Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I have searched this site and the internet to no avail. I called to schedule Zeus' second chemo (supposed to have six rounds of Carboplatin) and was told by the receptionist that "this is a long appointment" and that I should drop him off at 7:30 am and pick him up at 4:30 pm. The first treatment, last Friday, was from 8:00 am until 12:00 pm. Is it normal to have varying administration times?
Zeus was a Husky mix diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at age 11. A visible lung met and suspicious spot on his liver meant a poor prognosis-six weeks was our vet's best guess. We decided to fight for our boy and his right front leg was amputated on 12/1/11. We did six rounds of chemo, changed his diet and spoiled him completely rotten. We were blessed with 10 great months after diagnosis. Against the odds, the lung met remained a single met and grew very little over those months. A wonderful furbaby with the most gentle spirit, he fought with a strength that we never imagined he possessed. We have no regrets...
http://zeuspod......pawds.com/
OK- lets try again. Sorry if this is a dupe but my first post disappeared.
Could it be that there are extra tests, such as blood work, this time? Maggie's appointments were always long- she was being treated for mast cell cancer. They did blood work in the morning then had to wait for the in-house test results before administering the chemo. They usually kept her for awhile afterwards to make sure there was no acute reaction.
You could call to confirm the appointment time and ask why it is so long. I was surprised on Mag's first chemo appointment that it was an early drop off and late pick up. I guess I was thinking it was a couple hour process, not considering the testing before hand.
Karen and the pugapalooza
I agree with Karen, it could be because of blood tests. We were lucky enough to live about 15 minutes away from the oncology center. I would take Max to have the blood drawn, then take him back home. The oncologist assistant would call me later in the afternoon and let me know the tests came back okay, and to bring him back for the chemo infusion. If you don't live too far, maybe you could also do something like that.
Huh, that's interesting. Abby's appointments were always surprisingly short. I'd be there maybe an hour total, including time to sit and just talk with her onc about how she was doing. They'd take blood, check it there in house (they sent it out a few times to a lab when they needed more thorough analysis) then they'd do the chemo. The chemo would only take about 20 min. or so. I asked them about the process and they said one tech would just sit with her while another did the IV. They said she'd just lay down like, "ok, let's do it."
Funny about the different times for the appointments. Is it weird ours were only 20 min? (We also did 6 rounds of carbo.)
Jackie, Abby's mom
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
It could also be just the way the oncology dept does their chemo. I never got the impression that the administration of the chemo took that long. It seemed like they wanted all the animals there (cats too!) early, then could sort of plan the day- if that makes any sense. For example: if blood work came back not good on one dog, they could go ahead with another dog since they were already there.
OK- now you HAVE to call and ask to satisfy our curiosity 
.
Karen and the pugapalooza
I just realized that I never posted back with what answer I received. I called and spoke with the vet directly and he seemed surprised I was told that. He told me that all of the treatments would be the same and that Zeus would only need to stay the four hours. I guess the receptionist just gave out inaccurate info!
Thanks for the input, though!
Zeus was a Husky mix diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at age 11. A visible lung met and suspicious spot on his liver meant a poor prognosis-six weeks was our vet's best guess. We decided to fight for our boy and his right front leg was amputated on 12/1/11. We did six rounds of chemo, changed his diet and spoiled him completely rotten. We were blessed with 10 great months after diagnosis. Against the odds, the lung met remained a single met and grew very little over those months. A wonderful furbaby with the most gentle spirit, he fought with a strength that we never imagined he possessed. We have no regrets...
http://zeuspod......pawds.com/
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