Mr. Handsome Pants

Our Mr. Handsome Pants

In the previous installement of Tucker’s journey you probably noticed that Tucker’s humans had already spent a hefty amount in two short months. This was just the beginning of the cost, doctors visits, and toll it was going to take on all of them.

Tucker has been known to us, and most of his friends, as Mr. Handsome Pants because of the darling pajama pants he sported. We thought this was such a clever way of helping Tucker manage to keep his staples safe from himself.  See what led to the pants:

3/1/14  Visit to Franklin Veterinary Associates.  Bandage and drain removal day.

Office Visit - $11.00

Of course, this brought about a new set of challenges. Tucker could reach the staples and he was transfixed with chewing and removing them all on his own.

I bought a pair of Scooby Doo PJ’s and with some creative scissor skills and duct tape I thought I came up with a great solution.   I put the bottoms on him to protect the staples and we nicknamed Tucker “Mr. Handsome Pants”.

Of course, the next morning the PJ’s were on the bed and another staple was decorating the PJ bottoms.

3/4/14  Visit to Franklin Veterinary Associates  staple removal day and progress exam.  Office Visit - $47.41

3/8/14  Visit to Franklin Veterinary Associates for Medical Progress Exam.

Office Visit - $24.00

3/10/14 Visit with Dr. Boshoven, Radiation Oncologist, VCA Veterinary Referral Associates.  Our consultation went well. He discussed radiation and chemotherapy options with us.

Amputation would have the highest chance of curing him of the local disease and he would still recommend chemotherapy to follow if we choose that route.

Radiation has a good chance of controlling the local disease as well.  As with surgery, however, radiation does not do anything for the possible spread of the disease.

All of this information was overwhelming but I decided against amputation and radiation treatments and go for chemotherapy.

He ordered an abdominal ultrasound.  They found that the lymph node was more round than oblong indicating a possibility of cancer or normal due to the location of the lymph node near the incision site.   They will aspirate the lymph node to rule out cancer. This procedure is scheduled for Friday, March 14, 2014.

Office Visit - $725.10

3/11/14 – Visit to Franklin Veterinary Associates for Medical Progress Exam and Simplicef.     Office Visit - $45.91

3/14/14 – Visit to VCA Veterinary Referral Associates.  Tucker was sedated and Radiology service performed the aspiration of the lymph nodes.  Waiting on the test results was nerve racking.  If the cancer had spread there were not a lot of treatment options.   Office Visit - $745.35

  After many calls to VCA, I received a call from Dr. Shigemoto the Radiologist that performed the procedure on Tucker.  Great News!  No cancer cells in the lymph node.  This means we can move forward with the chemotherapy treatment.

3/26/14 -  Visit to VCA Veterinary Referral Associates.  Appointment with Dr. Intile.  Chemotherapy treatment #1. There will be a total of five treatments given every three weeks.  Tucker had bloodwork, urinalysis, thoracic study.  He is on Cerenia and Metronidazole.  Office Visit - $815.61

4/16/14 – Visit to VCA Veterinary Referral Associates.  Appointment with Dr. Intile.  Chemotherapy treatment #2.  Tucker had bloodwork tests performed and it indicated that he had adequate red and white blood cell parameters for treatment #2.            Office Visit - $479.16

5/9/14  - Visit to VCA Veterinary Referral Associates.  Appointment with Dr. Intile.

Chemotherapy treatment #3.  Tucker had bloodwork tests performed and it indicated that he had adequate red and white blood cell parameters for treatment #3.            Office Visit - $479.16

After this treatment Tucker started losing his eyebrows, mustache and beard. 

Many people asked about Tucker’s breed.  What kind of dog is that?  WelI, he doesn’t look like a Miniature Schnauzer.  I repeated his story many times and it became exhausting.  Priscilla Singletary sent Tucker shirts to wear “They All Matter Find the Cure”, “Fight Like Tucker” #beatcancer, “Cancer Sucks”.

Tucker wore these shirts everywhere and most of the questions stopped.  I will be forever grateful for her kindness.

5/30/14 – Visit to VCA Veterinary Referral Associates.  Appointment with Dr. Intile.   Chemotherapy treatment #4.  Tucker underwent a recheck abdominal ultrasound, which showed that the previously enlarged lymph nodes in his abdomen were smaller in size.  Also x-rays were performed.  Tucker had bloodwork tests performed and it indicated that he had adequate red and white blood cell parameters for treatment #4.    Office Visit - $1244.56

6/20/14 – Visit to VCA Veterinary Referral Associates.  Appointment with Dr. Intile.  Chemotherapy treatment #5.  CBC was done and showed adequate red and white blood cell parameters for administering chemotherapy.  Fine needle aspirates were obtained from several of the nodules along the back of the right thigh and in house cytology showed clusters of what were suspected to be normal epithelial cells.   Tucker was declared cancer free!  Office Visit - $537.88

Tucker did really well during these chemotherapy treatments.  He had a picky appetite following his treatment, but this resolved with a new medicine to stimulant his appetite.

