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DIESEL1
Starting Member
Australia
2 Posts |
 Posted - 18 Sep 2007 : 15:11:49
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Hi there
My beautiful (almost 5 year old) German shepherd has just been diagnosed with Lymphoma. As you can imagine we are devasted.
I was wondering if anyone out there has gone through this and if so any advice they can give as far as treatment goes. We have taken him to vets as well as homeopaths.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Regards
Agatha Sgroi |
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Shepherds
New Member
17 Posts |
Posted - 25 Sep 2007 : 09:45:52
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Hi Agatha
I dont what to say firstly I am so sorry! We have our 2nd German Shepherd who is 15 months old but our first had cancer of the spleen, bit different but still a cancer. I believe Lymphona and the spleen cancers are very common in GSD.
Our first boy was 10 years when he was fine and all of a sudden collapsed, after rushing him tot he vet we found out he was bleeding internally due to cancer of the spleen. He had a spleenectomy and all was looking good so we pursued chemo therapy (very expensive) but for our boy it didnt matter. We did this for 4 months until the chemo wore him down and he got a heart infection and you could tell that he had enough. We still miss him very much.
To be honest I dont know what I would do if the situation happend again, whether to do chemo or not. It extended our boys life for 4 months and he was happy and had quality the whole time until the last 3 days when he got the heart infection.
What has the vet said you should do for course of treatment???
Just so you are aware any chemo they do give is really only pallative to give them quality of life and keep them around a bit longer as its a much smaller dose than they give people, just dont get false hope of a cure cause its not.
Sorry if that seems rough but you need to start preparing yourself. I have lost a grandparent to cancer and this journey was no different and actually worse. As you know GSD are so much like people they are so complex, loving and loyal. Personally cherish what time you have left, do what ever possible (vet & natural remedies) but for your GSD sake if he/she seems to be suffering you have to do the right thing for them not your own feelings. Believe me I know how hard this is!
We were very fortunate that our vet specialised in cancer treatments and was so caring and thoughful, he shared the whole journey with us right to the end where he cried with us. I think its important for you to have a vet you trust and if you dont get another opinion.
I dont know what else to say but my heart goes out to you, I truly know what you are going thru. You are welcome to email me personally to talk about this, me and my partner would be a mess without our new boy Buddy (picture in picture forum).
Also be strong, the vet said they can sense when you are stressed so it makes them stressed. Just give him/her lots of cuddles and love but also keep up a healthy diet and incorporate excercise. I believe Hills Science Diet has food formulated for dogs who are going thru chemo, it may not be especially for chemo but it has the right amounts of protien they need to get thru. We had a few probs that the chemo would wipe out red blood cells so we had to keep the protein intake up.
Again my heart goes out to you.
Dot
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Bowies Mum
Starting Member
Australia
7 Posts |
Posted - 05 Oct 2008 : 14:52:38
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Hi there, we know exactly how you feel. Our 8.5yr old dog has cancer everywhere. We were told he could have cromo but no guarantees and truth is we couldn't put him through it. We were told he had 2-6 weeks. We are now in week 7 and he's doing well. We have done lots of research and we think its helped him. Here's what we are doing.
1. 2 tablets omega3 a day (not omega 6, we got from Vet, Brand is The Missing Link) (08) 9842 1974 or look up website
2. Flaxseed oil 3 tablet spoons a day from health shop.
2. Cottage cheese but he doesn't like so we give him natural yoghurt.
3. Don't give him anything with sugar as it feeds the cancer
4. Animal fats aren't good but chicken breasts has least fat.
5. Chicken breasts cooked in garlic.
6. We are now also giving him from the Vet, Macrolone 20mg 2 tablets twice a day
It is a struggle. If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to email dsale@bigpond.net.au (my partner)
Best of luck. We know exactly what you're going through. Its heartbreaking. |
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Tiffany
Moderator
Australia
2524 Posts |
Posted - 05 Oct 2008 : 18:25:20
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Bowies Mum, I am so sorry you have to go through all this. I think you are lucky to have him go for this long, but you need to see the reality is that he can go anytime.
Enjoy him for the time you have and that you have wonderful moments and memories while he is still with you.
Good luck for all you are doing for him, making his last days happy.
"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face."
-- Ben Williams
And I am rude.
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Bowies Mum
Starting Member
Australia
7 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2008 : 11:31:59
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| Thanks Tiffany for your thoughts, Bowie has never been so spoilt and loved. We are enjoying every minute we have left with him. We are going to miss him so much. He's a huge part of our lives. |
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Daisys Mum
Senior Member
Australia
425 Posts |
Posted - 06 Oct 2008 : 12:20:02
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make sure you take lots of pics and videos of him, this really helped us after our Bud died
www.saynotoanimalsinpetshops.com |
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vet01
Starting Member
Australia
1 Posts |
Posted - 11 Oct 2008 : 15:45:59
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Hi,
Lymphoma is a fairly common cancer, and dogs seem to respond well to chemotherapy. We do a lot of chemo at our clinic and the majority of results are good. We still have a little ckcs 3 years after being first diagnosed with lymphoma. |
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Bowies Mum
Starting Member
Australia
7 Posts |
Posted - 11 Oct 2008 : 18:28:14
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| Hi Tiffany, I was only got today taking video of Bowie. He loves biting at the water when you have the tap on. He's doing great on the Macrolone tablets. Been a week and he's like his old self.... only more hungry. He is always hungry lol We're hoping he'll put weight on. You can really see it in his eyes, he's smiling. Its great. Its funny how his personality has changed. He's really sooky now. Loves cuddles. We weren't as close as my partner as its his dog but now he loves me and oh how im going to miss him. But like you said... Im enjoying every moment with him and have lots of new memories. |
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Topic |
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LYMPHOMA
