Really devastated. We're on our way back from holiday today having left the dog with my dad.
I've posted a couple of times in the last month about how he's not quite been himself. Nothing obvious, just a bit under the weather.
My dad took him to the vets again yesterday and they did another set of bloods which showed he was very anaemic and platelets were non existent.
He is now at the vet hospital and they've done a biopsy which I think shows he has lymphoma. The vet wants to speak to the specialist oncologist who will be in on Monday to examine him.
There was mention of chemo but it's just prolonging the inevitable and also will be very difficult to manage as I think I need to keep him away from my 3 children whilst he's having the treatment (19 weeks).
Has anyone got any words of advice? I've been up all night in tears. Without chemo he's only got about 4 weeks at the most. He seems ok at the moment, eating and although not himself doesn't seem in pain.
I just can't believe it. 
If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.
The doghouse
15 month puppy with lymphoma
RosieLig · 27/07/2013 17:20
Rosie, I feel for you, what awful news. Your poor puppy.
I don't know the ins and outs of chemo but coincidentally I had a chat with an acquaintance the other day who told me all about his 8 yr old lab that had an incredibly rare and virulent cancer. The dog had chemo and it didn't effect it (not sure if it was a boy or girl) at all and it made a complete recovery.
Has the vet said specifically that the dog will need to be kept away from the children during chemo?
Could your dad have the pup during treatment?
Thinking of you 
Hiya - it was very presumptuous of me to say I'll tell you more later - I just meant I didn't have time to do a proper full length post, lol, I only know what's been discussed about my cat obviously.
In case it's at all relevant, she has small cell lymphoma with masses in her spleen and digestive tract and obviously changes to her lymph nodes, the chemotherapy protocol they've put her on is tablets once a fortnight with steroids every other day and a blood test every 12 weeks. It's not curable, what they were aiming for is remission rather than cure and there are no guarantees about how long remission if it does happen will last for though I have been told that they have had patients make five years before becoming ill again. Obviously I don't know what the treatment protocol they're thinking of is, but I do know that there are different options as I was told she was on the most conservative one.
She's only in partial remission, but the masses shrank enough to stop giving her symptoms. (just general under the weatherness and weight loss)
She did within the first few months of treatment get side effects - she stopped eating for nearly a week and lost a lot of weight, she was treated with ant-nausea medication and an antacid, which didn't work immediately...they were talking about tube feeding her, I made the decision that if that became necessary then I would have her PTS as I felt it was unfair to her. She started eating half an hour after I made that decision, 
lol. That was pretty scary.
Other than that her fur is slightly finer and has gone paler and takes longer than it used to grow back in when it's shaved for her blood test. She also objects quite strongly to being cold, but to be fair, she's a cat and she was never keen.
As for precautions for humans...you can't share a bed, I assume that's to do with length of time you're in contact with them for. Body fluids and waste have to be handled with latex gloves, so for me changing cat litter and for you picking up poo and it should be double bagged before being put in a bin. Any accidents or vomit need to be cleaned up immediately and the area cleaned with hot soapy water. Things like fetch are to be avoided because of the saliva and if they lick or bite again that's hot soapy water. It is ok to play with them when they're not shedding and normal stroking and sitting with them is fine even when they are...we still play fetch when she is, we just wear gloves them too, lol.
When I questioned safety around my children what I was told is that there has never been a case of a human becoming ill because of pet chemotherapy, but they advise all that just to be ultra cautious. I also don't need to take any precautions with my other cat who sleeps with her, shares bowls and a litter tray and when my puppy got in the litter tray they also weren't concerned. DC, other cat and puppy are all fine btw, lol.
I don't know how much of that is specific to the protocol she's on, I doubt it's much of it because it was a generic chemotherapy factsheet rather than one just for her drugs that I was given.
So, like I said, she's in better shape now than she was when they found it and other than that one week has done really well on it, she's spent the last few weeks outside sunbathing and playing in the garden :) Obviously she's on limited time, but the extra two years she's had so far have been good ones not two years of being ill.
I don't know how useful any of that will be in regard to your pup - but hopefully it might tell you a wee bit that helps. If you decide that chemotherapy isn't right, steroids usually help a bit just by themselves so I've been told and of course the decision is about what works for you, your dog and your family so there really isn't a right or wrong choice.
Thank you tabularasa for such a long and thoughtful response.
We went to see our pup today and it's so heartbreaking. He was quite listless although still walking about and eating. He had shaved legs and tummy from all the tests. Awful. He wanted to come home with us when we went.
His cancer is quite advanced and has spread to his bone marrow, our gut feeling is not to go down the chemo route. He just seems so ill it feels cruel to put him though more tests.
We've agreed to a blood transfusion as that may make him feel better and shouldn't be painful for him. Ideally I'd like him at home but maybe he's better where he is?
So difficult to know what is best to do.
Thank you so much. It's just awful.
I think we're going to try and get him home and have him put to sleep at home.
I was shocked at how listless he was already and I don't want to wait until he is obviously in pain. I spoke to our local vet tonight who is also a friend and he agrees with our plan.
Fingers crossed we can get him home on Tuesday. The vet hospital is reluctant due to his lack of platelets and risk of bleeding. I just want him home
It's just so unfair as I feel we've barely got to know him. He's my first dog and I feel so guilty that I didn't really enjoy the puppy stage, didn't make the most of the first 6 months with him.
Oh Rosie, I'm so, so sorry. I can't think of what else to say. Awful news. Thinking of you
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