Thank you Sally and Happy Hannah!!! As always ... I know, it's a total crap shoot.... shoulda woulda coulda.... I am going to make myself bat crazy trying to stay on top of it! Be More Dog (as Shelby would say).

Have to run but here are some photos from yesterday....and a video! She had great day. And you are right -she's been a loud night breather LONG before we found those bloody lung mets! Shelby's still on her mushrooms (I'll keep her on those as long as I can) and metacam. 

fetchon3 said
I'm SO glad you've jumped on the frozen veggie bandwagon!  Jackson just enjoyed his brussels sprouts that way and is starting a bag o' broc and cauliflower.  Try kale with your little lady, too!  Great idea to get more iron into her.

Jackson has been on metronomic therapy for almost a year now!  He started with cytoxan, but developed urinary cystitis.  I can work from home, so J got access to loads of walks, plus being a boy he pees on everything.  In short, I thought we could avoid urinary probs with that drug, but no....  Libby was on it for about a year, too, then developed the problem.  If I were you and had a pup with her age and health issues, I'd skip cytoxan all together.  Try leukeran.  That's what Jackson is on now and has been since Aug.  It's about double the price, but NO side effects.  It's given in the AM, too, like cytoxan, but that's b/c of routine.  It doesn't pose similar risks like cytoxan.

That's the Eastern medicine approach.  Well, that and Palladia...

For Western approach: mushrooms!  Apocaps !  K9 immunity !  Jackson gets fish oil, BSST from Only Nat Pet (Erica gives Jill Life Gold - from another company, but very similar), GlycoflexIII (super anti-inflammatories in there), and MUSH.

Thus, we dabble in Eastern and Western medicines.

Good luck!  Sorry about those xrays.  They suck.

~Katy & Jackson

Definitely! Shelby loves steamed veggies (but hates baby carrots now ... such a brat). Thank you for all your great information. Your thread was one that Erica (Jill's mommy) forwarded me yesterday and I just finished reading it and highlighting (I printed it out). 

I don't know much about K9 Immunity or what Apocaps is/are but Shelby is also on fish oil. SO I guess we are in both medicines as well.

As much as I read (the two blog posts and the forum thread) I am leaning, if I get a choice, toward leukeran. I still don't fully understand the term metronmic therapy (I feel so blond and stupid with this stuff) but I do feel empowered going into the vet this week. Given my lifestyle - there is no way I can give Shelby a drug that is going to make her have to pee and not be able to do so. I would get her puppy pads but I doubt I could get her to figure out how to use them at age 13! This whole thing has been $$$ but I also feel I have come this far, I need to continue down this road for Shelby ... her chemo was crazy $$$ and her 3 surgeries ... but snuggles and kisses and her knowing that I am fighting HARD for her - priceless! 

I'll keep you posted! Thank you again for your invaluable information and help! 

amya said
Alison, Shelby looks great!

I can't add much more other than to try and clarify.  In the beginning, my understanding of MT was that it was made up of 3 drugs....a chemo pill (cytoxan or leukeran) and NSAID and an antibiotic.  My vet didn't want to include the antibiotic because, I think, of the resistance build up from using it daily.  I could be wrong but her reason made sense at the time.

We went with cytoxan and Rimadyl.  Just to clarify...the chemo pill doesn't make them have to go more.  The idea is to give the pill in the morning when the pup is drinking throughout the day to keep the fluids moving and the bladder flushed.  It doesn't mean she will have a greater urge to pee.  I hope that helps.

Like Katy said, we eventually switched to leukeran and metacam.  I agree with Katy, if you choose to go with MT, just go straight to the leukeran and avoid any possible issues.  Libby had a very good run with it, but still....

Keep in mind...we didn't do IV chemo with Libby but I wanted to do something and this route, after reading up on it, seemed a good alternative.  Along with MT, we followed pretty much the same supplement protocol as Jackson except I added probiotics and turmeric (for an additional anti-inflammatory) along with home cooking.  

Hugs and belly rubs,

Amy & Spirit Libby

Thank you everyone for your positive words and feedback! It warms my heart so much to feel less alone in this battle... it's overwhelming at times and I get scared when I see other blog posts and wonder if I am not doing enough! But I know I am doing the best for Shelby and her disease. Shelby currently does enjoy home cooking (I am trying to get more veggies in her w/out giving her fiber overload. 

As far as the Rimadyl - Shelby has something on her liver than prevents her from having that ... so we have metacam (which I think serves the same purpose). Thank you for clarifying about the water and the drugs making them have to pee -that was my biggest concern. However, Shelby has never really drunk when I am not home. Her bowl is always full when I get home and she drinks then or in the morning. I think she learned early on to pace herself w/water since she doesn't get mid-day walks ... That said, I still don't want her to feel stressed so again, given the choice, we will chose the leukeran. Shelby is on a probiotic too and those darn iron pills that we both hate (hopefully we'll find something else). But thank you to those have gone through this before us to help share your wisdom. IT is a very scary world and I know in my heart I am doing all that I can for Shelby but a lot of the time, I have to stop Googling things since I second guess myself! 

Shelby is happy ... and that is really all that matters and still blissfully unaware she has anything wrong with her and that is the best way for her to be! 

murphsmom said
Shelby, you look wonderful. Keep on scarfing down those veggies!

Alison, did you see the picture on the Facebook page of a little 12 year old pup called Marty? He looks like he could be Shelby's twin!

I had a chuckle at the Brussels sprouts for Jackson's dinner. Never thought of those for our guys. I had them for my supper tonight, and when one dropped on the floor (I can be clumsy at times), the big, black Hoover scooped it up before I could even tell him to leave it alone. Guess there is something new on the menu.

Kathi and Murphy the Hoover

I DID see Marty! He does look a lot like Shelby!!! 🙂 

Shelby says thank you to her fan club for the well wishes and the compliments and to tell her mama to stop calling her fat! In a million years, never did I think my dog would go bat crazy over Brussels sprouts but she loves them! Her new 'issue' (and I am convinced this is the iron pill and some slight behavior issues) is that at night she seems more restless; wanting to go outside a lot where she is happy, content, tail wagging ... it's like she feels like she has to poop so she gets antsy in the house. As soon as we go to go back inside, her ears go back and she starts to move really, really slowly. She isn't in pain, as far as I can tell. Last night - instead of the bathroom, she chose to sit behind the couch against the bookcase. I just have to think her belly feels ooky from the iron even though I give it to her w/her dinner. Also, if I try and engage her in cuddles or more food, she perks right now. But she seems 'off'. I know her vets will tell me that if she is eating, drinking and pottying fine, then she is fine but she seems 'sad' almost.

She didn't sleep in my room last night but slept on her bed in front of the heater that wasn't even on. Again, total angel all morning until I went to leave for work and ears back, sad eyes, etc. I know dogs don't get depressed the way people do but Shelby was a crazy social dog - she went a lot of places w/me and she doesn't now so I think that makes her sad or lonely. Oh and on our walk this a.m., coming home, she ran to my neighbors door and sat at his doorstep - it was 5:00 a.m. so he wasn't up but she refused to budge (and so I picked her up). 

So while I don't think it's her cancer or her lung mets that are upsetting her, I think the combo of an ooky belly from those bloody iron pills and being lonely, are making Shelby sad... thankfully - hopefully I will be off tomorrow through next Tuesday so I can get her out and about as much as possible!