Just a quick update to share how Emily is doing. She handles her week 6 treatment of Vincristine very well. I gave her the anti-nauseant for 2 days after her treatment. She went off veggies, peanut butter and sardines but still ate smelts so go figure. Today she had her multivitamin in peanut butter, she's had her ND diet every day and is eager to eat so I didn't bother giving her the Cerenia (anti nausea pill) today. They make her very drowse and they are very expensive so I don't want to be handing them out whilly nilly!
Yesterday she was playing with her treatball and lost her footing while in the kitchen. I heard her whine and when I went in her 2 back legs were going in different directions and she couldn't get up. It was very frightening to see. Emily as a Bouvier, is a working dog and can get very focused on a task. We have to monitor her and make sure she doesn't over do it. She had beat herself out yesterday and was still trying to work even though her body was ready for a rest.
One thing I have noticed now that Emily is no longer on the Prednisone is that some of the foods I thought she liked she was only eating because the Prednisone was making her ravenous. I thought she liked pumpkin but since her Prednisone was reduced and now no longer part of her treatment, she turns her nose up at it. Which is fine. I only gave her pumpkin to try and regulate her bowels.
Overall it's happy days around here. I think the dogs may have a marrow bone to enjoy on this sunny Good Friday (I'm pretty sure the no meat rule only applies to humans!) although I may save it for Easter Sunday as we're going to brunch and may need something to entertain the dogs with after when all I can do is lay around and moan from the over eating...
Enjoying the long weekend,
CJ, Emily and Ollie
Showing posts with label prednisone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prednisone. Show all posts
Friday, March 29, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Sheeee's Baaaackkk
Well almost. After 4 days of projectile diarrhea, then a day of nothing, then another bout of diarrhea now it's been over 3 days with nothing. I'm worried she's constipated but it is normal for her not to have any bowel movements for a couple of days after the massive diarrhea she had. So I'm now on poop watch. Seriously. This is my life. And I wouldn't trade it for the world.
I did manage to get her bathed and groomed so at least she looks good. She's balding in spots. I clipped Ollie and made one of his nails bleed. Bouviers have a notoriously high threshold for pain so I never even knew I got him until I saw all the blood. It keeps bleeding so after finally getting the house and the dogs cleaned up after Emily's anal gland debacle, now there are blood spots everywhere.
The house is also a state (newfie expression) because every night I have to cook up a can of Emily's Hill's ND Diet. It's a commercial product developed by Hill's with Dr. Ogilvie, the original researcher for the canine cancer diet. It's pretty gross right from the can. Emily has never, never had can food before so that alone is a big change. After a suggestion from the vet office (thanks Andrea!) I discovered Emily will eat it quite eagerly if I spread it out in a pan and cook it until crispy. The smell is disgusting!!! I mean nasty!! I'm doing this nightly to help ensure Emily is getting the supplements and balance she needs. She's still getting over half of her daily diet from my homemade mix. So on top of the food I'm cooking already....
I have a question. If chemo is supposed to be so much easier on dogs than humans than what kind of hell is it for humans? 3 more rounds to go but this week we're off and it's such a nice break. 4 more full days of happiness and joy before we pump her full of poisons again.
Just hanging in there,
CJ, Emily and Ollie
I did manage to get her bathed and groomed so at least she looks good. She's balding in spots. I clipped Ollie and made one of his nails bleed. Bouviers have a notoriously high threshold for pain so I never even knew I got him until I saw all the blood. It keeps bleeding so after finally getting the house and the dogs cleaned up after Emily's anal gland debacle, now there are blood spots everywhere.
The house is also a state (newfie expression) because every night I have to cook up a can of Emily's Hill's ND Diet. It's a commercial product developed by Hill's with Dr. Ogilvie, the original researcher for the canine cancer diet. It's pretty gross right from the can. Emily has never, never had can food before so that alone is a big change. After a suggestion from the vet office (thanks Andrea!) I discovered Emily will eat it quite eagerly if I spread it out in a pan and cook it until crispy. The smell is disgusting!!! I mean nasty!! I'm doing this nightly to help ensure Emily is getting the supplements and balance she needs. She's still getting over half of her daily diet from my homemade mix. So on top of the food I'm cooking already....