Some hair regrowth on sweet Tucker

At this point we became very familiar with Tucker and his chemotherapy appointments. His friends all rallied around him as he went in for treatment after treatment:

10/1/14 – Visit to Mid-Atlantic Veterinary Hospital.  Appointment with Dr. Altendorf.  Tucker was evaluated for a tumor on his left leg.  He had an exam and

Cytology was sent to Idexx for evaluation.  Office Visit - $111.49

10/8/14 – Visit to Mid-Atlantic Veterinary Hospital.  Xrays and ultrasound performed.    Office Visit - $350.12

10/15/14 – Visit to Mid-Atlantic Veterinary Hospital.  Surgery day. Lesion removal with lymph node removal.      Tucker did really well.  He did a lot better than I did.

I was a nervous wreck!       His diagnosis was confirmed Hemangiosarcoma.   Office Visit - $768.95

Note:  I was in disbelief.  We are going to battle this cancer for a second time!

11/17/14 – Visit to Mid-Atlantic Veterinary Hospital.  The same tests were done by this Vet to ensure Tucker was in good health for the treatment.

Chemotherapy Treatment #1   and he was given an appetite stimulant.

Office Visit - $421.91

12/17/14 – Visit to Mid-Atlantic Veterinary Hospital.

Chemotherapy Treatment #2

Office Visit - $427.21

12/29/14 – Visit to Mid-Atlantic Veterinary Hospital.

Chemotherapy Treatment #3

Office Visit - $455.81

1/19/15 – Visit to Mid-Atlantic Veterinary Hospital

Chemotherapy Treatment #4

Office Visit - $497.27

2/9/15 – Visit to Mid-Atlantic Veterinary Hospital

Chemotherapy Treatment #5 with x-rays and ultrasound

Office Visit - $699.81

3/4/15 – Visit to Mid-Atlantic Veterinary Hospital

CBC

Office Visit – $27.17

3/25/15 – Visit to Mid-Atlantic Veterinary Hospital

Extensive Blood workup

Office Visit - $109.83

4/1/15 - Tucker has had 2 rounds of Chemotherapy (5 treatment each time) which is the limit.  The Vet put him on Chlorambucil which is a maintenance Chemotherapy treatment.  Chlorambucil depresses the function of the bone marrow which can result in anemias and bleeding disorders.

RX (60 Caps) - $74.16

January-February 2014 with Tucker

Tucker’s Cancer Journey:

These next few posts will be a bit lengthy for a blog. I thought about condensing and summarizing (even more than what you see here), but in the end I decided against that. 

What's most important to us about Tucker's series is that it might be a landing place for someone going through this same challenge. For that reason we didn't' want to leave anything out. So please bear with us as we post segments of his vet visits for the next couple of installments of his story. 

Listed below is a chronological summary of Tucker’s trips to the Vet

 January 2, 2014 Tucker was seen by Dr. Runk, Franklin Veterinary Associates, Greencastle, Pa. for limping.  He was given Tramadol 50 mg and Rimadyl 75mg.  Rimadyl is a NSAID.  I kept an eye on Tucker for vomiting, diarrhea, bloody stool and decreased appetite.  Tucker did well and I thought we were on the right track.

At this time the Vet thought Tucker had an issue with his knee. 

Office visit-$52.10

January 24, 2014 Tucker was seen by Dr. Runk at Franklin Veterinary Associates for a lump on the outside of his left rear leg.   During this visit the Vet performed a needle aspirate/cytology and a short procedure ultrasound.  He was prescribed Baytril 68mg tabs.    Office visit - $136.76

January 27, 2014 Tucker was given additional Baytril. We continued to wait for the tests results from the needle aspirate procedure.  Office visit - $36.90

The results came back that Tucker had Spindle Cell Sarcoma is a type of connective tissue cancer in which the cells are spindle-shaped when examined under a microscope.

At this time it became clear that Tucker required surgery.  The tumor on his leg was getting bigger and Dr. Runk did not perform this type of surgery.

I was new to this area and I decided to call Dr. Dubin, Animal Care Experts, Thompson, Ct.  She was my Vet while I lived in Mass. So I made arrangements for Tucker to have his surgery.

