mjmcmurray
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Still wet behind the ears (3/9)
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We never get enough time with them. Since the photo I want to share is too large to attach, you can see my sweet boy at this Google Drive link. From his last trip to the park
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Thank you all sincerely. It was a difficult decision, but sadly, Sherlock crossed the Rainbow Bridge peacefully at home yesterday afternoon. I’m heartbroken, but comforted to know that he is no longer suffering. On his last day, we were able to get him to the park for a picnic, he got cuddles in all his favorite lounge spots, and even got some hamburger sliders and fries. Such an awful and painful disease. In the last week he was on the max doses of Meloxicam, Codeine every 4-6 hours, and Gabapentin three times a day. CBD as well. We tried Amantadine for a short time but it didn’t seem to do much. Sadly between long naps induced by the drugs, he was constantly whimpering and crying out, and could barely do a walk down the block. He can now run free and without pain. My younger sibling said “what a special day for him to go, when the veil is thin”, and with today the beginning of Dia de Muertos, it’s lovely to think he’s not too far from me right now.
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Thank you all, your support is more appreciated than I can say.
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Apologies ahead of time for an emotional post. Struggling a bit with the weight of the dreaded “when?”. Sherlock has been on codeine for a little over a week now and we’ve had to give it to him more and more frequently (started quite conservatively), but his combo of meds is just barely taking the edge off his pain, it seems. My poor sweet boy. I know it’ll be up to me when, he can’t tell me other than to demonstrate how much it hurts through crying or not eating. I’m just heartbroken and don’t want to say goodbye.
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I appreciate the wisdom -- his appetite ended up bouncing back a bit. We had a friend come stay with us last weekend and he got very excited and started playing with his toys for the first time in awhile, loved to see, but I feel like we're quickly nearing the day when he has more bad days than good.
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Thanks all — have done Amantadine for about a week but no clear improvement. Oncologist said we can use/add in codeine soon, which I know will really knock him out. The poor thing has barely eaten the last couple of days and just wants to sleep. The progression of this disease has really shaken us, but going to try and keep him comfy.
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Another Sherlock update -- given the severe progression of his limp, had some more x-rays done today. The good news is that the possible nodule in his lungs that they saw last time was not present this time, so likely an irregularity of some sort. The bad news is, as expected, the lesion on his shoulder has progressed quite a bit. The vet prescribed an additional med I'm not familiar with -- Amantadine, 100mg a day -- to augment his NSAID. No clear benefit after the second round of Zoledronic treatment, sadly. It's expensive and difficult to get him to the oncologist so will probably try one more round before stopping, unless it somehow leads to noticeable improvement. Thank you all for your kind words and support, it really is so appreciated.
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Thanks for checking in! We've been slowly increasing his pain med and CBD dosage as his lameness increases. First round of Zoledronic acid didn't seem to do much, but he had his second round Thursday so hoping for a bit of improvement. It'll be two months since his diagnosis next week and we'll probably do another round of chest x-rays in mid-October to see whether there are more mets. It's particularly heartbreaking because other than his clear discomfort walking, he still gets excited to go outside and wants to go to the park, is still eating great, but the limp is severe at this point.
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Much love to you and Tessie with the great news of a clear x-ray! And sending good energy for when you begin pursuing a new job, I know how stressful that can be. Last week was a big one for Sherlock, first round of Zoledronic acid treatment (he handled it beautifully), plus an abdominal ultrasound and chest x-ray. Sadly the x-ray came back showing a new nodule (his last chest x-rays were done in May before removing his SCC and were clear). I braced myself for this given how quickly his osteo came on and how fast he's declined, but still heartbreaking news. Waiting on the oncologist to review the radiology report to discuss next steps for hospice care this week. In slightly better news, I did start him on some CBD oil recommended by his vet and it really does wonders for his stress -- not sure how much it helps the pain yet.
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Quick update on Sherlock: sadly his normal oncology specialist who was conveniently at our regular vet's office had to take a leave of absence, so we've been scrambling trying to find a new oncologist for next steps. He's got some staging tests scheduled for next week -- chest x-ray and abdominal ultrasound -- and then we're going to be trying Zolendronate treatment for pain management, starting with one every few weeks. If anyone has recommendations for dog-friendly CBD oils, would also like to try that! The poor thing is limping quite a bit this week despite his Meloxicam and Gabapentin, hate seeing him so uncomfy.
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That’s helpful, thank you, and I’m definitely working my way through the resources in this thread! The new pain meds already seem to be making him feel better, at least, now to get him through our oncology consults in the next week.
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Thank you all, appreciate the support. I’m a little overwhelmed with the decisions to be made, to be honest. I did make an appointment with an oncologist for next week (earliest available) and Dr. C said an FNA would be good to confirm that it’s not metastasis from his SCC, which might change treatment options. I made an appointment to do that this week but his vet was pretty confident, and seems to think an FNA might not be conclusive? Either way, want to do my due diligence before committing to one route.
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Long post warning: Sadly joining this thread after a recent osteo diagnosis for my 10-year-old boy, Sherlock. I’m absolutely gutted by this news, as he’s clearly in discomfort and it’s been a long summer. At the end of May he had one of his back toes amputated to remove a minimally invasive Squamous Cell Carcinoma, which appeared to be curative. We’d been going in for regular check-ups post surgery and he was healing well, then a couple weeks ago started limping in his front right leg. Started just occasionally showing up when we moved any faster than a trot but by the end of last week he was hobbling. Took him in, he showed distress when his shoulder was pressed, and rads showed a tiny lesion up near the top of his humerus. His vet is a cancer specialists and knew immediately. He said it’s unlikely that it’s related to his SCC, and is so small that the bone isn’t yet at risk for breaking. He recommended a course of chemo + another therapy I’m forgetting the name of, some type of acid that also attacks the cancer cells, in an effort to stop it from getting any bigger and keep him as comfy as possible (no amp, which frankly I don’t want to do at his age). He started on a dose of Meloxicam this morning for the pain. Had been working with Dr. C for the SCC and already sent him the rads. He said it’s in a prime location for osteo but that other metastatic bone lesions can appear similar, and that a biopsy of it would give us a definitive answer. Sherlock’s vet seemed pretty confident, though, and I don’t want him to go through any unnecessary sedation. Going to call a canine oncologist the vet referred me to today and set up a meeting, but for cost and comfort, I have a feeling chemo plus pain management is our route. Any advice, references, or virtual hugs appreciated. We’re in the NYC area. Two cancers in one summer is a lot to take.
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Digital squamous cell carcinoma diagnosis
mjmcmurray replied to mjmcmurray's topic in Health and Medical discussion
Thank you!! -
Digital squamous cell carcinoma diagnosis
mjmcmurray replied to mjmcmurray's topic in Health and Medical discussion
Thank you, I do think an oncologist is the next step now that he’s also getting a biopsy on the lymph node in that same leg. The amputation site is about two weeks post surgery and other than a bit of a skin infection towards the top, is healing normally.