So, Griffin's pickiness with food has intensified.  He basically is refusing any food that he has been happily eating for months (home-cooked meals of meat and veggies) and years (American Journey wet food and Taste of the Wild dry food).  I checked his mouth to ensure there were no abscesses or other issues, but his mouth and teeth seem normal.  He is absolutely interested in treats (soft and hard), cheese, and some meats.  He has also eaten other wet food (I bought a variety of options to tempt him).  But, he is not eating nearly enough each day.  Other than the pickiness with food, he is fine - playful, swimming at my dad's over the weekend, happy to go for morning walks, drinking water regularly, and peeing/pooping normally.  I reached out to his oncology team last night to ask if I should try Entyce or some other appetite stimulant.  They recommended first trying Cerenia, which we were sent home with after his first round of chemo and never wound up using.  They said that food pickiness is one of the first signs of nausea, and nausea is definitely a side effect of Palladia.  I gave him his first dose a few hours ago, so fingers crossed that it works! I am waiting for a reply from the oncology team as to how long Griffin can take Cerenia (the standard dosing info says "up to 5 days" for severe vomiting, but I'm not sure if that is a hard cap or just because a dog should not be severely vomiting for longer than 5 days before you should try something different) and how long it could take before I know if the Cerenia is having a positive impact.

If anyone here has input as to those 2 questions about length of time a dog can take Cerenia and how quickly it works, I'd appreciate the input.  Thanks!  ~ Stacy

It's hard to tell if the Cerenia had any effect today.  Griffin ate 1/2 can of dog food this morning, had the Cerenia a few hours later, and then ate the remaining 1/2 can in the late afternoon, which is exactly what he ate yesterday.  He avoided eating the kibble at the bottom of the bowl and I deliberately did not mix the wet food with the dry since he hasn't seemed to want any dry kibble lately.  Griffin's oncology team said that if the Cerenia is working, he should remain on it as long as he is on Palladia.  We are heading out of town for 10 days starting tomorrow, so we picked up extra Cerenia from his local vet.  I took the opportunity to weigh Griffin and his weight is exactly the same as it was 9 days ago, so his food issues are weirdly not impacting his weight.  Thank goodness!

Rene - I haven't tried feeding Griffin off paper plates because he is continuing to eat out of his regular bowls - just not wanting to eat his regular food (and honestly, because I don't have any around!).  And the new canned food I'm feeding him is not particularly stinky nor is he gravitating towards one particular protein source - he's eaten food with liver, lamb, chicken, and turkey and seemed to like all of them equally.  I think I'm going to buy a few small bags of kibble to see if he is simply looking for a change in both types of food.  I do wonder, though, what turned him off to his home-cooked meals that he used to love so much.

I asked the oncology team about using Cerenia every other day (instead of every day) in conjunction with the Palladia because it is rather expensive (4 pills are $30 online, $42 at our local vet, and $48 at the hospital), and that is a possibility once we figure out if it is actually working.  I also asked about other medications altogether since Cerenia is so expensive and Griffin may be on Palladia for a long time.  They mentioned using Zofran (brand name of Ondansetron) and keeping Cerenia as a back-up.  As Ondansetron is way less expensive than Cerenia, if we find that an anti-nausea medication is working to improve his appetite, I'll revisit that discussion.  If not, I'll ask for the team to consider a regular appetite stimulant, such as Entyce.

Hi Karen - Griffin hasn't had blood work done since he started the Palladia, but I've been in close contact with his oncology team who tends to be very conservative in their approach, so if they thought blood tests were needed, they would definitely say so.  I feel better after weighing him today at his local vet and seeing that his weight has been stable since 9 days ago, which is when the food pickiness started.  The issue really isn't that he's not eating - it's that he suddenly decided he would not eat the food that he's been eating regularly.  There have been times when treats and hamburgers do not tempt him and so I know he is truly not feeling well.  That is not the case here.  He hasn't stopped eating treats or human food, such as cheese and liverwurst.  He has enthusiastically eaten the new canned food that I purchased over the weekend, and so it is hard to tell if the Cerenia made any difference today.  I'm going to give it about a week with the Cerenia and if he is not interested in eating his regular food during that time, I won't push it but I also won't feel the need to continue using that medication.  Maybe Griffin just decided he was bored with the same old food and if that is the case, I'm happy to make some adjustments! Stacy

Hi Sally - You are absolutely correct about the Piroxicam needing to be given with food.  I will check with his oncologist as to whether or not waiting about 2 hours after his big evening meal is sufficient instead of just assuming that it is.  He also gets it wrapped in a pill pocket, but I'm not sure that would count a "food".