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Post by linus69 on Mar 16, 2009 8:14:30 GMT -5
Never say never, at least when it comes to affairs of the heart. I always said, people who do chemo on dogs that have cancer are nuts.Then the cancer came to our door step again and I changed my mind, it came fast and hard and we decided to fight. Our beloved Shitsu Sam is 10yrs old and was never sick, he had a bladder infection 2 month ago where our old vet noticed two small lumps under his chin. We paid $150 for a test on the lumps which showed nothing.The vet said to keep an eye on them. He started to lose weight and didn`t look good so a few weeks later I brought him in again and the vet tells me he has only a week or so to live and should be put down. Said he had full blown Lymphoma and only very expensive chemo could maybe extend his life. I took him home and we cried over him and I called the vet to put him down and was not called back. my old vet was going on vacation and didn`t bother calling me back. I said a prayer that night and the next morning I was called by a very young Italian female vet named Jody(same name as my favorite Italian aunt, now deceased) who was filling in at the vets.She told me of a powerful drug called Elspar that could kill our dog but if not , would shrink his swollen nodes in 24hrs. She also told me that her own dog a 14yr old Airdale was diagnosed with the same Lymphoma as our Sam`s a few days before Sam was. She told me about a clinic 30miles away that was very affordable and dedicated, where both she and her husband also a young vet, worked. So we tried the Elspar injection, I had to stay for 1/2hr after the shot because it would kill him in 15mins if things went bad. But it worked and his very swollen nodes shrunk in 24hrs as she promised. So we are 6 weeks into his chemo treatment and he is doing well, so is my new vets Airdale.We had a few bad days after his second treatment which was two days later with the next drug in the treatment protocol, but I read about Noni Juice which has been used for thousands of years in the South Pacific, I got some and within 2hrs of his first dose it was like we put new batteries in him. He also gets Pet Tinic which is like a Geritol for dogs, it helps rebuild the blood which takes a beating from the chemo. He is putting on weight now, and eating, and looking like his old self. That Noni Juice apparently works as promised, my new husband /wife vet team are amazed at how good he looks for a dog on chemo and his lymph nodes can no longer be felt during exams. They were the size of walnuts the day we were gonna put him down. After mentioning the Noni Juice to my father, he told me of his friend who cured his inoperable lung cancer with Noni Juice more than 10yrs ago and is still doing fine. www.swansonvitamins.com/GE015/ItemDetail?n=4294967184www.amazon.com/Pet-Tinic-4-oz-by-Pfizer/dp/B00076HUAAPaul
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quikduk
CTW Life Member
Dog House
Posts: 552
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Post by quikduk on Mar 16, 2009 10:12:13 GMT -5
He looks so cuuuuuute!
Good to hear he is getting better. I file info like this away JIC.
Thanks.
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red
CTW Advanced Member
Posts: 306
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Post by red on Mar 16, 2009 18:55:45 GMT -5
Best News I heard all day! Fanastic! -Ed
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Post by linus69 on May 14, 2009 7:36:09 GMT -5
Our little guy had his second 2hr Doxorubicin IV administered treatment and he is now 1/2 way through his chemo protocol. He has had 8 of the sixteen treatments that will be administrated to fight his cancer. He looks great, his hair is growing back fast and silky feeling, however his once light gold parts are growing in auburn brown, and he has a brown section on his back that was not there before. He is quite the hit with the girls at the vet hospital, they have grown to love him and he is always happy to see them. He is now officially at the point where the treatments are every two weeks, but actually a lot of his treatments have been bi-weekly due to his blood counts and my vets cautious treatment. As with all chemo, it is a delicate chemical ballet to kill the cancer but not the patient. He is now 16lbs again, which is his old fighting weight, he has fleshed out nicely, no longer does his spine stick through his skin. He of course still gets 2tsps of Noni juice 3x per day and 1/4tsp of Pet Tinic 2x per day. He has never run a fever on the chemo and I have never had to use the antibiotics the vet gave me in case he ever got a fever or sick from the chemo. His nodes are undetectable and basically you would never know he was ill by looking at him. Basically it couldn`t be going any better than it is, we are happy, but most important he is very happy. I started a Google blog about it in March and now have people who ask me for advice for their dogs who have canine lymphoma. samshitsu.blogspot.com/Paul
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GuglioLS
Administrator
Jinma354 LE
Posts: 1,276
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Post by GuglioLS on May 15, 2009 0:28:00 GMT -5
Great news Paul,
We sure do love our four legged critters. I think Charlie is offering some healing powers of his own with his close companionship to Sam. What a heartwarming story and pics! Glad to hear the treatment is working out.
Larry
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Post by linus69 on May 16, 2009 10:13:50 GMT -5
Thanks Ed and Larry, we are very lucky as his treatment was started so late due to my old vet`s incompetence. I mean if you "Google" lumps under dogs chin it comes up canine lymphoma, Ray Charles could have seen what was killing our dog, but our old vet couldn`t figure it out. Besides being a poor vet she was robbing us blind, for example a urine test our Bichon needs every 6 months was $37 at our old vet, at the new vet it is $16 for the same test. With 4 dogs in the family it really adds up fast, the new place treats us like family and doesn`t fleece us.
