I haven’t posted in a while and the usual reasons I see when people don’t post regularly are that things are great and life just moves on. Not our case.
Zeus had his last chemo at the beginning of December and had a very strong reaction to it. His first time that he was not feeling well from it but he recovered in a few days. However, since then I noticed that he was not himself somehow. He still plays, and runs like crazy and his tail never stops, ever…but overall I just had this strong sense that something was off. His eyes look different and he is extremely “clingy” – which in itself is not unusual for Vizslas but this is extreme. We have a 20 year old cat, Max and the two of them never cared for each other in the seven and a half years since Zeus became a part of our family. In the last week, Zeus has been curling up next to Max. This has never happened before.
So, we were booked for his 5th chemo dose today and the usual process is I drop him off, wait in the car, technician calls me an hour later with an update “all done – good to go”, I pay over the phone and they bring him out. This time I got a call 20 minutes after I dropped him off and it was the oncologist. She never calls.
X-ray shows a number of tumors in his lungs. Chemo is stopped and we were given different medication to help slow the growth. Doctor said without medication two months, with medication 4-6. Medication has side-effects and I am not thinking straight right now. Griffin has been going through a similar journey and he has been my lead and my hope. We are about five months behind. I need to clear my head but don’t know how.
2020 has not left us yet and we are just exhausted.
Not the news you want to hear. Of course Zeus didn’t hear a word and that’s the bloss of being dog!!
Yes, clear your head, take some deep breaths and know that this is. NOT the “end” in any way, shape or form!
Jerry lived life to the fullest with mets and basically without medication had a solid additional bonus quality time of eight months….actually I think it was longer!!. He was on Metron for awhile.
Zeus doesn’t seem to be showing any real outward effects at all. Obviously the chemo, for whatever reason, thru him for a loop couple of weeks ago and that could jave been why his eyes “looked different ” or why max was close to him.
A yway, as a Vet told me o e time, regardless of what the”clinical reports show’s, the outward behavior is just as important in assessing their well being. And Zeus is still being Zeus!!
Yes, check out Griffin’s protocol as he is doing well also.
Fo.lowZeus’s lea.. ake every moment t the best moment t ever and live in the NOW, in the present! Do not let this piece of crap disease interfere with your time together…..Zeus sure isn’t!!
We are all here sending pawsitive energy to your handsome Zeus and continuing to celebrate Zeus being Zeus!
((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))
Awww you guys, my heart hurts for you, this sucks! AGGGH CANCER YOU SUCK!!!!
Whew. Ok had to let that out. Now, here’s the thing: cancer can do lots of crazy things and one thing it can do is not play by the rules of a depressing diagnosis. You just don’t know how long a dog can go on with mets, and have a good quality of life. Many dogs like our Jerry were able to continue thriving even with mets, and yep, we did the metronomics protocol too but without Palladia. Back then it wasn’t around, so now that it is, Zeus has an even better chance that he will beat this latest round of cancer. Palladia is strong stuff! And again, like I said in the Forums, there’s no guarantee he will have side effects. If he does, you can always stop. But if you choose not to do it there’s nothing wrong with that either. No judgements here.
An oncologist once told us that with dogs, osteosarcoma is mean but it’s a disease you learn to manage, so that a dog can live with it. If they can have a good quality of life while living with the disease and any treatments you decide to do, then that’s what matters most. I hope with all I’ve got that Zeus’ mets behave themselves and he gets loads more time with you guys. Please let us know how we can help make this easier for you and remember, Zeus doesn’t know or care what the oncologist says, all he wants is for you to be happy.
(((((hugs)))))
I’m so sorry that the news from Zeus’s latest oncology appointment was not great. I know well the feeling of being punched in the gut with news of lung mets and needing to take a few days to clear my head to figure out the next steps. It sounds like you have identified a few factors that you need to consider to make the best decision for Zeus, and we all know that whatever you decide will be grounded in the tremendous love that you have for him. I’m glad to know that Griffin’s journey has been helpful. Palladia was the only chemo of the 4 he has taken so far (Carboplatin, Doxorubicin, and Cyclophosphamide are the others) to which he had a negative reaction. His appetite loss was pretty severe a few weeks in, but we stuck with it to allow Griffin the time needed to be administered both doses of the Yale vaccine (he couldn’t take intravenous chemo during those 6 weeks). Griffin will start Chlorambucil on Thursday (after a 2 week break from when we ended Cyclophosphamide), so we can definitely compare notes about that metronomic protocol if you decide to move forward. I want to echo what has already been said here – Zeus wakes up every day wanting to spend time with those he loves doing the things he likes best without a thought about a medical prognosis. I have struggled with staying present in the moment and given in to anticipatory grief at times, but the best days are the ones spent seeing the world though Griffin’s eyes. Like you, I have found the Tripawds community to be the very best at supporting us through all steps of the battle against cancer, so please reach out and lean on us as much as you need. Sending you and Zeus lots of love!