beeksmom3 Posted February 15, 2005 Report Share Posted February 15, 2005 Hello Everyone, I have a 13 yr. old B.C. who we have just learned has lymphoma carcinoma. His lymph nodes are swollen an he is a 4 1/2 yr survivor of a cancerous tumor in the mouth. It has just returned....I have learned his time is very limited an he is gonna start feeling very poorly(kinda like the flu only worse). She is gonna perscribe a type of steriod which in return is suppose to slow down the cancer just a bit an stop him or limit the sicky feeling.. But she is saying not a cure..it's just to keep him a little more comfy. He is very sharp yet, very little vison loss an no hearing loss or very little. He is very alert an does not act 'sick'. Has anyone else heard of this an if so what was your experience...? I'm not looking to prolong the inevidable just to :confused: keep him feeling ok an as happy as he has made me for so many years.... thank you. Sue & Shadow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miztiki Posted February 15, 2005 Report Share Posted February 15, 2005 I can tell you my own personal experience with steroids. I had a brain tumor removed four years ago and they put me on a high dose of steroids to keep the swelling down. It makes you retain water, so you have to pee alot. It gives you the munchies and you can't stop eating! Depending on the dosage and duration, it can give you mood swings ranging in severity from mild to severe, and even hallucinations. Also depending on the dosage and duration, it can suck all of the calcium out of your bones and make you brittle. It can cause something called steroid induced diabetes. It lowers your immune system, so you heal slower and are more prone to get viruses and infections. It makes you feel like you're constantly stoned. The alternative is death though, so as bad as the side effects can be, it can buy you some time with your dog. I am very sorry to hear that you are having to go through this with him. It's not an easy thing and my heart goes out to you. Love and cherish your dog while you can and watch his body language. He will tell you when enough is enough. This is an emotional subject for me but I hope it's been some help. Love your boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted February 16, 2005 Report Share Posted February 16, 2005 My old Molly is on prednisone right now for an autoimmune disorder, and she has all the side effects that Miztiki mentioned, except that the supression of the immune system was what we were looking for in this case, so techincally it's not a side effect. Over the next few of weeks we will be gradually reducing the prednisone to see if her immune system will return to normal function. It's a tough call, but I don't think her quaility of life is very good right now. She is constantly hungry, and doing things that she knows are bad to get food, so she's constantly nervous that she's going to get in trouble. If I thought this was going to be how she lived out the next several years of her life, I might seriously think about putting her down. She is not the dog I know or the dog that she wants to be. However, the initial reduction in her dosage has reduced some of her hunger and skittishness, without allowing any immediately apparent return of her autoimmune disorder. So I'm hopeful that we will be able to reduce the drug even further and perhaps eliminate it sometime in the not too distant future. On the whole, my advice would be to see how the steroids go. If the dosage can be kept low enough, you may not see the deleterious side effects that I have and the Miztiki describes, and it could prolong your dog's quality of life. Bear in mind that all verterinary care is essentially postpoing the inevitable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted February 16, 2005 Report Share Posted February 16, 2005 Except for the immunosupression, most of the effects of the steroids will actually help your dog at this stage (increased eating and drinking, weight gain, etc). I put a 14 year old dog on a course of low dose prednisone to alleviate the damage from some pretty severe arthritis. My vet commented that he might pass away at 15 instead of 16, but if he lived two more years he'd be in unbearable pain from the arthritis anyway, with or without steroids. In actuality, he did pass away about a year later, but from a sudden series of strokes, not anything to do with the pred or his arthritis. Until then, he had a terrific year, being able to resume a lot of the activities that made him happy (chasing water from the hose, playing with Frisbees and soda bottles, and of course working sheep). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beeksmom3 Posted February 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2005 that you all for your replies. I picked up Shadows meds this afternoon. 20mg worth.I will start him in the morning, he is still happy so I'm making sure to take lots of pics an I've been video taping his antics off an on since I got him I have hours to sit an watch ...someday..trying to keep my chin up... we have no children so this is a rough one... thanks again..Sue an Shadow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miztiki Posted February 16, 2005 Report Share Posted February 16, 2005 Yes, keep your chin up. We're all here if you want to talk, share stories, post pictures, whatever. Please don't be a stranger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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