We got very bad news about Vincenzo

Here is where we can discuss canine cancers and treatment options to create a support system for those dealing with the disease.

Postby hugapitbull » October 29th, 2009, 4:47 am

Lots of good thoughts from us for a non-eventful treatment.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble
We beat osteosarcoma - 27 months 20 days cancer free
'Spirit' Trouble departed for the Bridge 3/16/2011 a victim of aging
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Postby pitbullmamaliz » October 29th, 2009, 6:53 am

Kick butt, Vinny!

HappyChick wrote:On a side note, I took 2 glasses of wine and 1 beer, and I'm feeling more comfortable too.


This totally made me laugh!
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Postby TinaMartin » October 29th, 2009, 8:53 am

pitbullmamaliz wrote:Kick butt, Vinny!

HappyChick wrote:On a side note, I took 2 glasses of wine and 1 beer, and I'm feeling more comfortable too.


This totally made me laugh!

Me too! Now rinse and repeat!
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Postby amazincc » October 29th, 2009, 3:22 pm

How'd it go????
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Postby HappyChick » October 29th, 2009, 7:21 pm

All things considered, it went pretty well. Vinny is still weighing in at 72# which is great because he didn't eat much yesterday and less today. The big gumba is all the sudden very picky about what he eats. All I could get him to eat so far today was an apple and a carrot, and of course treats :D

O.K. -- for the most part his bloodwork is awesome! Kidneys are great!! Calcium is great!! Vin is still anemic, which is no surprise. The surprise is his liver numbers. His ALT is 781 which is almost 8 times what it should be. This could be 1) a fluke, 2) the pred (not likely), or 3) cancer in his liver. However, the other liver number, I think it's ALKG, is normal. Hmmmm, door number 1 is our favorite choice. Dr. B says the nystagmus is gone. She thinks it's Vin's depth perception that is off. Brain cancer cells can affect many different areas.

Vinny got the CCNU for his chemo today. So far it's not bothering him. He is laying on the floor next to me with frog legs and a cat sniffing his ears....awww, the good times. :heartbeat:

Vinny says Thank you and sends big, sweet, pb kisses to everyone.
Angie & crew

http://www.epitome-dog-rescue.org

My beloved Vincenzo 07/22/05 - 11/16/09 forever in my heart. Cancer sucks.
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Postby fenella » October 29th, 2009, 8:24 pm

:groupHug:
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Postby madremissy » October 29th, 2009, 8:27 pm

Good update!!!
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Postby amazincc » October 29th, 2009, 8:41 pm

:hug3: to you and Vinny! :)
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Postby HappyChick » October 31st, 2009, 2:35 pm

Update.

Boy! That CCNU is some strong chemo. It knocked Vinny down bad! He didn't move all night Thursday other than to change sleep positions and then he couldn't get up from a sitting position. We went back to helping him down the steps to potty the first couple of times yesterday, then he was able to make it out and down the steps (barely) last night.

Today - he was sitting up waiting on me when I came downstairs this morning. Then the bobblehead followed me around the house a bit. We went to All Pets to get his blood checked and his ALT was down to 666 (appropriate for Halloween :devil: ) which is a great improvement for only a day and a half since the last check. The other liver number is still smack dab in the middle of normal. Good.

So while we were at All Pets talking about future treatment, Dr. B asked me if I wanted to continue or not with treating Vin. She only asked because she said some people want to give up, but continue on because she continues to offer treatment options. WELL, let me tell you what I told her.

I said Vinny is still fighting and as long as he fights, I fight!

Don't get me wrong, she asked the question with a great deal of compassion and love for Vinny and I answered her understanding why she asked. Dr. B then said she is still gonna fight right along with him. More things on the positive side are that he has not had a seizure and he has not lost his sight. Dr. B said her experience has been that those two things usually happen pretty quickly in circumstances such as Vin's and the fact that they haven't happened to him yet could very well mean that we caught it quick enough to make the difference. She also told me that she gave him the strongest dose recommended of the CCNU because she didn't want to mess around. This would also explain why the CCNU knocked him down so hard.

Even though Vincenzo hasn't been feeling very well, it's only been 10 days since he crashed and he continues to improve some each day, with the exception of after the CCNU. My hope is still that I'll get up one morning and my "old" healthy Vinny will be back.