I have a question. If chemo is supposed to be so much easier on dogs than humans than what kind of hell is it for humans? 3 more rounds to go but this week we're off and it's such a nice break. 4 more full days of happiness and joy before we pump her full of poisons again.
Just hanging in there,
CJ, Emily and Ollie
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Peace has been restored - to Emily's intestines!
We are finally on the other side of the diarrhea hell and other associated side effects of the Doxorubicin. That was awful. Emily had diarrhea for 4 days to the point where it was projectile and bright red. Sadly this is not the first time in my life I have seen this and I knew it was to be expected due to the irritated state of her system. Her anal glands completely let go on the morning of day 4(Sat) again not a surprise given how hard her system had worked up to that point. Anyone who has dealt with anal glands knows how bad it is. Needless to say, every blanket and mat now needs to be washed. Emily was laying in it at one point so she's a stinky mess even though I did sponge bathe her.
Emily didn't eat for 48 hours and barely drank at all on day 3(Fri). That was the biggest panic, she wasn't drinking but she was still outputting fluid. We watched closely for dehydration and thankfully she never got there. We also watched her temp which never went outside the normal range of 99- 102F. Last night Emily ate 9 saltine crackers and 5 chicken hearts. You never saw a happier person then I was when she took that first cracker out of my hands. This was after offering her everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) in the house. I said a little prayer to St. Francis Assisi, the patron saint of animals cause I thought it couldn't hurt even though I'm not Catholic. I figured he wouldn't hold that against Emily.
The biggest fright during this whole episode was when Emily went outside and try to lay down in the cold snow and did not want to come in. Dakota did that the night he died. She did this constantly for 2 days (including in the middle of the night) I kept tell her it was not her time but there was a little voice inside my head that wondering if we were fighting a losing battle. I was laid off work a couple of weeks ago and I'm sure it was so I could spend time with Emily. But was it to spend time with Emily and get her through this fight or to spend time with her as her time to go is near? These are the things that go through your head when you are sleep deprived, stressed, scared and just plain freaking out.
This episode got Mom on the internet researching things like the new med, what we could be doing and what to do in the future. I've being doing that all along but Mom is not used to accessing the internet like that. It was good to have the help. Information is power. Once we started researching and reading we added Pepto Bismal to the fight. I checked my book "Help your dog fight cancer" by Laurie Kaplan. It also recommended Pepto so I felt good about our decision to add it in. And truthfully, I really think it helped push things in the right direction.
The Mirtazapine did nothing to stimulate her appetite so I think we'll forgo that one in the future. She missed a Prednisone dose but once she ate the crackers and chicken hearts I got it into her.
The next time she gets Doxorubicin on week 9, we'll be proactive and treat the side effects before they start. I'll work this out with the vet clinic but we read that others have had better success by treating the side effects starting immediately after treatment instead of waiting to see if they happen. The chances of her having less side effects next time are slim to none.
Now we're going to celebrate St. Patty's day and be extra thankful. Currently Emily is only eating beef and chicken hearts (her desire to eat crackers has thankfully passed since they are total carbs!) but that's fine. I figure her body needs the iron and B12 that beef is full of to rebuild at this point. We'll worry about veggies and supplements later. She lying by me now and I must say... bath is high on the priorities list! Yikes! Today she rests, rebuilds and we all revel in the joy that she's feeling better (did I mention she went for her balls out in the yard, on her own like she does when she's normal?!?!). Tomorrow we fumigate!
