Comments on: Predicting Chemotherapy Reactions in Dogs: MDR 1 http://www.dogcancerblog.com/predicting-chemotherapy-reactions-in-dogs-mdr-1/ Dr. Demian Dressler, DVM, the dog cancer vet blogs about canine cancer Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:46:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: paula and jack http://www.dogcancerblog.com/predicting-chemotherapy-reactions-in-dogs-mdr-1/comment-page-1/#comment-3058 paula and jack Wed, 14 Jul 2010 04:27:16 +0000 http://www.dogcancerblog.com/?p=39#comment-3058 i wish i had read this also before putting my dog jack on it. he first had a bleeding ulcer from 20mg 2x a day of prednisone and tetracycline that his vet put him on when i took him in because his glands under his neck were a little swollen. the blood test showed his hgt was 17, i think. he said he had hemolytic anemia or maybe cancer. he got weaker each day on the prednisone and his hgt was 8.9 a week later,at another vet, because the first one wouldn't call me back and i had called during business hours. that vet didn't take emergency calls or give blood, so i had to take him an hour and a half away at night to an emer. clinic. they didn't know what caused it either and said i should get an ultrasound done. this pace didn't know what it was and suggested i take him to va. tech, where he had gone 21/2 years ago. his blood went back to 17 or so. the first time he went there, his alt,alk levels were high and his liver was enlarged with spots,fever of 105, and supposedly his gall bladder was sluggish. no cancer. they gave him antibiotics,ursodiol. i read a high protein diet can cause big problems and his levels were fine for all that time on a low protein diet. then he was so bony and had muscle wasting, age 141/2, i started giving him more protein, chicken, neck bones, and he seemed ok. a couple months later i noticed he couldn't get comfortable on either side of his body when laying down. i thought his hips were bothering him cause they were so bony. i forgot about his liver and the high protein. then his glands happened soon after that. so anyway, at va tech they caught the prednisone connection, did needle biopsies of liver and shoulder glands. no cancer in liver found, but lymphoma in glands and probably blood. lungs, heart clear. they said only option was chemo, didn't mention testing first. it made him deathly sick for several days. they had given him the first dose, vincristine,l asparaganase, there, a fri. evening with cerenia. i took him home sat. with no cerenia. sat. evening it had worn off and they didn't give me any to take home. i was so mad. he was so sick and nothing was open til mon. he had the black stools also. he had no appetite and felt bad for days on the next three weeks of chemo, even with cerenia. two weeks after doxorubicin, his glands were BIGGER. and he was weaker and had not much appetite. each time black stools. my vet gave him lixotinic to build up his blood. then said i needed to go somewhere to get him blood. took him back to va. tech and couldn't find a blood match and said he had kidney failure. they flushed him out , but he never got his appetite back and felt worse the next week. i finally called around to find someone to match him up at the end of that week after coming home. blood was 12. something. he had hallucinations or seizures that kept getting worse and i had to put him to sleep. this all happened in two months. i just so wish i hadn't given him prednisone, i had read it was bad. i should have said, shouldn't i try to get him a blood transfusion. and put him back on a low protein diet and maybe the clavamox and baytril again and see what happens. if only i had been more intelligent and skeptical of him. knowing that most vets don't even mention that high protein diets can kill a dog. i know of a couple, but one was five hours away, a friend had told me her daughters dog had the same thing. and the other was nearby, but she is very expensive and not very personable. or, if the vet at va. tech had known about testing before chemo, my beautiful, precious boy wouldn't have went through hell for two months and be dead and i would still have him. sorry but i am sick and in shock, and will never forgive myself for being so stupid. even though i looked up a lot on the internet, i evidently didn't read enough. i loved him so much and never thought we'd part so soon and in such a horrible way. be very wary of vets, they can kill your pet in a second ! i wish i had read this also before putting my dog jack on it. he first had a bleeding ulcer from 20mg 2x a day of prednisone and tetracycline that his vet put him on when i took him in because his glands under his neck were a little swollen. the blood test showed his hgt was 17, i think. he said he had hemolytic anemia or maybe cancer. he got weaker each day on the prednisone and his hgt was 8.9 a week later,at another vet, because the first one wouldn’t call me back and i had called during business hours. that vet didn’t take emergency calls or give blood, so i had to take him an hour and a half away at night to an emer. clinic. they didn’t know what caused it either and said i should get an ultrasound done. this pace didn’t know what it was and suggested i take him to va. tech, where he had gone 21/2 years ago. his blood went back to 17 or so. the first time he went there, his alt,alk levels were high and his liver was enlarged with spots,fever of 105, and supposedly his gall bladder was sluggish. no cancer. they gave him antibiotics,ursodiol. i read a high protein diet can cause big problems and his levels were fine for all that time on a low protein diet. then he was so bony and had muscle wasting, age 141/2, i started giving him more protein, chicken, neck bones, and he seemed ok. a couple months later i noticed he couldn’t get comfortable on either side of his body when laying down. i thought his hips were bothering him cause they were so bony. i forgot about his liver and the high protein. then his glands happened soon after that. so anyway, at va tech they caught the prednisone connection, did needle biopsies of liver and shoulder glands. no cancer in liver found, but lymphoma in glands and probably blood. lungs, heart clear. they said only option was chemo, didn’t mention testing first. it made him deathly sick for several days. they had given him the first dose, vincristine,l asparaganase, there, a fri. evening with cerenia. i took him home sat. with no cerenia. sat. evening it had worn off and they didn’t give me any to take home. i was so mad. he was so sick and nothing was open til mon. he had the black stools also. he had no appetite and felt bad for days on the next three weeks of chemo, even with cerenia. two weeks after doxorubicin, his glands were BIGGER. and he was weaker and had not much appetite. each time black stools. my vet gave him lixotinic to build up his blood. then said i needed to go somewhere to get him blood. took him back to va. tech and couldn’t find a blood match and said he had kidney failure. they flushed him out , but he never got his appetite back and felt worse the next week. i finally called around to find someone to match him up at the end of that week after coming home. blood was 12. something. he had hallucinations or seizures that kept getting worse and i had to put him to sleep. this all happened in two months. i just so wish i hadn’t given him prednisone, i had read it was bad. i should have said, shouldn’t i try to get him a blood transfusion. and put him back on a low protein diet and maybe the clavamox and baytril again and see what happens. if only i had been more intelligent and skeptical of him. knowing that most vets don’t even mention that high protein diets can kill a dog. i know of a couple, but one was five hours away, a friend had told me her daughters dog had the same thing. and the other was nearby, but she is very expensive and not very personable. or, if the vet at va. tech had known about testing before chemo, my beautiful, precious boy wouldn’t have went through hell for two months and be dead and i would still have him. sorry but i am sick and in shock, and will never forgive myself for being so stupid. even though i looked up a lot on the internet, i evidently didn’t read enough. i loved him so much and never thought we’d part so soon and in such a horrible way. be very wary of vets, they can kill your pet in a second !

