Update: RR won't give me prices until they have an Rx from his onco.  We're under no obligation to purchase then, so I'll certainly see about their prices.  Free shipping UPS nationwide.  That's good.

I just spoke with Jackson's onco about his metronomics : he'll be on Cyclophosphamide (10mg) and Carprofen (50mg) everyday, and given in the morning as Cyclophosphamide can lead to bladder problems.  In addition, she likes her patients to be on MSM during metronomics .  He already gets 200mg in his joint supplement, but for his size she'd like him to be on ~400-500mg.  That's easy enough to do - go to GNC and buy a bit more MSM until we finish his current joint supplement, then buy one with more MSM.  He can start this cocktail the day of his third chemo (2/21) or wait a week or so; I'm inclined to wait simply to give him time to process the IV chemo and to get quotes, receive drugs from Diamondback or RR.  After about a month of being on the Cyclophosphamide and Carprofen cocktail, we can add in an antibiotic (doxycycline).  She likes to wait to add this in as it's most often the antibiotic that causes stomach upset.  If stomach upset happens, he won't stay on the antibiotic.

The bummer is that this program requires a lot of bloodwork, labs, and visits - but the first few visits will coincide with his IV chemo, so I guess there's 'cost saving' and 'time savings.'  There are complete CBCs and uranalyses done at monthly intervals (plus an onco exam fee, of course), and then they are spaced out to like every 8 weeks, 12 weeks, etc.  We could have his labs done at his regular vet (it's 15min away vs 45min away), but the onco still wants to see him.  So, while the drugs may not be very expensive, monitoring him and labwork will add up.

~Katy

Sounds great!  Excellent prices, too, and a local pharmacy = bonus points!  Could you ask them which pharmacy they get it from (I understand these doses of Cyclophosphamide are always being compounded by compounding-pharmacies, so it's likely your vet uses one of these businesses).  It'd be helpful to start a list or a blog post (Hey, Jerry, here's an idea!) of various, reputable, compounding pharmacies.  Jackson's routine vet (not his onco - I don't know who they use) uses Wedgewood http://www.wedg.....petrx.com/.

As for the MSM, I forget exactly what Jackson's onco said was the purpose, but I believe it is to aid the body metabolize the chemo and cut down on additional risks to his kidneys.  It's simply a bonus that MSM is often found in joint supplements that all us Tripawders love.  At his size, she'd like him to be on 400-500mg MSM/daily.