We did two rounds of chemo -- the first was three years ago.  It was a pretty long protocol, and Rio was punky throughout.  Not sick-sick, but a little nauseous and poopy for a few days after every treatment.  She took support meds to combat the side effects, but I could tell it wore at her to be feeling so off her game.  The most recent chemo protocol was last year, and when we were going through it, I kept saying, this is it -- I'm not subjecting her to any more.  If this doesn't work, we're done.

It didn't work, though, and I pulled one more trick out of the bag -- we went on a daily dose of Kinivet (similar to Palladia, but newer).  I gave it a month to work, then pulled the plug.  It wasn't that we didn't have more options, I just was done putting her through digestive upset, tiredness, etc.  I knew she was on borrowed time, and I wanted her to feel as good as possible for the remainder of the time.

Do I regret any of the treatments?  Yes, actually.  If I were to go back now, I wouldn't do the final round of chemo.  In the end, we got almost an additional year, but she felt pretty punky for a good portion of that time.  I think the main reason I did that second round of chemo was that I wanted to feel I'd given it everything I could to fight the cancer.  I knew that when Rio was gone, I would question everything, and I didn't want to leave a door open for any guilt.  (I tend to beat myself up a lot over stuff I can't control.  Knowing this, I wanted to give myself as few as possible opportunities...)

You're not wrong to question this -- I think we all wonder if it's worth it, given the potential for side effects and the physical and emotional toll it takes on both the pups and the people too.  To me, you can't do the wrong thing -- whatever you decide to do for your dog and your situation is going to be the right thing.  When you get down to the end, you will question (regardless of what you decide to do) whether it was the right decision.  But there is really no wrong choice.  We all want the most time with our pups, but we also want that time to be quality time.  Weigh the pros and cons of both sides of the decision, think about what's best for you and for Tasha (and the rest of your pack), and trust yourself.  That most of all!!! 

Best of luck, and hugs to your pup!

Rio's momma, Micki

Here is what we did with Abby: we did IV chemo (carbo) and then MP afterwards. At first the MP was cytoxan/Piroxicam one day and Palladia the next. We did that for 3 months but had to stop the Palladia because of GI issues, but we continued with the cytox/Piroxicam after and also added in artemisinin . Abby never had any problems with the MP (once we stopped the Palladia that is) and most dogs don't have any issues with it. Abby also went in for blood work or X-rays at a rate of about once a month, but she LOVED her oncologist and all the folks at the office and they treated her like a rock star, so she loved to go to her appointments.

I had a major meldown part way through all that and wondered if we'd made the wrong choices and should have gone hollistic all along. I came here and freaked out and got advice from folks and then decided to try our "halflistic" approach (a word I made up cuz we weren't going wholly hollistic).

I think it is pretty normal to wonder if you are doing the right things. Since she is done with the carbo, the worst of the side effects should definitely be over. Is she doing ok on the MP? Does she hate going to the appointments? If Abby had hated going to the onc, I definitely would have taken a different route. You need to do what you think is best for her, not just in terms of possible outcomes but also in terms of quality ofr whatever amount of time you might have remaining (which is hopefully lots!). It's definitely not wrong to consider stopping. Lots of dogs have done well with no chemo. Not sure going to another onc would help though... He or she would probably suggest a similar path to what the study is doing.

If you want to PM me about any of the supplements we did with Abby, feel free.

Best of luck with your decision. Keep us posted,
Jackie, angel Abby's mom

The single most important thing I've learned as the mom of a tripawd with cancer is GO WITH YOUR GUT FEELING.  My mistakes have always been made when I've ignored my gut feelings. If your gut tells you it's time to stop, then drop out of the study. 

50 weeks is an awfully long time, and if you and Tasha are not happy, then why would you want to put yourselves through this for 50 weeks?  As others have pointed out, while chemo is the standard in many cases, many tripawds do well without it-- it's quality of life that matters.

-Catherine