Champ's Journey

The last couple of weeks have been more bad than good. First it was the anemia, now a mobility issue.

Regarding the anemia, I still think it’s not right. I’m not kidding myself. He has hemangiosarcoma and it’s probably a bleeding tumor. He was doing pretty good for awhile there eating the liver and gizzards… but then 2 days ago decided… “NO MORE LIVER”. So, he’s eating dry food. Believe it or not that’s what he prefers right now and I’m not going to fight him.

The past couple of days he’s had more of a mobility issue which I don’t know if it’s related to the anemia or not. He can’t hold his weight up on his remaining back leg and will do a sit and slide to get anywhere. And oddly the remaining rear leg is stuck straight out in front of him. I thought maybe he couldn’t bend it but when he lays down he will bend it. I took him outside and held him up but he only pee’d a little bit… I’m sure there’s more pee there but he doesn’t want to pee.

He did have a slipped disc a couple months back, but this seems different. It seems like it more in the hip or leg. Of course there could be cancer there.

So, this morning I gave him the previcox which seemed to help him a little bit a week or so ago. No relief yet. I have some tramadol but not sure if that will help either.

I will keep you all posted.

My daughter was supposed to drive to her Dad’s until 7/20 but now she’s not sure what she’s going to do. Our vet won’t be there until Wednesday (yes, it always gets worse on a holiday) so there’s really not much we can do but try to make him comfortable until then.

I think we’re facing that difficult decision. It’s not an easy one cause he still wants belly rubs and is still eating and drinking. He masks pain well so we really have no idea if he’s in pain and, if he is, how much.

I’m emotionally spent.

Well, I’m sorry I haven’t really kept this updated. Life was too good…

Two days ago I noticed Champ sleeping a lot. I am very concerned. Unlike most here, Champ has hemangiosarcoma, not osteosarcoma. There is always the threat of a blood filled tumor in his belly. But I try to keep those thoughts out of my mind. And that is very easy when he’s running around, clawing at me for food, etc.

Well, Friday I noticed he was very subdued. He was still eating but not as excitedly. Still going outside for walks, but not able to keep up with his sisters anymore. He just sat down to wait for them. He also had trouble getting up the two steps of our poch, something that has never happened before.

His gums are paler than they should be… anemia. Could it be just anemia from the metronomic chemo? His last CBC showed slight anemia.. sure it could be. Of course my mind is now racing to a ruptured tumor in is abdomen…

Of course this is one of the only Saturdays I can remember my vet does NOT have office hours. He did call me and said if he was eating and did not have laboured breathing it wasn’t an emergency and I could wait until Monday. So, this weekend I am panic’d. Champ has already far outlived their expectations. He was diagnosed with a single lung met 3 months ago. But he’s not panting or anything.

He has food allergies but I said ” **** it ” he’s getting a hamburger. He LOVED it. So there’s another on tonite’s menu for him.

He’s not in pain that I can tell. He’s resting comfortably. Even wagged his tail a little today.

I guess it’s just a wait and see until the vet tomorrow. By the way… tomorrow is his 8 month ampuversary and 12 months since his spleenectomy.

Today is Champ’s one month ampuversary. His life has been pretty normal since his stitches came out. He’s shown no ill effects from the metronomic chemo he is taking. He eats well, sleeps well, and acts like his old self.

He even jumped up on the sofa this past week. We can’t figure out how but he did it. He looked at us like… “What?”.. lol.

Tomorrow he has an 11:00 vet appointment for his first CBC since he stated the meds. They are also going to look at his neck. He has always had allergies and his neck (which he really can’t scratch anymore luckily) is moist, almost yeasty. I am hoping the vet can give us something to clear this up.

I am also heading to New Paltz to get him a new diet, Honest Kitchen’s Preference (I think that’s what it’s called) so I can add my own protein to it. I’m really hoping this can help a little to get his allergies under control.

