Lymphoma and Chemotherapy

[BestIsWest]

DDog has just been diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma. We are all devastated. He starts chemotherapy tomorrow. I was wondering if anyone has any experiences to share. He was 10 last week and is in quite good health apart from a touch of arthritis.

[JustmeandtheChickens]

I hope this helps.

Our DDog was diagnosed with lymphoma in Jan last year, he was 10 - not sure what stage but presenting in all lymph glands (I thought he had an infected tonsil so it was a big shock for us too) - 2 or 3 I think.

We opted for chemo - the COP protocol, which is steroids, plus chemo injections and chemo tablets.

The first month is pretty intensive - 1 injection a week for 4 weeks, plus tablets and steroids (be prepared for disturbed nights as the steroids will make your dog very thirsty and they will pee for England for a few weeks!).

If your DDog reacts to the chemo injections, you may need anti-sickness tablets as well - we did, but not all dogs do.

You may find that your DDog feels a bit odd on the day of the injection but this should pass pretty quickly.

DDog went into remission after the second injection and has remained so since. His course of chemo ended at the end of August last year and so far so good. He is full of beans and looking really well.

I will just add that any chemo treatment is designed to put the cancer into remission, not to cure - so at some point it will come back (and I am aware that our DDog is already on borrowed time).

We have been delighted with the outcome and we have never questioned our decision.

I'm sure you've been told this by your Vet, but Lymphoma is not painful.

Good luck.

Let me know if you need any other info.

[BestIsWest]

That is so helpful chickens. I have been sitting here wondering whether we are doing this for him or for us. It sounds like your DDog is doing amazingly well.

That protocol sounds very similar to what our vet has suggested. He has his first injection tomorrow then one a week for the following 3 weeks followed by 1 every 3 weeks.

All his lymph nodes are swollen and the vet thinks his spleen is affected too but he is really well in himself. He did have some D&V last week which is why we took him to the vet, but is great now.

To complicate things we are supposed to be going on holiday on Friday and DDog is supposed to be going to stay with my parents for a week. Not sure what to do about the holiday.

Thank you for posting, you have helped a great deal.

[JustmeandtheChickens]

It was all about quality of life for DDog for us, and the fact that we love him to bits and didn't want to lose him without a bit of a fight!!

Our protocol was 4 injections 1 week apart for 4 weeks, then 4 injections 2 weeks apart for 8 weeks, then 4 injections 3 weeks apart for 12 weeks, and lastly 4 injections 4 weeks apart for 16 weeks - with accompanying steroids and chemo tablets, also reducing as time went on.

Go on holiday - just make sure your parents are well briefed about what they need to do re tablets and warn them re side effects.

One other thing I've done is to introduce a hand cooked diet, so that his system doesn't also have to cope with processed food - maybe something to consider when you're back from your hols.

It's not a complete walk in the park - but so worth it if your DDog responds well.

We now feel happy that our dog is approaching a normal lifespan and we have done the very best for him.

[BestIsWest]

That's exactly how I feel. I expected to have him for at least another few years. We have to give him the chance and we're not ready to let him go yet.

I've only spoken to the vet on the phone about the chemo so far so I should have a clearer picture tomorrow when we take him in.

On the hand cooked diet - what do you feed him?

[JustmeandtheChickens]

Our DDog is about 17.5kg give or take and this is what he has twice a day:

1 fish fillet (the ones that come in packs of 6, frozen - so, coley, cod etc - depending on what is on offer).
1/3rd sachet of microwave rice - basmati works for us - wholemeal would be much better but our DDog has a very sensitive stomach and can't digest it properly.
About a tbs peas.
3/4 tsp broad spectrum Vit and Min supplement - I use SF 50.
Probiotic sachet.

Everything can be microwaved - so really easy to do.

Not as convenient as kibble - but hopefully better - I discussed it with our vets when I was hoping to introduce kibble again and they basically said 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it!'

The other thing we did throughout treatment was to try and keep DDog's routine as normal as possible and be upbeat.

Plain biscuits also feature as daily treats - bonio type thingys, and I don't stint - he's worth it!!

During his treatment DDog sometimes looked a bit lean - and in this case I introduced some chicken and pasta to help with weight gain.

A huge % of dogs go into remission early (it may be as high as 75%) - so all should be good.

