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Hi Southward bound: Thank you for your info re diet. I presume you cook these green veg or do you feed them raw. At the moment we are having an issue with Skye. He's on thyroid medication but is showing signs of agression towards Monty, especially at our mealtime. He will sit and stare at Monty and bare his teeth and growl. He doesn't approach him just sits on the chair and gives him the evil eye. Monty just turns his head or body away trying not to look in his direction. He's very intimidating and of course this frightens Monty. I don't know if this is a result of his thyroid or if something else is wrong. He will see a neurologist on Feb. 19th when he's sees the surgeon. It's been suggested he should see a behavoralist. Maybe that's the route we should take. I don't want it to escalate to the point of him attacking Monty or myself. I've heard of Springer rage but I think that happens when they're about 2 yrs old. Maybe he's just fed up with everything that he's been thru over the last two years and lashing out. Has anyone else experienced this problem, especially with Springers. Would love to hear from you.
Thank you! Thank you Southward bound for starting this thread and continuing to guide others thru their journeys with cancer. Last Friday Rocco our 10 yr old Pembroke Welsh Corgi was diagnosed with intestinal spindle cell sarcoma. It took me 3 days to read all 19 pages of this thread taking notes along the way. Reading about everyone journey let me know I wasn't alone. Thank you for sharing all the wonderful info - I've learned so much about holistic medicine and canine cancer.
Our journey started last Memorial Day weekend while out of town in OH - I tear up just typing the words... Roxy our 6 yr old Pembroke Welsh Corgi suffered from Intervertebral Degenerative Disc Disease - IVDD leaving her paralyzed from the bladder down. Our 3rd Corgi & we never knew they were prone to this disease By the time we noticed she couldn't walk & took her to emergency vet at 4am, surgery was only 50% chance recovery at $5k. We opted for home care & crate recover hopeful we could get her back to "normal". After 1 wk of daily releasing her bowels & bladder, she developed bed sores and we made dreadful decision to let her go. I cried every day for 7 weeks & still blame myself for not getting to the vet sooner.
June 8 2014 - 1 Week after letting Roxy go to Rainbow Bridge, we took Rocco in for his annual visit. I mentioned he looked dazed & confused sometimes before he laid down & wondered if he had arthritis. Our 1st Corgi had Degenerative Myelopathy - DM the last yr of his wonderful 14 yrs so that was also on my mind. Vet didn't feel anything but offered to do an Xray. After just spending $1500 on Roxy I decided that if he didn't see anything no need for Xray.
Forward to Feb. 13 on zero degree morning - Rocco refused to come inside - laid down in the snow & struggled to walk inside. By that afternoon when we took him to Vet he was fine - white coat syndrome - but vet did feel something near his spleen. After Xray & ultra sound they found a huge tumor near his small intestines. Vet automatically said it was cancer & that needle biopsy might show false negative since tumor was near intestines. I was so mad at the world that we might lose 2 dogs in less then 10 months. Looking back I know it started last spring but not sure we could have handled the news so close to Roxy's death. 1 week later After blood work showed everything looked good - no other organs affected we had soft ball size tumor removed costing $1500. Test results came back "intestinal spindle cell sarcoma" - I feel we have good margins since 2 inches of intestines were removed from both sides of tumor. We've opted against chemo & glad after reading this thread. Vet said it may grow back in 6 to 12 months but hopeful he got everything.
Thanks to all of you - I'm looking at his diet. Since last April he's been eating Blue Basics - grain free but not carb free. Thanks again for all the wonderful info. My thoughts & prayers are with all of you & your fur babies!!
Hi Southward bound: Thank you for your info re diet. I presume you cook these green veg or do you feed them raw. At the moment we are having an issue with Skye. He's on thyroid medication but is showing signs of agression towards Monty, especially at our mealtime. He will sit and stare at Monty and bare his teeth and growl. He doesn't approach him just sits on the chair and gives him the evil eye. Monty just turns his head or body away trying not to look in his direction. He's very intimidating and of course this frightens Monty. I don't know if this is a result of his thyroid or if something else is wrong. He will see a neurologist on Feb. 19th when he's sees the surgeon. It's been suggested he should see a behavoralist. Maybe that's the route we should take. I don't want it to escalate to the point of him attacking Monty or myself. I've heard of Springer rage but I think that happens when they're about 2 yrs old. Maybe he's just fed up with everything that he's been thru over the last two years and lashing out. Has anyone else experienced this problem, especially with Springers. Would love to hear from you.
