![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dinah on September 12, 2003, at 18:07:28
My little dog's growth was a particulary aggressive poorly-differentiated sarcoma on his spleen. They may have gotten it all or it's possible some cells migrated and hid out somewhere, in which case he has only got a few months.
My first impulse is to do the chemo, do whatever I can to save my little guy. But I'm also remembering that once they start to go, I haven't had much luck extending lives more than a few months. And he is thirteen, although in pretty good shape.
I was just wondering if anyone had tried it, and if so, how it worked. I'm going to be doing some internet research, I can tell.
Posted by Gabbix2 on September 12, 2003, at 19:07:20
In reply to Anyone try chemotherapy on a dog?, posted by Dinah on September 12, 2003, at 18:07:28
Oh Dinah,
I don't have any information I just wanted to
tell you how sorry I am.(((Dinah)))
Posted by justyourlaugh on September 12, 2003, at 19:34:36
In reply to Anyone try chemotherapy on a dog?, posted by Dinah on September 12, 2003, at 18:07:28
sweet dinah,,i know that you know what to do..
let your pup go...
i wont give you hope ..please let the suffering end...
i dont wish to be cruel...but "pets" are people and you know thay puppy needs an out...
dinah..let it be peaceful..like how you would go...
j
Posted by Dinah on September 12, 2003, at 19:57:16
In reply to Anyone try chemotherapy on a dog?, posted by Dinah on September 12, 2003, at 18:07:28
I'm feeling dizzy and sick. I hope they got it all. If not, his outlook is grim, chemo or no. Apparently they don't try for a cure in pets, just extending and improving the quality of life. On the other hand, it doesn't seem to make them as sick as it makes humans.
Thanks Gabbi and JYL. He's feeling ok right now. With the mass removed he's in relatively good shape for the time being. He just polished off his dog food. I can at least make his remaining time as terrific as I can for him.
Sigh.
Posted by justyourlaugh on September 12, 2003, at 20:08:28
In reply to Re: Ugh. Enough internet research., posted by Dinah on September 12, 2003, at 19:57:16
oh my dear friend dinah,,,..
you must let your friendship(love) with your pet be a special one...
you dont really want prolonged pain..
i know the pain of loss...please ..please ..dinah know its the circle..its not your punishment...not your reep..or carma...
j
Posted by fallsfall on September 12, 2003, at 23:02:28
In reply to Re: Ugh. Enough internet research., posted by Dinah on September 12, 2003, at 19:57:16
Dinah and Harry,
Well, let's hope they got it all.
In any event, each day you have together can be shared with the love and joy that you bring to each other. Cherish each other.
Celebrate life.
Posted by judy1 on September 13, 2003, at 11:13:43
In reply to Anyone try chemotherapy on a dog?, posted by Dinah on September 12, 2003, at 18:07:28
I have Dinah, on my dog who passed away at age 12. It extended his life just a few months and although he didn't seem as ill as people I've known on chemo, he was listless and I don't think I would ever do it again. I have another dog who is 12 now and seems pretty healthy although he's large (an Alaskan Malamute) and I worry constantly. If he becomes ill, (and already has arthritis) I would just use prednisone to keep his appetite up an give him energy, it works really well. The key is quality I think, but saying good'bye to a loyal friend will be heart-breaking. I'm so glad your dog is doing better, just enjoy each day with him.
take care, judy
Posted by Dinah on September 13, 2003, at 20:48:49
In reply to Re: Anyone try chemotherapy on a dog? » Dinah, posted by judy1 on September 13, 2003, at 11:13:43
Thank you, Judy. I greatly appreciate your perspective of someone who's had to decide.
I'm sorry about your loss. Twelve seems so young, doesn't it? I hope your Malamute enjoys years yet of good health. Even large breeds can live to quite old ages.
Posted by Susan J on September 14, 2003, at 13:12:44
In reply to Anyone try chemotherapy on a dog?, posted by Dinah on September 12, 2003, at 18:07:28
Dinah,
I'm so sorry about your pup. I just went through this with my 5-year-old dog who had a malignant tumor in her mouth. The doc said that if they didn't get it all, it would come back even worse and I might have to have part of her jaw removed. I don't really believe in diminishing the quality of life of a pet just so I can keep her around, so I looked at a lot of alternative medicine books. I'm at work right now and the book is at home, but if it's something that interests you, I'll get the title of the book and give it to you. They had some very interesting things to say about starving the malignant tumor by giving certain diets, and how tumors shrank and dogs got better....
