Loxicom-any vets or knowledgables about please?

[SpikyCoconut]

My Cocker Spaniel has Lymphoma. When first diagnosed the vet said he's too old and the lumps are in too much of a precarious place, for it to be operable. He said it was a particularly aggressive form and not to expect too much time with him. :(

The vet put him on steroids but they made him very, very ill. He had to be carried up a stair, had D&V with blood in both, was thoroughly miserable so I told the vet and we stopped that.

Recently the lumps (under his chin) have been irritating him, he'd rub his face on the floor howling. Vet prescribed anti-inflammatories to ease his discomfort (Loxicom). This is his second phase of them and they don't seem to be working. He's still in a lot of discomfort (although I don't think pain?) and is not getting much sleep due to itching his face on the floor a lot. I've been trying to get through to the vet ALL DAY and they've been engaged. I contemplated just going, but I couldn't get any time off. I'm worried he'll have another sleepless night in discomfort. Is there anything else I can do? Shall I up the does? This stint has been since Friday and I know they can take a few days to kick in properly.

Despite all this, he's lasted a LOT longer than the vet originally thought without the lumps growing and he's still loving his walks and food and attention. I'm very proud of him. But I hate to see him like this.
Any help or suggestions appreciated.

[tabulahrasa]

Sorry, I don't know of anything you can do, but don't up the dosage, it's not a nice drug to give too much of.

[SpikyCoconut]

Thank you, I won't then. I just feel stuck and powerless as to what to do.
It may be just they're taking a while and we have to just wait it out-maybe by tonight it'll be better? It seems to never bother him while he's eating/out for a walk/doing SOMEthing, just when he tries to settle to nap or sleep.

[tabulahrasa]

Do your vet's do their own out of hours service or do they send you off to one of those 24 hr places?

Just wondering if it's worth trying to get hold of them now...

[SpikyCoconut]

That's my next option Tabulah. I could ring them for advice I guess at least. I'm not sure if they'll do it because he's on the meds he's supposed to be on, I was told it would take a while and he's not actually in PAIN, but maybe I should give them a try. It will be the out of hours vet. I've had mixed experiences with them over the years.

[tabulahrasa]

Yeah, that was why I asked, I find they're great in a proper emergency, but not so good for the, well he's not right but it's not a full blown emergency type situation.

[SpikyCoconut]

I took him to my neighbours while we had a catch up- he was fine while there. It's as if it's only when he's not doing something even being at someone's house is doing something to a dog I guess? However I called the emergency vet and they said they could give him an injection of something but it might not work, and would probably make him ill. And they'd charge £200 odd for the late night charge. So I decided no. Obviously I'd pay whatever if the situation called for it and I knew it would be worth it.
He's still fine now. And I'm off tomorrow morning and am going to do nothing before I get through to my usual vet.

[cat234]

Hi, I'm a vet. Lymphoma normally has quite a poor prognosis in dogs. Steriods can sometimes help it go into remission for a bit, but if he didn't tolerate them for long, it is unlikely they will have been of much benefit.

Loxicom won't do much from a cancerous perspective - more to alleviate pain and possibly some inflammation. There is little else that your vets or an OOH vets could add in either at this point apart from additional (fairly short lived) pain relief injections, or more pain relief tablets.

Loxicom is done on a weight basis, and is only every a once daily dose, so don't increase this dose (risk of stomach ulceration, kidney failure amongst other things, probably an even higher risk than normal in your already unwell dog). Loxicom kicks in very quickly (within about an hour or so).
To be honest, if your dog is rubbing his face and howling - then he is in pain, and discomfort is pain - albeit maybe a more mild pain. If he is struggling like this, and loxicom isn't doing anything, then it sounds like you are likely reaching the point where you may need to make the decision to let him go soon. Just because he is still eating/likes walks, doesn't mean his quality of life is sufficient if he is in pain, and this condition will unfortunately only get worse in time.

[SpikyCoconut]

Hi Cat, thank you for replying

Much as I love him to bits ,as a long time animal fosterer/rescuer I'm not overly emotional about death and those kind of decisions and if I felt it was time I would just do it.

Don't get me wrong they're awful, I'm aware he'll never be cured :(

I just don't think it is yet. The itching his face isnt all the time. It's interesting and slightly alarming that you'd say the loxicom would work so quickly, my vet said it can take several days ?
It is awful seeing him affected by his illness. I won't see him suffer long term.. I just had hope that if the irritation could be reduced as a palliative measure then that decision wouldn't be necessary yet.

Anyway I got to the vet today and he's now got a milder dose of steroids too. After what you've said , I'm also going to book him in for an examination asap. I love him. I'm his fourth home and I just wish he had been spared from any condition like this and could enjoy his final , nice home environment a little longer. I don't know how old he is.

[SpikyCoconut]

I took him off the steroids after a couple of days. Just wasn't fair on him to suffer like that, he was visibly distressed.