Mojo Has Lymphoma

[Guest mirinaaronsmom]

I know we're not the first to have to deal with this ... I've done some searches throughout the forum and I have a few questions that I couldn't find info for.

 

First a little background: After initial diagnosis from my regular vet last week, I took Mojo to the UW vet clinic yesterday and they x-rayed him, drew blood and did urinalysis. He is Stage V a, since it has spread into his lungs. His kidneys and liver are fine (he's 6 years old) and he's eating and drinking just fine. His breathing is labored and of course the swelling bothers him. I'm still waiting for the results to know if it's T-cell or B-cell - that should arrive early next week. Of course, they recommend the CHOP Protocol, but I don't have $4000 lying around to fund it.

 

Here are my questions (so far):

 

I'd like to apply to OSU to see if they can help me out. Should I send the info directly to Dr. Couto, or the general email?

 

What exactly do I include in the email?

 

My vet is not comfortable administering the chemo drugs, so I'll have to find another vet to do that. Do I need to have that done before submitting to OSU?

 

Since it's about a 7 1/2 hour drive to Columbus (and that's without getting lost), that's an extra expense that I really can't afford either. Is it always required that they see the hound? (I'm kind of expecting this one to be 'YES'.)

 

Any estimate of how long the whole application/consult/chemo administration to my vet process takes? I'm just feeling like I'm running on borrowed time - this is all happening so fast.

 

Thanks for any information you can provide. I'm so scared, and still in shock.

[MP_the4pack]

I'm so sorry Mojo was diagnosed. I wish I could answer your questions but I can't.

 

When my Diamond had OS, we went to OSU from NJ for the surgery, but my local vets did the chemo. The protocol is extremely well written out for anyone to be able to follow. So they felt comfortable doing it for me. That saved me a lot of money.

 

Good luck!!

[sweetdogs]

