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Chemo side effects


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Sweep started chemo (doxorubicin) on Thursday. She was very tired that night and Friday but eating well. Saturday she ate pretty well. Yesterday she ate nothing at all. She seemed interested but as soon as she sniffed anything, she turned her head away (we tried eggs, hamburger and rice, chicken and oatmeal, cottage cheese, cat food, and bone broth). Today she's worse, very drooly, and has vomited bile a couple times and had diarrhea. I have a call in to the vet since we are now out of Cerenia (they sent us home with 4 days' worth) and clearly need something else. Ugh. I feel like the treatment is harder on her than the cancer. I had a bright, happy, affectionate chowhound a week ago. Tell me this gets better.

Edited by ramonaghan

52596614938_aefa4e9757_o.jpg

Rachel with littermates Doolin and Willa, boss cat Tootie, and feline squatters Crumpet and Fezziwig.
Missing gentlemen kitties MudHenry, and Richard and our beautiful, feisty, silly
 Sweep:heart

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I had chemo treatments for Ivy when she was diagnosed with osteo.  At first I was somewhat hesitant to agree to them because I had seen what happened to people.  The vets told me though that it was completely different with dogs and that Ivy would not be harmed like that by it so I consented.  Glad i did as I think it bought us some extra time which was precious and she was never phased in the least by her treatments.  She had 4 of them and never missed a meal or felt bad or had diarrhea or anything.  I did notice a few tiny little white spots in her coat and they told me that was a side effect but honestly they were so small and few no one but a doting owner would have noticed. I did increase her Fresh Factors to 6 tabs a day just to be sure she continued to tolerate it so well.  Maybe Sweep just had a bad day and it isn't related to the chemo. TBH if Ivy would have gotten that sick after the first one I probably wouldn't have continued? I would be concerned that perhaps that particular med didn't set well with her and causes too bad a side effects? Prayers going up for Sweep!

 

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I would definitely see what the vet had to say, there may be another type of chemo that she can tolerate better. I stopped Molly’s chemo after one treatment, but hers was a very different cancer and different chemo, so the circumstances were not really the same. :grouphug

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Any side effects should be temporary and she should bounce back soon.  The survivability length is greatly reduced without the added chemo - weeks instead of months - following amputation as the cancer is still active in other parts of the body.  The chemo shuts down most of that activity, at least temporarily.

With Dude, I ended up just letting him not eat for the day or two he was nauseous after chemo.  If he needed meds I used small spoons of peanut butter or lunch meat and hoped he wouldn't get upset!  :hope  He usually was OK 24 or so hours following a chemo treatment (or nausau episode).  Then I'd begin again with small (like 1/4 cup) portions of whatever he would eat, several times a day.  He really liked those Beneful Prepared Meals to jumpstart his appetite.  Not the best nutrition, but at that point, it was whatever he would eat!

Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora)

52592535884_69debcd9b4.jpgsiggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr

Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly

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I keep canned food  from Evanger's on hand for upset stomachs and tummy gurgles.  Normally, it gets them to eat even if they wouldn't eat other things.  The one I use is plain chicken and nothing else. It is the consistency of pate' so goes down easily and digest easily.  The one I use for upset stomachs is  the Organic Cooked Chicken.  Amazon and Chewy both have it if you can't find it locally.  Note that it is not a balanced meal since it is only chicken, but if it gets them to eat that's all I'm worried about when I use it. Hope Sweep is feeling better soon. 

 

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Camp Broodie. The current home of Mark Kay Mark Jack and Gracie Kiowa Safe Joan.  Always missing my boy Rocket Hi Noon Rocket,  Allie  Phoenix Dynamite, Kate Miss Kate, Starz Under Da Starz, Petunia MW Neptunia, Diva Astar Dashindiva, and LaVida I've Got Life

 

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Thanks, all. I was worried about her getting dehydrated because she was even refusing water, so I called the clinic back. They were able to see her this afternoon. Blood work was still all good, phew. She got sub-q fluids, a Cerenia injection, Metronidazole, and Mirtazapine. (The last two as a just in case.) She's already eaten some chicken and is looking better. Going forward they'll give her a Cerenia injection with the chemo as a precaution in addition to the tablets they gave us.

Edited by ramonaghan

52596614938_aefa4e9757_o.jpg

Rachel with littermates Doolin and Willa, boss cat Tootie, and feline squatters Crumpet and Fezziwig.
Missing gentlemen kitties MudHenry, and Richard and our beautiful, feisty, silly
 Sweep:heart

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Just FYI, the Cerenia injections really sting unless they refrigerate it first.  A tip I learned from our onco nurses!