Emily didn't eat for 48 hours and barely drank at all on day 3(Fri). That was the biggest panic, she wasn't drinking but she was still outputting fluid. We watched closely for dehydration and thankfully she never got there. We also watched her temp which never went outside the normal range of 99- 102F. Last night Emily ate 9 saltine crackers and 5 chicken hearts. You never saw a happier person then I was when she took that first cracker out of my hands. This was after offering her everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) in the house. I said a little prayer to St. Francis Assisi, the patron saint of animals cause I thought it couldn't hurt even though I'm not Catholic. I figured he wouldn't hold that against Emily.
The biggest fright during this whole episode was when Emily went outside and try to lay down in the cold snow and did not want to come in. Dakota did that the night he died. She did this constantly for 2 days (including in the middle of the night) I kept tell her it was not her time but there was a little voice inside my head that wondering if we were fighting a losing battle. I was laid off work a couple of weeks ago and I'm sure it was so I could spend time with Emily. But was it to spend time with Emily and get her through this fight or to spend time with her as her time to go is near? These are the things that go through your head when you are sleep deprived, stressed, scared and just plain freaking out.
This episode got Mom on the internet researching things like the new med, what we could be doing and what to do in the future. I've being doing that all along but Mom is not used to accessing the internet like that. It was good to have the help. Information is power. Once we started researching and reading we added Pepto Bismal to the fight. I checked my book "Help your dog fight cancer" by Laurie Kaplan. It also recommended Pepto so I felt good about our decision to add it in. And truthfully, I really think it helped push things in the right direction.
The Mirtazapine did nothing to stimulate her appetite so I think we'll forgo that one in the future. She missed a Prednisone dose but once she ate the crackers and chicken hearts I got it into her.
The next time she gets Doxorubicin on week 9, we'll be proactive and treat the side effects before they start. I'll work this out with the vet clinic but we read that others have had better success by treating the side effects starting immediately after treatment instead of waiting to see if they happen. The chances of her having less side effects next time are slim to none.
Now we're going to celebrate St. Patty's day and be extra thankful. Currently Emily is only eating beef and chicken hearts (her desire to eat crackers has thankfully passed since they are total carbs!) but that's fine. I figure her body needs the iron and B12 that beef is full of to rebuild at this point. We'll worry about veggies and supplements later. She lying by me now and I must say... bath is high on the priorities list! Yikes! Today she rests, rebuilds and we all revel in the joy that she's feeling better (did I mention she went for her balls out in the yard, on her own like she does when she's normal?!?!). Tomorrow we fumigate!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Chemo Treatment #4
Today was Emily's fourth chemo treatment and it was the most dangerous one in the protocol, Doxirubicon. She could have had an allergic reaction, her pee will be orange or red for the next couple of days and, most importantly, this one can cause heart damage. There is a limit to what she can have over her lifetime and it has to be tracked. This was one of the reasons why I was so eager to get Emily on the L-Arginine supplement. It's good for cardiac health. She did fine. They gave her benadryl to manage any possible allergic reaction which she seems to NOT have. So that's good. We are just watching for a cough.
We also came up with a possible recourse to deal with the nausea. She has a post chemo anti nausea pill that she gets 24 hours after her treatment. If she's showing signs of nausea the next day I can give her an additional pill! I love a plan.
While Emily got her treatment and Nanny hung out with her at the vets (Emily is a serious Nanny's girl). I took Ollie, who Nanny can't console at all when he want to be with his Momma, to the park for a big walk. It was really nice to spend some time with him outside of Emily's cancer.
Emily was in excellent spirits when we got to the vets. She was cheerful, energetic and very social. It's hard to pump poison in her system when she's feeling so well. Big picture, trying to focus on the big picture. This evening she's just tired. And her Prednisone came down again so hopefully that will help again with a decrease in her appetite (She's still really whiny but only at one point during the day) and help with her steadiness. She's also been panting a lot. We're watching that.
We also came up with a possible recourse to deal with the nausea. She has a post chemo anti nausea pill that she gets 24 hours after her treatment. If she's showing signs of nausea the next day I can give her an additional pill! I love a plan.
While Emily got her treatment and Nanny hung out with her at the vets (Emily is a serious Nanny's girl). I took Ollie, who Nanny can't console at all when he want to be with his Momma, to the park for a big walk. It was really nice to spend some time with him outside of Emily's cancer.
