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Lung Mets PLEASE HELP!!!!!
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Member Since:
28 July 2014
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12 February 2017 - 7:23 pm
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Hi everyone, we are devastated to share the news that our Vizsla Cooper, who is post-amp osteosarcoma survivor of 2.5 years, just started coughing and having a lack of appetite this month.  Last month we had to have a toe removed on his remaining hind leg and that was found to be fibrosarcoma (which rarely spreads to lungs).  He was coughing today and ended up throwing up with spots of bright red blood so we took him to the hospital and scans confirmed that the cancer has just started the spread to the lungs (his December scans were clear and the February scans show 2 small areas indicating lung mets).  An u/s of his abdomen and his blood work all looked good (Except for lower red blood cells).  We are waiting to hear back from the oncologist so we can hear our options.  I have a few questions to help us cope and please share your experience with lung mets

1) how long did your dog survive and what are the signs to look for to know that he is in too much pain?

2) was pneumonia ever mistaken for lung mets( we are praying this is the case)?

3) what options did you choose (we are considering Palladia at the moment)?

Please share any helpful information you can.  We really thought we beat this and are devastated.  They said that they can't confirm whether the osteo or fibro caused the spread to the lungs, or another cancer, but it is very strange they admitted that the amputation for osteo was so long ago with no spread.  He just turned 9 years old in December (young for a Vizsla!) and we want him to be as comfortable as possible. 

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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12 February 2017 - 8:48 pm
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Some deep breaths.... B R E A T H E....B R E A T H E.....INHALE SLOOOOOWLY.....EXHALE. SLOOOOWLY......B R E A T H E......Really, do this to get in a more centered state and on more firm ground.

Hard news to hear, that's for sure!! Just remember that Cooper didn't hear it, okay? And I say that in all seriousness. He has no fear, no worries, no uncertainties and he does not count days in a calendar! Yiu already k iw about BEING MORE DOG and living in the NOW! You've been doing that brilliantly for 2 1/2 years!!

I don't have much information as far as treatment, bjt others will chime with treatments they used and what kind of experience they had.

I want to stress that we have members here who got great extended time after a met diagnosis. Michelle's sweet Sassy got almost eight months after mets were found during her third Carboplatin treatment. She did do metronomics . There are others, but I need ro find the links. I need to co firm, but I believe Reno is a long time survivor with mets!

Anyway, I'll share my Happy Hannah's experience after a met "the size of a baseball" the Vet said, was found.

I did do Cytoxin and Piroxicam for a couple of weeks, but discontinued because of a possible uti.

Generally, mets are not "painful". My Happy Hannah never developed a cough or hacking. Others have though and the Vet can prescribe cough medicine which can be very helpful.

Basically, my Happy Hannah became more and more tired and enjoyed resting and being a couch potato. Her days were filled with spoiling and loving and tummy rubs and any and every treat she wanted!

As her breathing pattern became a little more noticeable, the Vet put her on Prednisone and an ocassional Tramadol. She seemed comfortable. The tipping piont for me was when I realized she was having difficulty sleeping. I guess certain sleeping positions compromised her breathing. She was getting more and more tired, but still wagging and eating....NEVER missed a meal.

My vow to her was I would never let her suffer, if at all in my control. It was just a matter of time before things woukd get worse. There was no getting better at this point. She was starting to have to pay a price for more loving and more spoiling. She didn't need to do that. She didn't need to have interrupted sleep and exhaustion just so she could be spoiled more. She had a lifetime of thst every second of every day. I kept my vow and she never suffered.

Of course, we spoil and indulge our trilawds like crazy from the get go. But it really intensities after a met diagnosis. As always, everyday was HAPPY HANNAH DAY! Everyday was "FILL HAPPY HANNAH's BUCKET DAY"! But now, I could fill it with any junk food she wanted!!! M&Ms, loads of ice cream, cupcakes, deer poop, cupcakes and more!!

I apologize for rambling. Oh my goodness, I sure got carried away with the blah, blah, blahs!

And yes, I do beliew spots on xrays have, indeed, turned out to be pneumonia, or even just scar tissue, or "old dog lungs".