Other than that…. nothing to report. Hopefully we can say the same next month and for many more months to come.

Joy & Champ

Trip to the oncologist. By the second car ride of the day Champ figured out how to get himself into the back seat of the car. I wouldn’t call it “jump” but more of a pull-up.

The oncologist felt he looked terrific. He is going to be taking metronomic chemotherapy – a low-dose chemo pill – 5 days a week, then off for the weekend. He is going for a CBC at our regular vet on Saturday to get a baseline we can use to compare to later in the treatment plan.

He will be taking cyclophosphamide 6 mg daily. We have to watch for any bloood in the urine though which would be bad. In addition he will be taking Piroxicam 4 mg daily. It’s an NSAID COX-2 inhibitor which is shown to make the chemo more effective. Finally, he will be taking 1/2 tab of pepcid to counteract any problems with the NSAID.

Apparently I will be buying these directly from a pharmacy in Arizona where she faxed the script to and they will ship directly to me. I’m not sure how much they will cost, but it doesn’t matter.

Once he starts on this he will get another CBC in 2 weeks and as long as that is fine after another 2 weeks (1 month altogether) he will go back to the oncologist for a chest x-ray, CBC and Chem Panel. 2 months and he will get an ultrasound of the abdomen.

I asked about the K9Immunity Plus. I ordered it last night and she said he can have the “remission” dose of 2 treats per day. So $60 is a one month supply. The treats combine the K9Immunity, K9Transfer and Omega3’s. He is also on vitamins but can cut back to 1 per day… the healthy dog dose… 😉

All in all… a great day.

Well, today is a big day. Part 1 – we went to our regular vet who did the amputation and Champ got his staples all out. The incision looks so good. It was 2 weeks + 2 days because of my being able to get off work but, worth making sure.

He needed a little help with his hind end (he’s a rear amputee) in the car. Steps don’t seem to be a problem and I have a really little car but it was tough enough I had to help him.  Getting out of the car was not a problem though. Whew.

I dropped him off this morning at 8:00 am so they could do it over the course of a few hours if needed if he was sensitive and depending on their surgeries. Well, got the call at 10:00 am that he was ready to be picked up so it must have gone really well.

Before I picked him up I took his pen apart so that when he got home he would know he didn’t have to go back in there. He was very happy to see me and is acting like his old self completely. Again, he needed a little help getting in the backseat of the car but it was fine. Got home and after his potty break he was very happy to get in the house. Lady (our other cocker) met him at the door happy to see him.

The first thing he did after I took his leash off was run all through the house (it’s a one level thankfully). Then he settled down on his blankie to take a nap…. just like before.

I have some errands to run today but Part 2 is our trip to the oncologist at 4:00. I’ll post about that later tonight.

Champ is doing great. We are 12 days post amputation and he is doing great. The stitches look unbelievably good. He RUNS to the front door to go out once I let him out of his pen. Outside he acts like nothing is different.

The only thing I’ve noticed (which could be as much the result of him being in his pen and not running around with our other dog Lady) is he is more vocal. He NEVER used to bark. Maybe 3 times in 6 years… seriously. He used to howl when I would leave the house but that was before we got him Lady. After that he didn’t care about me at all… lol.

Now, he’s barked outside a few times… he barked in his pen at me because I wasn’t making dinner fast enough. He is howling when I take Lady out for walks. I don’t feel ready to take them out together yet so I am taking him first, then her.

Other than that, it’s the same Champ as before the surgery. I am so relieved.

This is an important week for us though. He goes to have the staples removed on Thursday then it’s a trip to the oncologist to start on the low-dose chemo pills. I’ve also talked to her and will buy the K9 Immunity treat (which include hte other 2 parts) when I get paid on Wednesday. The oncologist says they couldn’t hurt but my regular vet thinks it’s a waste of money.  I haven’t gone this far without giving him every chance.