Norma, how is Skye? I've been told by a researcher that too much protein in the diet can block seratonin takeup in the brain, and lead to aggresion. Good protein levels are under 25%, though for some reason it seems to be a fad now to go for foods high in protein. Something to consider if Skye continues to be temperamental. Do you ever feed morsels from the table? Maybe Skye wants to make sure Monty doesn't get more than his share? Just a thought. Please let us know how you are doing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by roccosmama
Thank you! Thank you Southward bound for starting this thread and continuing to guide others thru their journeys with cancer. Last Friday Rocco our 10 yr old Pembroke Welsh Corgi was diagnosed with intestinal spindle cell sarcoma. It took me 3 days to read all 19 pages of this thread taking notes along the way. Reading about everyone journey let me know I wasn't alone. Thank you for sharing all the wonderful info - I've learned so much about holistic medicine and canine cancer.
Our journey started last Memorial Day weekend while out of town in OH - I tear up just typing the words... Roxy our 6 yr old Pembroke Welsh Corgi suffered from Intervertebral Degenerative Disc Disease - IVDD leaving her paralyzed from the bladder down. Our 3rd Corgi & we never knew they were prone to this disease By the time we noticed she couldn't walk & took her to emergency vet at 4am, surgery was only 50% chance recovery at $5k. We opted for home care & crate recover hopeful we could get her back to "normal". After 1 wk of daily releasing her bowels & bladder, she developed bed sores and we made dreadful decision to let her go. I cried every day for 7 weeks & still blame myself for not getting to the vet sooner.
June 8 2014 - 1 Week after letting Roxy go to Rainbow Bridge, we took Rocco in for his annual visit. I mentioned he looked dazed & confused sometimes before he laid down & wondered if he had arthritis. Our 1st Corgi had Degenerative Myelopathy - DM the last yr of his wonderful 14 yrs so that was also on my mind. Vet didn't feel anything but offered to do an Xray. After just spending $1500 on Roxy I decided that if he didn't see anything no need for Xray.
Forward to Feb. 13 on zero degree morning - Rocco refused to come inside - laid down in the snow & struggled to walk inside. By that afternoon when we took him to Vet he was fine - white coat syndrome - but vet did feel something near his spleen. After Xray & ultra sound they found a huge tumor near his small intestines. Vet automatically said it was cancer & that needle biopsy might show false negative since tumor was near intestines. I was so mad at the world that we might lose 2 dogs in less then 10 months. Looking back I know it started last spring but not sure we could have handled the news so close to Roxy's death. 1 week later After blood work showed everything looked good - no other organs affected we had soft ball size tumor removed costing $1500. Test results came back "intestinal spindle cell sarcoma" - I feel we have good margins since 2 inches of intestines were removed from both sides of tumor. We've opted against chemo & glad after reading this thread. Vet said it may grow back in 6 to 12 months but hopeful he got everything.
Thanks to all of you - I'm looking at his diet. Since last April he's been eating Blue Basics - grain free but not carb free. Thanks again for all the wonderful info. My thoughts & prayers are with all of you & your fur babies!!
Sorry I wasn't able to read this before I went out of town. Just got back. You certainly have been through a lot. I do hope the surgery is successful in that it got all of the cells! In the meantime, remember to eliminate all bad carbs. Sweet potatoes are good carbs, so those are OK.
I applaud you for reading through all the posts!! Your post is very encouraging. Keep us updated, please, OK? We can learn so much from one another.