IF Cooper does have mets, you czn DEFINITELY make him more comfortable with some cough meds, some prednisone and some appetite stimulant. Although the pred should help with that.

Whatever you do, DO NOT LET ANYTHING ROB YOU OF YOUR TIME TOGETHER!!! STAY IN THE PRESENT. COOPER IS WITH YOU TODAY AND TODAY IS ALL THAT MATTERS!!

Cooper is a very special boy! He IS a survivor and has beaten the crapmput of statistics...And will continue to do so!!

EVERYDAY IS COOPER DAY and we are all on TEAM COOPER cheering wildly for him!!!

Lots of love!

Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!

Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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12 February 2017 - 8:53 pm
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Herer the link to Reno's story I was looking for

http://tripawds.....lung-mets/

Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!

Member Since:
28 July 2014
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13 February 2017 - 9:56 am
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Thanks so much for your help and for providing Reno's story.  I would love to hear from more about their experience as well.  Also, any questions I should specifically ask the vet about the mets (location, size, type etc).

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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13 February 2017 - 10:33 am
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Oh man I'm so sorry. I know it feels like a gut punch. Rest assured there are things you can do to help maintain his quality of life. To answer your questions:

1) how long did your dog survive and what are the signs to look for to know that he is in too much pain?

Our Jerry made it 7 months, all of which were great. During the last few weeks, he slowed down. Lethargy, coughing and trouble breathing were signs that he was getting ready to transition. I encourage you to seek the help of a "pawspice" veterinarian who can guide you in monitoring Cooper's symptoms. Your vet should be able to refer you to one, if not we have a directory on the Tripawds Resources page. One more thing: please try not to compare Cooper's experience with others. Longevity depends on SO many factors like the size of mets, age and health of the dog, etc., that it's a losing game.

2) was pneumonia ever mistaken for lung mets( we are praying this is the case)?

It's a probable cause we were given until the x-rays proved otherwise. I'm unaware of anyone whose diagnosis was changed to pneumonia. I'm sorry to say.

3) what options did you choose (we are considering Palladia at the moment)?

Jerry was on metronomics , which you can read about by following the link. Palladia is an option, and other new protocols are also being offered such as Dastanib. I encourage you to ask your vet about it.

For now, try your hardest to focus on each day in front of you. Cooper is unaware of what the report said, he just wants you and his pack to be as happy as possible. The only way that cancer can "win" is if you let it rob you of making the most of each day together. We'll be here for you every step of the way.

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Member Since:
28 July 2014
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13 February 2017 - 2:22 pm
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Jerry thank you very much for your advice.  I am checking out Dastinube this evening.  I will also look for a pawspice contact asap. 

Schofield, WI
Member Since:
13 August 2015
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13 February 2017 - 2:39 pm
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I have no experience on lung mets, but I can hear the anguish you are going through so wanted to send you a virtual hug ((())).  Those who have dealt with it have given great advice.   Cooper is a warrior and your love for him will guide you to the best decisions you can make for him with the Drs help.  

Member Since:
10 February 2017
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13 February 2017 - 3:00 pm
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I'm sending healing thoughts to you and Cooper. It sounds as though there are a lot of options out there. Hugs to him and to you!

Member Since:
28 July 2014
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13 February 2017 - 5:30 pm
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that's so kind of you, thank you we can use lot of those now.

Member Since:
20 October 2016
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14 February 2017 - 7:18 am
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Hi. So sorry to hear about your sweet Cooper.  This disease is so hard.  We're on the other end of the scale. My sweet Rosie was diagnosed via x-ray with 20 mets to lungs 3 months post amp.  

My vet placed her on Dastinab right away.  It's newer than Palladia, and has shown effective in shrinking lung mets.  Unfortunately the side effects were too much. She got severe fatigue and lameness and had to stop. My Onco said it's rare, but not unheard of.  We stopped it and are trying something else.  I can't remember the name but I think its so Zoledronic (generic). 

Its been 3 weeks since mets diagnosis.   I posted her vet report which outlines the side effects of Dastinab and also what to look for when the mets are impacting their  quality of life.   

