We got very bad news about Vincenzo

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Postby CinderDee » July 30th, 2009, 10:56 pm

amazincc wrote:WOOT for a good update!!! :D

And, I must say - I'm startin' to like your vet as well. :) :dance:



Me too! :bounce:
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Postby plebayo » July 31st, 2009, 12:38 am

Yay I'm glad you found a good veterinarian who sounds like she wants to do all she can for your baby.

I'm also glad to have a good update, pred or no pred I'm glad your boy is improving :)
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Postby iluvk9 » July 31st, 2009, 1:48 am

Just got back from vacation and saw this. :sad2: First, I am praying for your adorable Vincenzo and all medical situations.

I have experience with prednisone, in case you need some more information. Sorry it is late...

Carlos Garcia, my Lab/Chow was diagnosed with lymphoma. One day his lymph nodes in his neck were the size of small plums. He was a rescue, and we guessed his age to be about 9 at the time of diagnosis. I did not choose chemo, but went with prednisone. It seemed to slow down the cancer, although I knew it would not cure it.

It kept his appetite up, so he was a nice big chubba and continued to enjoy food :) He peed A LOT at night, but always told me when he had to go out. He drank a lot of water, too. I learned how to give him sub-q's because sometimes he got dehydrated.

The prednisone kept him going for about 8 months. :) Without it, my Vet thought maybe he would only have had a month. I was happy with my choice for him.
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Postby Marinepits » July 31st, 2009, 8:49 am

HappyChick wrote: No diagnosis. There were no identifiable cancer cells in the fluid sample that was sent.


Dr Blabs and I are in a similar situation with Katy. She has a large lump on the joint of one of her front "ankles" and Dr Blabs took a needle biopsy of it because she was concerned that it may be a synovial tumor. The sample was sent out and the results are "inconclusive" -- there are no cancer cells present, but the pathologist can't rule out cancer, either. It's very frustrating.

Due to Katy's advanced age (we're guesstimating 15-ish) and her horrible arthritis, we're not putting her through any more tests right now. We're just keeping a close eye on that lump to make sure it doesn't grow or cause her any more discomfort than her arthritis causes.

I'm very glad you guys have the option of getting a *much* better sample. Having a vet that cares SO much about your dog and is willing to go the extra mile is..... invaluable. I thank my lucky stars every day for having a vet like Dr Blabs.

And I'm thrilled that Vinny had such a great evening yesterday! Here's hoping that continues........ :D
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Postby hugapitbull » July 31st, 2009, 9:52 am

Yea for good updates. We love those good days, they mean so much to those of us who have been down the cancer road. Keep fighting Vinny, all of PBT is behind you.
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We beat osteosarcoma - 27 months 20 days cancer free
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Postby HappyChick » July 31st, 2009, 10:47 am

Good morning everyone! Thank you for the continued good thoughts being sent our way!

Iluvk9 - I'm very sorry about Carlos Garcia, but happy to read that you got 8 more good months with him. I will PM you for more information about your experience with Prednisone.

Marinepits - I'm sorry about Katy's lump. You are right, it is frustrating not to get a definitive diagnosis. I'm sending good thoughts your way. Is there much you can do about the pain of her arthritis? I'm very happy for you that you've got Dr. Blabs (is that you vet's real name, sorry but it makes me giggle:) ).

I left out a few things in my last post:

1)The pathologist suggested a slim chance that the tumor might be thymoma. Dr. Blakeley said thymoma would explain some of Vinny's symptoms, but not all of them. Thymoma is a benign tumor in the Thymus (found in the same area as his mass). It's a very slim chance as she's only seen a couple of cases ever, but it's gives us something else to hope for.
2)Dr. B did another physical check of all his outer lymph glands and none were swollen. This is good in that it hasn't spread that we know of yet.
3)Even though it's relatively unimportant, I noticed last night that while Vinny was sedated they clipped his nails. He was needing a clipping, but I didn't have the heart to do it while we was feeling so awful. Just another sign of how much the folks at this clinic care about Vinny.

More good news - Vinny has taken two doses of Doxycycline, once last night and once this morning and is tolerating it very well so far. No vomiting. He seems to be feeling good today!
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 » July 31st, 2009, 10:25 pm

HappyChick wrote:Marinepits - I'm sorry about Katy's lump. You are right, it is frustrating not to get a definitive diagnosis. I'm sending good thoughts your way. Is there much you can do about the pain of her arthritis? I'm very happy for you that you've got Dr. Blabs (is that you vet's real name, sorry but it makes me giggle:) )


No, that's not my vet's real name, LOL. Team Blabador is her dock diving team's name, and we call her Dr Blabs as a nickname. :giggle:

Katy is on a BUNCH of meds for her arthritis and so far her pain is manageable, which is all I ask. :)

Great news about the Doxy! Fingers crossed that he continues NOT to vomit. :clap:
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Postby CinderDee » August 1st, 2009, 6:06 am

I'm so glad he's tolerating the Doxy! WTG Vinny! :dance:
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Postby HappyChick » August 3rd, 2009, 9:37 pm

O.K. I had a long talk with Dr. B tonight. The results came in and Vinny has Lymphoma. We start a somewhat less agressive Chemo protocol tomorrow. The drug that will be used is Doxorubicin. He can only have a max of 6 rounds, but he will probably get 5 rounds, 1 every three weeks. Vin will also get Prednisone and some nausea meds. When administering the Doxorubicin, Vinny will be hooked up to an EKG and an IV. His white cells are at 100,000 which is good in that he has plenty of white cells to spare for the Chemo. Platelets are low, but not too low to do the Chemo, we just have to watch them. Dr. B is o.k. with giving supplements, but nixed the RAW diet I was considering. That's o.k. because I like to cook! Vincenzo will be receiving Mama's COOKED diet :)

Please keep the good thoughts, prayers, and energies coming our way.

