Hi
I wrote a month or so back about Cherry, who's 13, having an enlarged spleen.
Well, we decided to let her have a GA so that the vets could take some biopsies from her bone marrow and spleen.
We have had the results, and she has lymphoblastic leukemia.
This was all picked up by accident, as she is actually very well, active and happy for a 13 year old!
She recovered from the GA completely after a couple of hours...and we had been scared about that.

So...what to do now?

we spent an hour by referral, with an oncologist at a vet hospital 40 miles away yesterday, who took some more blood, to see how quickly the disease has progressed in the last month.

He is calling us with the results in a few days, with a view to treating with CHOP chemo, steroids alone, or "comfort care", which is letting the thing run its course until she is uncomfortable, then PTS.

We don't know what to do really..she's happy and "normal" at the moment...but we know that this won't last long if we don't do anything.
Isn't it a pity they can't tell us what to do for them?
We been assured that chemo won't make her feel ill.....but I spend all my time NOT giving my dogs (or us!!) toxic stuff, prefering homeopathy etc....and now we are faced with this!

My husband, quite rightly, has pointed out that she has outlived, in years , any of our previous cavaliers....and is it fair to extend her life for a few months or longer, only to die of the disease when the drugs stop working?

On the other hand, we can't take her to be PTS when she's still bouncing round the garden with the young dogs, chasing a ball, can we!!!

I still may get a referral to Chris Day, just to keep her comfortable with homeopathy, until it's "her" time.

Anyone else been in this situation?

Sami

oh you poor thing and poor cherry - things like that make me so sad.
this happened to my cavalier when i was much younger, she developed cancer at about 13 yrs and my parents made the decision not to treat until she was obviously suffering - she, like cherry was very happy and active in every other way. when the time came they had her pts.
i think i would do the same, rather than risk adding to the suffering with treatment but obviously it is entirely down to the owner.
my thoughts are with you whatever you decide to do.
best of luck to you and cherry.

Oh, how sad for you all. :(
When my old lab had liver cancer we went for the 'comfort care' option rather than put her through the stress and added discomfort of medical treatment, but of course every case and every situation is different.
Good luck whatever you decide to do.

Hiya
Im so sorry to hear about Cherry.
Im wondering what i would of done if i had my time over.... Charlie my staffie has Lypphoma. He's been on chemo tablets and steroids. I think in the early days these tablets knocked him for six. Now he's faced with liver damage but again he's happy and yesterday he was very playful! Almost like a puppy!
I dont know how long Cherry would survive with comfort care, i guess at the end of the day its your decision.
I'll be thinking of you

Donna and Charliex

Thanks for the replies.....

We are still waiting for the oncologist to call with the updated blood results, but have decided to get the referral to Chris Day anyway.

Thank goodness for Pet Plan! ( At least the cost of all this isn't a factor in whatever we decide to do eventually!!) The cost of one visit to the oncologist was £164. So far all the tests have come to around £700.

Our dogs are lucky, aren't they.....no waiting in a NHS queue!

Sami