From: bglazier@buffalo.asd.sgi.com (Bill Glazier)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
Subject: Re: DOG WITH CANCER
Date: 19 Aug 92 22:54:23 GMT
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc.


Victor -

I am sorry to hear of your Golden's lymphosarcoma.  It brought a lump to my
throat as I remembered when I, too, learned in 1990 that my 3 year old Golden,
Sierra, had lymphosarcoma.  My wife Katherine and I went through all the
agonizing questions you are now confronting.  There isn't a single right answer.
Only you (and your dog) can guess at the proper and humane thing to do.

I will tell you our story so that you know how someone else, someone who cared
very deeply about his dog, dealt with a very unhappy situation. The story has a
happy ending.  I tell it not to make you believe yours will end the same way,
but rather to give you insight as to the way we approached many of the same
issues you now must face.

Sierra was our baby.  We had tried for years without success to have children,
and had adopted Sierra as our 'surrogate child'.  He was wonderful: playful,
happy, friendly, all the wonderful things people say about Goldens.  One July
day he stopped eating, and became extremely lethargic.  We couldn't interest
him in his favorite dog treats.  Something was very wrong.  The vet
diagnosed him with a severe spleen infection, prescribed antibiotics, and took a
blood test.  The next day the vet called and told us he had a very high white
blood cell count, and that probably meant cancer.  It was diagnosed shortly
thereafter as lymphosarcoma.
  
We were faced with an unpleasant set of options:  chemotherapy - expensive, 
unpleasant for the dog and time consuming for us, and with no real prospect
for anything more than a few extra months of life for him, or no treatment -
in which case we were told he had less than 4 weeks to live.  Kath and I were
totally devastated.  After a few days of going back and forth, we decided to
proceed with the first round of treatment. We thought the extra months would
give us a chance to accept the terminal nature of the disease and to say goodbye
to him, as well as bring a new puppy on the scene to alleviate our pain
at his eventual passing.  

The treatment was a combination of drugs and chemotherapy. The first round probably cost us $1,000.  He responded positively. The swollen lymph glands
shrank noticeably within a few treatments.  I don't think Sierra particularly
enjoyed the chemo sessions (lasting a full day once every other week), but
I don't recall him reacting as negatively to them as you describe your dogs
experience.  

We adopted a new puppy, a Yellow Labrador Retriever, Molly, who brought a whole
new sparkle and flair with her to our home.  She kept Sierra quite well
occupied.  He didn't have much time to worry and feel bad about his illness.
He was too busy playing with her.  

After the 8 weeks of chemo, he was in remission until after Christmas when I
noticed his lymph nodes growing again. We went back to the vet who
recommended we begin treatments immediately.  After much thought and reflection,
we decided not to do a second round.  We felt the pain inflicted on Sierra, and
the cost of the treatment wouldn't justify the few extra months we would get
with him.  We were fully prepared for the worst.  

As a stopgap measure, we started giving him Prednisone pills every other day. 
We used to give them to him for allergies. They are very
inexpensive - 8 cents a pill, and are essentially a form of steroid.  We thought
they might ease his pain as the cancer progressed.  

The weeks, months, and now over two years have gone by and he's still with
us.  We give him Prednisone 3-4 times a week.  It has no apparent side effects.
The vet even mentioned the C (cure) word last time we visited. 

Why did he make it?  I have three possible explanations:

1) The prednisone is a tremendous anti-cancer drug in humans, and is probably
undervalued as an anti cancer drug in dogs.  A medical oncologist (human
cancer doctor) who also owns a golden said the prednisone was the trick.  I 
watch him pretty closely, and whenever his lymph nodes are larger than
normal, we give him an extra large dose.

2)  We caught it early and have a great vet.  I don't remember the actual
medical route we followed (call me if you are interested - I'll ask my wife),
but I guess it was the right answer to the right problem.  Our vets, Adobe
Animal Hospital in Los Altos, CA, are great.  

3)  Having another dog to occupy his time made life more enjoyable for him.

Someone above smiled on us.  I understand who God is a little better after this
experience.   

I strongly suggest you look into prednisone whether you choose to proceed with
the chemo treatment or not. You may also want to consider a different form of
chemotherapy - I know there are at least 3 different kinds - some more toxic
than others. We used Adreomycin/Oncovin/Cytoxin/Tigan.  Lastly, you may want to
talk to the folks at Adobe.  For Sierra, they consulted with other vet schools
around the country.  

Whatever you do, it is obvious you care deeply about your dog.  You've probably
both shared a very special relationship for 7 years. That in itself is the
reward of Golden ownership.  Accepting his passing and helping him through it
is a difficult but important part of being his buddy and protector.  

BTW, my wife is 6 weeks away from delivering our first child.  It'll be a pretty emotional day when I introduce my son to Sierra.

   

Bill Glazier
Silicon Graphics
415-390-1617
bglazier@asd.sgi.com