the horrible weather when they aren't around to take her in and out. (my parents are also not well at all) Mum just called me in tears asking me to tell her what to do. If it gets worse it is going to take a huge toll on mum and dad, they are having issues caring for her now without any extra problems that arise. I told them she is their dog and no one will judge if the decide to let her go sooner rather than later and would she rather know she went while she was happy(ish) or would they regret it if she gets worse. I've also told them to ring the vet tomorrow and see what she has to say to them. Sorry as for the swelling, we were told the lumps may go down once meds are start, that them showing up again mean it no longer is working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowanbree Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 The prednisone made Digby lose muscle tone, gave him a bit of a pot belly, increased his hunger like you wouldn't believe, and his thirst, made him urinate more and need to poo more. I think that was it although, I might have just forgotten something. These side effects got more intense as time went on. But I do believe it really made him feel loads better and he was very bright eyed and bushy tailed for the most part. Ditto although Steele more than a little pot belly. He is very fat and I never have fat dogs but then his I am going to die diet hasn't helped. The pred never shrunk any tumours in my case, they just slowed their growth and made him feel better. I did however catch is very early, he only had a slight cough and to my knowledge he doesn't have liver cancer. Once we saw the inoperable tumours in his lungs we didn't look any further for the primary tumours. Sorry to hear things aren't going well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 That's no good Teebs, your poor parents Poor Spook too, it sounds like she might be having a rough time of it. Digby's vet was a wonderful source of advice, so I hope their vet can do the same for them. Like you, I don't think there is anything unethical about letting her go early if the management is taking too much of a toll. Is she crate trained at all? I managed the incontinence over night by having Digby in his crate with those absorbent medical mats and diapers. It would have been very difficult had I not been able to confine him to the crate. But yes, it was still very tiring, so I can definitely understand what they are going through. I also think it's better to say goodbye early than leave it too late. I understand what you mean about the swellings now. With Digby, I can only assume that the tumour in his chest shrunk because he was no longer coughing, and incredibly when his cough resumed it never actually went back to being as bad as it had been originally. But the tumours I could see continued to grow the whole time, and new ones popped up also. However, I think we have to remember that Spook also has liver cancer and that is probably a whole different ball game. Digby's passing was so peaceful. I was nearly sick with anxiety over it before hand (for the entire five days before the appointment). But having gone through it I realized that I shouldn't have been. It really is ok to let them go, even if it is a bit early. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 The prednisone made Digby lose muscle tone, gave him a bit of a pot belly, increased his hunger like you wouldn't believe, and his thirst, made him urinate more and need to poo more. I think that was it although, I might have just forgotten something. These side effects got more intense as time went on. But I do believe it really made him feel loads better and he was very bright eyed and bushy tailed for the most part. Ditto although Steele more than a little pot belly. He is very fat and I never have fat dogs but then his I am going to die diet hasn't helped. The pred never shrunk any tumours in my case, they just slowed their growth and made him feel better. I did however catch is very early, he only had a slight cough and to my knowledge he doesn't have liver cancer. Once we saw the inoperable tumours in his lungs we didn't look any further for the primary tumours. Sorry to hear things aren't going well Yep, I wouldn't worry about him being fat at this tim. THis time of his life is about enjoying himself, that's the main priority. I spoiled Digby ridiculously. I had always been quite careful with his diet, but to hell with that! What Digby wanted Digby got! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 I remember digby and his adventures in the last few weeks. Makes me smile! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 I remember digby and his adventures in the last few weeks. Makes me smile! :) me too Digby made a lot of people smile (and some people run screaming :p ) hehehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 She is crate trained but needs to wee and can't hold on. Mum had a chat to the vet and she started the meds today, vet told mum not to give up yet, to give her 2 weeks and see how she is (my vet is great, will tell it as it is and will tell you if she believes pts is the best option) Dad is telling mum to pts and it's not helping, she asked me again if she was doing the right thing. I told mum the second I believe it needs to be done I will tell her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 Argh now mum is calling me worried because spook is panting a lot. I said she is probably just hot. Take her outside and ring the vets if she is still worried. I will call in an hour and if mum is still worried I'll see if she can bring spook here and take kaos home ( the two hate each other) and I'll keep an eye on her for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 She is crate trained but needs to wee and can't hold on. Mum had a chat to the vet and she started the meds today, vet told mum not to give up yet, to give her 2 weeks and see how she is (my vet is great, will tell it as it is and will tell you if she believes pts is the best option) Dad is telling mum to pts and it's not helping, she asked me again if she was doing the right thing. I told mum the second I believe it needs to be done I will tell her. Yeah I just found it helps confine the mess when you can't get to them quick enough, and so is a bit easier with the cleaning up. Anyway, how did last night go Teebs? When you mentioned the panting it rang a bell for me because I think it can be (yet another) side effect of the pred. But obviously it can also be a symptom of pain. Hope it's just a side-effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 She went ok. Mum was happy to keep her at home and knows she can bring her over here at anytime and I'll look after her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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