I've never tried chemo, and my dad was all for it for my dog (he loves her too). I'm not saying whether try it or not, but the thing that weighed heavily in my mind is that I'd be making my dog sick, and she would *never* understand why. I figured a fun 6 months or so would be better than a year or so of constant sickness or even lethargy.
I'm sorry about it all. For me the sickness or death of a beloved pet is extraordinarily hard to take. It is a different kind of love they give than what humans give, but it is so precious. You and your pup are in my prayers. With my dog, it seems the doc got all of the tumor, so I can rest easy for a while.....I hope that's the case with yours, too.
Please give your pup a hug from me....the love you have given your dogs is priceless. They are all very lucky to have you. :-)
Susan
Posted by Dinah on September 14, 2003, at 13:46:16
In reply to Alternative Medicine » Dinah, posted by Susan J on September 14, 2003, at 13:12:44
That's great about your dog, Susan! You must be so relieved.
I think I've decided against the chemo. It doesn't appear to extend life significantly. The pathology lab results were pretty discouraging on his tumour, which was a full third of his total body weight.
So I'm making his life as wonderful as I can. And apparently succeeding. :) It's amazing how soon they get used to special treatment. I bought a sling style Snuggli and have been carrying him around with me all the time. We went out this morning for a few hours leaving him at home, and when I got back he told me off in little doggy grumbles until I got the sling back out and snuck him some table snacks.
Dogs are pretty special and this one particularly so. I have five dogs left, ranging from ten to thirteen. But this one is my baby. And he's so full of life and love that somehow I just didn't expect him to die. I'm glad to have gotten this chance to get used to the idea and to make his last few months even more special than his first thirteen years. (Which is really saying something, since my husband calls Harry the "King" of our house.)
Posted by Susan J on September 14, 2003, at 13:59:46
In reply to Re: Alternative Medicine » Susan J, posted by Dinah on September 14, 2003, at 13:46:16
> That's great about your dog, Susan! You must be so relieved.
<<Yeah, so far. I keep checking her mouth to see if anything new has appeared. I grew up with HUGE dogs, whose average life spans were about 8-10 years, so potentially losing a dog at 5 was pretty horrible for me. I'd be really happy if she makes it to 10 or so..>>The pathology lab results were pretty discouraging on his tumour, which was a full third of his total body weight.
<<Yeah, that seems pretty huge. But my first thought when reading this was, wait and see, too. Perhaps the doc didn't get all the cells, but if they come back, I think surgery on a dog is a lot easier than the chemo. Your dog seems to be bouncing back wonderfully after having such a large tumor removed! :-) I don't know how your pup's specific type of tumor might metastisize (right word?), but I'd be all for getting x-rays, blood tests, or whatever every few months to see if cancer has spread anywhere.>
> So I'm making his life as wonderful as I can. And apparently succeeding. :) It's amazing how soon they get used to special treatment. I bought a sling style Snuggli and have been carrying him around with me all the time. We went out this morning for a few hours leaving him at home, and when I got back he told me off in little doggy grumbles until I got the sling back out and snuck him some table snacks.
<<LOL!!! That's so funny and so true. :-) No, really, he's very lucky to have you. Dogs really only understand the here and now, and you are making his here and now wonderful. He knows he can depend on you. He knows he's safe with you. He knows he's happy with you. That's a wonderful gift to him. :-)<<(Which is really saying something, since my husband calls Harry the "King" of our house.)
>>That's so true, too. My family has historically patterned their lives around the
dog(s). :-) They're worth it, though.And thank you, for loving your dogs so much. It does *my* heart good to know some pups are being well taken care of...
Susan
Posted by mair on September 14, 2003, at 15:22:27
In reply to Anyone try chemotherapy on a dog?, posted by Dinah on September 12, 2003, at 18:07:28
Dinah - I did try chemo with my last dog, a golden retreiver who was about 10 when he got sick. I really should remember more about it because this was really only about 5 years ago. My best recollection was that it probably prolonged his life some, and I don't think there was too much deterioration until the last couple of weeks. It was all very sad, but this dog simply meant too much to us not to try everything we could.
Mair
Posted by Dinah on September 14, 2003, at 18:43:38
In reply to Re: Anyone try chemotherapy on a dog? » Dinah, posted by mair on September 14, 2003, at 15:22:27
I'm sorry for your loss, Mair. It just isn't fair, is it, that they have so little time with us.
I think we try to block those memories from our minds. Thanks for sharing your experience with me.
(And it's really nice to see you again.)
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Social | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.