The week started out so great!  Belle was back to her old self, we were so excited and ready to get on with a "normal" week.  Tues we took her to the surgeon for her 2 week check and she passed with flying colors, she even got the green light to go back into the pool, she was so excited.  She swam swimmingly with only 3 legs.  I figure we had this Osteosarcoma licked and the chemo was just gonna be a secondary treatment.

Yesterday was to be her first chemo treatment.  Gordy dropped her off at 9am and they said she would be finished after lunch.  By 2:30 I had not heard from the vet, so I called only to be told she had not even begun her treatment yet.  I asked to speak to her oncologist to find out what was going on.  Dr Coyle said the treatment (carboplatin) had not been administer yet because Belle's creatinine was elevated.  What concerned her and NOW us was her levels were prefect before surgery 0.8 and now they were 2.5 (high normal is 1.8).  They were waiting for Belle to give a urine sample to see if she was dehydrated.  She said she would call back shortly with more info.  An hour later, I called them, Dr Coyle said they had to remove some urine from her bladder with a needle since she refused to pee.  Her specific gravity was low and she decided to hold off on the carboplatin for the day.  We talked about options and have decided to wait one week and re-evaluate her levels next Tues.

Here are my concerns

1. What caused her creatinine level to be so high.  After much research, I believe it was 2 weeks of Rimadyl.  Now my concern is, did Rimadyl damage her kidneys and will her levels decline without taking any more or is the damage permanent?

2.  Dr Coyle stated that the carbo can be given with her levels, but she does not recommend it as it can also do damage to the kidneys.

3. Last night Belle threw up twice, could it be the stress of being at the vet all day or something else.  This morning she will not eat her food, even with yummy chicken broth on it.  She is very lethargic also.

4.  The other chemo treatment they can use is Adrimycin.  Dr Coyle scared me to death when she told me the side effects both during it being administered and afterwards to her heart.  We would have to see a cardiologist before treatment and then during. WOW.

My questions for everyone out there:

1. Has anyone had the same problems.  Has anyone had any adverse reactions to Rimadyl or Tramadol that have affect the kidneys.  And if so, did it reverse over time or not?

2.  Thought on Adrimycin?  Thought on Carboplatin?

3. Should we skip chemo and try something else and hope for the best?

Any help is much appreciated as I am scared and worried.