Thank you.
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 plebayo » August 3rd, 2009, 9:48 pm

He's always in my thoughts. I'm glad you guys have a plan! I was wondering, why are you guys only doing one kind of chemo?
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Postby hugapitbull » August 3rd, 2009, 9:57 pm

Lots and lots of good thoughts for the two of you tomorrow. Trouble had minimal side effects from chemo, I'm hoping the same for Vinny.

Something I did that you may find helpful in case he is nauseated, I kept puppy pads handy. If she acted like she may barf, I put a pad under her. That way I didn't have to try to make her jump and run for the door when she wasn't feeling well.
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
Visit - http://k9cancer.org

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Postby HappyChick » August 3rd, 2009, 10:01 pm

plebayo wrote:He's always in my thoughts. I'm glad you guys have a plan! I was wondering, why are you guys only doing one kind of chemo?


We cannot afford to do the full blown 19 or 36 week ones that use a variety of Chemo, and I don't know that I would do it anyway if I could afford it because I truly care about Vinny's quality of life. This one is pretty strong if I understand it. Dr. B told me to wear household gloves to clean up any urine messes. Maybe that is common with all Chemo, I don't know. Do they normally put a dog on an IV and EKG for the other Chemos? Again, I don't know. Maybe I should read some more threads.

Thank you for keeping him in your thoughts. :)
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 HappyChick » August 3rd, 2009, 10:04 pm

hugapitbull wrote:Lots and lots of good thoughts for the two of you tomorrow. Trouble had minimal side effects from chemo, I'm hoping the same for Vinny.

Something I did that you may find helpful in case he is nauseated, I kept puppy pads handy. If she acted like she may barf, I put a pad under her. That way I didn't have to try to make her jump and run for the door when she wasn't feeling well.



Thank you so much for the tip, it's a great idea. I'll do that.

Thank you too all the good thoughts. :)
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 HappyChick » August 3rd, 2009, 10:13 pm

Doxorubicin is also known by the trade name Adriamycin.
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My beloved Vincenzo 07/22/05 - 11/16/09 forever in my heart. Cancer sucks.
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Postby Jenn » August 3rd, 2009, 11:38 pm

:hug3: Many good thoughts still headed ya'lls way.
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Postby call2arms » August 4th, 2009, 12:07 am

Doxorubicin has to be given intraveinously, so they'll have access to a vein, if that's what you mean by IV. Then, it's usually "flushed" in the vein with IV fluids, for a certain amount of time.

The monitoring is good, cause Doxo can cause some heart damage fairly quickly after administration. It's not so common, and most resolve by themselves, but there is risk and in the long run may cause chronic heart failure. The EKG can definitly help nip anything bad in the bud.
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Postby HappyChick » August 4th, 2009, 5:23 pm

All the sudden I am scared to death for Vinny to go through this Chemo thing. I am shaking like a leaf and my heart is pounding. I should have never looked up "tissue necrosis". I just hope I can be strong for him. Chemo appointment is set for 5 p.m. today. I think I'm going to throw up.
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 pocketpit » August 4th, 2009, 5:51 pm

All the sudden I am scared to death for Vinny to go through this Chemo thing. I am shaking like a leaf and my heart is pounding. I should have never looked up "tissue necrosis". I just hope I can be strong for him. Chemo appointment is set for 5 p.m. today. I think I'm going to throw up.


He's going to be fine! :hug3:
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Postby Marinepits » August 4th, 2009, 6:22 pm

pocketpit wrote:
All the sudden I am scared to death for Vinny to go through this Chemo thing. I am shaking like a leaf and my heart is pounding. I should have never looked up "tissue necrosis". I just hope I can be strong for him. Chemo appointment is set for 5 p.m. today. I think I'm going to throw up.


He's going to be fine! :hug3:


ABSOLUTELY!!! :hug3:

I was completely the same way, and that feeling would come upon me in waves unexpectedly the entire time we went through the radiation process. I got that feeling more often when Indy was going through the worst of his radiation and the wound on his leg got *really* nasty -- I'd drop him off for his appointment, then just want to VOMIT. I kept thinking to myself "How can I do this to my dog?!?!" But, you have to keep thinking that the chemo process will save his life, even through the worst of the process.
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Postby HappyChick » August 4th, 2009, 8:08 pm

Thank you Pocketpit!

Thank you, too, Marinepits! Even though I'm sorry for what you had to go through with Indy, I'm so glad to have people I can talk to who have been in my shoes and understand me. Most of the people I know would not even think of putting this much effort into a sick dog.

So the first chemo is over. It went pretty well. Vincenzo doesn't have particularly good veins so it took a poke in all four legs before she got a good vein. His heart did well according to the EKG. He got a little tired of the process and started to get a little jumpy toward the end. My son, Shane, and I were both in the room with Vin the whole time. We are so lucky to have Dr. Blakeley. She always does so great with Vin! I asked some questions about the Adriamycin so now I know why we are using it. Besides this protocol being less expensive, this drug works well for several different types of cancer, but it's not any "stronger" than other types of Chemo as I had assumed before. You all probably knew that! Vinny is acting perfectly normal so far and resting comfortably now. I think the whole thing wore him out!

Thanks again to everyone, Vinny and I are so blessed to have PBT!
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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