20 + 1

We finished our 20th radiation session on Friday and met with the vet for our final consultation. She has a surprise for us: she recommended that Sophie have one more session of radiation.

Her reasoning is that they try to give the highest dose of radiation that a dog can handle without the side effects becoming unbearable. That is, the long-term gains have to be balanced against the quality of life right now. On average, that’s usually 15-20 doses of radiation.

Sophie has not suffered any significant side effects (except bad breath but that probably doesn’t count)  so she can easily tolerate one more session without problem. Our last, last, last appointment is Monday.

It’s one last chance for us to read magazines and work on that puzzle in the waiting room. And one more opportunity to shrink that tumor.

 

first side effect

We’re in our final week of radiation treatment for nasal chondrosarcoma and there’s one noticeable side effect: BAD BREATH!

Eating a whole litter box bad. Smell it ten feet away bad. Wake you up in the middle of the night bad. Even Sophie seems to notice and be distressed by it.

There are many reasons for this. We’ve stopped brushing her teeth to cut down on the risk of gum infection. Also, the vet feeds her canned food after radiation each day. But most of all, I blame the prednisone. One of the side effects of the drug is increased appetite; the vet warned that dogs will do bad things to get more food, like go through the trash or jump up on counters, even if they’ve never done it before.

Sophie’s bad behavior involves horses. She has been sneaking under the fence to eat the horse manure in the green space behind our house. We’ve lived here four years and she’s never shown the slightest interest in horses but now they produce such a delicious delicacy that she simply can’t resist.

I can’t wait until the prednisone bottle is empty.

 

Now for the hard part

We are officially more than half done with radiation. Sophie has not exhibited a single side effect– no jaw pain, no blistering, no hair loss. So far, it’s been a pretty easy experience.

As I took her for her 11th treatment on Monday, I thought “okay, the easy part is over.” We’ve been warned that she’ll start developing a sunburn on her face soon, and it will continue for a couple weeks after the last treatment.

So while we have completed half of the radiation, we know that we’re not half way through the radiation experience.

Poor Sophie.

 

Tumors in Domestic Animals

Title: Tumors in Domestic Animals, 4th ed.
Editor: Donald J. Meuten

If you want to understand your animal’s cancer on a cellular level, this might be the book for you. Filled with black and white images, Tumors in Domestic Animals provides photos, radiographs, cross-sections, and pictures of cancer cells. This textbook is intended for veterinary pathologists, so it may be of limited use once you’ve received a diagnosis. But if you’re curious about what that tumor really looks like under the skin, this book will oblige you in detail.

 

5 fractions down… 15 to go

Sophie completed her first week of radiation with flying colors. The hardest part has been the daily fast– why bother getting out of bed if there’s no breakfast?

Sophie truly dislikes going to the vet. This is how the week started:
Day 1: Sophie refuses to go into the exam room
Day 2: Sophie refuses to enter clinic
Day 3: Sophie refuses to leave car

I was really worried! But on Thursday, we were back to Day 1 status. I think she’s got the hang of it now.

 

Radiation: Day One

We spent a glorious weekend at the beach, trying to forget that Monday would bring the first day of radiation for Sophie’s nasal tumor. No food or water was allowed for eight hours prior to treatment, so I fed her at 5 AM and went back to bed (normal breakfast is at 7ish.)

 

Consult with oncologist

Last week, we met with the veterinary oncologist for the first time. We are surprised that her office is only about five miles from our house; it’s a nondescript building in a regular looking neighborhood. I wonder if the neighbors ever worry about radioactive waste!

 

Managing the Canine Cancer Patient

Title: Managing the Canine Cancer Patient: A Practical Guide to Compassionate Care Authors: Gregory K. Ogilivie & Anthony S. Moore, c. 2006

This has been the most informative and readable books that I have found so far on the topic of canine cancer. While the individual cancers are not discussed in depth (e.g. nasal cancers are discussed as a group) the book includes symptoms, diagnostic procedures, treatment options and expected side effects. Color photographs show dogs at various stages of the disease and treatment.

 

Location is everything

We met with the vet this week. First, the tech took out the staples from the area where the skin tag was removed two weeks ago. (An aside: those staples were really cool! She pressed in the middle and the ends came right out.)

 

Chondrosarcoma

We have a diagnosis: stage 2 chondosarcoma. Basically, it’s a type of cancer that forms in cartilage. It can be found in the “flat bones”, such as ribs or skulls.

The good news is that it doesn’t often metastasize and it doesn’t grow as fast as some other nasal cancers. Bad news is that it doesn’t respond well to radiation. We’re meeting with the vet next week to discuss our options.