My regular vet is also looking into a good balanced meal I can make myself for him that is hypoallergenic. I want to get away from preservatives and all. I am also checking out all the other sites I’ve been referred to. I really appreciate all the help. My baby means everything to me.

Thanks!!!

I had a long conversation with our oncologist tonight. She, unlike our regular vet, is still thinking the leg was a metastatic lesion… grrr….

Oh well.

We discussed antioxidants, home cooked foods (since he has food allergies), supplements like K9 Immunity. She referred me to a holisitic vet in New Paltz which is close to me. I want to make sure that this vet coordinates with both the oncologist and our regular vet. I am happy that we have some of these options while taking the low-dose chemo that we didn’t have during regular chemo.

If anyone has any experience or feedback about Apocaps or K9 Immunity or whatever those things are that are comparable, I would love to hear. I want to make sure I do everything I can to help my baby.

Joy

I think… lol.

The pathology came back from the tumor in his leg.

Now, the spleenic mass was definitely hemangiosarcoma so both the vet and oncologist both were positive that the leg was a metastatic lesion.

Well, guess what??? The leg was a separate unrelated osteosarcoma. It was inconclusive what type. This is a little frustrating but, the great news is that nether cancer metastisized. I was right!!!!

I am waiting to speak to the oncologist to find out if this affects our current treatment plan. He was on 5 treatments of chemo with doxirubicin. The plan is to start him on a 6 month low dose chemo pill. I just need to make sure this is still the plan and that there isn’t something else we should be considering.

I will let you know when I find out.

Well, maybe I am grasping for straws but I am so excited for small improvements. We are 6 days post surgery and last night was the first time he slept on the side with the incision. Up to this point he has always laid down with the incision up. But this morning when I woke him up he was sleeping the other way. I was worried he would have difficult getting up (he is a rear leg amputee) but… no problems at all.

Whew…

Then, coming in from his walk, he scootched (is that a word??? lol) his butt for the first time since the surgery. I was really concerned he wouldn’t be able to do that anymore. He used to do this all the time but hasn’t done it since the surgery. I was going to talk to the vet when the stitches were removed to see if he needed his anal glands expressed but… seems like that’s not necessary now.

This is a great way to start a Monday. I am leaving for work soon but my neighbor will come over at lunch time to check on him. My daughter will stop home after school and before swimming as well.

We are moving on and up.

I truly can’t believe how well he is adjusting. I live by that tag line “better to hop on three than limp on four” and say it to many people. He hasn’t had too many mis-steps so his confidence is soaring.

I have a second cocker spaniel who a little ADD. She’s the source of comic entertainment in the house. I’m afraid to take them outside together. I think I will wait until the stitches and staples come out before I do that. Right now the one who gets left in the house cries until the other comes back in. They’re not used to being separated.

I think the only thing Champ misses that rear leg for right now is scratching. He twice turned his head to the lost leg to scratch his neck and looked confused. Then just turned back. He has allergies so he itches a lot. He would scratch himself raw. So, in a way, this will actually keep him from doing that. I spoke with my vet and we are going to do the bloodwork soon to find out exactly what he is allergic to and then start allergy shots.

His allergies had always been bad. We tried everything. The only thing that helped him was Atopica, cyclosporine. But, I have nothing good to say about it. My vet swears I am wrong, but I blame the cyclosporine for the cancer, or the propogation of the cancer at least. It’s an immunosuppressant. I will never advise anyone to use it.

On the pawsitive side, he is eating great. I give him dog vitamins every day which he thinks are treats. These really helped keep his blood count where it needed to be during chemo. The incision looks good. His tail is still wagging.

I’m a little concerned about going back to work on Monday and leaving him alone but my neighbor said she would come over and check in on him at lunch time. It’s going to be a long 2 weeks.

One thing I found that I liked was a “Comfy Cone” instead of those hard plastic cones. He doesn’t seem to mind it as much and it works just as well.

Joy