I (shamelessly) copied this from the osteo thread:

~~~~~~~~~~~~(removed gobblebegook - it's on the first page of the osteo thread~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

When you contact them, you'll want to include the results of any tests (bloodwork, pathologies - get copies from your vet) & anything else you think is relevant to his health. They will give you their opinion without seeing him, but as many will tell you, it's worth the drive if you can. I would contact other local vets in the meantime because it could take a week or so to get things set up. But submit the form now, don't wait for the path report to come back.

 

I'm so sorry Mojo is facing this. Very best wishes to you both.

 

eta: ACK! Just click on this link: online consultation form

Edited October 28, 2011 by sweetdogs

[joejoesmom]

I am so sorry. I lost my Twister (half whippet) in July. She ultimately died from kidney failure but she was also battling lymphoma. OSU graded her lymphoma as IV B-cell. We did a few weeks of the Wisconsin CHOP protocol and the lymphoma went into remission. But then her kidneys got worse (they said it was coincidence -- not an effect from the chemo). She was an older dog. At this point we switched her to the much less harsh (and much cheaper) leukeran oral chemo. She was on prednisone throughout. She lasted 3 months after the diagnosis and finally the kidneys got bad enough that she asked to be sent to the bridge. The median survival time for her grade and type with the Wisconsin CHOP protocol was 14 months.

 

Anyway, about OSU. I don't believe they provide free chemo for the CHOP protocol to greyhounds. I believe it is just the osteo chemo (doxorubicin or carboplatin). However, I could very well be wrong. I know that Dr. Couto can sometimes discount treatments done at OSU for retired racers. However the CHOP protocol requires frequent treatments for the first two months. Here is the link to submit your request. I would at least submit it now, even though you don't know if it is T cell or B cell (I will pray for B cell for you).

 

https://greyhound.osu.edu/consultationservice/

 

Please contact me if you do decide to come to OSU. We have a small group of local greyhound owners who will put people and their hounds up in their houses during the visit to OSU. This at least saves the cost of a hotel.

 

Jane

[Batmom]

No advice, just lots of hugs for you and your sweet pup.

[Guest greyhoundgirl1]

My Zevon had lymphoma and was on a chop protocol (Wisconsin?) I e-mailed Dr. Couto and he send the chemo free for the first part of the protocol. We only did 5 treatments, but I'm sure he would have continued sending chemo if we had opted to go further.

Sending prayers.

 

gcouto<guillermo.couto@cvm.osu.edu>

[joejoesmom]

My Zevon had lymphoma and was on a chop protocol (Wisconsin?) I e-mailed Dr. Couto and he send the chemo free for the first part of the protocol. We only did 5 treatments, but I'm sure he would have continued sending chemo if we had opted to go further.

Sending prayers.

 

gcouto<guillermo.couto@cvm.osu.edu>

 

This is great news. Obviously my Twistmas (being 1/2 whippet, probably 1/2 black labrador, and 0/2 greyhound) would not qualify, so I didn't even ask.

 

Jane

 

edited to add: be sure to submit the request through their consultation website. They are no longer accepting email as the initial contact method (It has to do with their need to collect metrics on the consults they do. The web consult page allows the metrics to be collected automatically).

Edited October 28, 2011 by joejoesmom

[mychip1]

No experience.....but wishing you good thoughts.

[TwiggysMom]

No additional advice or experience here, just support and good thoughts for you and Mojo.

[MerlinsMum]

I am so sorry Sending lots of hugs. I hope you can get some help with this :goodluck

[Houndtime]

No experience, just wishing you and Mojo the best outcome possible.

[EllenEveBaz]

Adding our good thoughts and cyber hugs to your boy.

[Guest mirinaaronsmom]

I heard back from Dr. Couto already and he says they will be happy to provide the chemo drugs free of charge. I am so grateful. Now I need to locate a vet in my area who will administer them. That's my to-do list for today. Thanks for all of the well-wishes and advice. Mojo was feeling much better on Friday after getting a shot at the UW - the swelling is just about gone and he's breathing so much better. After his long racing career, he deserves more than just 10 months of retirement. Now to get going on the rest of the treatments.

[sweetdogs]

That's excellent news. Always feels good to get a quick start on treatment. Best wishes & keep up posted.

[TheFullHouse]

I'm so sorry to hear this. Wishing the best for the both of you.

[Guest K9Cookies]

I'm sorry that you're having to deal with this, but great news that you've heard back from Dr. Couto.

 

We worked with Dr. Couto and his team for one year while Bonnie was receiving chemo and treatments for lymphoma. We did not make any trips to OSU. Our vets called and emailed directly with OSU for instructions and all. Towards the end, we did receive the chemo medications at no charge (take advantage of this from the very beginning), but we still had to pay for the administration, tests, and other charges involved.

 

Please don't hesitate to ask questions or PM me. It's been a while since we went through it, but I will certainly help with things if I can. Good luck. It will feel like quite a rollercoaster ride. It's overwhelming in the beginning, but follow your heart (and gut) and do what you think is right.

 

Hugs to you and Mojo.

[GreytHurleyDawg]

This is the first I have heard about Mojo's lymphoma!! I am so sorry to hear this. But through the kindness of OSU and all who support them, you will get their help. Good luck finding a capable vet for the chemotherapy. If there is anything we can do, let us know!!!

 

Johanna and Jim

[sabrina]

Sorry cant help just wish Mojo the best

[gr8kids]

