Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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We haven't started chemo yet. Charlie will probably start next week.
On our 'estimate' the oncologist has a 17 chem panel done the day of chemo appointment and then a CBC a week later.
Is this a pretty typical plan? just seems like a lot of bloodwork
The Carboplatin can be pretty hard on neutrophils and white blood cells, so they monitor them closely. Casey had a 10-day old comprehensive panel run before his surgery. We did a CBC two weeks after his second, third and fourth chemo treatments. I understand the Neutrophils bottom out on day 14 after chemo, so that's why Casey was tested at two week intervals. He never missed a treatment, but one was sort of close.
tlahaye said
The Carboplatin can be pretty hard on neutrophils and white blood cells, so they monitor them closely. Casey had a 10-day old comprehensive panel run before his surgery. We did a CBC two weeks after his second, third and fourth chemo treatments. I understand the Neutrophils bottom out on day 14 after chemo, so that's why Casey was tested at two week intervals. He never missed a treatment, but one was sort of close.
Did you do any bloodwork on the day of chemo also? The way I am reading the estimate is they want to do bloodwork twice in 2 weeks.
I can see the point of doing it 2 weeks after chemo if that is the time frame they bottom out.
sometimes it seems they just want to run more bloodworks just to make more money...
Eurydice had a full panel of blood tests done before each chemo session but I can't remember everything they were checking specifically rather than the obvious white blood cell count.
Her oncologist explained they needed to check everything before chemo as, if things were not as expected, they might have to adapt the dosage or postpone the session.
Just as tlahaye, Eurydice was close to have to postpone one of the sessions once, as white blood cells were almost in the limit that would require that to happen.
🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
My Dobe Nitro had 6 doses of Carboplatin, and I know at a minimum he had a CBC done the day of chemo....if his WBC'S had been too low, the chemo was cancelled. My vet is only 15 min away however, so no big deal if we had to postpone the treatment a week (which did happen midway thru the treatment plan; from then on, we just did the chemo every 4 weeks as opposed to every 3). Perhaps people that travel a great distance have a different approach - I'd hate to travel a couple hours only to be turned away.
I'd have to get my records out (this was almost 4 years ago), but I feel he did have a chem panel before, during and after, but not with EVERY dose.
Paula and Warrior Angel Nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
Our oncologist was having us get Emmett's CBC checked 10 days after each chemo (carboplatin) treatment for the first 3 treatments (treatments every 3 weeks), and again the day before his next treatment. Our oncologist is a 45 minute drive, so we were able to take him to our regular vet to check his CBC (a 15 minute drive)...and the regular vet would fax the results to the oncologist the same day.
$90 to check CBC at the oncologists office, $60 at the regular vet.
At his last CBC check, his neutrophils were low (1672), so we held off on his 4th treatment for another week (will be done on Monday, the 18th).
So from here on out, they are only asking that we have his CBC checked the day before his next treatment. 🐾
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