Has Anyone Taken Dr. Couto's Advice

[Guest greybookends]

You know your girl best and what is best for her. Listen to your heart. I have always been of the opinion that it is better to say goodbye one day to soon than one day to late. My prayers are with you.

[brandimom]

No advice but sending prayers to you and your pup!

[Guest vahoundlover]

I know you will make the best decision for Pearl. I am so sorry you are facing having to do so. My thoughts and prayers are with you guys

[Guest DundeeToddsMom]

No advice, but you and Pearl are in my prayers. You know best in your heart what is best for your sweet Pearl.

[Guest Smiley]

I have no advice Mary Pat, just hugs and prayers. Only you and Pearl know what will be best and as always, I know you have made every decision out of love. Keeping you close in my thoughts today.

[Charlies_Dad]

The decision is yours and yours only. As others have said, you know Pearl best and that is what matters. Whichever way you choose, you are doing what you feel is right for her and she will love you for that. Thinking of you and Pearl every day.

[2hounds]

Keeping you close in my heart. You know her better than anyone else, listen to your heart and listen to your girl.

 

 

And I do agree with what others have said above, not specifically about Dr. Couto, but about vets and vet schools in general. They are trained to treat, so anytime a problem comes up, their first instinct is to treat. I always ask my vet "if this were your dog, what would you do" and they do try to avoid the question, but like Heather said, after I have made my decision, they will say that they agree with my decision.

[nyGreys]

No advice. These kind of decisions are sooo hard.

[Guest greyaspet]

When both of my girls came down with their terminal illness I knew I could not fix it, patch it up keep them around but not fix it I knew that I wanted to remember them they way they were not what they might become so I let them go with out heroics on my part.

You know Pearl listen to her and hear what she wants.

Sheila

[Guest GryffinSong]

I'm so sorry you're having trouble deciding for Pearl. As so many others have said, it's your decision. I feel very lucky in my vet. We've (my vet and I) consulted with my favorite surgeon, and although we haven't contacted Dr. Couto directly, my vet has attended some of his talks about canine osteosarcoma. I've been leaning toward pain management alone for Gryffin, and when I asked about amputation and chemo, she said she wasn't sure she'd recommend it in Gryffin's case, with his prognosis. She wasn't saying not to do it, but it was comforting to have her gently reinforce the decision I was leaning toward.

 

Hugs to you and Pearl, and best of luck in making this most difficult of decisions.

[MP_the4pack]

Keeping you close in my heart. You know her better than anyone else, listen to your heart and listen to your girl.

 

 

And I do agree with what others have said above, not specifically about Dr. Couto, but about vets and vet schools in general. They are trained to treat, so anytime a problem comes up, their first instinct is to treat. I always ask my vet "if this were your dog, what would you do" and they do try to avoid the question, but like Heather said, after I have made my decision, they will say that they agree with my decision.

 

Thing is, Dr. Couto came right out and said if she were his dog he'd treat her with chemo. I didn't ask, he volunteered that.

[CaliforniaGreys]

Keeping you close in my heart. You know her better than anyone else, listen to your heart and listen to your girl.

 

 

And I do agree with what others have said above, not specifically about Dr. Couto, but about vets and vet schools in general. They are trained to treat, so anytime a problem comes up, their first instinct is to treat. I always ask my vet "if this were your dog, what would you do" and they do try to avoid the question, but like Heather said, after I have made my decision, they will say that they agree with my decision.

 

Thing is, Dr. Couto came right out and said if she were his dog he'd treat her with chemo. I didn't ask, he volunteered that.

 

My vet said the same thing with Misty.

I said goodbye to Misty on a Saturday morning, I sure didn't plan it that way but my vet was off until Monday. Later that day, I thought about it and I was glad my vet wasn't there because I would have been afraid he would have talked me into letting her hang on.

For me, I knew deep down that it would not have been fair to her.

 

This is agony for you, I wish someone could make your decision easier, but the only one who can do that is your girl

[maggiespet]

I have no advise - just kow that you and your sweet girl are in my prayers. Listen to your heart - because Pearl is whispering to you. Sending you a hug.

[robinw]

Keeping you close in my heart. You know her better than anyone else, listen to your heart and listen to your girl.

