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judy cook | 6 years ago
Does Anyone Have Experience With Chemo Drugs Used For Feline Intestinal Lymphoma, Small Cell Type…

Does anyone have experience with chemo drugs used for feline intestinal lymphoma, small cell type? I’m anticipating having to decide next week to pursue a course of chemo -or not- for my Oak. Oak is now 11 years old, rescued by me as a kitten from a shelter, but never adopted out due to the eosinophilic granuloma that became apparent when he was about 4 months age. He is such a sweet kitty, I call him my ‘circus cat’ because I can train him to do almost anything. Sadly, I’m now training him to happily take gel capsules so we’ll be ready if the time comes. I would appreciate any insight you have on how well your cat(s) tolerate chemo (if you can include the name of the drug, that’s a bonus!). Thank you so much, judy

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  1. Shiria

    I know this is a year old by now, but did you do the Chemo for Oak and if yes how did he manage it?

    1. judy cook Post author

      Hi Shiria, I has not been a year, but Oak is doing fine. He continues with the prednisolone, and we added chlorambucil 3x per week. The chlorambucil (trade name= Leukeran) is VERY expensive in the states, and if you can make a trip to Canada, it MUCH cheaper. Take your prescription, and call the pharmacy ahead of time so you only need to pick it up. Hope this helps. Oak has had two blood tests so far to see if the clorambucil is overly suppressing his bone marrow, and he hasn’t had that problem. I give him B12 shots anyway monthly or every two weeks if he seems tired.

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Pawbly | 7 years ago
I Have A Very Heavy Heart Right Now, BlackJack Is Acting Up Again, Well I…

I have a very heavy heart right now, BlackJack is acting up again, well I don’t think he ever stopped, he has been growling and snapping at my husband and he did it to my daughter as she walked by him one night in was in our bedroom on the floor sleeping, he is no longer allowed to sleep in the bedroom, last night he snapped at my husband Jack was downstairs my husband went to the kitchen jack got on the steps and wouldn’t move for my husband to come back up stairs when he grabs his collar he snapped at him. I called the gentlemen you guys told me about back in May, but his cost is 2,300.00 to try and fix him I just don’t have that kinda of money. Is there any type of medications I can give him? I really don’t want to put him down it is killing me to think about it but him growling at my daughter was a little to much. I keep him away from guest when them come become I never know how he will react. Please if there is anything I can give him I will try.

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  1. Anonymous

    Did you get him checked with your vet to make sure this isn’t a medical issue?

    Medications may or may not “work” to calm your dog, and they should not be used as a replacement for training. You NEED a behaviorist to work with you and your dog. If this isn’t feasible, please consider finding him a new home. He hasn’t yet bitten anyone, correct? If this is true, then he may very well be trained away from this behavior, but it needs to be in a home truly invested in his training and overall well-being.

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Shiria | 7 years ago
How Much Medication At The Same Time Without Damaging The Bodytoo Much? So, We Have A…

How much medication at the same time without damaging the bodytoo much?
So, we have a group of 22 kittens (6 months) and 2 mothers. All are treatet for ringworm (Microsporum Canis) and in 3 days are finished (only 8 showed symptoms, but since they all had contact, all had to be treated).
They were treated with Itraconazole (1 week treatment, 1 week break, 1 week treatment, another 1 week break and a last week treatment). Additionally they were bathed 1 once a week in Enilconazole.

Some of them are treated with marbocyl for cat flu right now (most likely Calici).

Additional they were tested positive for giardia and worms (Toxocaridae?) last friday after most of them developed bad diarrhea that smelled incredibly bad.
For the Giardia they get treated with Metronidazole (twice a day).
Fenbendazole is not an option, as it doesn’t help anymore most of the time.

So now I still need deworm them and make a flea treatment (as they have also fleas). I don’t want to do worm and flea medication at the same day – as that would mean that at least the ones with cat flu would get 5 medications at the same time.

Only two more days till the ring worm treatment is finished, so I thought of doing flea treatment the following day and deworming the day after that to spread the treatment a little.

Some of them are clearly not well right now, so while I would normally deflea/deworm at the same time, I’m a bit hesitant here.

What do you think?

What I have to add – one of the kittens died this morning without known reason. It was not extremly thin or dehydrated and acted normal when I saw it the first time this morning. When a collegue wanted to clean their room she called me because it would lie on the floor and couldn’t move. (I was like 20 meters away in another room) She said it made strange noises and lost poo (diarrhea). When I arrived it was already gone. The hair on his tail was poofed up, eyes/pupils wide, but no heart beat and breathing. I tried to bring it back, but without success.
It had no signs of being extremly sick. It was not affected by ringworm itself and hat no catflu. It had diarrhea, but ate well. It played, was active and so on. It showed no signs of liver problems (as Itraconazole could cause that) like yellow skin.

