Guest Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Hi there My beautiful (almost 5 year old) German Shepherd has been diagnosed with Lymphoma. We have been told that basically he has 6-8wks left without treatment. As you can imagine we are devastated. We have been given the option of Chemotherapy but have been told that remission is usually only 6 months to a year. We are hesitant to do this as the side affects are terrible and we don't want to put him through this and then only possiblly have 6 months with him. We have been to see a homeopath and they have given us natural herbs etc and we are currently trying this. Our vet said the other option is Cortisone. I have heard of some bad side effects from this though so we are unsure as to what to do. I was wondering if there is anyone else out there that has been through this and am greatful for any advice anyone can give me. Thanks Agatha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanglen Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Hi there, I am so sorry for your news but would urge you to see a cancer specialist asap. Lymphoma can be treated, my friends dog lasted 3 years and had great fun in that time. Chemo in dogs is quite different to people. yes they can get tummy upsets but that's usually managed with medication and acupuncture to control the nausea and they don't loose hair etc. It's really worthwhile getting all options up front and as soon as possible to give you all of the options. Best wishes. Megan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Puppy buyers of ours just lost a Stafford to this hideous disease. Sadly they didn't get the 6-8 weeks and the choice of treamtment, they lost him in less than a week , with no prior idication that he was ill. I wish you all the best and my thoughts are with you and your dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bommy Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Agatha, a few of us on here have gone the lymphoma journey try a search on a post started in here by Staffyluv (its a long thread but its a great read) or one by me we both discussed at length our fears our ups & downs & our various treatments we used Which ever road you travel good luck & Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 (edited) I have a male stafford who was diagnosed nearly two years ago with grade 2 mast cell cancer, the lumps were excised but there were no clear margins and the disease had already spread to his lymph glands. He could not be cured, all we could hope for was remission. He underwent nearly six months of chemo - believe me, dogs do not get sick like people do. Sometimes he was a little more tired than usual but mostly he was pretty much himself. There are ups and downs with treating terminal illnesses chemo does effect their immune system somewhat. He did manage to catch a few stomach upsets during treatment - but we continued with his daily walks and did not change too much of his life. Chemo consisted of a two weeks of treatment then one week off. But weekly blood tests to monitor what was going on - in the end he used to hold out his front leg for the canula (sp??) to be put in for the chemo... (He had to have a day at the vets each time he had chemo as well)... If we had not used the chemo and holistic therapy that we did, our much loved pooch would not still be in remission nearly 18 months on... Unfortunately the cost is prohibitive to a lot of people... We used a combination of chemo with holistic therapies from our wonderful holistic vet and on a rough guess in the last two years (since diagnosis), Ollie has cost us around $8000... Money well spent in my book - our lad is still with us and enjoying being a very spoilt ten year old... What ever you decide to do, will be the best for you and your dog - I wish you all the best. Jodie ETA Ollie dogs thread - just in case you want to read the ups and downs of dealing with a terminally ill dog... Remember he is still here and it is two years in October... Edited September 17, 2007 by Staffyluv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptolomy Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 There is currently a well known BC in WA who is under going chemo for lymphoma and she is still doing agility and mixing with the top place getters in masters. I know the price was between $5000 and $10000 and they couldn't guarantee the outcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilbertgrape Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Hi Agatha, One of my dogs has lymphoma too. He was diagnosed in February with it, and the vet gave him 6-8 weeks because it is an aggressive cancer. She put him on Prednisilone (a wonder drug! At one point my mother was on it for very bad asthma, my other dog was on it for skin problems and then bronte had it for his cancer). Anyway, as I said he was diagnosed in February and 6 months later on the Prednisilone he's still alive and kicking. He's outside at the moment running around barking (I just had to tell him to shutup ). He is showing no signs of dying anytime soon - he has soooo much energy. We can't work it out - we're beginning to think he has been misdiagnosed!! My brother is going to speak to the vet about it on Wednesday. Two months ago I spoke to the vet about him and she was so surprised that he was still alive! Part of me also thinks his food could be helping with his longevity as well - meal for pets (vets all natural). We decided not to go through with the full-on chemotherapy because