shekhina Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 (edited) Daegon had a lump come up right by his bottom a few weeks ago. Initially I thought it was a swollen anal gland, unfortunately not. He had a course of antibiotics to start with to see if it was some sort of infection, but showed no improvement. I've just brought him home from his biopsy today and the news is almost certainly not good. The vet is pretty confident that it's cancer but I wont have results until probably next week. I didn't really get a lot of information, but the vet mentioned that depending what sort of cancer it is he may be able to have chemotherapy. He cannot have it removed because of where the tumor is. Can anyone give me some information on chemotherapy and dogs? I thought I'd read at some point that they handle it much better than humans do? I want to do what's best for Daegon, I do not want him to suffer of course. At the moment you wouldn't know he was sick until you saw his back end swelling...he's still running around the yard after his ball like he always has (not tonight of course after surgery!) I am happy that at least for now he seems to feel pretty good and I want to keep him feeling as good as possible as long as possible. One of my cats was diagnosed with lymphoma and heart failure about 6 weeks ago and I currently have him on some herbal treatments. I'm going to contact the place I got them from and find out whether one of them is also suitable (in a different dosage) for Daegon, and if there's any others they would recommend. My head is sort of all over the place at the moment, I'm upset and teary and finding it difficult to get my head around things...but I would really love any advice or pointers about possible tracks I could follow once we know exactly what we're dealing with. Edited November 7, 2011 by shekhina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 No suggestions, shek, sorry .. You're having a rough trot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allerzeit Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Crap! Friggen not fair! Where did you go for Gomez's herbal stuff? I can certainly recommend Robert McDowell, http://herbal-treatments.com/dog-cancer/ - I have no doubt that his treatments helped maintain Stewie's quality of life all those years ago. I've never done chemo on a dog before, but I have heard the same - that dogs don't normally get sick like people, but Robert McDowell has a chemo support treatment as well to help minimise side effects. Lots of for you Shek, this is totally not what I ever wanted to read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shekhina Posted November 2, 2011 Author Share Posted November 2, 2011 Thanks Yep, that's where I got Gomez's treatments from - he's on the Maritime Pine Bark, Lymphoma support and heart repair. Twice in one go feels pretty rough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allerzeit Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Twice in one go feels pretty rough. For sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Squish Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Sorry to hear that Daegon may have cancer My boy Ruger was diagnosed with Lymphoma last June so I can totally understand how you feel & how hard it is to get your head around it and decide what to do. After a lot of research and speaking to a few vets I decieded to go ahead with chemo and Im so glad i did now. Ruger coped so well, and only had 1 off day with vomiting in the 7 months he was having treatment, you wouldnt have even guessed he had cancer as he still ran around ,played etc and never went off his food. Ruger went into remission after 3 weeks, is still doing great and turns 8 next week :D Chemo is very expensive and although I have pet insurance it still cost a fair bit but it was definately worth it for my boy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shekhina Posted November 2, 2011 Author Share Posted November 2, 2011 I'm so glad Ruger is doing so well That's the other thing I'm worried about, the cost of chemotherapy! If I had the money I would have no hesitation in paying for it, but I really have no idea just how much it might cost and if it's even going to be a financial option for me. I didn't even think to ask, I just wanted to get out of there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 The dogs I know that have had chemo have been sick from the treatment. It is very expensive ($8000-$30,000) and longest I know of a dog surviving is about 12 months. One didn't die from the cancer but from kidney failure caused by the chemo. Not something I would ever put a dog through. I and several friends have had some great results with Traditional Chinese Medicine on cancer dogs. I had one get 3 bonus years and know of a few others that have lived 7+ years after treatment. Results vary depending on the age of the dog, the type of cancer, how advanced it is and what the general health of the dog is. It is much cheaper than chemo and has no side effects. My dog was treated by Dr Ann Neville, a vet in East Bentliegh in Vic, through my vets in NSW. Having recently lost another dog suddenly to a very advanced cancer, before we could treat her, I suggest x-rays to see if it has metastasized before embarking on any expensive treatment. My girl had a tiny lump removed last year that was se pre-cancerous and we weren't worried. It now seems that it was a secondary cancer. If we had x-rayed her then I might have had time to treat her but by the time we did x-rays the cancer was everywhere and I only had her a matter of days. She had no symptoms except a very occasional cough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Squish Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 I was initially referred to a specialist vet and the cost was HUGE for treatment approx $8000-10000, so I contacted a large vet surgery close to me and they were quite a few thousand dollars cheaper $5000-6000. Lifespan after chemo is not so