No one has seen what happened. I was thinking that it may has fallen off a wooden layer that are left and right to the door, right beneath the windows. The cats like to sit in it and look out the windows or wait for someone to come inside. But those are only like 1,20m in height.

So I’m even more worried that all those medicaton already was too much for that one :(.

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  1. Jennifer Taylor

    I am assuming all medications were prescribed by a veterinarian and an exam done on all kittens? If so I would check with the prescribing Dr. I have had foster puppies who have been incredibly sick and on many medications at once at the advice of our vet. In the case of my foster pups they were very sick, the risk of not treating outweighed the risk of treating. That is a conversation though that you should have with the vet who examined and prescribed the meds. Best of luck with the kittens and so very sorry for your loss.

  2. Shiria Post author

    Thanks for your answer. Yes, all medication were prescribed by the vet of our shelter. I also planned to ask her this tomorrow when the next visit is scheduled. Just wanted to ask for other peoples experiences for similar situations.
    We also had very sick kittens, where the risk of not treating them was bigger than the risk of treating – but they had other problems.

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Pawbly | 7 years ago
Hello, My 18 And 1/2 Year Old Lab Mix Just Suddenly Lost About 50-70% Use Of…

Hello,

My 18 and 1/2 year old lab mix just suddenly lost about 50-70% use of his hind legs few days ago. The vet recommended MRI which was financially not feasible nor did I think giving him anesthesia given his age was a good idea. He sent us home with prednisone and to call back with updates. I took him to a vet acupuncturist but she said that probably won’t be very helpful. I’m going back tomorrow to see if I can convince her to do acupuncture. Boston has otherwise been a super happy and healthy dog (sans nerve sheath tumor surgery 7 months ago from which he has made 100% recovery).

It’s been 5 days and since I wasn’t told about crate rest, I allowed him to wonder/wobble short distances around the house to go potty and to/from bedroom and living room and he has fallen few times when his back legs gave out. Given his age, I just don’t think surgery is an option. If he doesn’t get better in a couple of weeks, is euthanasia pretty much the only option? How much time should I give him? I just hate seeing him in pain but my husband is on deployment and I really want him to hang on until he comes back as it was my husband who rescued our dog 16 years ago. He is currently on prednisone and tramadol. Please advise. I just cannot make any drastic decisions on my own right now but I also want to do the right thing by our loyal and loving baby. Thank you.

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  1. Jana

    Did the vet provide some preliminary diagnosis? Do they think it’s a disc injury or something else? For example, Jasmine had neck problems resulting in pain and mobility issues,while JD had similar symptoms from what was likely a brain/spine infection or cancer. I know of a number of cases where acupuncture help with spinal or disc problems a great deal. Might be effective to address pain regardless of what is happening. Which makes me wonder why your vet is hesitant to try.

  2. Linda Squales

    The preliminary diagnosis was disc issue, moderately advanced. But without mri I guess they couldn’t say for sure. I don’t know why the holistic vet didn’t want to give him acupuncture but I’m going back tomorrow and going to demand one. We did do cold laser but not sure if that’s doing anything. Given his advanced age I just want to know what the “right” thing to do is by a dog who has been so loyal through so many of our lives’ difficult moments. The regular vet (and I agree) that surgery is not really an option for a lab his age. But not sure if I want to give up on him yet especially before my husband’s return. Thank you.

  3. Krista Magnifico

    Yes. Jana. There are many questions I have about this case? That’s why I listed everything I could think of to look at.

  4. Jana

    Krista, wouldn’t acute onset make DM much less likely? Surely there would be some gradual signs? Jasmine was 9 when her neck issues started; one day she was fine and the next day she wasn’t. Though same thing happened with JD. He was perfectly fine, then started having problems with hind legs in the morning and by evening was pretty much unable to use any legs successfully.

