Posted on 08/13/2016 10:40:43 AM PDT by SamAdams76
A couple weeks ago, I noticed my dog (border collie mix) was losing her appetite and acting quite lethargic around the house. Noticed a big bulge in the neck and took her to the vet. After a blood test, was told last Saturday that she had Lymphoma, which is basically a blood cancer and was given 1-2 months to live.
She's been a good dog to me. Rescued her from a creek in Alabama on my parent's land back in the summer of 2006. Just a puppy then, covered in ticks and obviously abandoned. But I took her back to Massachusetts and turned into quite a good dog. We've taken hundreds of hikes through woods together and been a constant companion. Moved with me down to Connecticut a couple years ago and we've been exploring the woods down here.
So in terms of dog years, 10 years is a pretty good life. But I'd love to extend it a year or two if possible.
I have an appointment with an oncologist on Tuesday. I already know that the recommendation will be chemotherapy, which normally puts the dog in remission and extends life 12-18 months. Eventually the cancer will develop tolerance to the chemotherapy and will still kill my dog in the end. Will cost me around $10,000 total from what I've researched. Maybe $5,000 on the low end.
Money is not the object. Quality of life is. So I'm hoping to get some advice from other Freepers on this. Is the chemotherapy worth the extra 12-18 months of life?
A week ago, I looked into holistic therapy for this type of cancer. I've been feeding my dog semi-raw beef and raw vegetables (carrots, celery, brussels sprouts) along with some rotisserie chicken for the past six days and there is a noticeable change. I've discarded the dry dog food she's been eating for years. My dog already has more energy and had been taking longer walks. The swelling in the neck seems to have gone down. She seems happier and more lively.
I know this sounds all touch-feely and "new age" but just wondering if anybody has had experience with the holistic method for cancer treatment. I know that on Tuesday, the oncologist will recommend the chemotherapy and will pooh-pooh the holistic method.
So looking for advice on this.
If I need to put my dog down, I will. She's had a happy life and I don't want to put her through any kind of suffering just to delay the inevitable.
Prayers.
As soon as you can get another pup, it heals the hurt.
Our cat has the same thing. She was given 3 months to live if we didn’t get chemo, 6-12 months with it. We went without, although we did choose to go with the anti-inflammatory the vet recommended. I also dug through my herbs books for anything that might help, and came up with a mix that seems to be slowing the cancer down some.
She’s on month 6 of her 3-month life expectancy. Her belly has gotten lumpy, but she seems happy and pain-free.
Very sorry.
Spoil her with treats? and make her final weeks with you rich.
Regards,
Dog lover
I’m so sorry to hear about your lovely companion-I’ve never lost a dog-or cat to cancer, but I really think I’d stick with the holistic methods-chemo is poison-both for humans and animals-treatments are really Russian roulette to see if you get a remission before the chemo drugs kill you-my dearest friend-and contractor I worked for died last summer from the side effects of chemotherapy-he was cancer free-but still dead...
It is your money, but I would not subject one of my precious pets to that misery.
I lost my beloved Siberian Husky late last winter at the age of 17-she wasn’t sick-just slowing down gradually-her heart finally gave out and she died peacefully in her sleep one night, happy to the very end. My 19 year old Maine Coon cat died the same way-in his sleep last month-he wasn’t sick, either, thank God. They are buried next to each other under a big oak by the deck.
Prayers for your doggie-I do believe they have souls...
Dixie.
When our little shitzu died at 13 from cancer in 2007 our vet said he was seeing much more cancer in dogs - up from one maybe a month to several a week. He really felt it was something to do with dog food as so much of it is produced in China and other countries as opposed to the US. He said even if made in US a lot of the ingredients came from other countries. He said it was just his opinion but I have a feeling he was really onto something.
You have a beautiful dog there, and I’m sorry to hear that.
I can speak from some experience. We had a dog that was diagnosed with lymphoma. We switched his food to a grain free dog food. We did K9 Cancer Trio which included K9 Immunity, K9 Transfer Factor, and Fish Oil. which some people have success with based on testimonials:
http://www.k9medicinals.com/pet-products/dog-immunity-supplements/dog-cancer-support-trio/
They also have an all in one here:
http://www.k9medicinals.com/pet-products/dog-immunity-supplements/k9-immunity-plus/
He refused to take it at a certain point.
We also did chemo. You will be better off than we were if you head to an oncologist. We did the chemo through our vet, and I think it would have been done better with an oncologist. We had some other problems with that vet who misdiagnosed two of our animals.
The bottom line is that he did the first set of chemo and the lymph nodes went down. To me, they never quite felt all the way down, but the vet was pleased. Anyway, fast forward just weeks later (we were counting on a year or so before a relapse), I felt the lymph nodes again. He again started chemo. It always seemed that he would get sick a few days after chemo with diarrhea and vomiting. We had medicine for those things which may have helped a little, but he was sick at least a couple days a week.
The second round of chemo never brought the lymph nodes down. We tried some holistic things. Some people online said they had success with cottage cheese and flaxseed:
http://www.healingcancernaturally.com/pet-cancer-cure-testimonials.html
Our dog refused to eat it even though we tried to flavor it with other things like some pureed meat baby food or gravy.
Ultimately, the lymph nodes kept growing. His stomach began to swell badly. We kept him as long as we could, but at the end, despite still having an appetite (which we attribute to the prednisone), he was very weak. He just got bumped slightly and fell over. He couldn’t jump up on the bed or the couch. The night before we had him put to sleep, he struggled to breathe a good part of the night. He was able to breathe a little better in the morning, but it was a pattern that he had trouble breathing at night more and more. We didn’t want him to suffer any more, so we had him put to sleep.