I now microwave the sweet potatoes, slice lengthwise, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with Old Bay seasoning and cinnamon, and pop them on a cookie sheet and into the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Yum! the dogs love them. I have switched all my dogs over to sweet potato/mackerel/dark green veggie diet. Supplements include Standard Process Canine Whole Body Support, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp. ground ginger, 1 heaping tsp. ground flaxseed. Ratio is 25% fish, 25% sweet potato, 50% veggies. My dogs are 20-24 lbs, so now they get fed twice a day, 1 cup in the morning, 1 in the pm. I used to feed Wellness whitefish and sweet potato once a day but that has a small amount of grains even though it's called "grain free".
Over the years we've lost too many dogs to cancer. It doesn't take as much time or effort to switch to home made -- the sweet potatoes can be made ahead and frozen -- and the results are worth it. My senior arthritic dog is now playing with the others which he rarely used to do before, so I know I'm doing something right.
How's everyone else coming along? I think about all of you often, but only check in here when the thread pops up on my subscribed list which tells me there's a new post. I'm eager to hear that all of you are having some measure of success that gives you hope!
It is with sadness that I share that I have lost my Billy. On 5/9/15 we had to put him to sleep. Starting Monday of that week he started not wanting to eat all that much and wanting to sleep more and more, then mid week the throwing up started. Blood tests showed kidney failure, we tried fluids and anti nausea meds but he was not having it. The next step would of been flushing his system full of fluids but he was starting to become anemic, so not a good option. It was by far the hardest decision I have ever made and I miss him tremendously, he was a great companion, friend, best of pups. He made it to 18/19(not quite sure) and we tried our best to give him a great life. Even with his tumor vets always said he looked great for his age, my mom says I kept him going. He has taken a piece of my heart.
It is with sadness that I share that I have lost my Billy. On 5/9/15 we had to put him to sleep. Starting Monday of that week he started not wanting to eat all that much and wanting to sleep more and more, then mid week the throwing up started. Blood tests showed kidney failure, we tried fluids and anti nausea meds but he was not having it. The next step would of been flushing his system full of fluids but he was starting to become anemic, so not a good option. It was by far the hardest decision I have ever made and I miss him tremendously, he was a great companion, friend, best of pups. He made it to 18/19(not quite sure) and we tried our best to give him a great life. Even with his tumor vets always said he looked great for his age, my mom says I kept him going. He has taken a piece of my heart.
I'm so sorry...
This is always so very sad to read. These posts are full of grief and sadness, yet full of love too. You did all you could and, yes, I do believe you kept him going, and he knew it too. It's not only in how we care for our furry friends, but also in how we let them go that we show our love. And, yes, a piece of our hearts always goes with each one.
An update on Lenny. We had the operation to remove the tumour (it was on his shoulder) 5 days ago. He seems to be in a lot of pain. He is and 11 year old excitable mongrel who just loves to be on long walks. He hasn't really slept since we brought him home (so not have we) - I don't know if I made the right decision but the tumour grew dramatically since my first post. Any advice or insight about how to help him or thoughts would be great
An update on Lenny. We had the operation to remove the tumour (it was on his shoulder) 5 days ago. He seems to be in a lot of pain. He is and 11 year old excitable mongrel who just loves to be on long walks. He hasn't really slept since we brought him home (so not have we) - I don't know if I made the right decision but the tumour grew dramatically since my first post. Any advice or insight about how to help him or thoughts would be great
You can support Lenny's recovery while following the vet's directions by giving Lenny the benefit of the best nutrition you can, making sure you are feeding low inflammation foods or better yet -- anti-inflammation foods. Diet is discussed at length in many of these posts. Feel free to ask specific questions if you have any.
I hope Lenny gets more comfortable as time passes, and has a speedy recovery. Do be sure to press the vet for medication to treat his pain especially during this initial post-operation period. Pain that is not relieved can cause a lot of stress, which is not good for anyone much less Lenny in his current condition.