:kiss2 for Sweep!!

Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora)

52592535884_69debcd9b4.jpgsiggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr

Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly

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1 minute ago, greysmom said:

Just FYI, the Cerenia injections really sting unless they refrigerate it first.  A tip I learned from our onco nurses!

:kiss2 for Sweep!!

Thanks! This is the oncology department at the specialty clinic, so hopefully they know that! I really like the tech; she asked us today if it was okay that she referred to Sweep's lump as a tumor. I was so touched by that. We are under no delusions about what we're dealing with, but it was super sweet of her to ask.

52596614938_aefa4e9757_o.jpg

Rachel with littermates Doolin and Willa, boss cat Tootie, and feline squatters Crumpet and Fezziwig.
Missing gentlemen kitties MudHenry, and Richard and our beautiful, feisty, silly
 Sweep:heart

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1 hour ago, ramonaghan said:

Thanks, all. I was worried about her getting dehydrated because she was even refusing water, so I called the clinic back. They were able to see her this afternoon. Blood work was still all good, phew. She got sub-q fluids, a Cerenia injection, Metronidazole, and Mirtazapine. (The last two as a just in case.) She's already eaten some chicken and is looking better. Going forward they'll give her a Cerenia injection with the chemo as a precaution in addition to the tablets they gave us.

Taylor's chemo (Carboplatin) was mixed with an anti-nausea drug, and I was also given Cerenia pills, too.

Chemo (once a month for 4 months) was administered around 2:15 PM each time, and his oncologist suggested giving him the once a day Cerenia pill with his dinner that day (around 4:30 PM).  Taylor had no digestive side effects.

 

 

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2 hours ago, Beachbum1 said:

Taylor's chemo (Carboplatin) was mixed with an anti-nausea drug, and I was also given Cerenia pills, too.

Chemo (once a month for 4 months) was administered around 2:15 PM each time, and his oncologist suggested giving him the once a day Cerenia pill with his dinner that day (around 4:30 PM).  Taylor had no digestive side effects.

 

 

Thanks! We have given her the cerenia pill every day since chemo but the injectable must be much more potent because here's the scene tonight.

1-B2-CEF2-A-9-A66-4-E61-A089-CA01-C5-B56
 

and that belly is full of chicken and oatmeal! :beatheart

52596614938_aefa4e9757_o.jpg

Rachel with littermates Doolin and Willa, boss cat Tootie, and feline squatters Crumpet and Fezziwig.
Missing gentlemen kitties MudHenry, and Richard and our beautiful, feisty, silly
 Sweep:heart

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Nice to see that Sweep is back to...being Sweep! :wub:

rocket-signature-jpeg.jpg

Camp Broodie. The current home of Mark Kay Mark Jack and Gracie Kiowa Safe Joan.  Always missing my boy Rocket Hi Noon Rocket,  Allie  Phoenix Dynamite, Kate Miss Kate, Starz Under Da Starz, Petunia MW Neptunia, Diva Astar Dashindiva, and LaVida I've Got Life

 

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Just catching up on all of this, and sending lots of good wishes to Sweep and to you. Put those feet up and eat all the chimken and oatmeal, cutie pie! :wub:

Kendra, devoted walker of Henry (Tom Jones: Great Son x Lucia)

Missing Badger (Vf Get R Done: Quicksand Slip x Ll Tee el See), 5/04 - 2/14, who opened our hearts and our home to greyhounds; Kenzie (Slatex Kenzie: Randy Handy x Slatex Chrisy), 4/03 - 10/14, who really knew what a good dog she was; Falcon (Atascocita Sabat: Dodgem by Design x Atascocita Barb), 9/10 - 1/20, who was grumpy and snarky but eventually a little bit cuddly, too; Grandpa Grey the Galgo Español, 2008 (?) to 2022, who made us feel lucky to be the ones to teach him about pet life; and Lucia (Larking About x Anastasia, 5/12 to 8/23), our first brood matron and the sweetest speckly girl. 

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On 6/28/2021 at 6:56 PM, greysmom said:

Just FYI, the Cerenia injections really sting unless they refrigerate it first.  A tip I learned from our onco nurses!

:kiss2 for Sweep!!

True…but, now it’s often given IV (even better).

Edited by tbhounds
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