Sorry to hear about Mojo. Sending him hugs and well wishes. Did you find an oncologist to do the treatments? OSU will only send a few of the drugs with teh Wisc protocol. I have a newlly adopted 7y.o. greyhound that never raced, broke her hind hock, but healed her to be a momma dog of 3 or 4 litters. She was in stage 3b. I noticed her lymph nodes were swollen, and had her checked quickly after finding them for lymphoma is a fast moving cancer but is one that does well with chemo. All lymph nodes were swollen, but did not spread to any other organs. Did not do the test to determine T or B cells. OSU sent 3 of the 4 different drugs used for the protocol. What a big help that was, unfortunately, it was the most expensive, but only used 3 or 4 times during the protocol, that they could not furnish. I've done a lot of reading and research for I lost my heart dog in April to Osteo so now I had to learn about Lymphoma. What I've read in a few different articles/books was that it is common to go into remission after the 2nd or 3rd chemo session and that if their WBC go down low that is a good thing for they found they are in remission longer with this occurrance. My Grace went into remission after the 2nd treatment, but her swelling went down 2 or 3 days after the 1st treatment, and her WBC have gone down, but not to bottoming out and needing an IV and ER treatment. She was put on prednisone after the 1st treatment, for if the dog is on prednisone before the treatments, it actually decreases the effect of the drugs and the chemo doesn't work as well. She has just completed her 4th treatment and is in her last week of prednisone, thank goodness, the first weeks were tough, and she has gained 3 pounds that she lost after the first couple of treatments. She continues to be playful, coming out of her shell for this all started a month after getting her home. She loves playing with my other greyhound girl. She has had little to no side effects. I make sure she gets her Omega 3s with suppliment or food, and keep her away from carbohydrates, occasionally she gets some complex, or a little treat for variety. I will later post a few of the books I recommend for anyone who is experiencing cancer with their dog. Good luck to Mojo!!! Keep fighting! Remember if doing chemo make sure you take extra caution of handling the clean up b/c of the chemicals in their urine and poop.

[Guest mirinaaronsmom]

Thanks for that info, gr8kids. Mojo had his first chemo treatment and first dose of prednisone last Wednesday and has been doing very well so far. Except for being so thin (he's down to 60 lbs. - should be closer to 70), you'd never know he's such a sick little pup. We're just about switched over to a grain-free kibble and he's not getting any of the treats he used to get (poor guy misses his ice cream). I sure hope we can get some fat on those bones soon. OSU sent 2 of the 3 chemo drugs. When I asked about the third one (Cyclophosphamide), they said that they only send injectible drugs. I asked the vet that is administering the chemo drugs about this and he talked with the vet at the UW and she said there is an oral version which works just as well and costs about 1/3 of the injectible. Since there is no catheter needed, that chopped about $600 off the total bill. A very welcome cut.

 

I'll be glad when the prednisone is done. I won't miss the 1:00 am potty breaks, especially with the weather getting colder and colder.

 

We had a little bunny casualty over the weekend and that had me worried since those stupid rabbits carry so many nasty diseases. (Why can't they stay out of our yard!?!) But the vet seems to think he'll be OK if I give a preventative wormer. And Frontline is going on tonight. He was so proud of himself - this was his first kill.

[Guest lynne893]

I'm sorry for your Mojo's dx, but so glad for you that you were able to work it out to receive the chemo from OSU. GOOD LUCK!!

 

Our wonderful little Timber had alimentary lymphoma (basically, lymphoma that appeared in her intestines) and she was 9.5 years old, HATED going to the vet, and we opted not to do chemo. We had her on Prednisone, which made the last three weeks of her life very comfortable compared to the previous 7 months when we were struggling to diagnose.

 

It's so awful to have to go through cancer, whether it's human or canine.

 

Hugs to you, big hugs to Mojo, and please keep us updated.

[joejoesmom]

Thanks for that info, gr8kids. Mojo had his first chemo treatment and first dose of prednisone last Wednesday and has been doing very well so far. Except for being so thin (he's down to 60 lbs. - should be closer to 70), you'd never know he's such a sick little pup. We're just about switched over to a grain-free kibble and he's not getting any of the treats he used to get (poor guy misses his ice cream). I sure hope we can get some fat on those bones soon. OSU sent 2 of the 3 chemo drugs. When I asked about the third one (Cyclophosphamide), they said that they only send injectible drugs. I asked the vet that is administering the chemo drugs about this and he talked with the vet at the UW and she said there is an oral version which works just as well and costs about 1/3 of the injectible. Since there is no catheter needed, that chopped about $600 off the total bill. A very welcome cut.

 

I'll be glad when the prednisone is done. I won't miss the 1:00 am potty breaks, especially with the weather getting colder and colder.

 

We had a little bunny casualty over the weekend and that had me worried since those stupid rabbits carry so many nasty diseases. (Why can't they stay out of our yard!?!) But the vet seems to think he'll be OK if I give a preventative wormer. And Frontline is going on tonight. He was so proud of himself - this was his first kill.

 

I got Twister's cyclophosphamide at SBH Pharmaceuticals here in Columbus. They compound all sorts of meds for animals and humans. They are primarily a mail order pharmacy. If I recall correctly, Twister's (40 pound whippet mix) was about $27 for 3 doses. If you check around you might be able to find less expensive. This place is close to me and seemed to be the cheapest in Columbus (and used by OSU vet hospital) so I stuck with them. I also like that they fawn all over Joe when I take him in (when I pick up his cyclosphosphamide) . They also put Joe's in the smallest capsule they can. I think I get (30) 10mg capsules for $42.00. FYI, Joe gets just 10 mg three times a week as part of the treatment for his osteosarcoma.

 

Here is the site:

 

http://www.sbhmed.com/specialty_compounding.php

 

Also, Joe says to tell Mojo congrats on the bunny. Joe got a squirrel last winter (as a tripod). He was very, very proud of himself.