Some Better News

Dr. Tripp saw Razzle today and says he is a good candidate for radiation therapy and a drug that keeps the bone from deforming.  She is hoping that we can see 3-4 months --- if we're lucky (fingers and toes crossed) maybe more! HURRAH!! 

So, he goes to see the radiation oncologist on June 14 and we'll hope that since we caught this early we can keep it under control.  

Let's all hope our boy keeps beating the odds! I'll try to find some newer picture for the next post --- after all, he really does only have three legs!

Our Saddest Day

I took our boy to the vet today as his limping was getting worse; sad to say, the cancer has returned in the right leg, at the hip joint.  This cancer, as most of you know, is inoperable.  He has survived longer with this disease by nearly double than the initial expectations. He has been our brave, strong boy.

He has another appointment Monday with his oncologist, so we will get a better sense of time at that point, but I have been warned he only has a few weeks.

I know all of you love him very much; please feel free to come by at any time; he will love to see you and be seen.  Your loving support of him has helped make him a "poster child" for cancer survivors; these 18 months have been a gift and we have loved and appreciated every moment. 

I don't think of Razzle as "my" dog, but "ours" --- so all of you are more than welcome to come by and make sure you tell him how much you love him before he has to leave us.

Razzle's Checkup

Our boy has had his second lung x-ray checkup last week. He is still cancer-free (so far!) and his blood tests say he is not suffering kidney/liver damage from either the previous or current chemotherapy.  The current cancer drug they have him on (Chlorambucil [C] 4mg) -- which has to be handled with gloves it's so toxic, evidently has an off-label use for treatment of canine GERD.  He's has been absolutely frisky on this drug, frankly he's a happier, bouncier, more playful dog than he's ever been. The gastrointestinal upset that has been a part of his life as long as I've had him seem to have vanished.  Who knew that cancer treatment was the cure for the Permanently Upset Stomach?  Certainly first I've heard of such a thing, but, he's positively PUPPY-like these days. 

26 March 2011 Third Chemo Hits like Bricks

My sweet boy is in the hospital today. Four days post-third-chemo and he is in deep trouble. As before, he's anorexic, but this time, after a single meal on Wednesday, he refused to eat. I pushed some food down him, but even though he was still pretty chipper in terms of mood -- food was OFF the menu. By yesterday, he was pooing light brown water, eating nothing and by evening was spitting up bile (thought he might be vomiting, but the vet now says he wasn't).

So he had to stay overnight (nice Dr. Mullins snuggled with him most of the night -- what a STAR). They've given him IV fluids and a catheter. They've also provided a spectrum of anti-nausea and acid reducing medication, but he still wasn't having any of the food thing. They tried him early this morning with baby food (?!) and he evidently lapped it right up. However, it was only a very little bit. They are concerned about the "spitting up" of bile and though he hasn't had diarrhea for them, they are concerned about that as well. So he's spending the day under observation. They want to take an x-ray to rule out "Megaesophagus" where the esophagus is enlarged and food fails to make it to the tummy. The major symptom of this is regurgitation instead of actual vomiting (which is what he's doing). So today x-ray, observation and lots of good thoughts for my sweet boy ...

2 February 2011 -- Our First "Meal"

Just had a soft egg with lots of butter and three Etta treats (liver) mixed in. We had our first MEAL!!! HUZZAH! He's been eating the Etta treats and the K9 Immunity Plus (you'd think he wouldn't want anything that was good for him, would you, but he also ate a Pet Tab!). He had not been interested at all in food, except for about 5 tablespoons of peanut butter during the night, the Etta treats and the K9 Immunity Plus. So, this egg is a BIG victory (one does not live by peanut butter alone -- well, most people don't).

We took a trip outside again (the Cisplatin treatment really has diuretic aftershock, he's not going as much as they said, which was every 2 hours, but he needs to go every 3 1/2) He just went right down the ramp (thanks Mikey and Brad) and out the down stairs (4) like a pro! Could NOT be more impressed.

Was concerned between 0300 and 0630 this AM that he was having trouble with the Fentanyl patch. I found that if I held him and massaged the muscles of his foreleg and head that he calmed down and wouldn't enter the crying out phase of the reaction. Since they tell me that it's like having a hangover, the only thing I could think to do was massage -- after all, what do you want when you have a hangover? Dark, quiet, understanding and a good massage to ease that headache (his muscles were in knots).

24 January 2011 My sweet darling Greyhound ...

Some of you are old friends of Razzle’s and some of you have only met him a few times. I wanted you to know what is going on, as all of you know and love him. Yesterday, Razzle was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his right foreleg. The bone is deeply involved.

The good news is his blood work returned today and he is otherwise in good shape, with none of the markers to indicate it has spread throughout his system, yet. We will be imaging the other three legs tomorrow, to see if he has developed lesions in any of the other three legs. His chest images were clear.

The medical among you know that the reason for this is that the only treatment for this disease is to amputate the leg at the shoulder and a course of chemotherapy. If the cancer is appearing in other limbs, the surgical option will not be followed, and he will not be with us very long at all, probably a few weeks at most.

The surgery is not to stem the course of the disease (this is not possible) but to alleviate pain and prevent the inevitable serious breaks that will occur in the weakened bone. While there is always hope, and I’ll do everything possible to try and effect a remission, the course of this cancer is always fatal; the survival times range from a minimum of 3-4 months, with amputation and chemotherapy up to a maximum of about 11 months.

I will be taking him to Moclips this weekend so he can enjoy one final, four-legged romp before he faces surgery, probably sometime next week.

I know you all wish him well and will keep you updated. He loves all of you, and I know you will send him good wishes and your best thoughts. If anyone wants to stop by for a hug and pet and a kiss, he’d love to see you