Emily was in excellent spirits when we got to the vets. She was cheerful, energetic and very social. It's hard to pump poison in her system when she's feeling so well. Big picture, trying to focus on the big picture. This evening she's just tired. And her Prednisone came down again so hopefully that will help again with a decrease in her appetite (She's still really whiny but only at one point during the day) and help with her steadiness. She's also been panting a lot. We're watching that.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Post 2nd Vincristine Treatment - Tired!
One thing that may help her stomach and the impending nausea is cabbage. Emily loves cabbage which is a shock. She never had it before she got sick. She loves the core to crunch on, loves it cooked up and she loves the leftover cooking juice to slurp up. It needs to be cooked down quite a bit so the canine gut can digest it and absorb the nutrients. That's why the leftover cooking juice is so valuable. It has the nutrients! I simmer all Emily's veggies and I keep all the leftover juice for her to drink. Ollie loves it too.
I haven't mentioned the importance of filtered water (when not slurping up leftover veggie juice). I have read that the cancer canine can't handle the toxins in regular tap water like you and I can. So we got a brita. Truth be told... I'm loving the filtered water. I'm a big water drinker but I don't like water kept in plastic containers because there has been a correlation between plastics and cancer. But with this brita and using it to fill the dogs water bowl twice a day, water never sits in the plastic for long!
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Ah quiet
Ms. Em is finally having some quieter days. Earlier this week I thought we'd all go nuts. I guess it takes a couple of days for her to feel the effect of the prednisone reduction. Oh she's still hungry as a horse but she's not as all consuming ravenously hungry. (yes, there is a difference)
Emily's energy level is a bit better too. She's got a little pep in her step. She's also a bit more steady although I did nearly knock her over trying to clean a back paw.
Now if she would just take her duck for a walk, I'd say all was right in the world. But she has cancer so all is not right in the world. Hopefully her blood count will be okay for treatment on Tuesday.
I've added some pumpkin to her diet. Bit of vitamin K, a good dose of beta carotene and it helps regulate her poo. Even though you'd think it's a sweet starch veg and therefore high in carbs it's not. I only add a bit with her cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, broccoli, spinach, and/or red peppers.
Emily is napping now. Somehow that seems like a good idea since she had me up at 4:30am, again at 8am and then again at 9am when I gave up all hope of ever catching up on my sleep. I'll sleep when she's in remission!
Emily's energy level is a bit better too. She's got a little pep in her step. She's also a bit more steady although I did nearly knock her over trying to clean a back paw.
Now if she would just take her duck for a walk, I'd say all was right in the world. But she has cancer so all is not right in the world. Hopefully her blood count will be okay for treatment on Tuesday.
I've added some pumpkin to her diet. Bit of vitamin K, a good dose of beta carotene and it helps regulate her poo. Even though you'd think it's a sweet starch veg and therefore high in carbs it's not. I only add a bit with her cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, broccoli, spinach, and/or red peppers.
Emily is napping now. Somehow that seems like a good idea since she had me up at 4:30am, again at 8am and then again at 9am when I gave up all hope of ever catching up on my sleep. I'll sleep when she's in remission!
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Exhaustion is my middle name
The last two days I've been totally exhausted. If Emily is awake, she's whining for food. This is after her prednisone had been reduced by half. And she is still really, really unsteady. She wants to eat every couple of hours, day or night. Since she only gained .2 lb last week I'm worried that her feeding plan is not enough so I've up'ed her intake and am spreading it out. I'm out of the ND diet so I cooked up some brown rice to add to her homemade diet. The ND diet is a bit higher in carbs than conventional wisdom indicates for lymphoma patients but it does give her some of that bulk so I'm trying to replace that and brown rice has polysaccharides which are thought to be beneficial for fighting the cancer. The ND diet and Dr. Ogilvie both use rice. Emily gets less than half of her daily intake from the ND diet so she's getting a lighter carb load.
