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to sage's mom - so sorry for how this is developing. as you may remember, our decision to say goodbye to tillie came when she has a seizure as the tumor was pushing on the brain. she was already close to fully blind but had no outer infections, swelling etc. We were lucky, i guess, in that she was fine until that last weekend. in retrospect, there were 36 hours or so when she did not want to eat preceding the seizure. she must have not felt well that whole time. although we now have perhaps the cutest puppy in the world (except for all of yours, of course!) i still miss her terribly - in fact, at times, with mosley around, i miss tillie more.
allessia, re piroxicam. yes, we kept tillie on the piroxicam until the end. her blood work was fine and so the liver was not an issue.
This my first post in this thread. I spent most of the day reading the first 23 odd pages of this thread and found similar experiences as I am having with my girl Jett.
Here is Jett's story:
Jett is a Great Dane. She is 11 years and 6 months old. She has cancer. She was diagnosed on 5-20-2010 with a mass on her right atrium and a mass in her left nostril. It is likely that the mass on the heart is hemangiosarcoma but we chose not to biopsy the nasal tumor because the radiologist consulted that if Jett had the bloody type we would risk making her bleed, which could cause her an overnight stay to stop the bleeding.
My world was rocked.
This nasal cancer was measured from the canine tooth to mid-eye, within the turbinate, not in any of the bony structure and not in the sinuses. As for the heart, the mass was about the size of a golf ball.
The first time Jett had a nose bleed was back in January 2010. It was coincident with a slip and fall on some snow and ice. After checking for concussion, which thankfully was negative, the bleeding stopped and we went on with our lives. A bloody nose appeared in February, it was just a few drops - it got my attention again but I did nothing but take note. When another showed in March, I took Jett to her local vet. We went on a course of cephalexin treating its cause as an infection.
Then, on April 2, 2010, Jett bloated. I recognized it and rushed her to hospital and she survived the operation. I told the doctors there about the bloody nose and her past difficulty coming out of anesthesia. Post op the doctors reported Jett retained her entire stomach, it was just bruised and would recover, they tacked it so it would not twist again and reported the abdominal organs had no visible sign of cancer. But the chest x-ray showed opacity in her lungs.
Was this opacity part of the cause of the nose bleeding? The doctors could not say.
Getting Jett back home and going again was tough. She lost a massive amount of muscle fat/weight - over sixteen pounds. She was always thin and she regulated her own food intake her entire life. Food was always available for her. She was lucky, she wasn't prone to being overweight. But post op getting her to eat was difficult. We managed but I digress.
During the night, about 2 weeks post op, I hear Jett, while she was asleep, gurgling like an old man with bronchitis and realized she had an upper respiratory issue. That morning, while preparing her meal I noticed green mucous dripping from her left nostril. And I concluded she got kennel cough while in the hospital. I took her to her local vet and gave him the surgeon's pictures of her lungs. We restarted cephalexin and he would review the pictures and report back.
He wanted to take more pictures but for him it would require putting Jett under. That was not acceptable because two years earlier he put her under for a procedure and when he returned her to me Jett was over medicated and was groggy for the next three days. Not good.
I took her elsewhere and we got the pictures without anesthesia, made comparisons, continued the antibiotics and sent the pictures to a radiologist for analysis. The discharge cleared but then returned. So I returned to my alternate vet. Jett cooperated and the vet got three views of her head. We sent these out for analysis too.
A CT scan was recommended and I submitted Jett for the scans on 5-20-2010. You know the rest.
After learning about Jett's cancer I took a day to collect myself as best I could and then I started looking for answers.
I found the Dog Cancer Survival Guide. I have no financial interest in this book but my opinion is positive, even if I could not get the author, who is a DVM, on the phone for a long distance consultation.
The book helped me learn what cancer is, how it grows, how it spreads, and why it doesn't die like healthy cells do. And it taught me about his approach to full spectrum care. He mixes traditional therapies, taking into account their side effects and research-supportable alternative therapies. He also prepares the reader as the Boss of the pet's care. He gives insight to understand when it's time for hospice and ultimately gives ideas on how to let our babies go.
It really helped me get organized.
The other book I bought deals with cancer in humans, it's by Bill Sardi, a researcher. The book is, "You Don't Have To Be Afraid Of Cancer, Anymore".
With these two books and the white paper they led me to read, I learned enough about cancer in two weeks to construct a cogent, rational care plan for Jett.
I am surprised to read no mention in this thread of this DVM's cancer survival guide or the compounds to which he gives mention.