it was going to cost a fortune and only add 6 months to his life - and at 10 we thought that he's had a fairly good innings anyway. He also has mitral valve disease and that also influenced our decision. Your dog is quite a bit younger, so that complicated things a lot further. The side-effects of Prednisolone that I've seen are hair loss, increased hunger and more energy. His back leg shakes as well, but I'm not sure what has caused this. I'm sure the long-term effects of the steroid are obviously much worse (I think weak bones is one of them), however, he's been 6 months on the drug and is still going strong. anyway, good luck with it. It's a terrible thing to have happen - and while we're so happy that he's living for this long, it is still quite draining considering he was only given 6-8 weeks in the first place. All the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janba Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 One of my dallies was put on prednisolone as it was the only thing she responded to for some symptons she kept showing. I changed vet after she had been on it for 6 months and suddenly got a lot sicker. The new vet diagnosed advanced lymphoma but unfortunately she died a few days later. I sometimes think that if I had changed vet earlier she may have lived longer. While on the prednisalone she was happy and active and had good quality of life till the last week or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poodle wrangler Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Cortisone regularly gets a bagging because it gives a 'quick fix' to many problems and is overprescribed. Side effects? Yes. In your case, it's a question of balance: Will this drug improve my dog's quality of life? If, yes then I wouldn't hesitate to use it, especially given his poor prognosis. The side effects can be serious, but don't dismiss the drug entirely. Cortisone (or similar) is widely used for humans with cancer also as it's a very effective drug. Does nothing to cure the cancer, but can help with quality of life. Talk it over with your vet. So sorry to hear about your dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilbertgrape Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 One of my dallies was put on prednisolone as it was the only thing she responded to for some symptons she kept showing. I changed vet after she had been on it for 6 months and suddenly got a lot sicker. The new vet diagnosed advanced lymphoma but unfortunately she died a few days later. I sometimes think that if I had changed vet earlier she may have lived longer.While on the prednisalone she was happy and active and had good quality of life till the last week or two. Hi Janba, Are you saying that the new vet would have put her on something different than the prednisolone to extend her life ever further? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Hi Agatha, and welcome to the forum. So sorry to hear this devastating news. there is plenty of information on lymphoma here, and lots of treatments, and how they worked, so you have come to the right place. May I ask how long it was since yu had your dog vaccinated, and what it was vaccinated with, and did he have an annual heartworm shot at the same time> Anyone else with a dog with lymphona who would like to answer the question is very welcome too. Will cross my fingers for a good outcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janba Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 One of my dallies was put on prednisolone as it was the only thing she responded to for some symptons she kept showing. I changed vet after she had been on it for 6 months and suddenly got a lot sicker. The new vet diagnosed advanced lymphoma but unfortunately she died a few days later. I sometimes think that if I had changed vet earlier she may have lived longer.While on the prednisalone she was happy and active and had good quality of life till the last week or two. Hi Janba, Are you saying that the new vet would have put her on something different than the prednisolone to extend her life ever further? He may have or adjusted the dose to suit the diseases progress as she was on quite a low dose. He did tell me that it was a drug of choice but also that if we had found it earlier that we could have used chemo. I also think that more could have been done in correct management of the disease if she had been diagnosed when the symptoms first appeared and in other holistic treatments to help support her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaaabyFlynn Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 If it were me I would go the chemo in a heartbeat If you are in Victoria Charles Kuntz is the doctor to see. He is an oncologist and works out of Highett referral centre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozley's Angel Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Firstly let me say I know all the emotions you are going through, and I'm sorry you have to deal with this disease. I have a dane with lymphoma here at the moment... she is on a mix of Pred and Chlorambucil (chemotherpeutic tablets). It is six weeks since her diagnosis and she has had not one side effect from her treatment (other than neededing to pee more from the pred). She is undergoing regular blood tests to measure the effectiveness of the treatment and so far so good. Do what you know is best for you and your dog, and enjoy every day/week/month you have left with your dog. Dani PS. Jed, my dog had a C5 