great, though it does depend on age, type of cancer etc... approx 12-18 months The vets I spoke to said most dogs cope fine with Chemo as it is a far lower dose than Humans get. The different drugs affect different organs so they alternate the drugs every week. A Shar Pei I rehomed last year has also been diagnosed with Lymphoma and although he went into remission quickly it didnt last long. Hes doing ok atm but has had a fair fight A friend also had good results with Chinese medicine and treatment gave her dog an extra couple of years. Not an easy decision to make Shekhina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 OK I am going to tell you what I was told. Don't worry until you have to. Research, research and more research. Now chemo fir dogs does not affect them like it does humans because they are not given the large doses that humans are. They rarely get 'sick' like people but may be a bit flat a day or two after treatment. They can't give dogs the large doses of chemo because the cost of a bone marrow transplant in dogs is beyond most people (and chemo is expensive enough as it is). Chemo attacks ALL cells both good and bad (fast dIviding cells like cancer and bone marrow) so if the dose is to high it can cause more damage than good. We used Rod Straw in Brisvegas and his team up there. They liaised with our vet and us. We also used All natural vet care in Sydney for holistic treatment while Ollie was having chemo and after his protocol had finished. It helped keep him well. Ollie's chemo protocol was lomustine and vinblastin on a three week cycle.. Happy to answer any questions you have, if you want to chat send me a PM and I will send you my phone number. Diet is very important Shekky. A diet low in carbs is portent to cancer doggies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Just wanted to add that chemo is not a cure. It is only to put them in remission and give them more time. We were originally given 12 to 18 months with chemo and we had our wonder boy for six year post dx. It really depends on so many factors and there are always exceptions to the rules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shekhina Posted November 2, 2011 Author Share Posted November 2, 2011 Thank you everybody for your advice, I really appreciate it. I will keep everything in mind and do a bit of searching about for information and then try to decide what to do when I get the full results back. My poor Daegy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Very sorry to read this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbesotted Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 OK I am going to tell you what I was told. Don't worry until you have to. Research, research and more research. Now chemo fir dogs does not affect them like it does humans because they are not given the large doses that humans are. They rarely get 'sick' like people but may be a bit flat a day or two after treatment. They can't give dogs the large doses of chemo because the cost of a bone marrow transplant in dogs is beyond most people (and chemo is expensive enough as it is). Chemo attacks ALL cells both good and bad (fast dIviding cells like cancer and bone marrow) so if the dose is to high it can cause more damage than good. We used Rod Straw in Brisvegas and his team up there. They liaised with our vet and us. We also used All natural vet care in Sydney for holistic treatment while Ollie was having chemo and after his protocol had finished. It helped keep him well. Ollie's chemo protocol was lomustine and vinblastin on a three week cycle.. Happy to answer any questions you have, if you want to chat send me a PM and I will send you my phone number. Diet is very important Shekky. A diet low in carbs is portent to cancer doggies I wholeheartedly endorse these comments. My Lucinda was treated by All natural Vet care in sydney.. Lucinda outlived her oncs comment to " Take her home for a few days to say goodbye" by years.. May I also suggest joining" [email protected] or Petswithcancer also at yahoo groups. Both chock full of information and experience. Remember do not cross any bridges until you come to them, do not mourn a loss before it happens and above all Live each day to the fullest as will your beloved Daegon Helen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shekhina Posted November 7, 2011 Author Share Posted November 7, 2011 An update on Daegon... got his biopsy result back today and it's not cancer! Big relief, especially given the vet thought it would be :D He does however have an autoimmune disease that will need to be treated with high doses of steroids for the rest of his life. But at least it's not cancer! I had started Daegon on the Maratime Pine Bark mix and will give them a call tomorrow to find out what I can give him to give his liver some help along the way as it's going to take a fair bit of strain once he starts on the steroids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Yay Bet you are feeling some relief shek !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allerzeit Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Oh, PHEW!!!! Thank Dog it's not cancer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Yeah!!! For the liver I would suggest milk thistle and SAMe. They both support the liver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shekhina Posted November 7, 2011 Author Share Posted November 7, 2011 Thanks, I am VERY relieved! Autoimmune disease we can do something about - cancer, not really. I'm off to pick up his first lot of medication very soon. They want to start him on one type for about 10 days then move on to a different one for long-term, depending on how he's coping with it. Will get on to the herbal guys as well when I know what the medications are. Thanks for the suggestion of milk thistle and SAMe(don't know what that one is!), will ask them about it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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