So Nitro had his 5th chemo treatment 2 days ago, and this one seemed to affect him. He’s sailed through the others without any problems, now he had an upset stomach (lost his supper all over the carpet – to be honest, I probably fed him too much, too soon; and when he drinks too much water, too fast, he also throws up). And his appetite was gone. Today he ate with some coaxing, and will grab his ball to play….but I don’t know if we should stop now, or do the last dose in 4 weeks. My vet really wants to get the last dose in, what should we do? Also, what about metronomic therapy? I could really use some advice.
November 25th, 2014 at 3:57 pm
Leland wasn’t dealing with cancer and cancer wasn’t the reason for his hind leg amputation. After the amputation his health declined due to an autoimmune disorder, thyroid issue, and the CCL in his remaining hind leg went out. Leland had already gone through 2 surgeries in a short period of time and we couldn’t put him through a 3rd to try and repair the right knee…especially with all his other health issues.
Whether to continue or not with Nitro’s chemo is a personal choice for your family. Since it’s 4 weeks between treatments you could wait to see how Nitro is doing before going for the final treatment. Or you could look into alternative treatments. There’s A LOT of folks here that have done different treatments and have more experience with it than I do.
You may want to consider posting this topic/question in the forum as well. I think you’d probably get more feedback from others there than in the blogs because the blogs can change so quickly and not as many people may see it.
Good luck and I’ll be keeping Nitro in my thoughts.
Sahana and her Angel Leland
November 23rd, 2014 at 9:50 pm
Fenway is about to start chemo In two weeks. I think they said 4 treatments but we are very new at all of this.
November 23rd, 2014 at 5:00 am
Awwww…..sorry Nitro is feelingn yucky but glad he still wants to play ball.
Yeah, a decision is hard to make when Nitro is not feeling well.
And just to confuse things more, many Oncologists suggest just four or five, and then there are those that say go with six!!
Happy Hannah’s Oncologist was of the school of thought that four was all that was needed. Sure, I would jave loved to see her cured, but that wasn’t in the cards. We had THE most glorious bonus time of a year and two months of more loving and spoiling than anyone could ever imagine. Ten of those fourteen months were basically free from vet visits, poking, prodding, needles, etc.
There was a GREAT study that Katy…Jackson’s mom helped decipher for us about four or five versus six. I’m going to jave to see if I can find it and guide you towards it. I don’t want to misquote. It seemed to indicate that six treatments didn’t really bring any better results than four or five. It’s all still a crap shoot anyway though!!
I did try and pursue metronomics after Happy Hannah’s fourth treatment but she developed a UTI. They wanted more blood work, a bladder tap, etc. and “she and I” just decided enough vet visits for her!
In my UNPROFESSIONAL NON VET OPINION, the fact that Nitro completed his fifth treatment is, in the opinion of many Oncologists, sufficient. But every case is different and there are no right or wrong answers.
Thinking of you andn hoping Nitro is back to feeling great real soon!
Hugs and love!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle too!
November 23rd, 2014 at 3:26 am
Paula it sounds like something that will subside, not too bad compared to some side effects. I would give it a couple of days and then decide. He’s made it this far, I’ll bet it was just bad timing that got him sick.
As for Metronomics, I’m absolutely in favor of it. Have you seen these posts about it?
https://tripawds.com/forums/tips-and-resources/metronomic-therapy-for-canine-osteosarcoma-metastasis-jerrys-experience/
November 23rd, 2014 at 3:07 am
Well, It is a personal decision. When Sassy got sick after the 2nd chemo we just did cerenia before the chemo and then again after for 4-5 days. There is not a definite about how may chemo treatments are better than any other. We were scheduled for 5 chemos and only got 4 in then she developed the mets some where between the 4th & 5th chemo.
I would do metronomics again. We were planning on doing them even if Sassy didn’t develop the mets. Once again there isn’t a definite protocol on it. You can always try the metronomics and if it doesn’t agree then stop it. Nothing wrong with that.
I know I wasn’t much help.
Hugs
Michelle & Angel Sassy