]]> By: Dr. Dressler http://www.dogcancerblog.com/predicting-chemotherapy-reactions-in-dogs-mdr-1/comment-page-1/#comment-2232 Dr. Dressler Sat, 23 Jan 2010 09:14:19 +0000 http://www.dogcancerblog.com/?p=39#comment-2232 Dear Kris, I understand your concern. You will need to consider your case uniquely if it comes up. There are so many different outcomes and possibilities that it is easy to get lost. Generally, lower doses of the drugs that are on the list would be used, with extra careful follow up. Best, Dr D Dear Kris,
I understand your concern. You will need to consider your case uniquely if it comes up. There are so many different outcomes and possibilities that it is easy to get lost. Generally, lower doses of the drugs that are on the list would be used, with extra careful follow up.
Best,
Dr D

]]> By: Kris http://www.dogcancerblog.com/predicting-chemotherapy-reactions-in-dogs-mdr-1/comment-page-1/#comment-2184 Kris Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:41:04 +0000 http://www.dogcancerblog.com/?p=39#comment-2184 Hello! Being the owner of an affected dog I know this dangerous mutation too well. I also know several lists showing dangerous drugs. But what I really want to know is, what can be done, if my dog will get cancer? What chance do I have to get him through a chemotherapy without toxicities or even being dead? Kind regards, Kris Hello!

Being the owner of an affected dog I know this dangerous mutation too well. I also know several lists showing dangerous drugs. But what I really want to know is, what can be done, if my dog will get cancer? What chance do I have to get him through a chemotherapy without toxicities or even being dead?

Kind regards,
Kris

]]> By: Dr. Dressler http://www.dogcancerblog.com/predicting-chemotherapy-reactions-in-dogs-mdr-1/comment-page-1/#comment-710 Dr. Dressler Sun, 08 Mar 2009 02:34:17 +0000 http://www.dogcancerblog.com/?p=39#comment-710 Lisa, you are not alone in your opinion! Best, Dr D Lisa,
you are not alone in your opinion!
Best,
Dr D

]]> By: LisaT http://www.dogcancerblog.com/predicting-chemotherapy-reactions-in-dogs-mdr-1/comment-page-1/#comment-657 LisaT Sun, 01 Mar 2009 06:29:13 +0000 http://www.dogcancerblog.com/?p=39#comment-657 Thank you for including this in your blog. I have a mixed breed dog that is a "half" mutant and I am surprised that of all the owners that I have met whose dogs have gone through chemotherapy, not one had heard of this. It seems to me, particularly in susceptible breeds, this should be tested for before starting chemo. Thank you for including this in your blog. I have a mixed breed dog that is a “half” mutant and I am surprised that of all the owners that I have met whose dogs have gone through chemotherapy, not one had heard of this. It seems to me, particularly in susceptible breeds, this should be tested for before starting chemo.

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