Curly's Lymphoma Treatment

[nubonics]

After meeting with the specialist today, we have decided to proceed with chemotherapy. His first treatment starts tomorrow.

In my search about lymphoma on this forum, I did not find many details about the treatment, journey during and after. With that in mind, I'll continue to share his journey through this process.

Today we met with the vet specialist. Curly does have B cell lymphoma, and she said there was really no point doing images (x-rays or CT scans) because it would not change the course of his treatment. He is still a happy go-lucky dog and not displaying any symptoms that he is feeling the cancer yet.

With treatment, he should go into remission within a month and continue chemo for about 5 months. Each month he completes treatment may prolong his life expectancy by (average) 8 months.

The vet also said that the side effects should be minimal and he would not be "suffering" through chemo. He goal is to keep him healthy and active.

We trust this vet/clinic a lot. They also treated our Sully who passed in October. They still remembered us and was sad to see us again with a different case. We are comfortable with them, which is the most we can ask right now.

As mentioned chemo starts tomorrow and I'll update everyone in a couple of days.

And here is a picture of Curly waiting patiently for the specialist to see him

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[Lalaloopsie]

Oh dear, I wish you good luck and hope that treatment will help and you will have precious Curly for many years by your side!

 

[Cbrugs]

Good luck to you and sweet Curly!! I would probably still give CBD oil. Keep us posted!


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[ddnene]

Curly is so dang cute... I wish you guys ALL the best of course... sending lots of hugs and prayers your way!!! Please keep us posted on how Curly is doing...

 

[nubonics]

[MENTION=9157]ddnene[/MENTION] thank you! He was running around with that hamburger (the waiting room had a bunch of dog toys) and there was no way we could say no to chemo.

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[oscarmayer]

I hope that the chemo treatment goes well. You are doing a great service to Curly by going all in with his treatment. Make every day count!
You are also doing many future owners a great service by documenting his(and your) journey. Thank you in advance for allowing the EBN community to be a part of it.
GOOD LUCK, CURLY!!!

 

[Manydogs]

We love you Curly,and you are so cute,too! Many,many prayers are being with you every day! You can get through this! You go, boy!!!

 

[cefe13]

Hi from Castor and all best wishes from us all. Seems like you go to a great place - they have toys and allow the patients to sit on chairs!

 

[2BullyMama]

Thank you so much for sharing all this with us... we are all praying and sending hugs and love to you all!
[MENTION=11639]rjisaterp[/MENTION]... how is Jewel doing with her treatments?


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[rjisaterp]

Thank you so much for sharing all this with us... we are all praying and sending hugs and love to you all!
[MENTION=11639]rjisaterp[/MENTION]... how is Jewel doing with her treatments?


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Appt next week. Bloodwork. Sleeps a lot. Appetite good. Pees a lot bc prednisone.

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[nubonics]

Curly completed his first day of treatment. So far he is just a bit tired but I'm not sure if it is from the chemo OR if it is because we woke him up early (he likes to sleep in until about 10 AM and we had to get him up at around 7 AM; tough life )

I don't have additional feedback on the treatment today except it was quick (about 1 hour 45 min) and he was a bit too anxious before the treatment so they gave us some pills to give to him before his treatment next week.

One of the areas I did want to mention, that I did not see much info on when I was seeking answers, is treatment options and costs. It is fair to keep in mind that costs will vary where you live. These costs/treatment plans are also specifically for the "normal" chemo treatment for B-Cell Lymphoma.

We were given three options for Chemo. Listed below in order of recommendation:

1. Wisconsin Madison: The most common chemo protocol that has been used in the majority of cases with good success rate for dogs to go into remission. Total Cost range: $5871 - $6260 (weekly payment of about $240; treatment timeline: 26 weeks)

2. Tanovea: Newer drug on the market that has a comparable success rate as Wisconsin Madison. This drug is so new there is not a generic drug on the market yet. This drug does have some side effects that could affect the lungs. Total cost: $7565 (biweekly payment of about $1,400-$1,500; treatment timeline: 14 weeks)

3. Adriamycin Protocol: Recommended highly for the second line of treatment; is not recommended as high for the first line of treatment. Total cost: $2,881 (biweekly payment of about $500-$600; treatment timeline: 14 weeks)​

Again, the costs here are more in line with the Colorado Springs area and, obviously, could vary depending where you are located. We went with the Wisconsin Madison Protocol.

There are also quite a few non-profits that are able to help with the expense of chemo. The vet treating gave me brochures for two non-profits. One is only for people who reside in the Colorado area (Healing Pets Foundation) and the other is a nationwide non-profit called The Magic Bullet (themagicbulletfund.org)

Okay, that's all for me today. I hope that this info with be useful to someone in the future. More updates to come later this week.

 

[rjisaterp]

[MENTION=9956]nubonics[/MENTION] Thanks for the update and glad to hear so far so good. We will check on the non profit you mentioned. Great info.

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[nubonics]

The vet told us that by next week Curly's Lymph Nodes should be normal size again. Well, last night and today I noticed they had already shrunk down to half the size they were. Previously they were the size of tennis balls (maybe a bit larger)..now they are probably the size of a large egg.

He did pee the bed last night due to sides effects from the prednisone. I'm just going to have to wake up in the middle of the night, wake him up and force him to go out (he has access to the dog run but the issue was he didn't get out of bed in time)

He has been tired more of today but, this evening, he really was trying to play with the Great Dane. currently, they aren't allowed to play with each other because they get too rough.

I'm hoping by the weekend it will warm up here in CO (it's currently snowing) and I can take him for a long walk.

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[rjisaterp]

The vet told us that by next week Curly's Lymph Nodes should be normal size again. Well, last night and today I noticed they had already shrunk down to half the size they were. Previously they were the size of tennis balls (maybe a bit larger)..now they are probably the size of a large egg.

He did pee the bed last night due to sides effects from the prednisone. I'm just going to have to wake up in the middle of the night, wake him up and force him to go out (he has access to the dog run but the issue was he didn't get out of bed in time)

He has been tired more of today but, this evening, he really was trying to play with the Great Dane. currently, they aren't allowed to play with each other because they get too rough.

I'm hoping by the weekend it will warm up here in CO (it's currently snowing) and I can take him for a long walk.

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Hi Nu. I have the late shift with Jewel and let her out at 0030...0100 hours. Also, now that I'm retired she is let out every couple of hours to pee during the day. Curly...I don't blame you bud...its that bloody med prednisone. Our doctor said it would make Jewel go pee more. Also Jewel's appetite is good. Curly...you are still the man. Hang tough big boy.

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[rjisaterp]

Hi Nu. I have the late shift with Jewel and let her out at 0030...0100 hours. Also, now that I'm retired she is let out every couple of hours to pee during the day. Curly...I don't blame you bud...its that bloody med prednisone. Our doctor said it would make Jewel go pee more. Also Jewel's appetite is good. Curly...you are still the man. Hang tough big boy.

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P.S. I'm still waiting for Stu to send me a Tommy's chili cheeseburger and my Hollenbeck burrito from El Tepeyac.

I previously mentioned I lived in L.A. As a 10th grade drop out because I got kicked out of a few high schools,and got arrested in L.A. I joined the service. I use to live what is now called Koreatown on Kingsley.

The military....they give you a $250k insurance policy....and a chance to use it. The best choice the L.A. Superior Court judge gave me.....oops letting too much out of the bag...phase in intellect.


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