    The upside of DM is that it is non-painful, isn’t it? So unless further issues crop up, either secondary or it ascends, the dog should be able to hold up until the master returns?

    http://dawgbusiness.blogspot.ca/2011/08/what-acupuncture-did-for-intervertebral.html

  5. Krista Magnifico

    Hello Linda,
    I think a few things should be discussed;
    First, I agree with Jana that it is really helpful to have a preliminary diagnosis to start the treatment options from. I hope that the vet did some basic diagnostics like full blood work (CBC, full Chem panel, thyroid (T4), urinalysis AND radiographs of the chest (3 view) and spine if they suspect IVDD. I also think a rectal exam is in order. I worry about the following.. many of which can be quickly and easily ruled out with the exam and diagnostics.. I am also very worried about DM, degenerative myelopathy as it is common in older labs and presents as ascending paralysis of the back legs. I also worry if it is one of the neuromuscular or muscular diseases that the prednisone might exacerbate or worsen or accelerate the peripheral (back leg) muscle loss. Also if a practitioner tells you that they are concerned a treatment option wont help my inclination is to believe them and ask for guidance to something that might.
    Try to get the vet to give you something for pain, especially if it appears there is any signs of joint disease on the radiographs. Labs are also very commonly struggling with old bad hips.
    Lastly, IVDD is unlikely in older dogs simply because the spine tends to bridge with spondylosis which makes disc disease less likely. A radiograph of the spine may help with identifying these.
    Please let me know.
    My advice is to speak to your vet about all of this and then get a second opinion.
    Good luck
    Krista

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Pawbly | 8 years ago
I Recently Adopted A 3 Year Old Male Treeing Walker Coonhound From My Local Shelter…

I recently adopted a 3 year old male treeing walker coonhound from my local shelter. We don’t know any history on him, but it is clear that the shelter did not work with him while he was there for several months. For the most part, he seems to be housebroke. However, whenever we leave he decides to urinate all over the house. He doesn’t do this when we are home, but we don’t let him out of our sight due to this being an issue. He also has this thing where he doesn’t want to do anything for himself. He doesn’t want to move, he doesn’t want to get up, he doesn’t come when called, he doesn’t ask to go outside, he doesn’t want treats for good behavior, he doesn’t eat a lot. It’s like he does what he wants, on his own time, when he wants. We are being patient with him, but we would really like for him to be a family oriented, trustworthy dog. We also do not want to have a dog we have to keep kenneled. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do to fix these behaviors?

5 Responses

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  1. Melissa Rumph

    Okay, I’m working on the housebreaking thing. But how do I go about teaching him how to play? Or be around people? Whenever I try he seems scared even though I’m extremely calm with him.

  2. Melissa Rumph

    Also, any suggestions on how to get him to “come” when I call his name? He looks, just ignores.

  3. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    Thank you for adopting! It is impossible for a shelter to housebreak a dog. They simply lack the time and resources to do so. Therefore you will need to essentially start from scratch in both housebreaking and crate training as I think it is very very difficult to do one without the other. It is the only way to reward and provide the training your dog needs. I would also presume that your dog might be urinating in the house sullly due to stress when you are away. Your presumption about much of his behavior “he doesn’t want to move get up, ask to go outside, etc” are all things he needs to be taught to do. He needs to be shown what play, walking on a leash, shown how to ring a bell on a door, etc etc are all your responsibility in training. Please see your vet and please ask for assistance in finding a positive reinforcement trainer. I also really like Victoria Stilwells books. It really sounds like your dog needs a friend and a mentor and a whole lot of tlc and time.
    Best of luck

  4. Sarah

    I know he isn’t a puppy, but have you looked into beginner obedience class? It’s very good for dogs socially as well a owners for basic training help and how to get started. I highly recommend it. It’s not too expensive (talk to your vet for references and local trainers) and it is money WELL spent. Best if luck!!

  5. Krista Magnifico

    In time he will trust you and start coming out of his shell. I see it all the time in rescues. Sometimes it happens in a few days. Other cases take weeks. For now be gentle, use treats to coax him or just pick him up and carry him. He will eventually start to trust and interact.

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Pawbly | 8 years ago
First Of All, Let Me Clarify That My Dog Was Not Adopted & Has Been…

