| I have been frustrated lately. After 2 weeks of trying to get some help in contacting Gulf Coast Vet Specialists, I finally called my oncologist at K-State (who went to school with the oncologist at Gulf Coast) and she was more than willing to contact them. She was able to do that the very next day! They said for OS patients, they start with 5 treatments 2 weeks apart of adriamycin (a chemo agent which is also known as doxorubicin). Then follow up with the Metronomic Protocol of vincristine (a chemo agent) every 4 weeks, cytoxan (a chemo agent) every week (except for the week the dog gets vincristine), piroxicam (anti-inflammatory/anti-angiogenic properties) daily, doxycycline (anti-biotic) daily and artemisinin daily. Since Syd has already had adriamycin, he can't have any more due to concerns for his heart (since it's very hard on the heart if given in more than 5 treatments). The vincristine has to be done by IV so I'd have to take him to K-State every 4 weeks. The vincristine and cytoxan are chemo drugs, so I'd have to watch for drop in blood counts and gastrointestinal signs. Even if he tolerated the adriamycin fine, he may not have the same response to new drugs. Cytoxan can cause very bad bladder irritation, so they recommend letting them out to urinate frequently for 2 days after cytoxan. They said I could also give lasix (a diuretic) to help flush out bladder. It's not sure how long the protocol should last, it is guessing to follow it and see how it affects the lung mets. They said we could certainly modify the protocol (maybe just giving him cytoxan, piroxicam, doxycycline and arte), but they couldn't guarantee the effectiveness of this since we'd be deviating from what the protocol Gulf Coast follows. They also said to keep in mind that NONE of these metronomic protocols have been evaluated in dogs, and when multiple drugs are used at a time, they have no idea of which one is working or if they need to be given together to have any effect. So unfortunately, like OS, it affects each dog differently and basically it's a crap shoot. Sometimes you can give all kinds of supplements, yet the dog still passes on due to OS, but what you have to remember is what you can do to help your dog fight and still have that quality of life. In my opinion, if a dog is constantly sick from medications or treatment and has no quality of life and no prospects for one, then you should consider doing the most loving thing and helping them cross over to Rainbow Bridge. It's hard to think about, but the question I always ask myself is "Would I want to live that way?" If the answer is no, then I'm sure my dog would not want to either. So I have a lot to think about. Of course, you can always try different drugs to try and help prolong life, yet still have good quality and if it doesn't work or it makes your dog sick, you can always stop and just love your dog like there's no tomorrow......because there might not be a tomorrow. I'll keep you posted as to what my decision will be. Right now Syd is tired (always has been after amp), but he was out today in the rain watching my husband take care of his horses and did his favorite thing before amp and was running up and down the fence whining and screaming at them. He hasn't done that in a real long time, so if he enjoys doing that, I'll let him do that! It's one of the things that makes a dog happy, so why not? He still is eating well, still playful and goofy. In fact tonight my husband was eating pizza and Syd was watching him from the other room. Of course lazy Syd would not get up to go over there, he just started vocalizing to him. My husband jokingly told him to hush, the pizza was his and quick back talking him and Syd got even louder. He's still the same old Syd, just one less leg. I hate to do something that lessens that, but I just have to have hope that these drugs will not make him too sick and will help slow down the growth of lung mets. When he first got diagnosed and I was told without treatment, he would last only a few weeks to a month or two, I was devastated. When I elected to do amp/chemo, I was told it might get him to 6 months. It was 6 months when they found the suspicious thing on his lung x-rays, and it was 8 months (when they started to grow) after diagnosis when he was officially diagnosed with lung mets. I was SO happy to reach the 6 month milestone. Now that we've reached it and gone past it, now I want him to make it to his 9th birthday June 13th (which is 45 days from today) and then I would love for him to make it to his 1 year diagnosis anniversary. Rotties live average of 8-10 years. I would love it for Syd to make that 10 year mark. With good quality life. I just have to have hope and believe. |