My Rosie is doing good today and his wagging and hopping.  Best wishes for your battle!!

kellye and Rosie. 🐕💕🐕

On The Road


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24 September 2009
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14 February 2017 - 11:01 am
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Kellye, thanks for sharing. I'm bummed the Dastanib didn't agree with her but I hope the Zoledronate (?) works well. That's the bone-building bisphosphonate drug right?  Glad to hear she's doing good!

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

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28 July 2014
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15 February 2017 - 9:19 am
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Kelly thanks for sharing I spoke with the oncologist last night and she never used Dastinib (only palladia) but is going to do a reach out to all vets network that has used this drug and she also mentioned leukerin.  I orderd K9 Immunity chews and I want to buy Tumeric (any thoughts on how to prepare or get this).  We have him on antibiotics for 1.5 weeks in meantime to rule out pneumonia (she said radiologist cannot rule out pneumonia or blood clots from the images but based on fact that he has cancer it's likely lung mets.  The only thing they agree is strange is that he had osteo over 2.5 years ago and survived (it's rare to have spread so much later) and the cancer that appeared on his toe is not very aggressive to have done this within 1.5 months.  He has not been vaccinated for 3 years and he had surgery and was at his local vet for his nails cut.  he also stayed with my parent's 2 beagles while we were away that are always boarded so we are PRAYING that he could have caught an illness that caused pneumonia and we can treat for that.  I will keep you all posted as he is such a success story given the fact that they originally said he would not survive 4 months and had large lesion in leg by time we discovered it! 

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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15 February 2017 - 9:38 am
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It slunds like you have a very proactive Onco who is willing to do research on something, even if it's unfamiliar to her!

And what a miracle story already!!! Cooper is one reason why we tell members STATISTICS DO NOT MEAN SQUAT around here!! It is soooo important to nave pups like Cooper to blow statistics out of the water and offer hope to others!

TUMERIC has been a topic of discussion arpund here quite frequently. Jerry just did a post with links, so a computer techie may be able to find it for you. The main thing she cautioned was to make sure your Vet was aware of it, as there seems to be a lot of hype about it that may, or may not be valid. I guess my "philosophy" is, if he doesn't hurt, give it a try.

LEUKERIN has also been a topic here. One of our members, Jackson's mom, did some research on it and used it for Jackson. I'll try and find the link to that.

You're doi gg an excellent job of checking all options! Cooper is a very special boy a d a tough fighter!

Hugs!

Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!

Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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15 February 2017 - 9:51 am
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This isn't the link I was looking for, but it has a lot of good info in it you may want to discuss with yiur Onco

http://tripawds.....tronomics/

BTW, Jackson transitioned over two hrs after amp and it wasn't osteo/lung met. It was a different disease on his heart.

Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!



Member Since:
21 May 2016
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15 February 2017 - 11:20 am
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Hi Cooper and family,

I am very sorry to hear Cooper developed lung mets but what a fighter he is, 2 1/2 years is a really impressive number !

Eurydice, my Dane, also has osteo, she had her surgery early May and we found lung mets Nov 30th.

She initially had 6 courses of carboplatin followed by 1 1/2 months of metronomic therapy.

That was when we found the mets.

She then had 3 (out of 5) doxorubicin treatments and repeated her CT scan.

As her mets got bigger and there were new ones, we stopped doxo and were proposed a cut edge IV chemo treatment called vinorelbine.

We were told by Eurydice's oncologist it has a 10% success rate and if it works it may increase survival rate by a few months. 

As we are moving out of the UK and in the country we are moving to this treatment is not allowed for veterinary use, we are starting Palladia and hope this will delay the progression of the disease.

We were told the signs to look for are lethargy, weight loss, loss of appetite and coughing. 

Our babies may or may not show difficulty breathing.

This is a really difficult part of journey and you and me are sharing it right now.

I would say for me it was really important to find some drug that could potentially delay the progression of the disease but the most crucial and most important thing of all is to make Eurydice and Cooper happy every day, keep them excited to go out for adventures, give them whatever they like to eat, make something out of nothing as much as you can. 

Good luck with your boy, sending you a big hug and lots of cuddles to Cooper heart

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 :-) 

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