Only a few weeks ago we lost our beloved Labrador Sammy to cancer and have now found out that our younger lab Harry has Spindle Cell Cancer. We have an appointment at the Vet University (where Sammy went on his last day to finally be diagnosed after weeks of different opinions - the best thing for him was to let him go to sleep under anaesthetic as it had spread) and the waiting is so stressful. It is low grade which is encouraging but I worry about the options we will be faced with and doing the right thing for Harry. He is 10 years old and although I know the chances of it spreading to internal organs is minimal, I am worried about him losing his leg and the effect this will have on his quality of life. Can anyone put my mind at rest who has been faced with different options? We are still grieving from losing Sammy and need to make the right decision. I'm sure we'll be guided but we have a week to wait. Thank you
Sammyharry -
Each new post along these lines is distressing. I don't know why there is so much cancer in our pets and in our human families. It is devastating. Of all the cancers that I'm familiar with, I'd say that Spindle Cell is perhaps more manageable and treatable. If surgery can get all the margins, it can be successful. I know you are still feeling the loss of Sammy, and now have to deal with cancer in Harry. My heart goes out to you.
Our lab was about when diagnosed, and the recommendation was to amputate the leg. The tumor was on his stifle. Considering his age, and his severe hip problems, we opted not to do that. After many consultations at the vet school and specialists in excellent private practice clinics, we were told he had about 6-7 months left if we did nothing. Wanting to make him as comfortable as possible for whatever time he had, we visited an excellent holistic vet and decided to put him on the program she designed. He was happy and pain free for 2 years. The tumor continued to grow but he managed to move around without any apparent difficulty, even with the extra weight on his leg. He was happy, and healthy, and pain free until toward the end when we needed to medicate him. There came a point we realized it was time. We had held on to him as long as we could, doing what was possible for him, and now we knew it was our last act of love to let him go.
He lived a little over 2 years after initial diagnosis and passed at 14 years of age. Not bad for a lab. We still miss him a great deal. He was one of the best.
You will have vets tell you that dogs adjust quite well on three legs, and do just fine. I have seen three-legged dogs run and jump and play. They do seem to adjust. If you opt for amputation, do get a full understanding of the recovery period, what is involved, what it will mean for you and for Harry. If he doesn't have hip dysplasia (ours was severe) you may want to consider it, given his age.
Whichever way you go, please remember one of the lessons our vet taught us: Carbohydrates feed cancer cells, protein starves them. That does not mean you need to go overboard on protein, just have the proper percentage in Harry's diet and eliminate grains and bad carbs. We switched to an excellent carb -- microwaved sweet potato -- and mackerel (canned)
with dark green vegetables (such as kale, collards, spinach, green beans), along with vitamin support, immune system support, and some eastern herbal supplements to slow the cancer's growth. Our program is outlined in some of these posts. What we did worked for us, and we do not regret the road we chose. You may choose to do things differently. If you have accecss to holistic vet medicine, and opt to have the surgery, the holistic support may do wonders for Harry to get him back on the road to good health and activity levels.
Please ask if you have any more questions. Many others have been where you are and have good suggestions to share.
I wish you much success, and may Harry have more good years to enjoy with you.
Let us know what you decide to do, and how it's going for you.
Thank you so much for your advice which is really informative and comforting. Harry has been through it the last few months, he had a close call after eating a sock (he pinched it out of the washing basket - yes at his age) and had to have a major operation, losing his brother really affected him, then he had a really bad turn with arthritis and is now on Metacam. Bearing all this in mind and your advice (and the vets next week) we will really consider our options carefully. He is now on a new diet designed for him(I better check this now) and is taking herbal supplements for his joints. He has never been so well and has lost a weight which can only be a good thing. Thanks again and I'll let you know how we get on.
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Thank you southward bound!
By the time we noticed she couldn't walk & took her to emergency vet at 4am, surgery was only 50% chance recovery at $5k. We opted for home care & crate recover hopeful we could get her back to "normal". After 1 wk of daily releasing her bowels & bladder, she developed bed sores and we made dreadful decision to let her go. I cried every day for 7 weeks & still blame myself for not getting to the vet sooner. 
Your post is very encouraging. Keep us updated, please, OK? We can learn so much from one another.
Sad news
