We just took Gaby for her 3rd round of chemo (Carboplatin) and unfortunately she was not able to get it due to a low white blood count.  This is the 2nd time her blood count has been too low to give chemo.  After the first round we had to wait an extra week for her levels to get back up.  Oh, and right before we were getting ready to leave, she vomitted which she has not done in years.

The vet now wants to switch Gaby's chemo from Carboplatin to Doxorubicin.  I have not heard of this chemo before.  From all of the reading I have done on this site, I don't recall seeing it anywhere…unless I missed it.  Just from doing some quick research, it seems like this drug can effect her heart.

So, just wondering if anyone has any experience with this form of chemo? 

Thanks,

Joanie

Tai was put on Doxy for her chemo treatments. Yes there are some heart concerns but we used a supplement of CoQ10 and that supposedly helps – although some research suggests that the CoQ10 shouldn't be given while undergoing the Doxorubicin as it can reportedly decrease the effectiveness. That article recommended starting on CoQ10 AFTER the chemo to help repair the heart tissue. Tai didn't suffer many side effects at first although we did notice that the side effects became stronger with more doses. At most though she suffered from some very light nausea immediately after the treatment and lethargy for about 2-3 days after getting the Doxy. Here is an article I read on http://www.figh…..cancer.com (with credit to the author)…

Adriamycin (doxorubicin) Side Effects:

This drug has a cumulative effect on the heart.  If your dog receives too much of this drug over the course of treatment, they could develop heart problem.  As a result, only so much of this drug can be given to your dog in their lifetime.  The vet should monitor your dog’s heart throughout treatment to ensure that it is not causing any problems, and if your dog has any existing heart conditions, you may want to consider an alternate drug, such as Mitoxantrone.  In some cases, you may want to consider having an x-ray or ultrasound done prior to each Adriamycin treatment to confirm that there is no heart damage present.  Using a CoQ10 supplement may help reduce the cardiotoxicity of this drug.

Nausea or Vomiting
Diarrhea (usually occurs 2-5 days after administration)
Loss of appetite

My dog has had both doxyrubicin and carboplatin.  He had much worse side effects with doxorubicin — diarrhea, several days when he would not eat, and several days of being very tired.  He has had much less side effects with carboplatin — no diarrhea or appetite problems, but he did have a low white blood count (so far only one delayed treatment), and has had to be on antibiotics prophylactically for that.