When we got home, Vinny did not want to come in the house. So we walked around outside for awhile and enjoyed the fresh air.

Thanks everyone for all the love, keep it coming! Vin and I love you too.
Angie & crew

http://www.epitome-dog-rescue.org

My beloved Vincenzo 07/22/05 - 11/16/09 forever in my heart. Cancer sucks.
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Postby Marinepits » October 31st, 2009, 3:09 pm

Sending along good vibes, and some hugs for you both!
Never make someone a priority in your life when that someone treats you like an option.
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Postby Pit♥bull » October 31st, 2009, 3:17 pm

Keep up the fight Vinny, everyone at PBT is pulling for ya :)

:goodthoughts: :sun: :goodthoughts:
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Postby pitbullmamaliz » October 31st, 2009, 3:38 pm

Keep it up, Warrior Vinny!
"Remember - every time your dog gets somewhere on a tight leash *a fairy dies and it's all your fault.* Think of the fairies." http://www.positivepetzine.com"

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Postby plebayo » October 31st, 2009, 4:01 pm

I'm glad you're not giving up, and I am glad he's not giving up either!

I hope with all of my heart that Vinny can get through this and that all of this is just a small bump in the road. I hope his liver values are just out of whack because he had the whole balance/not feeling well issue. He's such a good boy, he's so lucky to have you to take care of him. Give him lots of hugs and squishes from me!
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Postby amazincc » October 31st, 2009, 5:11 pm

Great update, considering... :D :D :D
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Postby madremissy » October 31st, 2009, 5:27 pm

I am with you Angie. As long as Vinny wants to fight, we will fight right along with him.

Good thoughts Vinny.
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Postby CinderDee » October 31st, 2009, 6:27 pm

Keep fighting Vinny! Good update Angie. :hug3:
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Postby HappyChick » November 4th, 2009, 12:49 am

Another update :)

Vincenzo scared the stuffin' out of me on Halloween night. As much as I hate to admit it, I half-way expected him to be gone Sunday morning.

However, I awoke Sunday morning to a very alive Vin, much to my joy! Alive but not moving much...we got him out for one potty break and back in. He didn't move from the spot he laid down on for several hours until....

Sunday afternoon I had a heart felt talk with Vin. I told him he could stop fighting if he was tired, but that if he wanted to keep fighting, I'd be right there fighting with him. I walked out the door to leave for a quick trip to get some supplies. I came back into the house because I forgot something and there he was, up on all fours, walking toward me. I was shocked to see him up, but so happy! Vin let me know what he wants to do and I'm paying attention. Since Sunday afternoon, Vincenzo has made very good improvements! The bobbleheadishness is almost entirely gone. I only see it a little bit. His coordination is better too. He walked down and then back up steps outside today. I've been taking him out into the front yard since his crash, which he enjoys, but today he wanted to go out the back again with G and Wee like he's always done. So out the back we went :)

The only downer is that he has fluid retaining in one leg. After a consult with Dr. B. I applied heat and the swelling is down. He is very more comfy than he's been in a while. We used hand warmers, a hand towel, and an ace bandage to apply the heat. Vin was very comfortable with the arrangement.

I'm so happy to see all the improvement he's made in a few days.

Now I just have to figure out what path to take from here...

Love to you all from Vin and me. :hug3:
Angie & crew

http://www.epitome-dog-rescue.org

My beloved Vincenzo 07/22/05 - 11/16/09 forever in my heart. Cancer sucks.
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Postby amazincc » November 4th, 2009, 12:53 am

I am SO, SO, SO, SO HAPPY to be reading this update!!! :confetti: :bounce: :clap: :cheer: :helloClap: :D

And, as always, listen to your heart, and Vinny... and you'll know where to go from here. :hug3:
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Postby CinderDee » November 4th, 2009, 2:54 am

That's the same thing that I did with Kato when he crashed. I really thought he was going to die so I had 'the talk' with him and right after that he got up and walked around for the first time in days.

I'm SO happy to hear that Vinny is doing better!!! :confetti:
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Postby Marinepits » November 4th, 2009, 7:29 am

Woo-hoo! :rock:
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