Our First Milestone Reached!

Today marks 90 days - a full 3 months - since Harvey's splenectomy and subsequent diagnosis. We are thankful beyond words that our boy is still with us and doing well.

The oncologist we consulted after Harvey's surgery told us that the average survival time for dogs with HSA who don't undergo chemotherapy is 1 to 3 months - 3 to 6 months for those who do have chemo. While those aren't hard and fast numbers, of course, we're seeing this day as a victory for Harvey, since he's now passed that 3 month mark.

We're so grateful to have found this treatment protocol. We're both convinced that our current course is going to give Harvey the best chance possible for a prolonged survival while not compromising his quality of life to the degree that chemo could have. It's our hope that Neoplasene proves successful for our boy, not only so that we have him with us for a long time to come, but to give hope to other families who have received the same diagnosis for their own beloved canine companions.

We know that our situation could change on an dime with this disease, so we're taking each day as it comes. We're so appreciative of the prayers and support we've received from our friends, our vet team and the members of several online message boards that are helping us navigate through the uncharted waters of Neoplasene use for hemangiosarcoma, as well as the roller coaster of emotions we've had to manage since November.

We intend to love this little guy and cherish every moment we have with him for as long as we can.

Better day today!

We reduced Harvey's metoclopramide yesterday, as well as starting him back on the slippery elm bark and today he ate both of his meals. He did leave a few bites behind, but that's not at all unusual for our boy. The most important thing is that he experienced no nausea or vomiting.

We had a great appointment at Dr. Towle's this afternoon. Harvey had so much energy, he was bouncing of the walls. Flew off the table into my arms at one point, trying to squirm away from the tech assisting Dr. Towle. They finally had to take Harvey into the back exam room to get a blood sample for his superchem and CBC tests. I'm surprised they didn't have to tie him down to an exam table! We'll have the bloodwork and urinalysis results tomorrow.

Rough day today

It's been a challenging day today for Harvey. One potential side effect of Neoplasene is gastric upset and Harvey had to deal with that at breakfast. This is the first time since he began this protocol that he wasn't able to hold his food down. He does take an anti-nausea medication, metoclopramide, before every meal, but it didn't seem to help much today. Of course, he did take as many liver treats as I offered and has had good energy levels, so that's a positive. We'll see how dinner goes.

We're going to try adjusting his dosage of metoclopramide to see if that helps, but I certainly don't want to stop the Neo at this point. We've also tried Pepcid, but that didn't help much when his kidneys failed in 2006. I've read some promising blurbs about Tagamet possibly having anti-cancer properties, as well being an anti-emetic, so I'm planning to talk with Dr. Towle about that at Harvey's appointment tomorrow.

It's so important that he keeps eating, so that he can take his medications. With his history of being finicky, it can become very challenging, indeed, to find something he'll eat when he's less than interested.

Even more worrisome is the possibility that his nausea isn't related to the Neoplasene, since it can also be a sign of liver issues. We're doing a blood draw tomorrow to check his kidney and liver values and saying lots of prayers tonight that they're all within normal ranges and it's just a matter of finding the right balance and type of anti-nausea medication to counteract the emetic properties of the Neoplasene.

78 days and counting

Harvey's feeling fit as a fiddle and feisty!
Not to mention, being covered in mud from running around the backyard after all the melting snow and wet weather. Harvey loves to run around in the rain and splash in puddles.
What is it they say? It's not Spring when you have dogs - it's mud season! I sometimes regret installing that dog door - usually after mopping the floor for the 4th time in a day. :)

We found out at his vet appointment last week that Harvey has gained over two pounds. After losing so much weight after surgery and being finicky about the commercial diet he was eating, Dr. Towle was glad to see him filling out a bit. He's eating a home-cooked diet now and I think that's making the difference. Even with my limited cooking skills.

He has had some panting spells the last week or so, but Dr. Towle believes it's most likely due to some chinese herbs he's taking to help with hindquarter weakness - a remnant from his back injury two years ago. We're taking him off that supplement for a little while to see if it improves.
She doesn't feel it's related to any spread of the cancer affecting his lungs or heart, because it only happens after he's had his meds, not as a direct result of exertion. He's also very playful for about a half hour after eating - almost obsessively so - so my own guess is that one of his supplements is making him loopy. Like the second hour of a good frat party. lol!

Harvey loves his vets!

We ventured out into the frigid weather for Harvey's bi-weekly check up and acupuncture session with Dr. Towle today. He loves his outings when he can pretend he's an only dog again. And he looked really cute in his winter coat.

Instead of electroacupuncture this week, Dr. Towle injected B-12 into the usual acupuncture points. He doesn't seem to be as tired as he typically is after a normal treatment - probably the B-12 gives him an energy boost, but he's definitely relaxed and will sleep like a baby tonight! He also had a pretty extensive chiropractic adjustment from his knees to his neck. These adjustments really help his mobility and overall comfort.

He was feeling so well, we decided to stop by our primary vet's office to let Harvey say hi to everyone there. He really loves the staff at Briarwood and enjoyed visiting with Tracy and Dr. Skibbe for a few minutes.

After spending some time with me at the office, we headed home to feed the rest of the critter gang and let him finally take a nap. He's snoring away at my feet right now, so I guess we'll head off to bed soon.

Fun in the snow!

If there's one thing my dogs love (except for Fred, the Boxer), it's romping in a foot of freshly fallen snow. We still have plenty left from a few days ago and more of the white stuff came down today.

Harvey had a ball running in circles as fast as he could in snow up to his tummy. That's especially challenging for him because of his physical disability following his recovery from back surgery 2 years ago, but he doesn't let it slow him down a bit!

Max wanted to play kickball, Rusty and Winston were wrestling all around the yard and Fred, dear Fred, just kept sticking his head out the dog door and barking at us.
I'm sure he thinks we're nuts.

Sad news about a cyber-friend today

Since we received Harvey's diagnosis two months ago, we've encountered many kind, determined people who are engaged in battling this disease with their own furbabies.

Today we learned the sad news that Gussie, a beautiful Italian Spinone who has been an inspiration to us on one of the message boards, lost her battle with HSA very early this morning.

Gussie had 4 months and 12 days of good, quality time after her splenectomy and seemed to be doing very well until yesterday.  One of the very few "blessings" of this disease - for the animals, at least - is that, more often than not, the end comes quickly without a lot of pain or suffering.  We family members are, of course, never prepared for their leaving.

While Harvey is still doing well at this point, he is only halfway to the survival time that Gussie reached.  We had hoped to share our new friendship with this precious dog and her dear mom, Mickey, and celebrate many milestones with them for a long time to come.

This is a heartbreaking day for us, as it brings back into sharp focus just how dire this diagnosis is and what an uphill battle we're facing to achieve one of those remissions that happen far too rarely with hemangiosarcoma.  We are, however, determined to carry on the battle that Gussie fought so valiantly.

Rest well, dear Gussie.  Your determination and cheerful spirit will carry us forward as we battle on.  You will not be forgotten.