As for Jett and my new found understanding, I am doing all I can to help Jett support and strengthen her immune system. The central ingredient in Jett's care is luteolin and an honest life supporting diet. Gone are the toxins and the deadening food products.
Google luteolin. There is much written about this plant flavonoid. This is not a synthetic miracle formulation, it is real, derived from plants. Also check out Sardi's articles about components that inhibit angiogenisis and induce apoptosis. But also understand the root cause of the cancer problem. Cancer patients have flagging and dysfunctional immune systems. Systems that have been unintentionally abused for lifetimes and in some cases, compromises passed by genetics.
For Jett, I am attempting, with professional consultation, to stop the cancer from building new blood supplies, to turn on the cancer cell's death switch, to boost immune function, recharge and strengthen the immune system and get it back to normal function, killing cell mutations.
Since learning of Jett's cancer, most every dog person I meet can tell me a story of a pet dying from cancer. This was shocking to me. I had no idea cancer was this wide spread.
Our general lack of knowledge of this subject, I believe, is just another symptom of our greater personal abdication of individual responsibility for a weaker, inefficient, collectivized, monopolized Big Health-Big Government crony capitalist model.
We, in the united States, were supposed to be different. Human liberty, in the Jeffersonian ideal, was the new idea in the late eighteenth century. What we have allowed to grow up around us is not the new, it is the old, tired, butchering ideas of special interest, mercantilism and tyranny. And so we languish. Messing around the edges of a morphed system, not intended for the power to be with the people, believing we will get things sorted out.
I believe if we existed in a true free market of ideas and product, we would be openly, voluntarily, exchanging information about cures and not placing our hopes on poison, slashing and burning.
To close I'll say, everything is politics. As an individual, you may not be interested in politics but politics is interested in you. In other words, if you don't fight for the individual rights of your humanity you will lose those rights to the power of groups, which always have other interests in mind than yours.
I wish everyone contributing their time on this thread the best. We all are doing the best we can with what we know at the time we are endeavoring. Keep up the good work, our pets and our families need us.
As for Jett, I don't know what will happen tomorrow. She and I have spent some very difficult days with nose bleeds, minor and massive. Discharging mucous, mostly blood laced. Weakened states of being. Trips to emergency, thinking I was going to put her down, only to be sent home with her in tow. But also we have scattered moments where she is the miracle dog. Meeting new people and animals. Bursts of playfulness. Standing tall and curious. Very classic companion moments.
She's teaching me about life. Taking the good with the bad.
I want to thank everyone for their contributions here, you've all help confirm many aspects, which we share, as I help Jett cope with her cancer. I now know, me and Jett are not alone.
We haven't been here in a while and read your message about Jett with prayers and love in our hearts. You have said many thoughtful things and to know of a good book is always helpful. Dash, Jan, gave us one called Racing in the Rain, which we read in one night. Knowledge and support from others is how I am getting through this time. Our Rocky, a black lab, passed from nasal cancer on March 28, and it was Palm Sunday. I know that the angels are holding him close, with many others in this group. We are still getting so much from the people here, who understand.
I wanted to give an update on Rudy the Mini Schnauzer. He had 3 days of cyberknife radiation done at Colorado State U in mid January. 6+ months, he's still around. Rudy lives with my folks in NJ. His 14th birthday is 8/10. His hair has grown back in white and looks good. He eats, barks, goes on walks when he wants to. Rudy is a stubborn old man. His biggest problem lately has been that he gets congested at night. My Mom said she will put a humidifier where he sleeps. He's prob more tired during the day cause he doesn't sleep well at night. Anyone have any suggestions about the congestion? Rudy also had a pinched nerve that has gotten a little better, but stops him from running up the stairs as much. He had one night where a couple drops of blood came out but no bloody noses or globs of mucuos coming out. just congestion. He has been given clavamox in the past. We're happy he's still around. I saw him in May at my sister's college graduation. I live in Colorado so I picked up my mom and Rudy at the airport and drove them to Fort Collins. IT was still cheaper than any similar treatment back east. Dog insurance covers some. I hope to fly home soon to see him when I get some time off. The last time I saw him, he slept in the my bed with me the whole night which is rare because he usually sleeps in my mom's room. Maybe its kind of a sort of thank you from him. I'm young and been suffering from some muscular disorders since Feb, but he's my inspiration.
