The decision was made once we had decided to go through with Jackson’s amputation that chemotherapy would be the next step. I wasn’t sure how long after surgery but from everyone we spoke to they said start right away. My only dilemma was that Jacskon had an underlying infection from pulling out his staples, so I was hesitant. I did some research & decided to go to the vet hospital that we had gone to for Jackson’s 2nd opinion re: surgery. Dr B the surgeon had recommended the oncologist there as he had done his intern at her hospital years prior, so that made me feel good.
So on 10/7/15 we had our first oncology consult it was just 14 days since Jackson’s surgery. The vet tech was very nice she brought a blanket in the room for Jackson to sit on instead of the tile floor which he loved. The oncologist, Dr. S was very young, but was very through in explaining the 2 protocols to choose from & the respective $ that it was going to cost & took the time to answer my questions (thankfully I have pet insurance, which I’m so glad I have now).
Also during our appointment I asked the vet tech what options she knew of for dog harnesses. I desperately needed something to get Jackson in and out of my SUV as my back was becoming extremely sore and I couldn’t imagine how I was going to continue helping him on a daily basis. I had done some research online but it was confusing to figure out which harness would work best for Jackson & what size he was because being a greyhound lab mix his body proportions were all off ! The vet tech recommended “The Help’EmUp Harness” & within less then 10 minutes the rehab woman fitted Jackson and my life would now become better. (And no this is not an endorsement but this harness has saved my back & my life!)
The following chemotherapy protocols were discussed:
- Carboplatin (IV) – may cause nausea & you need to get CBC blood work x2 after first treatment to rule out issues with white/red blood cell count.
2. Doxorubicin (IV) – may cause diarrhea & requires EKG monitoring because it’s known to cause heart complications.
The 2 protocols had there advantages & disadvantages & I could have decided to do both together, however with Dr. S recommendation I would eventually decide to choose Carboplatin.
He took the time to answer my questions which I had lots of:
- What type of chemo pill or IV? (IV)
2. How long will he have to have chemo? (Every 3 weeks for 4 IV treatments & then switch to pill x6 treatments = 18 months).
3. How long is the process? (The IV only takes about 15 min but between the weigh in, blood work, physical exam & tx it may be 1-2 hrs).
4. Side effects? Could be nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, fever, etc. however 50% have no side effects & 20-30% do. (Luckily Jackson has very little side effects & is tolerating it well with just fatigue the 1st day).
5. Is his waste harmful? No the suggestion was just be smart about it, wear protective gloves when picking up his waste & I figured out don’t stand downwind from Jackson’s pees as it has a really intense odor!
6. What type of food, nutrition, supplements should I feed Jackson? Dr S recommendations was don’t make any drastic changes & stick to his normal food regime. I had read a lot online & Tripawds.com re: natural diets, “Bugwig” protocol (cottage cheese & flax oil), Essiac for Pets which boosts the immune system. You can get dizzy just reading everything. He took the list of supplements that I was planning on giving Jackson & said he would get back to me with his opinion.
7. How do you know when chemo is no longer working? When the side effects outweigh the benefits or when the cancer reemerges.
At the end of our discussion he gave me the option of giving him his first chemo today… But I couldn’t decide which protocol to choose & Jackson had just begun his antibiotics & my head was swirling with taking this next step. So I decided to wait 2 days & it would be Fri another day off work but I had to take care of Jackson & be at peace with our decision to proceed with chemo & this form of treatment.
All good questions, I’m glad he got them answered for you, and glad you got a harness that works for you. We did 6 doses of IV Carbo, and then proceeded to metronomic therapy (oral low dose daily chemo). I’m not sure how long we’ll keep him on metronomics…it’ll be a year in January that Nitro’s been on them. Good luck going forward.
Paula and Nitro
P.S. Nitro had very little side effects with the carbo, just a little nausea and tiredness .
Thanks for the response we were I’m a tad late in posting on my blog as Jackson was supposed to have chemo #3 today but yesterday he woke limping on his rt front leg (amputation was on back rt leg) so needless to say a little wobbly. This leg has been a source of discomfort most of his life bc of an slight injury when he was younger but it always gets better with rest & glucosamine today they did an X-ray & found another bone lesion they think, ugh!! So it’s been emotional day now I’m just trying to bring him pain relief he’s back on tramadyl & rimadyl & putting little weight on it tonight. I’m so sad now I have to weigh options they r recommending radiation & another pain management med
My heads swirling with what to do I just hope in am he can put a little more weight in it & then I can try to decide what to do. Night 🙂
Glad you decided on Carboplatin. My Happy Hannah had four rounds and handled it very well.
Her recovery was rougher than some so I didn’t start her first treatment until after the three week mark.
Okay, some deep breaths. First of allx the xray isn’t conclusive. Regardless, it will need time to heal with rest. I know this is a setback and I also know you will get through this!!
.ay I suggest posting this under “Ask A Vet” in the forums? We have a wonderfil team member who offers information and has incredible insight and experience in these types of things. She came to the site originally because her big Mastiff Tazzie had osteosarcoma and had to have an amputation. She had other “issues” with some of her other legs so she has lots of help she can offer.
I’m glad the pain meds are helping a little and they should continue to do so.
As hard as it is, hang in there, okay! You and Jackson will get through this. Keep the meds going and maybe a follow up xray in a couple of weeks will show improvement and you won’t have to deal with any more issues!!
For whatever it’s worth, my Merry Myrtle (quadpawd) started limping a couple of weeks ago. Took xray…they thought it looked suspicious snd felt like it was….”that”….don’t even want to say it! Two vets looked at it and agreed. I had a third vet look at it and she felt like it was more of an undetected injury and to wait a month and do another xray. In the meantime, rest and meds. Knocking on wood over here, a month later the xray seemed to jndicate it was an “injury bump” of some sort.
Stay in the moment and remember, Jackson isn’t worrying about any ole xray. He’s must soaking up all that loving and spoiling.
Sending lots of love!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
S…Another informative blog…thank you.