Lymphoma

[coopersmum]

I'm sure he's gorgeous

[aliceandlouis]

There are lots of different chemo protocols used for lymphoma and overall it is one of the most "treatable" cancers in pets, although not curable. You're right, chemo does cost a pretty penny and it can really empty one's pocket. Our vet has been great and has given my folks a huge discount and allowed them to pay it off,without him Jess wouldn't be around. You are right though, their love and loyalty cannot be measured monetarily and so we can never begrudge that which we spend on them to better and prolong their lives. I think Danny was lucky to have been loved and cared for so much right to the very end. 

Our first cocker  had lymphoma    Because he was quite old at the time of diagnosis (11) and was functionally blind as a result of PRA, we decided not to go down the IV route of chemo for 'cure' and opted instead for oral chemo plus steroids to manage the disease and his symptoms.  Like Danny our Harvey had about further year of really good quality life before declining in the last day or so. The cost of chemo for that period was less than £20 (Twenty) - in fact there were some tablets left in the bottle after he had been put to sleep that I had to return to the pharmacy for disposal.  Now I know that there are different types of lymphoma and depending on the specific type various chemotherapeutic agents are required, and I know some of them are really expensive - but I just wanted to say that Chemotherapy need not always be the expense we fear 

[coopersmum]

You're right AliceandLouis It isn't always frighteningly expensive, I think the doxorubicin is one of the more costly ones, but there are protocols that are very reasonable and highly effective too Like you say, I think it depends on the staging of the lymphoma and whether it is a T or B cell as to which is the most effective treatment. Sorry your baby had lymphoma , its a horrid disease:( 

[aliceandlouis]

Yes - the agent in Harvey's case was cyclophosphamide - early type of chemo, but it seemed to work very effectively for our old boy who was a much loved and cherished part of the family.  The newer agents are indeed much more costly  .  My OH is a Haematologist and uses chemo in his daily work, so he and the vet had long discussions about the protocol for Harvey and all the technical stuff about the staging and typing of the Lymphoma, all of which was/is way over my head  - I was simply the crazy woman who used to chop the pills in half with a pill cutter (whilst carefully clad in rubber gloves), tuck the medication inside a lump of cheese and feed it to our very special 'patient'  (see avatar for picture of 'himself')

[Archie bean]

This is fascinating. I lost my first cocker to lymphoma when he was just 6 years old. He lived for 6 weeks after diagnosis. I wasn't even offered the option of chemo. The vet just said there was nothing that could be done and put him on prednisone. This was 18 years ago now so maybe treatments have improved. I hope so, I'm suddenly feeling like my boy didn't get given the best chance 

[coopersmum]

Aliceandlouis, the pill cutter/feeder is the most important part of the equation From what I know, cyclophosphamide is still a common choice for lymphoma. I think they combine it with vincristine and pred these days (oncology was a while ago) and it is a much cheaper option. Our vet had the doxorubicin there and he just told my folks that he thought it was the best drug he had available and not to worry bout the costs, they could be sorted out later (he's a special vet). I think with the staging it is a case of a or b (a meaning they're not sick and b meaning they are) then the staging is just based on whether its spread.

Archiebean, I'm so sorry you lost your boy so early. I don't know if chemo was offered to dogs then. I think things have come a long way since then...

[coopersmum]

Sorry I meant the typing is whether its a T cell or B cell and the staging is a or b and whether its spread

[aliceandlouis]

This is fascinating. I lost my first cocker to lymphoma when he was just 6 years old. He lived for 6 weeks after diagnosis. I wasn't even offered the option of chemo. The vet just said there was nothing that could be done and put him on prednisone. This was 18 years ago now so maybe treatments have improved. I hope so, I'm suddenly feeling like my boy didn't get given the best chance 

So sorry to hear about your boy    We were given the option of no treatment, with a prognosis similar to the one your boy experienced.  As Coopersmum says, giving chemo to dogs 18 years ago was not a common practice in contrast to today, so I am sure your boy was given the best recognised treatment of the time - things do move on in an alarming fashion and it must be heartbreaking to read of things that are now being done that could have helped your boy back then

[JohnK]

When we first heard Danny had Lymphoma, we were told he had 6 weeks without chemo and that particular vet did not recommend it and having seen humans suffer with it I didn't want him to have it. However, my daughter's friend is a vet nurse and said you must give him a chance, so we went to see our regular vet who was all for it. He lived a very normal life for 12 months and didn't suffer.