help with lymphoma - Page 1

hi there my best friend was diagnosed today with lymphona and I was just looking for help and advice... i have read other threads covering this to an extent and i just want to make the best decision possible for him.  Doc is 6 years old and in VERY good health otherwise... he is panting quite abit lately
due to the lymphoma and his appetite is starting to leave him just a little... he's still 106 pounds so i feel he hasn't lost any weight due to this yet... any
advice or suggestions as what i can do for him health wise until i make a decision on what treatment route to take would be very appreciated.

-Paul

I'm no help as I have never had to deal with lymphoma, I just wanted to say how sorry I am that you and your dog have to go through this.  All the best.

I can't offer you veterinary advise, but I will say that you know your dog better than anyone else, so keep in mind what he would like as you mull over the decisions you need to make. There is no wrong course of action, as long as you keep your dog's comfort & happiness at the forefront. May you continue to have good times together; you'll enjoy them all the more for the bittersweet memories they will give you. Good luck, & God bless. jackie harris

So very sorry about your boy. I have known a couple of dogs recently with lymphoma *in the UK*. I don't know where you are.

Both have achieved a good extension of time using CV247, in conjunction with a diet (preferably raw) which has a limited carb content. It is said that carbohydrates feed cancer, hence the reason for reducing (or altogether eliminating them as far as poss) from the diet. The two dogs I am referring to were both in their teens, and so decided that they didn't want to go the chemo route.

I wish you and Doc the best outcome possible.

So sorry to hear about your dog! Lymphoma is a difficult disease. I worked in the veterinary field for many years and where I worked we saw lots of dogs with Lymphoma. Some people chose treatment with chemo therapy and others chose to let the disease run its course and enjoy their pets as long as possible. Results seemed to vary greatly! Some dogs did great and the lymphoma went into remission quickly and lasted for years and others it didn't seem to help at all. I know that isn't too helpful but you know your dog the best and any decision you make is the best one. There are risks with chemo, usually the dog needs to be sedated and catheterized for the treatments because if the chemo gets out of the veins and under the skin the dog will have a terrible and painful reaction, I have only seen that happen once when we had a relief doctor filling in. Some dogs had reactions to chemo like people they get sick, tired, some lose hair and others do great and have very little side affects at all. I agree with the raw diet and its not uncommon for them to lose appetite during treatment and the panting is fairly common as well due to the lymphnodes enlarging in the throat area. Some lymhoma is more aggressive and the nodes grow rapidy causing the difficulty in breathing. I have seen young and old alike do great with treatment. With Doc being younger and healthy I would think he would have a great chance to do well with treatment. When my Trouble was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma after some research and my vet calling a vet school and discussing the options with the cancer specialist the treatment that was recommended was extremely expensive so I chose to just amputate her front leg after doing chest x-rays to make sure the cancer had not spread to her lungs and a blood panel to make sure all organs were functioning properly, luckily she did extremely well and lived another 3yrs to 13yrs of age.

One patient we had was a beagle 3 or 4yrs old when she first was diagnosed and she responded well to treatment and the cancer went into remission and several years later the cancer returned and since she did so great the first time we did chemo again and she had great results again I believe she ended up living to be around 10yrs old maybe older!

I wish you and Doc the best and hope you enjoy Doc for a long time!! Hopefully there was some useful information in all of that for you!
Lory

Thank you all for all your help and considerate thoughts.  I'll let you know how it turns out. 

hoping for the best
-Paul

    Hi Paul,
    I am very sorry to hear that you GSD was diagnosed with this disease...If I am not mistaken a member on this board just went through this with their male GSD just recently...I think the members name is Siatha...They might be able to give you some insight...

    Deanna...

Sorry to hear. My dog died of lymphoma within 10 days of diagnosis. I am a doctor (human) and know quite a bit about lymphoma. I did read a lot about canine lymphoma when my boy was diagnosed. His presenting symptom was panting. After several tests (thyroid etc.,) we diagnosed him with lymphoma. typically affects GSDs between ages 5-9. Most 70% can achieve remission with standard chemotherapy that prolongs survival and gives them decent quality of life. It is worth trying. However, if there is no response or worsening with the first cycle, you have to make that difficult decision, which is what happened to my boy.

I wish you and your friend the best and hang in there for him.

I just lost my male 2 months ago it depends on how agressive of a lymphoma it is  one member of my club has a 13 year old shepherd who has had lymphoma for 2 years now but its only in one node. my boy i found his cancer in march and it was in 5 external nodes with in a week all 6  he was on 25 mg of prednisone 2 times a day and a pill  so the steroid wouldent bother his stomach I NEVER ONCE saw him act sick never he was doing schh up intill he couldent eat. i gave him a half a can of wet pedigree dog food as it was eazy for him to eat and a major treat so he always scarfed it down and there is a ol roy food that comes in little baggies i got it at walmart it has sugar in it and is a extreemly crappy food but he loved the hell out of it and hay anything that worked for him worked for me. we watched him closely for signs of pain he never showed any. i would say honesly love your time with him and get your crying out because it will happen and it made it eazyer for me as i still had him to hug it just made it soo much eazyer to say goodbye when the time came my BF who only knew the dog for 2 weeks cryed more than i did because i know i did the right thing. my boy told me it was time in my perception he was chokeing on his food his lymph nodes in his neck where the size of baseballs if not alittle bigger and he would sit there and watch me and i felt he was telling me it is time. i know this is hard to read its even harder to type. but you will know when it is time trust me  just spend your time with him and enjoy him whal he is still there i almost took it for granted  because he didnt act sick.

Good luck and best of wishes to you and your household

i did try the low carb foods for a wile with my boy i was feeding inova evo i believe but i didnt notice it changeing anything and thats the lowest carb kibble there is. from what i read the chemo dosent work for lymphoma in dogs it may give u 6 months extra but why extend and spend all the money for them to pass on 6 months later it would be different if thay had years of remission but you have to re do the chemo very often and its very expencive as much as i love my boy and still do i dont feel i should spend 20000 on a dog for 6 more months to me thats cruelty and being greedy.