June already and things look good.

Strider completed all of his chemotherapy and we have started him on metronomic chemotherapy. This is designed to restrict the growth of new blood vessels around the tumor, I believe. He takes 4 medications daily, two are chemotherapy and two are ulcer medications to help the affect of the other drugs on his stomach.  So far, he has had no side effects and seems to feel great with lots of energy.  The hair on his muzzle has almost completely grown back.

It has been almost 7 months since his diagnosis and his energy and personality seem to be back to normal.  The radiation and chemotherapy took a lot out of him, but that is behind us now.  The original vet that diagnosed him at Auburn told me that he never dreamed that the treatment would have worked as well as it did, so that is great news.

We are released to the care of our local vet now.  We will be going in monthly to monitor the medication and to check for when the tumor starts to regrow.  I believe we have used up all our options for treatment, so hopefully that won't be for a long, long time.

I have posted a picture of him swimming today in our pool.  He is wearing the swim vest only because Ozzie, the 2 year old Golden, likes to jump on him from the side of the pool.  I don't want the kids drowning trying to save Strider, so we put a vest on him so he pops back to the surface if Ozzie lands on him.  Also, he does get tired and it allows him to swim longer, which he loves.

March Update

I can't believe it has been so long since I've updated.  Strider had the 5th of his 6 chemo treatments yesterday.  We had a little scare because they did a chest X-ray and saw something that concerned them.  I agreed to have them do a CT scan, because if it was a lesion, indicating the cancer had metastasized, they would have changed the chemo protocol.  Fortunately, the CT was clear and they think it was some blood vessels that looked unusual on the X-ray.  They gave me the option of waiting for the CT scan and just checking another X-ray in a few weeks, but I wanted to start the new treatment immediately if needed.  They had to put him under a general  anesthesia for the CT scan, so he's still a little groggy today.

We have gotten into a routine with the chemotherapy.  We go every 3 weeks for the day to Auburn, where he gets the treatment.  One week later, we go to our local vet and get blood work done.  And so far, about 9 or 10 days after each treatment, he feels badly for a few days and doesn't want to eat much or do anything but lay around the house.  Twice, he has been put on preventative antibiotics, based on his blood work.   I also give him Cerenia, for nausea, for a few days following each chemo treatment.    When he feels badly and doesn't want to eat, I boil chicken parts and give him the meat to eat.  So far, he has never gotten where he will not eat that.  Then, after a few days, I notice him eating dog food out of his bowl, and I know we have turned the corner again.

So, every 3 weeks, Strider has 3 or 4 days where he doesn't feel well and I obsess over him a little bit.  The other days, he is back to his old self, playing with Ozzie, hanging out on the porch, sleeping in my son's bed, and begging for food and tummy rubs.  The hair is growing back a little bit on his muzzle, so apparently the hair loss was due to the radiation and not the chemo.

The vets at Auburn are really focusing on his weight, also.  He is still around 102 pounds, and they want him to lose a good bit of weight.  On one hand, it seems a bit beside the point.  He just turned 9 years old and has incurable cancer.  On the other hand, it's encouraging that they think he will be around long enough for his weight to matter.

I'll post a picture later and try to update more regularly as he comes to the end of his treatment.

Visit to Vet

I took Strider in to our local vet today and his blood counts are normal with no signs of anemia or infection, so I guess we are good to go for the next round of chemo on Monday.

However... he had gained back all the weight he had lost and was back to just over 100.  That's good news for how he is feeling, but I guess I am going to have to back off the cheeseburgers and the amount of food I am giving him.  I would like to see him stay right where he is in weight.  It gives him some buffer if the chemo causes him to lose his appetite, but I don't want him getting too fat.  Dr. R said he is looking about like he would expect at this stage of his treatment.  I'm anxious about the chemo, but at least we have a week or so after the treatment before he might feel badly, so that gives him about another 10 or 11 days from now before I expect any problems.

Chemo Delayed Again

Last week, I emailed the attending vet at Auburn some photos of Strider's nose and he decided to postpone chemo by another week to allow his nose to heal more.  Below is a picture of what he looks like today.  He is continuing to lose hair on his nose, but I don't know if that is from chemo or the radiation burn.

He is eating canned dog food very enthusiastically now and is enjoying a daily triple cheeseburger from Wendy's.  I'm sure the vets would not approve, but I haven't asked their opinion.  It makes Strider very happy, and that's what counts for now.  I know a lot of people believe in going to an organic, natural diet when their dog is diagnosed, but I'm working from a more emotional place right now, and the cheeseburger makes him happy.

He is still very low energy, so I think I am going to take him to our local vet tomorrow and ask about another blood test to test his iron level.  They were going to recheck at Auburn this week, but since we delayed that trip, it didn't happen.  I was talking to a physician friend today who is a dog person, and when I said Strider didn't have much energy, she immediately speculated that he was anemic from the chemo.  I'd like to have that checked before we go down for chemo next Monday.

It is still hard dealing with the fact that he felt fine prior to treatment, and has not felt well due to the treatment for several weeks now.  He is also behaving in some very different ways since he hasn't felt well.  He sleeps in our basement by himself instead of in my son's bed, and he seems to want to get away from people, whereas before, he would follow me from room to room.  I always had a footrest, no matter where I sat, and I miss his constant presence.  I find myself seeking him out during the day, just to spend a little time with him.