Leukemia?

[Lynn5707]

Hello,
I am new here, first post. I have 3 dogs, Smokes almost 13 year old Black Lab, Molly almost 11 year old Golden Retriever, and Lucy 2 year old rescue lab mix.

i am writing to ask for guidance for Smokes, who was diagnosed with probable leukemia (maybe lymphoma- 4 page pathology report was not certain, but leaned more toward leukemia). He is being treated with prednisone as we want him to be as comfortable as possible, and prognosis with full blown chemo wasn't great (and didn't want to out him through suffering with chemo). Anyway, with prednisone he has started eating, been on it for a month. My question is for others that have been through this, what should I expect? My husband and I are bracing for the worst, we know his prognosis is poor, but will he just keep getting weaker and weaker?

I guess I just need some support? We are so very, very sad that Smokes is ill. Molly isn't doing well either due to arthritis pain, and I feel very guilty about that as she is overweight. We the Molly's arthritis it is hard to exercise her, using senior dog food, but still weighs too much. We love these dogs so much and I am trying not to think of probably both of them may be gone in future.

Thanks for listening.

[POPTOP]

Hello and Welcome!

So sorry about Smokes. I have no experience with leukemia. Wanted to send along prayers.

We home senior labs so Molly's situation is not unfamiliar. I know you realize getting her weight down is most important. I do not feed senior foods; they have so many fillers. Our Mardi is 11 and does very well on Fromm whitefish. It has less calories and I feed less, only about 1 1/4 cup per day in two feedings. I add frozen green beans (you can used canned, no sodium) and mix in a small amount of frozen fruit (no grapes). Mardi has one very bad hip and a bad knee on the opposite leg so she has very limited exercise tolerance. Even though, she gets her daily mosey, sometimes only to the end of the driveway and back. She loves it. I'm very careful with treats, really limiting them. No table food, unless it's plain cooked veggies. Also add 500 mg of vitamin C (the human chewable kind) and Cosequin D daily. They are chewable tablets so they get tossed into the morning meal. This last winter was very hard, cold, snow, ice, so Mardi did not get out near as much as usual. Even so, with strict control of her diet, she actually lost weight on the Fromm. It's a good quality food, grain free. With her eating so little, it goes a long way. If you change over, do so slowly, over a week or so, so she won't have an upset tummy.

I also do range of motion exercise. With Mardi laying on her side, I get down beside her and start with patting and talking, getting her relaxed. Then, with a hand gently on her shoulder, I move her leg forward and back, very slowly, very gently. It takes a while for them to get used to it but once into a routine, they love it. It's our special time. Only go as far as comfortable for Molly, the range will increase over time. I work each joint on the leg, gently, back and forth. The same routine for the back legs.

Our Melody had lower spine arthritis but I kept up the same routine. She was on Tramadol to help with discomfort. Also had a walking harness with a handle to help her on the bad days.

Please don't hesitate to PM me if you have more questions. Think you need about 5-10 posts to use that function. It's easy to do; go to the picture section and welcome section. You'll have enough posts very quickly.

[Lynn5707]

Thank you so much! I had not thought about the ROM exercises! Will do that with Molly. Will also try and change up her diet some. We do have tramadol for her pain and give that to her. It is hard for feeding as Smokes I am letting him have anything he wants so he will eat, trying to limit Molly and Lucy is young and very active.

I have had dogs my whole life, and had never had one that had a weight problem - so this is a learning experience for me. So hopefully it won't happen in future.

thank you again,

Lynn

[Calley's Family]

Vary sorry to hear about Smokes. We don't have any experience with leukemia. Just wanted to let you know that we are thinking about you.

[LucyTudeOn4Feet]

I'm so sorry you're dealing with something like this. It's heartbreaking when our pets come down with these kinds of diseases.
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I know I've posted this several times before the forum crashed, but I don't think I have since.
.
Here is a study by Penn State on the effects a mushroom extract has on prolonging life in canine hemangiosarcoma patients. I know you're not dealing with this specific cancer, but it might be worth a try, if you have no traditional options. My girl was diagnosed with osteosarcoma several years ago, and she was put on this Coriolus Versicolor immediately, as part of her treatment plan. We are still lucky to have her with us, in relatively good condition for her age. The study finds that it is NOT a cure at all, but does extend the life and quality of life before decline in most of the subjects.
This extract is very easy to order online, and while the price of a bottle may shock you, it's still dirt cheap compared to chemo, radiation, surgery, etc.
Penn News | Compound Derived From a Mushroom Lengthens Survival Time in Dogs With Cancer, Penn Vet Study Finds

[Jax's Mom]

Im sorry about Smokes I wish I had advice. I will be praying for you all.

[Lynn5707]

Thanks everyone for all the kind words. I will check into that study.

[SunDance]

Hi, Lynn....welcome to the board.

I have no experience with this, either, but wanted to send good thoughts.

[dynamicgang]

I am sorry. My one girl died of lymphoma. We opted not to treat it with anything and let nature take it's course:

Daisy Has Lymphoma

[Lynn5707]

I am sorry. My one girl died of lymphoma. We opted not to treat it with anything and let nature take it's course:

Daisy Has Lymphoma

Thank you so much for sharing your story with me. It means a lot.