Paul
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3RRL
Administrator
Huge Kama
Posts: 2,027
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Post by 3RRL on May 17, 2009 10:19:27 GMT -5
Amazing story Paul. Every once in a while our faith in the good Lord above pays off. Indeed He works in mysterious ways. When your old Vet was preparing for vacation and did not return your call, I'll bet that was the worst moment in your life. As it turns out, that neglect turned out to be the best thing. You met your new husband and wife Vets who no doubt saved Sam's life. That would never have happened if the old Vet had returned your call. Instead, you would've been writing a sad story about how you lost Sam. It just shows how important hope is, and how things end up working out with a little faith. It's just amazing to me how things like that happen. Good luck, Rob-
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Post by linus69 on May 18, 2009 21:06:14 GMT -5
Thanks Rob, you summed it up well, this whole experience has helped put my faith back in faith. That awful hopeless night I was like George Baily on the bridge with the snow falling in "It`s a Wonderful Life" I prayed for help like I never prayed before and I was definitely answered and helped, no doubt about it. I`m sure there is a higher power out there, and I`m pretty sure he loves dogs too. It reminds me of an old saying..." I know there are dogs in heaven, because it wouldn`t be heaven without dogs"
Paul
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Post by linus69 on Feb 16, 2010 6:00:24 GMT -5
At ten oclock PM on Valentines eve we had to take our beloved Sam Shitsu to be put down at a 24hr emergency vet hospital. His one year battle with lymphoma cancer had come to its final chapter, the excellent chemotherapy treatment our vets provided gave him an extra year of quality life. The vet only predicted he would last 6 months but our little man did twice what that vet predicted.He was a trooper to the end as they set the caffeter and taped it to Sams leg. I cradled him in my arms and told him how much I loved him as the final injection was given to my little man and I felt the life slip from his small body. He was only a little dog but he managed to carry off a large chunk of my heart with him when he left. Good Night Sweet Prince.
Paul
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PJ
CTW Expert
Posts: 176
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Post by PJ on Feb 16, 2010 7:46:27 GMT -5
The wife and I watch a TV program where this animal control organization finds abused animals and prosecutes the owners. It's appalling to us that some people are so abusive to their, (so called), pets. I know it sounds strange to some that some of us treat our pets like one of the family and go to the extreams some times to keep them healthy. We've had our cat since she was three weeks old and now she's 5. She got real sick and wouldn't eat. After taking her to the vet, we found out that if she didn't get an operation to remove a blockage in her intestines, she would die with in a week. She's family, strange to some, but that's how it is! $1500.00 later, she has recovered from surgery and is excellant health. I give prase to all who love animals and do what's necessary, with in their means, to protect them. Miss Prim,
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Post by bracabric on Feb 16, 2010 8:43:24 GMT -5
Paul, so very sorry to hear of your loss, still at least he's not suffering and is at peace as I hope you will be soon. PJ, I totally agree with what you say, I have never understood people being cruel to animals, my Father was a Farmer in Oxfordshire in England and he had a rule which was, The animals are fed before the humans as we can organize things for ourselves and when penned, they cannot!
We have a very old toy poodle at home (Pimienta) who costs a fortune at the Vets but is worth every penny and more, and two Terrier type mongrels at the Farm (Patchy and Blanca) who never seem to need anything but love. God bless all animal lovers, Dick
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Post by studor on Feb 16, 2010 11:24:30 GMT -5
So sorry for your loss Paul -it is tough to hold a friend like that at the end but I think there is probably not a better way to go.
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Post by Rich Waugh on Feb 16, 2010 21:13:29 GMT -5
"I have never understood people being cruel to animals, ..."
The two things that will always bring me to swift and violent acts of retribution are cruelty to animals and cruelty to the mentally or physically disabled. In thirty years of law enforcement work the only times I have ever exceeded the bounds of "reasonable force" were for those two offenses. My idea of reasonable and society's idea of reasonable seem to diverge a bit under those circumstances, it seems, but I have never felt that my acts were excessive. If I hadn't had to consider the possibility of losing my job/freedom, I surely would have taken things even further than I did. Acts of cruelty to animals or the disadvantaged are sub-human in my view and deserve whatever they get.
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PJ
CTW Expert
Posts: 176
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Post by PJ on Feb 17, 2010 7:32:33 GMT -5
Acts of cruelty to animals or the disadvantaged are sub-human in my view and deserve whatever they get. 100% and it's a shame that the so called do-gooders of this world have tied law enforcements hands in this "politically correct" environment to the point of being ridicules. When in the hell are we going to stop being so politically correct and stop kissing the do gooders butts and slap these jerks in jail with stiff fines to boot! Oh, I better stop, there I go again. Believe it or not, I'm being kind in the use of my wording. OK, I'm done.
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Post by linus69 on Feb 17, 2010 15:29:28 GMT -5
Thankyou all for your kind words, I`m having a rough time with this. I was putting a roast chicken in the shopping cart last night for Sam without thinking, it was a real bad moment when reality caught up to me again.
Paul
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