I don’t have regrets that we tried the chemo. I do have regrets we didn’t go to an oncologist. I wish we could have gotten some of the natural stuff in him more. Ultimately, trying everything (just about - I’ll get to that) made me feel that we did everything that we could. Some people put their dogs to sleep before they start suffering or before it gets bad, but putting the dog to sleep is something taken very seriously, and it wasn’t until we felt he was too sick to go on that we felt it appropriate.
Here is the other option. You are seeing an oncologist. I don’t know where you live, but there is something called a K9 bone marrow transplant that can be done. It’s incredibly expensive, but some people have the funds or want to spend the funds to try it. Very expensive, but your cure odds are so much higher than the 1-2% given with standard chemo. I’ll link here in case you are interested:
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2015/02/11/dog-bone-marrow-transplant.aspx
I wish you the best of luck. It’s not an easy journey. You have to decide what’s right for your dog and for your family.
Spend your money on raw ground beef from a neighborhood market. Nothing added and always fresh! You will make tiny meatballs and have the pleasure of knowing you are doing the best you can. They let you know when it is time.
Listen....
She is gorgeous. I am so sorry.
Kibbles are very unhealthy. Whichever way you decide re treatment, it is a great thing you are feeding her more natural healthy food.
Veterinarians are definitely in the guilt business. You know that a lot of us simply don’t have $10-20k to spend on our pet’s oncology. So we aren’t tempted to spend the money. Because we don’t have it. If you are able, it is your choice, but don’t let the vet force (by means of guilt) destroy your precious pooch’s immune system in the hopes of gaining more sick alive time. Research and get info from others, like you are doing.
I pray for a full healing for your girl. I’m sorry she is sick.
My 11 year old started chemo for the same thing a month ago. I have a friend who’s dogs had a good life for 3 years after chemo (the oncologist told him 1-2 years max after chemo).
But it’s not easy. I’ve seriously considered having him put to sleep twice already in a month. It was a 25 chemo week plan but we missed one week because of an infection that almost killed him (and I thought it wouldn’t be bad if he didn’t make it out of the emergency room)
Today’s been a good day :) We’ll keep enjoying those and see what tomorrow brings and hopefully keep getting through the bad days.
Good luck to both of you.
It's incredibly sad.
Like others have mentioned, I probably waited too long with our Black Lab, Claudius. He had bad hips and in the end, was "knuckling under," I guess they call it; basically dragging his feet behind him.
Chemo is awful, although it does keep your loved one around; both my mom and nephew died of cancer.
As for holistic/natural methods, at some point my sister and brother-in-law decided to stop the chemo (the boy was taking 40 pills (!!) a day and hated it). They ate organic food, stopped all white sugar and processed food, gave him supplements, etc.; he seemed happier and healthier, though it didn't cure him and he died just shy of his 10th birthday.
In short, follow your instincts about how your dog feels. You might try the chemo for a while, while continuing the new diet, and see how your dog feels.
In any case, I'm praying for you.
What a heart break... I have no personal experience but would suggest some research into:
LDN (low-dose naltrexone) - prescription
turmeric / curcumin
frankincense oil
I rescue Weimeraners. On my 7th one. I lost 6 of them to cancer. All of the liver. I stopped treating my backyard grass with any chemicals. I think that was the cause. All died at the age of 12 but all 6 of my others ones died of this.
I spent a ton of money on the first one. I won't do it again as it
1. Cost a lot on money ( over 10K) 2. While the dog did live longer the quality of life was not as good. 3. I won't let my animals suffer and one always knows when it is time to put them down.
God bless Like me I feel you treat your dog like I do. Family. Good Luck I need to get a tissue.
Sam,
So much good advice already given. I’m 65 and have more than an armful of wonderful dogs, and some very memorable cats, over these many years.
One of my nieces is a very accomplished vet. My first impulse was to call her for advice. But in the end it’s up to you after consultation with your vet who has all the medical facts.
Follow your heart and do what you feel she would want you to do. Feed her healthy food she likes, love her all you can and help her finish her days, months or years feeling happy, loved and at peace knowing she’ll be with you again.
Cameron
Border Collies are the most remarkable and intelligent dogs. Sadly, the breed seems predisposed to die from cancer. We had to put down our dog due to bone cancer.
Border Collies are a working breed meant for herding on farms and really demand lots of activities if taken to a different household environment. Some overwhelm owners who are not accustomed to dealing with active and intense dogs. I think Border Collies are great.
Will say a prayer. I know you bonded with your dog. I did the same.
Chemo is rough on the body. I would just make her as happy, loved, and comfortable as possible. I wouldn’t put her through Chemo.
Exactly right...sick alive time. My dad chose that for himself and even with the best medical care in the world it got him 2 more years sick alive. I say take me! No freaking way would I do the poison! In the end, the cancer didnt get him, the complications did.
Enjoy the rally.
I think you are on the right track.
I suspect many things in all this pet cancer. Kibbles (artificial flavors and smells that attract all small animals, including rats - one pest control guy says any house with kibbles in it attracts rats, even in a metal container, even in the garage... ), vaccines maybe. Definitely the neurotoxic flea and tick sprays, pellets, etc.
Vets try and guilt owners into all those vaccines. Our healthiest cats have been the ones with no vaccines.
Wish I could go to another Trump rally. It was marvelous. But he will not come to LA county, that’s for sure.
What a sweet dog! I am in agreement that you should try the holistic approach. I am anxious to hear how it all works out.
I have heard of people in advanced forms of cancer that when they went holistic, their bodies were rid of the cancer.
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