What Can I Expect During & After First Chemo Appt.?

[Guest EmilyAnne]

I was just wondering if ya'll could let me know what I can expect during Riley's appt.

 

Do you stay with your dogs, or do they put them in the kennel for awhile, what are they like after? When does the not feeling so good settle in? How long does the worst part usually last?

 

Any preperations you did for the first few days home after? I am going to make sure my house is extra clean and meals are already made up so that I can give Riley as much attention as needed and keep the house quieter. I was told I need to keep Riley away from my children as Riley will be giving off toxins from the chemo. I am going to put a thin t-shirt on Riley to help protect Henry, (who has epilepsy) and I will have the dogs stay on seperate beds for a couple days. I will wash bedding daily for a few days. I fattened up Riley a little bit just in case he loses his appetite.

[sdisto]

I'm sure you will get all kinds of different responses, as chemo can effect all dogs (and people) differently, but I wanted to give you some hope that could go really easy. My experience wasn't exactly typical, but Jesse's only issue was that he didn't finish one meal after one of his chemo treatments. Other than that, I don't think the anti-nausea medication was even needed. If the vet does not offer it, please ask for something for nausea just in case. Cerenia is a really great choice.

 

What form of chemo is Henry having? Depending on the kind of chemo and the vet administering it, the circumstances can be different. When Jesse had his chemo, they took him in a back room set up to look like a living room where they did consultations. He would lay down and practically fall asleep during the IV, but the vet tech said that was really unusual. I know it's overwhelming, but if you want to talk feel free to PM me. I'll be up until 11:00.

 

(I emailed you earlier this year about Kirby, the greyhound having seizures.)

[brandimom]

I do not have any advice but I send prayers, paws crossed, good thoughts for your family and Riley.

[Guest EmilyAnne]

I'm sure you will get all kinds of different responses, as chemo can effect all dogs (and people) differently, but I wanted to give you some hope that could go really easy. My experience wasn't exactly typical, but Jesse's only issue was that he didn't finish one meal after one of his chemo treatments. Other than that, I don't think the anti-nausea medication was even needed. If the vet does not offer it, please ask for something for nausea just in case. Cerenia is a really great choice.

 

What form of chemo is Henry having? Depending on the kind of chemo and the vet administering it, the circumstances can be different. When Jesse had his chemo, they took him in a back room set up to look like a living room where they did consultations. He would lay down and practically fall asleep during the IV, but the vet tech said that was really unusual. I know it's overwhelming, but if you want to talk feel free to PM me. I'll be up until 11:00.

 

(I emailed you earlier this year about Kirby, the greyhound having seizures.)

That would be so great if Riley's goes as well! Riley alway shad PEFECT health before this, so I'm really hoping this will help all go smoother for him. Thanks for the heads up about the anti nausea med-Cerenia. Good to have stuff on hand just in case. Riley is participating in a blind study, and will be getting one of these two meds- Paclical Vet, or Ceenu. Paclical is the new chemo drug being used for mast cell tumors. I am hoping that is the one they are using on Riley.

 

I cant decide wether or not to bring Henry, leave him home (we will be gone 9 hours due to drive!)or hurry up and try to find a pet sitter in the area of MSU.

[AngelWhispers]

Flippy gets Vinblastine and then a week off and then Ceenu and a week off before the next vinblastine, and she feels greyt. Usually on day 3 or 4 post chemo her energy level is a little low and she spends the day roaching on the sofa. Her appetite is greyt and she hasn't had any side effects at all.

 

When Flippy gets the vinblastin I drop her off at the vet, and she gets her IV and she's observed for about 2 hours after the treatment. I administer the Ceenu at home so that's easy.

 

You do need to take precautions for 3-4 days after the chemo is given because they do shed chemo in their urine, feces, saliva and tears. I wash my hands a lot but I don't isolate her from the other dogs. It would break her heart if I did.

 

Your oncologist should tell you or give you a list of side effects and other things you'll need to know. Since Riley is in a program they'll probably have lots of instructions for you. Most studies have a strict protocol and they'll want you to help them by following it.

[RobinM]

We dropped Polli off and 9AM. She had her labs done and then her chemo. We picked her up by 11:30.

 

She wasn't very hungry for the first 3-5 days following chemo and was a bit droopy. Vet said that was a good thing. (it didn't do us much good in the end, I'm afraid) because it meant the chemo was working.

[Guest KRKWMU]

Hey Emily. Just wanted to let you know that Bonnie got the CCNU during a couple of different chemo protocols for her lymphoma. It worked wonderfully for us.

 

A book I'd recommend getting is "Help Your Dog Fight Cancer", by Laurie Kaplan. Her dog also battled lymphoma, but the book is more in general terms about what to expect and how you can help. It's a great book to have. I bought mine on Amazon. If you want to have it right away, let me know and I'll send it to you by Priority Mail.

 

I could talk to you forever about what we did with Bonnie. We started using the filtered water from the fridge in their water bowls, not tap water. We'd sanitize her food bowl every day, or every other day in the dishwasher. Cleaned up poop right away (we have a poop eater in the family. ). Wear gloves to protect yourself when you handle the chemo medications. I don't think you'd need to wash Riley's bedding everyday, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt anything.

 

Every hound is different with chemo side effects, it seems. Bonnie had a rough time in the beginning. She'd throw up and wouldn't want to eat. We ended up using Cerenia on her chemo days (it's fairly expensive), then used Reglan AM & PM to help her. We used all kinds of medications, so let me know if you have any specific questions. On chemo days, sometimes we'd be able to stay with her and get in & out in an hour or so. Some days, I'd have to leave her for the day. Could you call ahead of time to ask what to expect, especially because you live so far away?

 

I kept a journal/daily planner to keep track of appointments, chemo protocols, side effects, phone numbers and all. I took it with me to appointments and when we traveled.

 

You know you can PM me if you have any questions. We'll be at GiG this weekend without a computer, but I'll get back to you when I can. Give Riley a hug from us. Hang in there.

[Guest MorganKonaAlex]

Riley is participating in a blind study, and will be getting one of these two meds- Paclical Vet, or Ceenu. Paclical is the new chemo drug being used for mast cell tumors.

I had to look up Paclical. Looks like a reformulation of Paclitaxel (Taxol). I had Taxol myself. Most of the Taxol side effects are not from the active medication but from what they mix with it to deliver it. From what I found, the drug maker is saying the new formulation should avoid most of the taxol side effects. Taxol can cause neuropathy, (numbness) , especially of the feet and hands. Taxol can also cause allergic reactions. For people, they give steroids before taxol and the infusion is a slow one so they can watch for the reaction. Nausea is not usually a side effect of taxol.

 

I'm not familiar with Ceenu.

 

I'm not sure where you got the leeching toxic chemical info from. The only restrictions I've heard is to avoid pee spots after Adriamycin.