I've also added a bit of pumpkin. It's surprisingly low carb for a starchy veg and full of beta carotene and vitamin K, both of which are important in the cancer fight. Although to be honest I really started using it because Emily had a case of the runs and then only had a very, very small poop and I'm afraid she's a bit constipated. Pumpkin will absorb liquid, which she is still drinking buckets of, and regulate her bowl/poop production.
Right now when Emily naps, I nap. And any food she does get in between meals I make into an event, take up her dish, freshen her water and serve her whatever snack/treat she's getting spread around her dish. After she eats it, she has a drink and then settles for a bit.
Just a week and a half left of the prednisone and hopefully the appetite will return to normal and she'll get some steadiness back.
Just hanging in there..
I've also added a bit of pumpkin. It's surprisingly low carb for a starchy veg and full of beta carotene and vitamin K, both of which are important in the cancer fight. Although to be honest I really started using it because Emily had a case of the runs and then only had a very, very small poop and I'm afraid she's a bit constipated. Pumpkin will absorb liquid, which she is still drinking buckets of, and regulate her bowl/poop production.
Right now when Emily naps, I nap. And any food she does get in between meals I make into an event, take up her dish, freshen her water and serve her whatever snack/treat she's getting spread around her dish. After she eats it, she has a drink and then settles for a bit.
Just a week and a half left of the prednisone and hopefully the appetite will return to normal and she'll get some steadiness back.
Just hanging in there..
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Chemo Protocol Week 3
Well it didn't happen yesterday. Emily's bloodwork came back with her white blood cells too low. Her platelets were down and so were her red blood cells. So no Chemo this week, we'll try again next week. It's just as well, she really has been lethargic and quiet. Although that's probably all due to her blood count being so off. I still believe this is all tied to the massive GI bleed she had 4 days before she started her first chemo treatment. She had started on Prednisone and an antibiotic at the same time, 3 days later - massive vomiting of blood and then tarry stool. When I say massive I'm not kidding. I don't freak out easily but if she had been a 200 lb human I still would have been freaked at the sheer volume. Her stomach has since settled. One thing I discovered is that cabbage has vitamins and minerals that are excellent for the health of the stomach lining. She's been getting a good dose of cooked cabbage which she loves!
While she didn't get her chemo treatment yesterday she did get her scheduled reduction in Prednisone. Thanks be to heaven!!! All the side effects we are seeing are most likely related heavily to the Prednisone. She's thirsty, pees a lot, unsteady on her feet, tired, moody (aloof and not as happy) and ravenous. When I say 'ravenous' I mean there are times when there is absolutely no way to satisfy her hunger. I was worried she had gained 5 lbs just in this past week but luckily she only gained .2lbs and she has some room to gain a couple so she's fine. There are times I've actually run out of ideas as to what to offer her to try and satisfy her hunger. Luckily she seems to find the ND diet satisfying when she's in that 'ravenous' mode. Quite a change from the week before when I couldn't get her to eat the ND diet.
As I mentioned on two days ago on Monday, Emily has started playing out in the yard again. She's still doing that and today she had a nice, pretty energetic bark at the neighbor dogs and then the neighbor, who she loves but still doesn't like it when he gets too near the fence. Now she's tuckered out.
So far today she's had 5 smelts, 2 sardines, a chicken wing, piece of carrots, a treatball with a handfull of kibble in it, couple tablespoons of her homemade diet mixed with yogurt. And that's besides her 1.5cups of homemade food she had for breakfast. I'm really hoping she'll start to feel the reduction in her Prednisone soon....
While she didn't get her chemo treatment yesterday she did get her scheduled reduction in Prednisone. Thanks be to heaven!!! All the side effects we are seeing are most likely related heavily to the Prednisone. She's thirsty, pees a lot, unsteady on her feet, tired, moody (aloof and not as happy) and ravenous. When I say 'ravenous' I mean there are times when there is absolutely no way to satisfy her hunger. I was worried she had gained 5 lbs just in this past week but luckily she only gained .2lbs and she has some room to gain a couple so she's fine. There are times I've actually run out of ideas as to what to offer her to try and satisfy her hunger. Luckily she seems to find the ND diet satisfying when she's in that 'ravenous' mode. Quite a change from the week before when I couldn't get her to eat the ND diet.
