My schnauzer with lymphoma cancer

[palehorse]

Hello,

You folks might have noticed on the front page of this site, a cute little miniature schnauzer named Bitsy. This is my little baby I have had since a puppy. Pretty much the best behaved, intelligent pets I have ever owned.

Bitsy is 10 years old, and has been my best friend and constant companion. She has had trouble in the past with fat lumps that sort of looked like cysts but were not.

One day I noticed lumps appearing on her face. They grew alarmingly fast, much faster then the previous lumps I have seen on her.

We took her to the Veterinarian immediately and he determined it was a swollen lymph node. First thing the Veterinarian did was take a blood sample, then a sample from the lump. When the results came back our hearts sank when he told us it was positive for lymphoma cancer... The big C...

Living in panama city Florida, the nearest place that was qualified to properly diagnose and recommend treatment was the small animal clinic in Auburn AL. So we immediately took her there. After the initial examination we were given three choices:

• The L-COP protocol
• modified Wisconsin
• Chemotherapy with serial half-body radiation

They each have pros and cons. Overall response rates and median survival times are similar: About one year with treatment.

The first one the L-COP protocol is relatively inexpensive and easy to administer. There are only a few drugs involved, so incidence of side effects are low. This drug combination as a solitary therapy has a bit lower remission rate (70-80%) and shorter median survival time (6-8 months) then the modified Wisconsin protocol, or the half body radiation.

Also the first one makes it harder for any "rescue" therapy to work due to tolerances.

The second one, the modified Wisconsin is a bit more complicated, using the 5 most effective drugs against lymphoma in a cyclic fashion, which also makes it more expensive. It has a very high remission rate (>90%) and the length of the first remission is longer then the protocols that use fewer drugs. Survival time is still around one year though.

The half body radiation has virtually the SAME survival and remission rate, but only takes about half the time to administer. The downside is you need to be near a place with the radiation equipment (hard to find) and is more expensive.

We opted for the modified Wisconsin. They found a Veterinarian in my area qualified to administer the drugs, so we were able to return home.

A few important notes about Chemotherapy in dogs.

There is virtually no side effects. Pets do NOT suffer from chemotherapy like humans do. Why? because the goal of the therapy is to cause remission for a year, whereas in humans the goal is typically 10+ years. So scaled to comparison, the dosage is MUCH smaller then a human gets, thus less side effects.

We are on week three of chemo for Bitsy. She has suffered no ill side effects, still plays barks and enjoys life as usual. She DID get a cyst on her back, but antibiotics cured that right away.

For those of you saying "I won't put my dog through the suffering of chemotherapy" you are dead WRONG. Bitsy is NOT suffering, and I am thankful I did this for her. She is happy, and now I get to have her around a lot longer then I would have without it.

Doing nothing, in the Veterinarian's opinion, she would not have lived but maybe another month at best.

I hope Bitsy's story helps you make up your mind about lymphoma cancer treatment. It is not a hardship to the pet. No hair loss, no appetite loss, it's all good so far. Don't let your pet suffer and die if there is anything you can do about it.

[ShnauzerLover]

There is virtually no side effects. Pets do NOT suffer from chemotherapy like humans do. Why? because the goal of the therapy is to cause remission for a year, whereas in humans the goal is typically 10+ years.

I agree. I knew someone a while back that sent their pet through this and it was worth it.

I would like to suggest that EVERYONE get pet health insurance. It is true that health care for animals are not very expensive compared to humans, BUT it can be hard on the pocketbook anyway.

Best of luck to you and "Bitsy" she looks like a very nice schnauzer. I have owned several in the past and they are a really great breed!

[palehorse]

Originally Posted by ShnauzerLover

I would like to suggest that EVERYONE get pet health insurance.

I couldn't agree more! And welcome to Pet Health Forums!

I only wish I had pet health insurance back when Bitsy was a puppy... A little late now for her, but not for you folks.

A word to the wise GET PET HEALTH INSURANCE

And no... We don't sell it...

Thanks for pointing that out!

[Betty428]

Pet health insurance sounds like a real good plan, until I read this thread that had not even occured to me....

[palehorse]

Here's an update.

She is doing much better, she is over the worst part of the chemo, today she is in for another all day treatment, but not a harsh one, not like the lst one.

A couple of weeks ago she had her harshest treatment with no ill effects, except some very minor hair loss.



Looks like my old friend is gonna pull through this! I will post a fresh picture of her later.

[palehorse]

Well the hair loss has stopped and her energy level is back up to normal.

Blood test now cannot detect the cancer, so she is pretty much in remission with about 5 months to go in treatment. Perhaps she is cured? Too much to hope for? We shall see I guess.

[bitterrootbullies]

Originally Posted by palehorse

Well the hair loss has stopped and her energy level is back up to normal.

Blood test now cannot detect the cancer, so she is pretty much in remission with about 5 months to go in treatment. Perhaps she is cured? Too much to hope for? We shall see I guess.

Congrats! I hope the remission lasts for a long time!
I still haven't figured out what's wrong with Sam, lymphoma is still a possibility so I'm very glad to hear about your success!
amanda samantha sydney murphy foster and kipling

[palehorse]

Well, I have some bad news. Bitsy has relapsed for some reason... The lympth glands are swelling and she is getting lethargic. The Veterinarian is increasing the chemo doseage. Hopefully we can get it under control again.

[bitterrootbullies]

Originally Posted by palehorse

Well, I have some bad news. Bitsy has relapsed for some reason... The lympth glands are swelling and she is getting lethargic. The Veterinarian is increasing the chemo doseage. Hopefully we can get it under control again.

I'm so sorry to hear this!

We just got the confirmation yesterday that Samantha has lymphoma as well.
We started the prednisone last night and she gets her first dose of vincristine today and the cytoxin will start later this week if she tolerates the vincristine.
I'm not quite sure yet how we are going to confirm if/when she goes into remission. We could only see the cancer on ultrasound, lots of masses in her spleen, blood tests never showed it and she has no external signs at this point that we can find on physical exam. I guess I can only watch her and see what she tells me.

How long was Bitsy better?
What chemo protocol are you using?
amanda

[palehorse]

Originally Posted by bitterrootbullies

How long was Bitsy better?
What chemo protocol are you using?
amanda

Almost immediately after treatment started she got better. We are using the "Modified Wisconsin" protocol. Even though she's not doing good right now, all of my research led me to believe this is the most effective treatment possible.

Now, in Bitsy's case we became aware of her cancer because the lymph nodes got very swollen. BUT in your case with Samantha, you could not see the glands swollen correct? This means you have caught it MUCH sooner then I did.

I was able to get her to eat today. I had to get some "moist and meaty" because she doesn't have the energy to crunch the dry food, and switching to canned food is too radical a diet shift. Moist and Meaty is like a cross between canned and dry food. Plus it is the same company and the same flavor, so switching to this was not a negative thing. The only way I can get her to eat is by hand feeding it to her...

I would recommend if Samantha is eating dry food to start getting her used to canned or a "moist and meaty" type food. This way if she ever gets real weak like Bitsy she will still be able to eat.

We have not given up the battle. My Veterinarian called the Veterinarian in Auburn University today, and if I can get her strength back up there is a "rescue" treatment which I intend to give her.

I think you might have better luck then I have because YOU had far earlier warning then I did, and catching it early is a real big deal with cancer.