Let me clarify, he had one bloody nose. He right nostril where the tumor is located is crusty on the outside too. Rudy hates having his nose touched. He also feels well enough to rumble with the neighbor's beagle who has an electric fence and the beagle got shocked. He also chased an airdale off the yard as well. We call him King , Boss, Sir. He's gotten better healthcare than me so far. I pray all the time for him. I 've known him since I was 14 when some friends from Minnesota brought him out. I saw some schnauzers out here recently and it seemed they knew me or something because their owners said they were being much nicer than usual to me. They would bark at other people but not me. Any input would be great. We send Rudy's oncologist pics of him and he checks his blood. I was reading this board b4 he was even diagnosed so I'd be ready to hit the ground running as Rudy considers me his loyal "servant." Whenever I get home, he'll wake me only to go out and get fed. No one else in the house. He usually likes to sleep in because he's never been a morning person. He's fighting hard. He has some arthritis but can still run off when he wants or play fetch some for food of course. He's on no special herbs or vitamins except glucosamine. I kind of think he's a like an old rock start. He likes to tear up the trash, eat garbage, roadkill, food lying on the side of the road, cigarettes, drink from strewn beer cans, and maybe all those years of hard living finally caught up with him.
Our first dog had a cancer on the palate, like you described, probably secondary to something else on hindsight. We fed her soft and very palatable food (down to an almost soupy consistency near the end) to keep her from bleeding with drier kibble and to keep her weight up. That worked for quite a while.
Both she and Ginger who I talked about on this thread last summer with nasal adenocarcinoma (died on our anniversary 9/3/09) essentially let us know when it was time to let them go. It's hard even when you feel at peace with the decision. On that last day, they still love their walk (as much as possible) and their toys, but life has become too hard, they can't eat or sleep but they still are the bundles of love and joy that we are so very attached to so it's one of the most difficult things you will have to face.
I only come here sporadically. I tend to grieve a long time and reading the stories feels like picking a scab off of a slow to heal sore. In fact when we discovered that Ginger had nasal cancer I took the better part of a weekend reading the entire thread, grieving with each person facing this terrible disease and it's no different now except Ginger is gone and there is a soul connected to this site that I care about immensely and personally.
I wish you all the best. The one thing that kept me from feeling utterly alone was the people on this thread dealing with this issue and supporting others that were also struggling. Take care.
I have been reading a lot of stories people have posted about their dogs with nasal cancer. I just found out in July that my 11 year old golden has it. I have cried so many tears. I have a 9 year old which is his son. He is the sweetest dog ever! The way I became concerned is he was having bloody noses. At first, I didn't know which dog was having the problem and it wasn't until we went in for shots that they saw the blood on his nose. He also had to have a tumor removed off his toe which was melanoma! Right now I am just treating him with previcox and a transfer factor powder which he hates so I am trying to find ways to give it to him. But i read here people have used cottage cheese it their diet and that he loves so will try that. This summer I have been trying to do everything he loves, camping, swimming and hiking. We walk 2 times a day and so far he is doing well. No nose bleeds since he started the meds so as long as he is happy and doing well we will continue and I will let him know everyday how much I love him. I worry about his baby when he is gone as they have been together since he was 9 weeks old...I have really appreciated everyones stories here and have shed tears as I have read. I think this will be good for me to have a place to talk where someone understands exactly how I am feeling. Bless all of you and your precious babies....
Hello Everyone,
Just wanted to drop in and see how everyone is doing. Its sometimes hard to come on here and read all of the pain our pups have suffered to this terrible disease but I also find this blog as a source of comfort. I have been busy the last few weeks, my mother moved to Europe which was a big event so there was alot going on for me. I have completed the orientations at my animal shelter and can now volunteer..I plan on going this weekend to walk the pups and in the beginning of september there is a dog festival here which i plan to volunteer for. Also in the city I work in there is a push to put a "pit bull ban" in effect which will tax owners and force all pit bulls to wear muzzles and be leashed at all times, even in their own back yards. I have a lot of experience with pit bulls and unfortunately they get a bad image. I hope to also help advocate for these pups in my volunteer work. I hope to get a new pup by the end of this year as I miss having one so much. I try to live my life as Sheldon would and somedays its so hard. Even the other day I ran into an old friend who did not know about Sheldon passing and when he asked hey hows sheldon doing i blurted out: he's dead! i instantly felt terrible about how I responded I should have said he passed away or im sorry you didnt know but..but instead I just reacted, maybe because I was caught off guard or maybe the anger that i still harbor inside that my rottie really is gone. I instantly apoligized and I know my friend felt terrible for not knowing but I guess those things happen, its not like theres an obituary section in the paper for dogs..I hope that everyone here is doing well and i think of all of you frequently. keep fighting! and our rainbow friends continue to watch down over us
joyce ( and sheldon from above)
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