Month: July 2016

I’m feeling more positive than I did last week. Thank you everyone who commented on the last post. The encouragement to stay in the moment  and be happy with him no matter how dark things look is really helpful.

Cole had his second dose of Vinorelbine yesterday. I wanted to give more details about it since Jerry mentioned this treatment is new to Tripawds. It is a chemo that specifically targets the lungs. Jerry, to answer your question, no the doctor didn’t give us anything for his breathing because the chemo should help if he responds to it. We are in luck because he does seem to be responding. We were very surprised last week at how quickly he improved. Within 24 hours, his breathing sounded less frantic and he seemed more comfortable. The coughing is down to almost nothing. His lungs still sound clear and his breathing is faster than normal but not nearly as bad as before the treatments.

The side effects for the Vinorelbine are similar to Carboplatin. The doctor mentioned the usual lethargy, vomiting and diarrhea possibilities but so far he only has lethargy. He does have a very increased appetite and a low grade fever lately which we are not sure if it is his body fighting the lung mets or a reaction to the new chemo. I spend Monday through Wednesday bringing him water and snacks in bed every few hours and regularly checking his temperature. He also seems like he has some muscle and bone aches which the doctor said is normal for what his marrow is going through right now. He is getting Rimadyl twice a day with acetaminophen in between as needed to keep his fever down and hopefully help with aches. We also give him Cerenia for two days after each treatment as a preventative measure for nausea.

The Vinorelbine really knocks him on his butt for a few days. He slept like a sack of rocks Monday night through Wednesday afternoon then seemed to pop back up all of a sudden. Wednesday evening, I was snapping beans from the garden for dinner. He heard the snapping from his bed in the living room and suddenly appeared in the kitchen doorway with Ella asking for a few so we knew he was feeling a little better. He loves beans and peas when we are outside in the yard so I think it is so funny he knows the sound of beans. Thursday he seemed to feel pretty good; a little more tired than normal but overall comfortable. He spent some time outside and was his old self again. Friday through Sunday he got a little more run down.

This week, he seems to be following the same pattern as today he is sound asleep and completely wiped out. He didn’t feel very good last night and was a little clingy. He didn’t seem comfortable until I sat on the dog bed and he sprawled across my lap so we sat like that for a long time.

He is still taking oral Lomustine for the mass on his side though the oncologist is planning to switch that to something else soon as that tumor has grown. He takes a break from the oral chemo for a few days following each Vinorelbine treatment. He gets Pepcid with the oral chemo just to be sure he will not be nauseous.

The oncologist mentioned she was impressed by some samples for pet safe cannabis she got at a convention from Canna Companion that might help him feel more comfortable. We are going to order some and will report back once he has a chance to try it.

That is all I can think of for now but I will keep reporting back.

Cole was doing great a few weeks ago and having fun running and playing in the back yard. We celebrated his 6 month ampuversary on the 11th and were enjoying summer. He was loving eating snap peas while helping me in the garden and playing a new game we invented where I steal his stick and he chases me to steal it back. The next week, he seemed tired and we thought he was overdoing it a bit with the playing and spent a little more time being couch potatoes together. The next week, he had a lump on his side and was breathing funny and starting to cough. We took him in for a checkup and x-rays right away and Friday the results confirmed our worst fears. The cancer has metastasized to his lungs and skin and it is fast.

We have been in contact with our oncologist over the weekend and went in today. We have been on Lomustine since he finished his Carboplatin last month. Our doctor started him on Vinorelbine today to try and target the lungs. If he responds, she hopes we can have another 4 to 6 months of good time left. If not, well……we will face that when we have to. He will not suffer but we can’t give up on him if he has a chance at more good time. Our doctor thinks he still has time.

I hate this. His doctor assures me he is not uncomfortable and is getting plenty of air but I hate seeing him breathe like this. I haven’t slept much because when it is quiet and still, I can’t help but listen to his breath and check on him over and over. I have panic attacks thinking he is struggling for air but my doctor assures me this is not the case. I really hope he responds and can be comfortable.

I’m too tired to put up a photo but for those of you who use Instagram, look for the #coleporterthemastiff tag or see it here in your browser. You can see him running and playing and cuddling Ella. Sorry for the disjointed post, it is hard to concentrate right now. I’m going back to holding him while we watch really scary movies now.