2/4/2014  Dr. Dubin requested that I go to Dr. Runk, Franklin Veterinary Associates  for blood work and xrays.    Office visit - $265.80

2/11/2014 Dr. Dubin requested that Dr. Runk performs another Needle aspirate and send to Idexx Cytology and Microscopic description.  Office visit - $159.18

2/18/14  Dr. Dubin requested another cytology, medical exam and he was given

 Clavamox and Tramadol.     Office visit - $86.14

2-25-14  Trip from Pa., to Thompson, Ct to see Dr. Dubin, Animal Care Experts, Thompson, Ct.  Tucker had a drain and staples in his leg.  He did really well during the procedure and I was able to take him home the next day.   

 Surgery - $1,253.58

Tucker was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma it is a deadly cancer that attacks the lining of the blood vessels which can rupture and bleed causing death.

Tucker hated the bandage, the drainage tube and most of all the staples.   He ended up wearing a soft cone but he was smart and had to be either held or watched constantly.

2-27-14  Visit to Franklin Veterinary Associates to have bandage changed and he was given fluids.      Office Visit - $101.00

-Join us next time to hear how Tucker got his nickname of-

***********Mr. Handsome Pants**********

Big News

A message from Gracie_the_bichon:
 

Happy Friday Friends!

Do you ever look at the calendar and realize it’s Friday when you thought it was only Thursday? Neither do I. I feel like most people know when Friday is going to arrive; perhaps it’s just our human that was caught by surprise at midnight. I digress. Let’s update you on some fun news!

Wait for it…..

Wait for it….

Please welcome Willow as the newest addition to the Knight Pack!!

Look at those floppy ears!

Ta-DA!

She’s a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. The breed my humans have been doing rescue and foster work with for many years. Dad surprised us for their anniversary. Apparently I’m only getting older and potentially grumpier, so they better get a puppy now and hopefully we’ll be friends? Lol we’ll see about that.

Willow Bean, as my girl human refers to her, is literally the worst. If any of you are Hamilton fans think of her as Aaron Burr and I’m Alexander Hamilton. Sometimes we’re sort of friends, more like mildly tolerating each other really. Most of the time we wish the other would find somewhere else to live.

The humans all seem to adore her.  Awesome, Wow! (heavy sarcasm)  Anyway, there you have it, our exciting announcement.

This is what happens when I pretend she doesn't exist.

Disclaimer: We’ve had her a while now, but I haven’t allowed the announcement because I was hoping the humans would change their mind and take her back or something.  She is now 4months old and it looks like she’ll be staying indefinitely. Sigh. 

So I guess in the coming weeks we’ll show you some of the adventures she’s been on since we acquired her.

 Stay tuned. Also, we’ll be hearing more about Tucker and some other friend journeys in the coming weeks. Thanks for reading.
 

Happy Friday!

Canine Cancer

 Last post you met our treasured friend Tucker. Later on in Tucker’s life he was diagnosed with Hemagiosarcoma, which according to caninecancer.com is an aggressive, malignant tumor of blood vessel cells.

Before we delve into the journey that cancer led Tucker on, we wanted to first share with you some facts on cancer in canines.

Tucker

The following facts are from:

Chemotherapy Overview from Mid-Atlantic Veterinary Hospital

What is chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy drugs are serious compounds that are toxic to cancer cells.  Chemotherapy drugs may be administered orally, or by intravenous (IV) or subcutaneous (under the skin) injection.

How does chemotherapy work?

Cancer cells typically multiply very rapidly, so most chemotherapy drugs target those rapidly growing cells to damage their ability to divide, eventually killing them.

Why chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy can be most effective single treatment for some types of cancer, by offering the best chance for remission while maintaining a good quality of life for your pet.

Chemotherapy is often recommended after surgical removal of a malignant cancer.  The purpose of chemotherapy in this application is not only to try to prevent recurrence of the cancer at the original sit, but also to try to prevent metastasis.

Occasionally, chemotherapy will be used alone for the treatment of cancers that are inoperable, or are not good candidates for radiation therapy, or have already metastasized.  In most of these cases, the goal of treatment will not be to cure the cancer, but rather to improve your pet’s quality of life temporarily by reducing pressure, bleeding or pain.

What about side effects?

Compared to people, pets suffer fewer and less severe side effects from chemotherapy.  This is primarily because veterinary oncologists use lower doses of drugs, and do not combine as many drugs as do human.  All rapidly dividing cells in the body are sensitive to chemotherapy, and while cancer cells fall into that category, so do cells that are found in the intestinal tract, bone marrow, and hair follicles.  Chemotherapy, therefore, may result in gastrointestinal upset, immune suppression, and hair loss in some pets.

Possible gastrointestinal effects include decreased appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea which, if untreated, can lead to weight loss and

Dehydration.