 

 

And I do agree with what others have said above, not specifically about Dr. Couto, but about vets and vet schools in general. They are trained to treat, so anytime a problem comes up, their first instinct is to treat. I always ask my vet "if this were your dog, what would you do" and they do try to avoid the question, but like Heather said, after I have made my decision, they will say that they agree with my decision.

 

Thing is, Dr. Couto came right out and said if she were his dog he'd treat her with chemo. I didn't ask, he volunteered that.

 

The vet from University of Guelph who was tending to Loca actually argued with me about my decision to let her go. She completely disagreed with me. I my case, both Loca and I knew what had to be done.

 

I know how hard it is. For at least a week prior to Loca's death (probably even longer; that period of time is an awful blur), I was posting in health and medical constantly. Everything was so hard and so confusing. My brain said one thing while my heart said something else. I don't envy you at all. I hope you have somebody you can really discuss this with. Feel free to pm me if you want to talk or rant, or anything else which will help you deal with this crummy situation

[Guest LindsaySF]

Lots of :grouphug sent your way.

 

 

Would going in for the chemo treatment be extremely stressful for her? How likely is a negative reaction to the chemo? If she had a negative reaction, would this mean you would have fewer quality days with her? If it wouldn't be terribly stressful and it has a reasonable chance for giving her a good quality of life for a few more weeks, I would consider it. The cost of the treatments are small compared to the costs that you have already incurred. If at any time (including now), she tells you that she has had enough, then I wouldn't push it any farther.

What type of chemo--are there bad side effects, would she need to be hospitalized for the day, could you treat with orals like pred? These are all questions that may need to be answered before you make your decision.

I agree with the above posts. All questions I would ask myself.

 

About Pearl's poor appetite, the significance of not eating well really depends on the dog IMO. Teagan is perfectly healthy but he goes on random hunger strikes. He eats when he feels like it, not a moment sooner, and he likes to eat in the afternoon/evening instead of the morning. If he was off his food it wouldn't be a good gauge for how he is feeling, his quality of life, etc. Now one of my pit bulls on the other hand, if they refuse to eat something, I would be extremely concerned. If they were diagnosed with an illness and their appetite went, that would probably decide it for me. That's just because I know them and how much they enjoy eating (even things that aren't edible! ), if they refuse to do even that then they are telling me something. Greyhounds tend to be pickier eaters sometimes, so if Pearl is still acting normal in other ways it might not be time yet. But if she's normally a big food hound and it is getting increasingly difficult to get food into her, that would concern me. You know her best, how is she feeling right now? Does she seem like she wants to fight?

 

 

I agree with this also:

I have always been of the opinion that it is better to say goodbye one day to soon than one day to late.

 

 

Best of luck in whatever you decide.

 

 

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

[MP_the4pack]

I think Pearl is trying to tell me something.

 

This morning, she ate nothing. Had very little for lunch, maybe 2 oz of steak.

 

But tonight she had about 1/2 lb of steak, 1/2 donut and almost a cup of ice cream.

 

I think she's trying to tell me she's not ready. Maybe that's a sign to go for the chemo.

[Guest MorganKonaAlex]

It's so hard to make those decisions. My thoughts are with you. Eating is definitely a good sign.

[Guest mcsheltie]

Here is how I would look at it. With the liver involved she is going to be hungry sometimes and at other times not feel well, so she won't want to eat. Not eating doesn't really tell you if the cancer has progressed too far for chemo. It is just part of a sick liver. I think I would base my decision on how much strength she has and does she still have joy in her life. If she sees a squirrel does she still want to chase it. Does she still want to cuddle. Is the light still in her eyes, that light that is Pearl. I am putting this badly... I hope you know what I am trying to say! Indecision is the worst place to be. I feel for you. Listen to your heart and you'll do the right thing.

[krissn333]

Here is how I would look at it. With the liver involved she is going to be hungry sometimes and at other times not feel well, so she won't want to eat. Not eating doesn't really tell you if the cancer has progressed too far for chemo. It is just part of a sick liver. I think I would base my decision on how much strength she has and does she still have joy in her life. If she sees a squirrel does she still want to chase it. Does she still want to cuddle. Is the light still in her eyes, that light that is Pearl. I am putting this badly... I hope you know what I am trying to say! Indecision is the worst place to be. I feel for you. Listen to your heart and you'll do the right thing.

