Beachbum1

So sorry.....hoping for clear lungs

Was that IV cheno?

I gave Taylor his first dose of the Palladia chemo pills this morning at 7:00 AM, stuck in a little meatball of raw hamburger.....YUMMY!! He also gets 30 mg of Famotidine (Pepcid) at that hour. Back to sleep he went, as usual, for another couple of hours. Then he was hopping around the house......it was time for a RIDE and a 15 minute walk at the beach boardwalk with Face. Then a short nap, and then both the hounds were bellowing at me for another outing. This time we went nearby to the strip mall. There's a Greek restaurant there. They get GYRO MEAT!!! (And Taylor got a hug from the owner). Then another nap, and then out to pee at 12:30. Back inside for a half a can of dog food, and the start of the afternoon nap. Dinner at 4:00 PM. Followed by trotting in the back yard to pee, then chew on a bully stick for 10 minutes, and back to nap time. See the picture below. That's how he digests his dinner. I put down sheets this morning, jut in case he wasn't feeling well after taking the pills. Normal day for him. No apparent side effects from the chemo. No nausea. No diarrhea. Hopefully he will tolerate it well, and it will be effective. Next dose is Wednesday. He'll be taking it Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday. Checkup in 2 weeks to check blood an an exam. And the reimbursement checks from Embrace will be rolling in, again. Last Wednesday's exam and chest x-rays were $380.00. I just got the email stating approval, and I should have the check in a few days (80% of the office visit.). I picked up the chemo pills on Friday. 7 doses worth. At $48.00 a dose. That should be approved in the next day, and that check will be on the way. His annual insurance premium is $480.00. I will have recovered that money shortly. Just something to think about by the people who say they're going to "set aside the premium money" and not have insurance. It's insurance. You hope you don't need it, but when you do, it's nice to have.

Taylor starts Palladia pills on Monday, and continue Wednesday and Friday, 3 times a week. How has it gone getting it into your dog? If any side effects, what were they, how soon did they occur, and what if anything did you do about the side effects? I have Cerenia for nausea, and Metronidazole for diarrhea. He will take Pecid (Famotidine) with the Palladia to help with possible stomach upset. Your experiences??

So very sorry for the loss of your sweet boy

Any suggestions for an on-line source for Palladia??

This afternoon, Taylor had his every 3 month check up with his oncologist. The doctor saw what looked like a nodule in a few views of the chest x-rays. The radiologist's report confirmed showing a suspected 0.7 cm nodule in the lung, near the aorta. It was not on the chest x-rays 3 months ago. Taylor is feeling fine. Acting fine. Looking fine. Eating well. It's been 1 year, 5 months, and 12 days since diagnosis of Osteosarcoma in his right front "wrist". It's been 1 year, 2 months, and 12 days since amputation. Taylor is now 7-1/2 years old and a BIG boy (90 pounds) He had Carboplatin chemo. The doctor and I discussed the options for care. We could wait and x-ray in another 3 to 4 weeks, but since we don't know how long that nodule has been there or how fast it growing, the doctor said that waiting could possibly mean a larger nodule and maybe more nodules. We decided the best thing to do is to start Palladia, the oral pill form of Chemo. Taylor didn't have much of any kind of reaction to his earlier chemo treatments. Most dogs don't. It's pretty much a "given" that Osteo comes back, and usually in the lungs. The medical people pretty much all agree that Taylor has been a "miracle" patient doing this well for this long. I promised him when he came to me 4-1/2 years ago that I would always take care of him. He's a happy boy. Loves and demands rides and walks 2-3 times a day, along with Face who just turned 6 years old. He RUNS and leaps and spins in the back yard. My thanks to you all these past months, for all of your thoughts and caring. Here is what Taylor thinks of cancer:

So very sorry for your loss

OUTSTANDING!!!! Good boy.

So very sorry for the loss of your sweet boy

She is enjoying life. Our job is to keep that going. You are doing what is right. Bless you.

So very sorry for your loss

So very sorry for your loss

So very sorry for your loss.

Prayers for you......does he have Amicar available for post-op bleeding?

So very sorry for your loss

So very sorry.

Taylor's Osteo was in his right front "wrist". Started with once a week for 4 weeks of radiation, along with the bone strengthening drug Zoledronate every 3 weeks. No side effects from the radiation, other than the hair came off in the area treated, after around 5 weeks. But the bone had already been compromised by the cancer, and started to break. Diagnosis was January 10, 2015 and amputation was April 10, 2015. He was just ROARING around the back yard like a lunatic.

http://www.1800petmeds.com/Mirtazapine-prod11320.html I get it at Wal-Mart 15 mg, quantity 90: $20.66

So very sorry for the loss of your sweet boy

So very sorry for your loss

http://www.zoofast.co.uk/olewocarotene-concentratedcarrotgranulesfordogs2.5kg-p-2511.html

So very sorry for the loss of your sweet boy.

So very sorry for your loss

Possible something outside was going on that got him a little excited.