It has been over six months now since we (Dr. Gary Palmer and Dr. Robin Lewis-Palmer) diagnosed our own dog, Piper, a six year old Aussiedoodle, with lymphoma. Although it has been a devastating diagnosis with no cure, we have been treating her with chemotherapy to “buy” her as much good quality time with us as possible. Overall, other than the surprising change in hair coat colour and texture, she has tolerated chemotherapy remarkably well.
With the original chemotherapy protocol, we were successful in putting her into remission for six months and she has enjoyed an excellent quality of life throughout. A few weeks ago however, we started to notice Piper drinking more and her appetite was starting to decrease. Unfortunately, her blood work indicated that the chemotherapy was starting to lose effectiveness – she was no longer in remission.
After consulting with a veterinary oncologist, we stopped the series of weekly injections Piper was getting and started her on a different chemotherapy agent called Lomustine plus prednisone. Piper started to feel better almost immediately – and since this protocol just involves giving pills hidden in treats she is quite happy to get her treatments. She is back to her old self of tormenting the cats, stealing their food, riding shotgun in the car and asking for belly rubs 🙂
Once again, we know this is not a cure – but we take each day at a time and are grateful for every “good” day we have together.
You can read the rest of Piper’s story in Oscar’s Success Stories:
When The Vet’s Pet Gets Sick – Piper’s Journey
When The Vet’s Pet Gets Sick – December 2013 Update On Piper
When The Vet’s Pet Gets Sick – Jan 2014 Update On Piper
When The Vet’s Pet Gets Sick – Piper’s Journey – The Final Chapter