vaccination in January this year, diagnosed in August. I do not believe in vaccinating adult dogs but our circumstances (moving interstate, needing to board the dogs etc) meant that we had to do it. I had my other dane done at the same time. Mine are also on monthly heart and intestinal worming tablets. PS again. Ptolomy I have been told that while my dog is on chemo drugs she is not to be taken outside our property because her urine, faeces and bodily fluids like saliva are toxic to humans, notably pregnant women and children as the drugs attack rapidly dividing cells. How come the dog you know of can be taken out to do agility? With the cost of the treatment it sounds like that dog may be undergoing IV chemo, whereas my dog is on tablets - would that be the difference? Not havng a go at anyone, just curious as I would love to have my dog out and about again but will never get to do it because of the risks to others. It's such a shame as she did love getting out for walks etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilbertgrape Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Hi Janba, Are you saying that the new vet would have put her on something different than the prednisolone to extend her life ever further? He may have or adjusted the dose to suit the diseases progress as she was on quite a low dose. He did tell me that it was a drug of choice but also that if we had found it earlier that we could have used chemo. I also think that more could have been done in correct management of the disease if she had been diagnosed when the symptoms first appeared and in other holistic treatments to help support her. That makes a lot of sense. Thanks for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Firstly let me say I know all the emotions you are going through, and I'm sorry you have to deal with this disease. I have a dane with lymphoma here at the moment... she is on a mix of Pred and Chlorambucil (chemotherpeutic tablets). It is six weeks since her diagnosis and she has had not one side effect from her treatment (other than neededing to pee more from the pred). She is undergoing regular blood tests to measure the effectiveness of the treatment and so far so good. Do what you know is best for you and your dog, and enjoy every day/week/month you have left with your dog. Dani PS. Jed, my dog had a C5 vaccination in January this year, diagnosed in August. I do not believe in vaccinating adult dogs but our circumstances (moving interstate, needing to board the dogs etc) meant that we had to do it. I had my other dane done at the same time. Mine are also on monthly heart and intestinal worming tablets. PS again. Ptolomy I have been told that while my dog is on chemo drugs she is not to be taken outside our property because her urine, faeces and bodily fluids like saliva are toxic to humans, notably pregnant women and children as the drugs attack rapidly dividing cells. How come the dog you know of can be taken out to do agility? With the cost of the treatment it sounds like that dog may be undergoing IV chemo, whereas my dog is on tablets - would that be the difference? Not havng a go at anyone, just curious as I would love to have my dog out and about again but will never get to do it because of the risks to others. It's such a shame as she did love getting out for walks etc. Just to answer your question about canine chemo being toxic... Only toxic to the cancer it is fighting against... Dogs are not given high doses of chemo like humans because of the way chemo works. It works by attacking not only the cancer cells but also good cells, like bone marrow. Unlike humans we do not have the luxury of giving a dog a bone marrow transplant to counter the large doses that humans receive when they are treated with chemo... Therefore the doses given to dogs are really quite low and therefore not really toxic in that way to humans... Hope that helps Jodie PS. Ollie kept up his walks in the park the whole time he was on chemo (when he was well) - the vet said that for terminally ill patients, it is all about quality of life and to make the time here as enjoyable as possible... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptolomy Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 http://ravencypher.blogspot.com/ Is the link to the agility dog undergoing chemo. Simone has kept a very good record of all the dogs treatment and her test results. You will just have to wade your way through all the other bits and pieces. To see the dog, apart from her chewed tail (the dog also has allergies) you wouldn't know she had lymphoma. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozley's Angel Posted September 18, 2007 Share Posted September 18, 2007 Wow thanks guys, I need to look into this in case there is a chance my baby can continue her walks and trips around town. I have been really cautious because the vet had told me that her fluids were toxic and I wanted to be responsible of course. Off to do more reading I guess... Dani Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aniangel Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 Diesel, pls contact me if you have any questions, I am on oncology vet nurse in NSW and happy to help you out. If it was my dog, I would treat. Lymphoma & chemo are not as scary as you are imagining right now and I highly advise you see a specialist oncologist! cheers, Lynne p.s. I sent you a private email as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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