As I mentioned on two days ago on Monday, Emily has started playing out in the yard again. She's still doing that and today she had a nice, pretty energetic bark at the neighbor dogs and then the neighbor, who she loves but still doesn't like it when he gets too near the fence. Now she's tuckered out.
So far today she's had 5 smelts, 2 sardines, a chicken wing, piece of carrots, a treatball with a handfull of kibble in it, couple tablespoons of her homemade diet mixed with yogurt. And that's besides her 1.5cups of homemade food she had for breakfast. I'm really hoping she'll start to feel the reduction in her Prednisone soon....
Monday, February 25, 2013
Emily and Prednisone - UGH!
Time for an update as we venture on this journey. Emily has been through 2 chemo treatments and heads in tomorrow for her third. In the meantime she's been on prednisone and I have to say I'm not a fan. This drug has left her moody, thirsty, ravenously hungry, unsteady. Bottom line, she's not my Emily. Her hind end doesn't seem to listen to her requests. Emily has a stuffed duck that she's had since she was a puppy. She loves this duck and takes it for a walk daily, trotting around, tossing it as it hangs from her mouth. Well, she used to. She hasn't touched her duck in weeks. And when she's not walking her duck, she's got a ball in her mouth. Something else she hasn't done in a while.
Currently she is lying by my feet, whining under her breath. She's looking for more food. I had read on-line that dogs on prednisone can experience such an increase in appetite that they'll eat anything. At this point we're avoiding leaving her alone. Luckily that we are in a situation where we can do that. I don't know what I'd do if I had to leave her all day.
These are the days when you wonder about quality of life and if we're doing the right thing. She's not a happy girl but tomorrow her prednisone gets reduced yet again. If we can just hang on until that she comes off that drug, another 2 weeks. Perhaps then we'll see the old Emily again.
And then last night Ollie threw up on my bed. As luck would have it I have a bed pad on the bed and he hit is squarely. One of the first things I read about the prednisone was that it was likely Emily would have urine accidents. She has, on the bed but again I was prepared with the bed pad. I'm sure the only reason Ollie puked was because he's getting a lot of the new various treats Emily is getting and it's just too much on his system. We have to watch the increase in fish oils and good fats. Emily needs them to fight/starve the cancer cells but Ollie could get irritated/pancreatitis. As though I don't already worry about Ollie getting exposed to Emily's toxic, cancer causing output (pee, poo, puke) after she has her chemo treatments...
Just trying to hang in there...
Currently she is lying by my feet, whining under her breath. She's looking for more food. I had read on-line that dogs on prednisone can experience such an increase in appetite that they'll eat anything. At this point we're avoiding leaving her alone. Luckily that we are in a situation where we can do that. I don't know what I'd do if I had to leave her all day.
These are the days when you wonder about quality of life and if we're doing the right thing. She's not a happy girl but tomorrow her prednisone gets reduced yet again. If we can just hang on until that she comes off that drug, another 2 weeks. Perhaps then we'll see the old Emily again.
And then last night Ollie threw up on my bed. As luck would have it I have a bed pad on the bed and he hit is squarely. One of the first things I read about the prednisone was that it was likely Emily would have urine accidents. She has, on the bed but again I was prepared with the bed pad. I'm sure the only reason Ollie puked was because he's getting a lot of the new various treats Emily is getting and it's just too much on his system. We have to watch the increase in fish oils and good fats. Emily needs them to fight/starve the cancer cells but Ollie could get irritated/pancreatitis. As though I don't already worry about Ollie getting exposed to Emily's toxic, cancer causing output (pee, poo, puke) after she has her chemo treatments...
Just trying to hang in there...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)