Louie the Neapolitan Mastiff

Today I spoke with Louies vet to tell him, after 2 treatments,that I have decided to stop Louies chemo. He is so miserable, weak, no appetite, vomiting, withdrawn after he gets a treatment and prior to that he is so upbeat, happy,full of energy,playful, and just loving life. I know this will probably effect the amount of time he has left, but I want his time (how ever long that may be) to be quality time and for him to enjoy each and every minute! My vet actually said that he whole heartedly agreed with my decision so that made me feel better about it. We are going to give him a osteo supplement and a omega supplement that he said has some really great data on it and he is on his K9 immunity as well. So wish us luck on the rest of our journey! I pray we beat the odds and Louie lives another 10 years, but if that is not to be I only pray that he enjoys every second and lives his life to the fullest.

Sue and “big Lou”

At 5 o’clock this morning poor Louie vomited all his dinner. He has been on his anti nausea medication for the last 3 days. I guess it’s not helping this time. This was 3 days after his 2nd chemo treatment. 2 days after his first chemo he had 2 episodes of a very small amount of vomiting  but this time it was a lot. He vomited 3 more times today. He wants nothing to eat not even his boars head cold cuts which he ate after his last chemo when he lost his appetite. I managed to get his anti nausea pills in him but he vomited them up this morning. So far he is keeping the evening dose down. I gave them to him about an hour ago. My poor boy looks like he was hit by a truck and I am sure he feels like it too. I have massaged his back and neck and legs. I let him out to lay in the sun this afternoon and I have warmed up his comforter (that covers his dog bed) in the dryer so it’s nice and warm and comfy for him. I hate to see him feeling so yucky especially when he was better then ever right up to the day of his chemo treatment. I will be discussing things with his vet on Wednesday. I am seriously thinking of discontinuing his chemo and just letting him enjoy whatever time he has left. I will see how soon he bounces back from this or if there is any stronger anti nausea med we can give or maybe reduce his chemo dose so the side effects are not so severe. Anyway here’s hoping my boy bounces back in the next day or two! Hoping everyone else is feeling good!

Sue and Big Lou

Yesterday Louie had his 2nd chemo. All this time I was thinking he was getting carboplatin and yesterday I was told he is getting adriamycin. I have read that this particular drug has the most side effects and is devastating if accidentally given into tissue (such as if the IV loosens or moves during administration) and now I find myself questioning this whole chemo thing again. 🙁      I also read that it is toxic to the heart muscle and that is why it can only be given in so many doses and if any dog has cardiomyopathy they can’t have it. Also it can cause cardiomyopathy or heart failure any time during treatment. UGH! Why are there so many decisions to make. My vet assures me that I can stop if there are any adverse symptoms but that he is doing well. Today Lou’s appetite is off. Last time he ate until about 3 days after chemo. But he got right into the car and marched so brave into the vet. But he would not go to the back unless I came with him 🙂 So I stayed while they prepared his leg for the IV and then snuck out when he was comfortable and lying down ( I know he saw me because he jumped up and tried to follow) I have such mixed emotions all the time. So many questions….am I doing the right thing? Did I do the right thing? Should I continue chemo? Should I let him have that 2nd donut 🙂    UGH So here we are3 months post osteosarcoma diagnosis, and 2 month post amputation, and past our 2nd chemo and still chugging along. Also we never got a positive diagnosis on the biopsy as the vet feels they just didn’t get a good enough sample to send. It came back as bone changes but no signs of cancer. The vet feels from the X-rays it could only be osteosarcoma or infection and definitely no signs of infection. So  now I find myself saying maybe he didn’t have bone cancer…..maybe, just maybe ….but the bump on his leg doubled in size in 2 weeks 🙁  This is such a hard road to travel I am sorry we are all traveling this rough road but I am so grateful for the company. Good luck to all my fellow travelers and Louie sends his love to all!!

Here is a picture of the day I brought Louie home 🙂 He was so darn cute!!!!

Sue and the “Big Lou”

Well we did it! We have reached the 2 month mark! I think the last 3 days have been the most wonderful yet! Louie has been more like his old self then ever and the impish fun loving spark is back in his eyes! That being said, he gets his 2nd chemo treatment this Thursday so I know we will have a couple of quiet, slightly rough days ahead. For now I am enjoying  my time with Louie knowing he is finally pain free and having some really good days! 🙂  

Such wet weather around here and nothing really to post about. Louie is feeling terrific and looking terrific! He is eating every meal and then some! He even managed to get under the kitchen table to lie in his favorite spot which he hasn’t done since the amputation 🙂 Everytime I came home from an errand today he was waiting at the door for me. I can’t think of anything he isn’t doing now that he didn’t do before the amputation except go for a walk. He doesn’t really seem to have a lot of stamina to walk for long periods or o walk far so I haven’t tried. I might try taking him across the street for a quick walk next week when the weather clears and see how he does although I am afraid of his big bulky body hopping on the hard pavement and the damage it might do to his legs. I guess I can try and see how he feels about it although he still lies down in the yard frequently to rest after standing too long or walking too much. Maybe it’s too soon yet.