Tag Archives: Vinblastine

Life update

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Holy Cow!!! it’s JULY!!! Not really certain how that happened.  Must have blinked….

Yesterday was Rio’s last dose of CCNU, and per normal, she’s a bit tired this morning.  Today is milestone #5 Months since her surgery.  Yay, Rio!!!  Only one more Vinblastine to go!

She’s got a downy new coat of hair, although its still pretty patchy in spots.  I’m really pleased at how well the Trilostane seems to be working.  She’s got lots of energy and is really playful — like her young self, pre-Cushings.

Day before yesterday, we took the girls to the beach for the first time this summer.  It was almost 80 out and it just seemed like the perfect place to be.  The tide was out too far for Rio to really swim (cuz I can only throw the squirrel so far….), but she had a blast in the water!  The Golden Hippo swam so much, she can barely drag her carcass around the house.  She and Zeff have been in a coma for the last two days….  Dogs just don’t know how to pace themselves…  🙂

They had a great holiday with friends and family.  I think they were all too tired to even hear the fireworks (which is good, cuz they don’t like them very much).  Dad turned on a loud movie, too, so that helped cover the sound of most of the ka-booms.

A moose emerges from the surf

Update on treatment

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It’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride the last couple of weeks with Rio’s treatments.  Last week, she had a couple of days where her appetite and energy completely disappeared, to the point where her oncologist asked us to drive down for an unscheduled visit because she was worried about her.  There was even talk about admitting her.  But then she turned a corner and started perking back up.  Her appetite returned with a vengeance and she played outside in the sunshine over the weekend.  Crisis averted! Continue reading →

Chemo #3 and all’s well

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Today we administered Rio’s third round of chemo (CCNU).  She’s been doing really great, although last week’s CBC numbers were considerably lower than when we started.  Dr. Sarah, our oncologist, prescribed Cerenia for vomiting, since she did get sick on the Vinblastine two years ago, but we haven’t needed it so far.  Continue reading →

Chemo Round 2

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Today we went for our first dose of Vinblastine.  Rio had some episodes of nausea last time we had Vinblastine (2 years ago), and the doctor gave us some Cerenia in case it happens again this time.  So now we don’t have to go back to the oncologist for another month (fingers crossed).  We go for a CBC next week, then the next chemo is oral, so we’ll just do it here at home.

She’s now sacked out on the couch, exhausted after the long morning at the doctor’s.  But while we were there, we met lots of really tough dogs and the people who love them.  We met a dachshund who was recovering from a broken back, three dogs with repaired knees/legs, an elkhound with transitional cell cancer, and Jetson, another tripawd just like Rio.  He is somewhat of a celebrity to the local tripawd community (or at least to us!).  He was a K-9 cop prior to his diagnosis with osteosarcoma.  You can learn about his story here: http://www.komonews.com/news/problemsolvers/113246294.html.  Rio thought he was very handsome, yet managed to not appear starstruck, even though he’s way more striking in “person” than he was on TV!  Because of all of the publicity surrounding his retirement, he got enough donations to cover all of his medical expenses for the rest of his life!

 

Starting chemo

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Today is Friday, three weeks and three days since Rio’s surgery, and yesterday we started chemo for the second time.  I must say, when I saw my “little waif in the cage” nearly 11 years ago, it never would have crossed my mind that we’d end up on this road. Not that knowing would have made me walk away without her….  Could you???  Look at this face!!!

The day we met!

Continue reading →