jspen40788

My 12 year old lab has lymphosarcoma and has just started chemo...His appetite is definitely affected and he seems very quiet...not in any pain or distress...any suggestions would be appreciated...We will try the chemo providing he can maintain a good quality of life only....

djackson

sorry to hear about your dog. Do you know if it is lymphosarcoma of the T-cell or B-cell? My dog Sadie was diagnosed back on July 3rd and I just send her to dog heaven last Sat. Nov. 15th. The sores were so massive and opening up, she smelled terrible because they were infected and there was nothing that could be done. There is no cure for this disease and I did a lot of reading up on it. Sadie was 12 and I decided not to put her through kemo because of her age. She was on 40mg of Prednisone a day and she ate like a horse. I hope that if you make the decision to do kemo that you do get some quality life from her.

talia22

My 13 year old lab/beagle was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma and sarcoma in July of 2007. She has responded well to the chemo therapy. She lost her appetite at first. But, she sure does eat everything now! I have noticed that chemo seems to make her tired. But, other than that, her quality of life is great. She acts like a puppy still - runs faster than me! She is not in any pain. I am extremely blessed to have her in my life and cannot imagine life without her. At first, the diagnosis seemed like a death sentence. But, I vowed to do whatever I can for her as long as she is happy and not in pain. Give your dog some time because chemo is strong stuff. But, hopefully you will find his/her quality and quantity of life improving.

Gypson

Hi,
I was given the choice of a set of 5 chemicals to combat the Lymph cancer which would extend the life by longer on average, but where there were likely to be many side effects or just Vincristin and Prednisone where I was told there were few side effects and the vets would know whether it worked or not very quickly but life expectancy was shorter. I opted for just the Vincristin as I didn't see much point living longer but being sick. The effects were truely amazing the lumps almost disappeared within a few days and my dog regained her sparkle. The only side effects were swollen jowls until I gave her the prednisone which worked within half an hour and three bouts of a small amount of vomit one each on three successive days. Otherwise I keep her quiet on the day of the chemo and she is like nothing is wrong with her otherwise. Give the chemo a chance is what I say.

p_kstanley@verizon.net

Our dog Rosie (english bulldog) was diagnosed with lymphsarcoma in June of '08. She has been receiving chemo since then. She came out of remission in October and I don't think she has gone back into remission since the gland in her neck is larger and harder. She is also on prednisone and it has not taken the swelling out this time. We are taking her to the doctor today and am considering stopping the chemo and continuing with the holistic part of her care. Any suggestions?

Frostie

My friend, Sera had squamous cell carcinoma. Like your dog, she underwent chemotherapy along with Chinese herbs. Her appetite was also affected as well as developing vomiting and diarrhea. She was given anti-nausea medications that helped slow the vomiting.

Once she was stable, she still wasn't hungry. For her, this lack of appetite could last a week or longer. But, I found things she would eat! Not with gusto, but she would eat. At first I used alot of baby foods. They are easily digested with no preservatives. Over time, I found that she loved homecooking so much more. I cooked fresh vegetables for her and mashed them up. I'm vegetarian, so this part was hard. I cooked fresh liver for her. UGH!!! I don't cook meat for ANYONE, including my husband. But, for Sera, I did (gagging the whole time). So that she could process it easily, I smushed it up in a blender until it was as smooth as baby food, then I'd mix in cooked fresh veggies as well as a little broth. Two very important things when dealing with diet and cancer....no preservatives/chemicals and high protein. To add a little extra flavor and in hopes of controlling the cancer, I mixed in a product called KN & T Cell Enhancer for pets. I bought it at kvvet.com It contains agaricus mushroom, broccoli spouts extract, astragulus and garlic. It smells good and is advertised as having anti-tumor properties. She also liked cooked brown rice. But, I didn't give her too much since I was trying to keep everything to a higher protein level.

Once she was over the "hump", in order to build her back up to more solid foods, I'd make a blend of scrambled eggs, low-fat cottage cheese, cooked chicken and a little brown rice. After a few days on this blend, I slowly would mix this blend with Wellness kibble foods by Old Mother Hubbard. (Wellness is all natural with NO byproducts, no chemicals, no artificial preservatives.) I'd start with my homecooked blend mixed with a small amount of kibble. Over about 7 days, I'd slowly increase the quantity of kibble while reducing the quantity of homecooked until she was tolerating all kibble. She'd stay on the kibble until next chemo and we'd start all over. She loved to eat from a spoon, so she was spoon fed until she would eat on her own.

I hope my experiences with food help. If you have any questions, feel free to email me. I'm really hurting with her loss, but if I can help someone else though their tough times, I'll be glad to offer whatever assistance I can.

Take care,
Valerie (and Sera)

maximus

Frostie - I was chuckling reading your post as I'm a vegetarian too and each time I make up a batch of my dog's food for him (incl. chicken, beef and the dreaded liver eewwww...) I say to him "oh the things I do for you my boy!" Liver is the worst! But he looooves it. I'd NEVER make that food for a human lol

JodyQ

Hi - My husband and I put our much loved Bull Mastiff through Chemo when she was diagnosed with Lymph Cancer. This was our 2nd Bull Mastiff in 12 months diagnosed with a form of Cancer. Maxine (Dog no 1) was diagnosed when the cancer was too far gone - so we just made her comfortable until she told us it was time. Two months later, Rioha was next on the cancer trail. This time we did the Chemo and diet thing. This was extremely effective and she was in remission with the cancer until it was time. Unfortunately, it turns out that Rio died of a secondary illness (we think epilepsy) and we had her euthanized. We are not sure if the Chemo contributed to this, but it is a possibility.

Three years on and dog no 4 Mia has got Lymph Cancer and we have decided not to do Chemo this time. Whilst she is only 3.5, she is a very large dog (56kgs) and after watching Rio, I'm not sure that I want her to go through with all that Chemo does. We are only using Quartezone tablets and diet to assist but have noticed just tonight that her eating is slow and difficult. Will keep an eye on her to watch for any changes.

Dog No 3 - a Dogue de Bordeaux - is doing fine at the moment - and keeping Mia on her toes. We are living one day at a time and I am grateful when I get home from work at night that they are both there to greet me without question.

Good luck - and I hope all works out for you


x

Astro Dog

Our dog Astro (a 90 pound flat coated retriever) was diagnosed with lymphosarcoma on election day this year. He has already had five chemo treatments and here is what we have seen...

After each treatment, he loses his appetite completely. We tried a variety of different things but finally found he will eat baby food! So we give him chicken and veggies and he loves it. We also give add a lot of non-fat chicken broth to his water bowl and he drinks it right up. The loss of appetite lasts about a day and a half.. maybe two days.. and then he is back to normal.

We have seen very little vomiting (only one day) and diarrhea.

All in all he is responding well. His lymph glands have gone back to their normal size and he is happy, active and full of energy.

We struggled with what to do when we got the diagnosis but I am glad we went the way we did. It is expensive but I think we are giving him his best chance.

Good luck to you all...