First of all, let me clarify that my dog was not adopted & has been raised by myself since she was a puppy so there was no previous abuse. She is my 1st actual pet & her name is Charlie & she is about 5 years old, so yes she was around before my boyfriend. When I first got her I did a lot of research on how to train her and the things I found were very successful, such as, how to housebreak a dog (which took surprisingly no time at all), positive reinforcement, & most importantly how to train your dog how to behave around all types of people. In order to make her comfortable around people I exposed her from the very start to people of different sexes & ethnicities, groups of people, and various ages (so she would be comfortable around my toddler nieces & nephews). To me it seemed this training worked because she loved to have company and would go up to any person male or female. I actually think that she liked my male friends more. She was also great with the toddlers she would let them chase her then turn around and chase them and never harm them & they love her. Whenever I see my nieces and nephews they always ask me where’s Charlie? She still behaves well around others & gladly approaches them, even complete strangers. The trouble started about 3 1/2 years ago when I started dating my current boyfriend. At first, she acted totally normal around him, for example, she would play with him, sit in his lap, etc. I think the real problem began when she realized that my boyfriend was not going anywhere when we moved in together. Ever since then, she has acted terrified of him & I don’t know why it happened since they hit it off at 1st. She cowers & trembles if he gets too close to her (which usually isn’t on purpose, he gives her the space she needs). Sometimes it seems like she’s trying purposefully to get him in trouble like a doggy tattletale. For example, when this first began & still to this day, whenever she would walk past my boyfriend she would make a yelping sound and run past him especially if I was in another room to make me think he hurt her. Every time I have caught her doing that my boyfriend was no where near her, sitting down, or in what I think is a non-threatening position. I do not comfort her when she behaves this way as it is not appropriate. The situation is so bad that she will not even allow my bf to open the door to let her outside to go potty but she will still sleep in the bed with us just not near him. I feel like we’ve tried a lot of things like having my bf feed her & give her treats but this has not worked! I mean she would eat the food & take the treats but still has nothing to do with him!! The situation is so bad that I cannot even leave her with my bf when I have to go out of town for work because like I said she won’t go outside for him! My mother usually is the one that ends up having to watch my dog when I’m out of town. Which is fine because my mother loves Charlie but she shouldn’t have to do that I would prefer for her to be comfortable at home with my bf. If my BF gets home from work before I do, then he opens her kennel door for her so she can come out & play in the house but instead she cowers in the open cage like she is in trouble until I get home then comes out. I don’t think that my bf has ever harmed her when I wasn’t around but I wouldn’t know if I wasn’t there. He knows I have a certain way of disciplining her & respects that so he’s never done any disciplining that I’ve seen nor do I think he wants to since the situation is already out of hand. He is unhappy about the situation as much as I am because he wants her to be happy too. It really bums us out. Especially since other dogs seem to love him. I wonder if it all boils down to jealousy. She’s not super overprotective of me like some dogs are. I try to give her the same amount of attention & keep to her routine. I do NOT use any physical punishment, if she does something bad I tell her to go to her room/kennel (with the door open) & she stays there until I call her back from what I call “time out.” Why is she acting like this & how can we stop this from happening? She’s my baby and my BF & I want us 3 to be a happy family! Please, please help!!!

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  1. PK Dennis

    So, there are just so many things wrong about your understanding of how a dog’s mind works in your description that I barely know where to start.  Dogs don’t purposefully try to get humans into trouble like a tattletale.  They are not that evolved.

    The points that you have made indicate to me that this dog is truly afraid of the boyfriend – some thing he did years ago convinced her that she should be worried about him, and that has snowballed to what you see today.  It may have been something as innocent as he stepped on her toes by accident.  Dogs read body language and facial expressions better than we humans – and something as small as a look at her could compound her fear.  

    This is a very frustrating situation for you, and for the BF – you are both probably giving off negative energy without knowing it!  She is picking up on the human frustration and it will only get worse if you don’t get some professional help.

    And NOTHING you can do will solve this problem.  It is a matter between your BF and your dog.  So, you need to find a behaviorist that will come to your home and work with you, the BF and the dog.  The behaviorist will be able to observe the dog and how you both interact with her and help you all find solutions to correct the situation.  It is going to be a matter of your BF building trust with the dog.  And since we can’t be there to watch the interaction, this forum isn’t going to be of much help other than by pointing you to professional, in-the-home, aid.

    So, find someone that does positive training that can come to your home, and that you and your BF like so you can help your girl have the life she deserves – comfortable in her own home.

  2. Brittany Jacobs

    Thank you very much for your advice PK Dennis. I would love to have a behavioral therapist come to our home but the facts are even if I could find one in the immediate area, I couldn’t afford one hence the forum. Also PK, if you really want to help pet owners you probably shouldn’t start off with an insult or people are not likely to take your advice seriously. I’ve obviously stated that I’ve done extensive research on the topic as indicated in the post. I have seen other forums where advice was given & was lead to believe PAWBLY was one that might actually help. I am quite aware that dogs aren’t evolved enough to “tattletale” & that you can’t be here to see my dog’s behavior that’s why I described my dog’s actions. I have never done a forum before & if I wasn’t desperate I wouldn’t have come here. I am very aware that dogs since emotions & energies. Since neither the bf or pet are going anywhere anytime soon I need advice even if you cannot offer anything else. I’m specifically looking for people who have gone through similar situations & could offer any suggestions that helped in their personal situation that we could try!

