dog cancer

I was curious about this when reading about the drug side effects...especially the latest one she had administered (Vincristine).

The basic answer is most dogs do not have fur that is continually growing. Therefore, the vast majority of breeds are not affected significantly by this side effect. However, there are some dogs that have continual hair growth (such as Poodles and Old English Sheepdogs) who may lose hair.

However, it's possible a thinning of the dog's coat, loss of whiskers, and a change in the texture of the dog's coat can occur.

 

Zoe had her third treatment this morning for a new drug. Blood work done prior indicated both her white and red blood cell levels were low. Doctor said given her age she might need to slow down on chemo as she will bounce back slower. So, the next treatment will be two weeks away instead of one week. Doctor still went ahead with a lower dosage of the drug today (Cytoxan) for her third chemo treatment. Side effects are always possible in the next 3 or 4 days after treatment. They had to give her another drug (Lasix)...which makes her urinate more frequently and prevents a possible urinary tract infection which can occur in dogs on this drug.

The good news is Zoe's lymph nodes are no longer swollen and are normal...meaning her last treatment was effective. Dog seems more active and is eating well putting on a couple pounds. We went for two long walks this weekend and she had no problems.

The bad news is her lower blood cell counts leave her vulnerable to infection...but that is pretty much a given on these chemo regimens. I'm supposed to be on the look out for dog behavior that is out of the ordinary. Warm ears can be an indication of fever. Also looking for repeated vomiting and problems in the waste department. But, like was said, we're slowing it down a little to give the older Zoe time to bounce back between treatments.

And the treatment continues... .

 

Well, one thing I've learned is you usually don't see side effects until three to five days after a chemo treatment. And, all of them vomits have been in the house. By the time you notice she needs to vomit, it's too late to get her outside. It would probably kill the grass. That must be some harsh stuff going on in there...cause it stains the carpet pretty good.

Anyway, here we are on Thursday and treatment of Cytoxan was on Monday. Apparently, the drug doesn't get fully absorbed for three to five days in dogs. Zoe is eating very little yesterday and today...and throwing it up. Two vomits so far for this treatment week. Precious little Zoe is sleeping a lot...but seems to move around well. The weight loss has helped her in that regard. I expect and hope she will be feeling better in the next day or two. No outward signs of illness...except she sometimes vomits. If they do that more than four times in a twenty-four hour period, then that could mean trouble and require a vet visit. But, she did once yesterday and once today. Dog doesn't seem to be acting sick but I can't very well ask her.

This is kind of a scary process. Just taking it day-by-day. Next treatment isn't till April 12th and assumes her white/red blood cell counts bounce back. So, hopefully she can feel better later this weekend and next week before that...assuming she starts eating (which we went through this period of vomit and not eating last week...so I think this is a repeatable side effect part of the process unfortunately after treatments). Yikes.

 

I was hoping Zoe would be better today but she vomitted again this morning and has diarreah (otherwise known as liquid squirt). I dropped her off at the local vet for a CBC (blood work) and treatment. Her red blood cell count is low but her white blood cell count was high...which is a possible sign of infection since those numbers drop with chemo treatments. She doesn't have a fever...so that was good.

Anyway, after the vet specialist talked to my local vet, they are going to give her drugs which target the vomitting and later the diarreah. I also left her for the day to get some IV fluids back in her as she is dehydrated and unable to hold anything down.

This particular chemo drug (Cytoxan) seems nasty.

I'll pick her up at vet near closing time and hopefully she will be feeling better. Tough times. I'm just trying to keep positive. I keep telling myself the treatments are working...but the side effects are bad and those are treatable. I'm trying to do what's right for her keeping her as comfortable as possible. But, I'm under no illusions...chemo is a b****.

 

so far the latter has been outside thankfully.

the former...i'm learning to have spare dog towels in strategic places in the house so when she starts those first couple of vomit convulsions...I park the nearest dog towel under her vomit projectile path. It worked pretty well the last time and only a little got on the carpet. It's tough to get out of the carpet but my technique is to first clean up particles, hot wet towel rub down several times with several towels, treat stain by saturating with Nature's Miracle solution, and blot out the solution after it has sat for a while with a towel. It works pretty well...but every where I clean up is a circle of whiteness and the rest of the carpet is off-white from years of indoor dog use. I would love to have new carpet...but it will just get screwed up again by the dogs. So, what ya gonna do? Bad boy...bad boy. Have dirty carpets I guess. I'm afraid to use my steam cleaner with the solution...cause those chemicals in the carpet solution and the dogs lick carpet when they clean themselves. I'm thining about just a pure hot water steam clean later.

This really is the test of ultimate wills...my will and my dog's will.

 

the licking of the carpet happens when they lick their paws or other areas. the lick tends to hit the carpet as well when at least one of them cleans her legs. also, my dogs tend to eat their treats and sometimes carry dry dog food bits to the carpet area and eat it there. so, more carpet contact. another example is dogs eat large greenies on the carpet. they usually end up saturated in saliva and being tossed around on the carpet while being consumed (transferrence). same thing happens with any treats really.

yea...i might try a dog-friendly steam cleaning solution as mentioned earlier (i'm sure there are studies backing up that claim...lol). i think Nature's Miracle has one for sale at Pet's Mart. i'm still skeptical on the claims of dog-friendly, though. are there dog-friendly chemicals? it's like a cartoon with the chemical saying to the dog: "hey there...let me come inside and i'll be friendly...i swear. and, the doctors and all will know i'm friendly...just cause they say so on the bottle. meanwhile, i'm going to start bastardizing on some of these cells. whoopie!".

 

And, I'm back with dog from vet. Dog goes out back and proceeds to defecate from both spots in liquid fashion. Umm...damn. Here we are...$370 visit bill (my money is flying away), 5 hours of IV fluids, and four more pills I have to give her later. I think I'm giving her like 7 different meds/supplements daily now. Two antibiotics, one for liquid-poo, Pepsid AC (for stomach protection), Prednisone (anti-inflammatory steroid), glucosamine/chondroitin, and liver supplement.

Heaven help me and my dog. I might just lose my mind if this keeps up like this. Maybe that particular chemo drug is off-limits from now on.

 

Zoe is doing better today. She ate various treats and some roast beef I gave her. I'm just trying to coax her to eat anything. It's kind of funny as I surround her with various bowls of food and treats. She eats what she wants and doesn't have to move or stand to get to it. It looks like her appetite is returning. Dehyrdration is no longer an issue as she is drinking more and had IV fluids yesterday. No vomits since before the vet visit yesterday morning. holding down what she ate so far today. She's more alert but still sleeping a lot...probably due to side effects of various meds she is on. I'm hopeful we have some quality days ahead before her next chemo treatment. The next treatment is for a drug (Vincristine) she has already had and handled much better than this other drug.

 

Zoe is doing a lot better this week during her week off from treatment. I was concerned from last week after the side effects from chemo treatment #3. She was eating very little late last week and lost 7 pounds in just three days. She did require that emergency vet visit for treatment and I asked them to give her IV fluids as well for dehydration.

This week...her appetite has gotten stronger with each passing day. Yesterday, I gave her two big cans of chopped beef dog food and she ate all of it...in addition to a buttload of treats and other food. I'm trying to pack the pounds back on her in anticipation of the next treatment...because her weight is going to go up-and-down (yo-yo effect) like this...especially during that 3 to 5 days after a treatment where she doesn't eat much.

She has been wagging her tail more, had more energy walking around more, and even gave me a little kiss yesterday when I requested it. I know she is feeling bad when I ask her for a kiss and she doesn't give me one. It's not one of those disgusting ones. Just a little lick on my nose usually.