[BestIsWest]

DDog woukd love that diet, he loves rice and fish. He loves those bonio type things too. He has lost 2 kilos but was a little bit over weight. I will also ask about supplements. He's on glucosamine for his arthritis so I will check he can still have those.

Going in about an hour. Poor thing, he has no idea.

Were you able to walk him as normal or did you need to keep him away from other dogs?

[JustmeandtheChickens]

We walked as normal and he had normal interaction with other dogs.

Hope all went well at the Vets and your DDog is a good patient!

[BestIsWest]

They're keeping him in until this afternoon to see how he responds. Vet confirmed we should walk him normally and allow him interaction with other dogs. It's all about the quality of life.

I've just been to Tesco to stock up on sachets of rice and frozen fish.

Your posts have been enormously helpful Chickens .

[JustmeandtheChickens]

Thankyou :-)

So glad I could help.

I've lurked on MN for far too long years and your post prompted me to get involved.

Hope everything goes well for you and DDog - do let me know if you need anything else.

[BestIsWest]

I will, thank you! Poor boy has slept solidly since we got him home.

[BestIsWest]

Sadly, he had an extreme reaction to the chemotherapy, his white blood cell count drooped to virtually nothing and he developed a severe infection. We cut short our holiday to be with him and he was PTS this afternoon with all of us there. We are heartbroken. Ten years was not enough time.

[Meandyouandyouandme]

Really sorry to hear your DDog had to be put to sleep. My 10 year old dog has been diagnosed with laryngeal paralysis today, so I was looking to see if anyone had any experience of this, and your title caught my eye.
I hope he didn't suffer, though as you say 10 years isn't long enough

[BestIsWest]

meandyou. What is the outlook for your dog?

[JustmeandtheChickens]

Best I'm so sorry to hear your very sad news - they do become so much part of the family. Heartbreaking for you

[BestIsWest]

Thank you Chickens. I think I've cried solidly for almost 48 hours. The house is so quiet without him. I keep sneaking out to the kitchen to sniff his collar. Can't bear to move his bed and his food and water bowl yet. DH, DD and DS are all just as bad.

Wishing you lots more time with your DDog .

[BestIsWest]

P.S. chickens, now you have broken your posting 'duck' as it were, hope to see you around a bit more. I really appreciated your advice at a time when it was really needed.

[Meandyouandyouandme]

Hi Best, she needs an operation at 2k, and she's not insured. We are having alot of financial issues at the moment, having building work done on our house, and are currently living in rental accommodation while this goes on. There are also financial problems at work, (we own our own business) so this feels like the last straw!
I was looking at 0% credit cards yesterday, so that's probably what we'll be doing to finance it.
Really sorry to hear how upset you all are, really dreading the day this happens to us. Thanks for your concern, I hope the days to come get easier

[Meandyouandyouandme]

Should have said, that even with the operation, she will then be prone to catching pneumonia, and will always have the symptoms she currently has, heavy breathing, lots of panting, can't go on long walks any more. Supposedly this is quite typical for her breed, she's an Irish setter. Just wasn't expecting her to be ill yet, I suppose. They are part of your lives for so long, and it's heartbreaking when they go.

[BestIsWest]

Meandyou, we didn't have insurance either. I think this illness cost us about £1100 all together. However I would pay it twice over or more to have him back if only for a short while.

Irish setters are such beautiful dogs. So elegant. I wish her well. Poor girl.

It does all seem to happen at once doesn't it.

[TheoriginalLEM]

we have just lost our dog. he was 10 and just diagnosed. we opted against chemo due to his heart condition which is what killed him and took the decision away. it is rarely a cure but inan otherwise healthy dog definitely worth while. Dogs react differently and some sail through the treatment.

[TheoriginalLEM]

oh i am so sorry. I did rtft just missed your last post. it is so painful isnt it. my mum is devastated.

[BestIsWest]

Oh LEM I'm so sorry. I did see your thread about your dog when I was researching Lymphoma. I agree that whether or not to go ahead with chemo is such a hard decision to take. I'm glad we did go ahead even if the end result was not what we hoped for.

It is heartbreaking. for you and your mum.

[Meandyouandyouandme]

No it's not about the money, I'm not ready to give up on her, just need to find it. Yes she's very beautiful, going a bit grey now.