  3. PK Dennis

    Good luck with that – you need a trainer/behaviorist. Three and a half years – you haven’t solved it by now, you aren’t the going to be able to solve it on your own. Offer to barter with a trainer – clean Thier house, clean their kennel, what ever it takes to get the eyes and hands on help your dog needs to feel secure in her own home.

  4. Frankie Delise

    A dogs only going to be terrified of someone if that someone has hurt the dog id rethink thinking it’s the dog and not leave the boyfriend around the dog unsupervised

  5. Brittany Jacobs

    Well I have found 1 behavioral therapist in my area & she’s still an hour away. It’s pretty expensive since she’s like the only one in this area but I’ve emailed her in hopes of a barter. From what I’ve read she does in home therapy but I don’t know if she’ll drive this far. I feel like if I take my dog to her it may not work as well. It would feel like a trip to the vet for her, she would smell the fear and start shaking & shedding. Wish me luck! On a better note, when I told my partner my wish to have an a behavioral therapist come to our home to help them I feel like he’s made more of an effort to earn the dog’s trust. I feel like when I told him I posted on this forum for help it really struck home to him that I don’t just want to have to deal with the situation I want it to be better. I don’t know why posting for help is any different than our talks about the situation prior to my posting but whatever. Maybe he doesn’t want a stranger in our home. Oh well, that’s a temporary fear, my price, & a possible end to my Charlie’s fear!!! I’ve noticed some improvements since then! The two have been playing for sure whereas before she wouldn’t come near him & yesterday she came up to him! Granted it was no lap call but she let him pet her. I just feel like if he’s more onboard with the idea it will work better. I mean for a while I feel he had given up on mending their relationship. I think what scares her the most is bf’s voice he would never intentionally harm her. He talk too loud because he’s had a lot of hearing loss from his time in Iraq. We’ve been working on that in the meantime too & it helps but it is hard for him to know when his tone gets louder. I’m happier with the results so far but foster hopes that the therapist will understand & barter to come to our home.

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
My Dog Ignores Me When Called, He Comes To My Mom Immediately Once He Is…

My dog ignores me when called, he comes to my mom immediately once he is called so am i doing anything wrong, i show my love for the dog as much as i can but it seems that he just naturally doesn’t like me.

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  1. Annie Yang-Shaffer

    Is your dog a new dog? Is your mom a new person to your dog? For the first 2 or 3 months of having my puppy, she responded emotionally less to me as well. She is more affectionate to my husband because she barely sees him, so she likes him more. Also, it’s beneficial to always reward with a treat every time.

  2. Yousef Radwan

    Thnx for your feedback, I’ll try to improve my relation with him.

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Pawbly | 10 years ago
We Got An Extremely Skiddish Dog About 3 Months Ago. (Still Skiddish) Ran Away 5…

We got an extremely skiddish dog about 3 months ago. (Still skiddish) ran away 5 days ago, hangs around our house but won’t come when called, and hasn’t eaten since he ran. What do we do???

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  1. PK Dennis

    Since the safety of the dog is always an issue I would look into a live trap — perhaps your local SPCA could help you with locating one you could borrow to capture the dog.  Yes, it will startle the dog when it closes, but you can decide if the danger of being hit by a car is greater than the bag of a wire door shutting him in the crate-like cage.

    Another alternative is to treat him as one would a stray that you are trying to win over.  When you see him, put down some food for him and go back into the house.  Do this for a few days.  Once he is coming for the food, put it down and stay outside where he can see you while he eats.  Every day move a little closer.  DO NOT MAKE EYE CONTACT with him at any point!  You may hum, talk softly to him, make little puppy noises, but don’t demand his attention,  nor try to grab him.  Stay low (sit on the ground if possible) while in his sight, and if you can keep turned away from him that is much better (offer him your side or back).   Eventually, you will be sitting beside the food dish when he comes to eat and will be able to touch him.  When you get to this point don’t lunge for a collar, just rub his ears or back until you can slowly slip a looped leash over his head and then get him to a secure area.
    If you go this second route, you might try getting him to come into a fenced area, or a garage (through a small door, that can be closed by a helper).  Have a helper close the gate or door once the dog is eating and don’t try to lure him into a garage though the garage doors and try to close them while he is in the garage, any dog will be fast enough to get out as those big doors close, and he will trust you even less.
    Good luck!
    PK