 

I think this is very good advice. When Sutra was SO sick and didn't want to eat and all he would do was get up to go out to pee, I wondered if I should think about letting him go. But I could still see that light in him, I knew that while he was really feeling crummy, he wasn't finished yet. He could still walk well enough to get himself outside to potty, and I could tell that he thoroughly enjoyed the time that I would spend on the floor with him, petting him and talking to him - he never pawed at me for more like Ace does, and he was never super snuggly with me, but, there was a calm that would come over him if I'd just come sit with him and rub his ears. When I would stop, he would just look at me lovingly. He was still in it to win it

 

You're in my thoughts, Mary Pat and Pearl

[cleptogrey]

i knew in my heart that emily, who died on jan.2-osteo, did not deserve one day of feeling lousy from the side effects of chemo. both my vet's& the local greyhound vet's xray machines were down. i went to a 3rd party as a referral just for xrays. the 3rd party and local grey specialist offered amputation and chemo for her telling me, "she was a good canidate". but deep in my heart i did not want emily to suffer for one minute while reciving treatment that would prolong her life for me...not her.i had a small group of friends who totally supported my decision and kept her comfortable until she most likely had a hairline fracture of her shoulder. the last 24 hrs- new years day were painful for everyone in the house. she had lots of pain management- we didn't.

 

emily, true to her nature ate until the very end. that girl is at the rainbow bridge- EATING- NOT RUNNING! i know that for a fact! in the past i have had to euthanize my beloved dogs for numerous reasons- my saluki had a mass on his liver and stopped eating, my scottie who had addison's kidneys were shutting down and that was painful- he ate to the very end as well, my welsh terrier who was blind and deaf had dimentia and was in a total panic and stopped being willie- he was still hungry but so disoriented he would piss and lie in it. he did not deserve to suffer, he was frantic and upset.

 

so,the question is quality of life.i let emily go while she still had some dignity and went down very gracefully at my vet's office. her last breath was peaceful and looked at me in a loving way not at all fearful. do what your heart tells you, science can be wonderful and awful at the same time. i know what you are feeling at this time.

[racindog]

 

You both remain in my prayers, and making a decision based on your love, will never be the wrong decision

 

Ditto. Ask her what she wants. Ask the Lord for guidance. Then you will have peace because it will have been the right decision.

[5blackgreys]

When our Alexa got diagnosed with osteo we opted to amputate but not do chemo. I wanted to have what ever time she had left to her be a time of feeling good.

 

She ran in the snow, played with her stuffies, ate and felt really good for the next 7 months. When she woke up crying one night and we went off to the vet, who confirmed mets to the spine, I knew it was time to let her go. Her passing was very peaceful in the back of the van with me holding her telling her how much I loved her.

 

When you look at your Pearl, you and only you, know what's best for her. I work in the medical field and I see how medicine can prolong lives that should not be prolonged...we can be much kinder to our "furkids" sometimes then we can to our human family.

 

Do what you think is right for Pearl. What you do out of love is never wrong.

[packmom]

I highly respect Dr. C and I like him very much as a person. He is always very optomistic and has tons of resources so is usually wanting to try anything that might help if there is a shred of hope. That's his job. The only side effect we have had with chemo is loss of appetite so......if she's already not eating chemo won't fix that right away. It took Angel quite a long time to recover from that-she's picky anyway. We had to stop her chemo because she had lost too much weight.

[MP_the4pack]

Well........I did it.

 

She had chemo. She ended up eating relatively well last night. She took her meds in liverwurst this morning.

 

And...the clincher. A message telling me to go for it....my local vets had not yet sent back the Doxyrubicin yet. I asked them to do it 2 weeks ago. So, they were ready to give Pearl chemo.

 

She handled it well, we'll see what the middle of the week brings. Either she'll stop eating for such a long time or her heart will give out (that's one of the problems she has with chemo)....or we'll start to beat this cancer.

 

I'm thinking either you'll see "yays" here in H&M or she'll be posted in Remembrance.

[robinw]

Keeping my fingers crossed for many yays .