Immune-suppressive effects result when the bone marrow is no longer able to make as many white blood cells, which in turn leads to an increased susceptibility to infection.

Some pets, just like some people, may lose their hair during chemotherapy treatment.  While this is less common in pets, it does happen.  Hair generally begins to grow back within a few weeks to a month after treatment ends.

How Will My Pet Be Monitored?

At each chemotherapy visit, your pet will be physically examined by the veterinarian, and blood will be taken for a blood test to monitor white blood cells and other parameters.  Additional diagnostic tests, such as ultrasonography, may be scheduled as needed.  Once the tests are reviewed and your pet is cleared for the next round of chemotherapy, an appointment will be scheduled.

Next, we’ll take a look at the chronological vet visits to treat Tucker’s cancer.

I hope this will help any of you dealing with or who may deal with canine cancer.

Until then…

***Edited to correct Cancer Diagnosis. Tucker was diagnosed with Hemagiosarcoma not Spindle Cell**

A Journey with Tucker

Hello dear readers! It's been quite a while hasn't it? We have a lot to catch up on, but that'll have to wait...er, I guess I'll have to wait even longer.

What we have for you today is a special treat that we're really excited about!

We have a dear dear family that we've come to know and love through Instagram (No big surprise there is it?). We are going to take you on the journey of one of their dogs over the next couple of weeks.

So let's dive right in and meet Tucker.
The following was written by Diane (Tucker's girl human):

TUCKER’S JOURNEY

THE BEGINNING

            I remember the day we brought Tucker home like it was yesterday!

            My husband and I went to the Mall to do some shopping.  I needed to go to the pet store to buy doggie toothpaste.  While I was paying for my items, my hubby, Lee, walked up behind me with a rather large 4 month old puppy and said “I just bought him”.

            On the way home, Lee asked me if I was mad at him?  Of course, I wasn’t mad but I was thinking to myself “Great!  Now I have a sick dog, Casey, and Sophie, Peppy and a 4 month old rambunctious puppy, Tucker.

During this time Casey was very sick with Pancreatitis. Our Vet at the time did not give us very good odds if he would survive. I think this is the reason Lee bought this puppy.  He thought a puppy would distract me, if in fact we lost Casey.  Within a few weeks Casey recovered and we became a family of six.

            Tucker was a very high energy dog and due to the weather in Mass. (where we lived at the time) I decided to see if I could train him to walk on the treadmill.  I got his leash and we went to the basement to see if this would work.  I was praying this would help with his anxiety issues.  Every morning we went to the basement to walk on the treadmill.  I turned on the TV and sat with him while he walked on the treadmill.   It turned out that he loved it!  And it turned out he loved watching TV.  This was a win win situation!

            One morning Tucker was walking on the treadmill and everything seemed to be going well.  When all of a sudden Tucker moved all the back to the end of the treadmill and decided to take a poo.  At the moment I think I was in shock and at the same time it was really funny.  I immediately started training him so that he could jump off and on the treadmill and go outside to do his business.  On future treadmill walks he would jump off and on the treadmill.  Sometimes just for fun and other times he just had to take care of business.

            Tucker waited by the basement door every morning to walk on the treadmill.  As a puppy he walked with Peppy but quickly outpaced him.

I walked with Tucker on the treadmill at a slower pace but he always stayed with me.  As Tucker got older he could go faster for longer periods of time but he always wanted me to be with him.

EXERCISE AND TRAINING

I’m not sure when I discovered or decided that Tucker was “Fear Aggressive” but I needed to help him and myself because I was afraid to take him anywhere.   He was out of control with barking, bearing his teeth, jumping and it became a huge ordeal to take him anywhere.   At the time I felt I should rename him “Cujo” because I was afraid he would bite someone.

I was very fortunate to meet a wonderful dog trainer, Shari-Ann Morin Murphy, The Paws Training Group in Mass.  I met with Shari and explained our issues and just started crying because I knew Tucker could be a great dog but his fear aggression was holding him back. 

Time for Tucker to attend Shari’s training classes.  Tucker spent a lot of time in training classes and in the “time out room” due to barking and behavior issues.  The “time out room” was a quiet office where he was placed so he could calm down and stop barking.  Going to the training classes with Shari gave us both what we needed.  Tucker became a better behaved dog, we reached our goal and she used Tucker in some of her Puppy training classes.  However, he still liked to bark!  We never quite got the command “Quiet” under control.  But I learned so much about Tucker and myself.  I had an awesome loving boy!

• Now that you've met sweet Tucker continue on this journey with us next week. We're going learn about his battle with cancer, and chemotherapy treatments. We'll also meet his amazing family and share some of the delightful memories we have of him.