Still going strong

Rocco's last 2 treatments have gone fine, although he was sent home both times with some antibiotics because his count was a little low. We are coming into the home stretch now with only 4 more treatments to go. Meanwhile Rocco has been enjoying being back in CA and getting back into the swing of things at Sunday training class. There's not much else to report, but that's a good thing!

Can you believe - another vet!

Yes, this is vet #4. Since we moved a bit farther north, it made more sense for us to go to an oncologist closer by. Luckily there was no hassle because Veterinary Medical Specialists has locations all over the Bay Area. So this past Tuesday, Rocco had a treatment of cyclophosphamide and so far he is doing great. No intestinal problems that can sometime be a side effect. He is still in complete remission (meaning there are no signs of the cancer in his body) so he is still responding very well to treatment. As of now, the protocol has him getting treatments every other week as opposed to every week so that's easier on all of us. We've got about 11 weeks to go with this protocol, and from there we will have to play a waiting game and hope that his remission is a long one. Some people have asked us if Rocco will make a full recovery, but unfortunately the lymphoma will always return - it's just a matter of when. On average, canine lymphoma patients who receive chemo have 10-12 months from the date of diagnosis. Dogs without treatment typically have only a few weeks. So for now we can be happy that Rocco is living a full life and loving every minute of it.

CA Chemo

Today Rocco had his first chemo treatment in California at Veterinary Medical Specialists in Campbell. It all went very well. Everybody just loved him there as usual. Of course, now that it looks like we'll be staying in San Carlos for a couple months, we have to figure out if it makes sense to go to their San Mateo location. But I really don't want to switch doctors once again. Ironically, the oncologist Rocco saw today did his internship at the hospital we went to in New Jersey.

Rocco's final treatment in NJ went just fine, and he and Havana were wonderful through our 4 day trip out to CA. Rocco was so excited to see his uncle Tony, and Havana to meet him for the first time. I think they were happy to be out of the car finally. And we had a wonderful welcome back at Sunday training class. Rocco was just beside himself saying hi to the old gang.

Low WBC Count - Chemo postponed

Rocco's last Chemo before we left NJ for California was supposed to be Tuesday. His WBC was 2100 which is too low. Alicia brought him back today at it was even lower 1600. The vet had said that last weeks Chemo was pretty strong and it's not uncommon to skip the next week. I don't think she would have had us come in Friday if she thought the count would be lower though. She said not to be concerned yet and that if it is still low or lower on Monday then to worry. Rocco also threw up something strange today, it looked like a rope toy however we only have one rope toy and I'm looking at it right now. The vets let him play with stuff toys and Alicia told them to watch him if they do because he will swallow plush toys and such. Alicia asked today if they were missing any toys and they said no. Strange. We were going to start the drive to Ca. Monday but will postpone it for Rocco's treatment. I'm not sure if we'll leave the next day or wait a couple days. I'm a little worried to be traveling with him if he is going to be sick from the Chemo. We'll see I guess.

Another good week

We completed week 7 of the protocol with another successful chemo session today. I'm happy to see that Rocco seems to bouncing back much better from each successive treatment. The next 2 weeks will be at the specialist here in NJ, then another rest week which will coincide with our drive out to CA. The vet and staff love him there; they said they don't want him to go! We brought Rocco's book today and it was a big hit as usual. 

We had a nice sunny day today and Rocco & Havana spent a lot of time laying outside and enjoying the fresh air. It's funny to watch them bake in the sun until they can't take it and then plop down panting in a shady spot. Of course, once they cool off, it's back to the sun again. Quality of life during the treatment is a top priority to us, so it really means a lot to see Rocco so contented here.

Rocco's Chemo goes to NJ

We moved out of our rented house in Atlanta last Sunday and are up in New Jersey for a month. We found an oncologist who will keep Rocco's protocol up. They are about 1 hours drive from LBI, where we are staying. He went Tuesday, unlike our vet they don't hold him after he receives his Chemo. The oncologist said it's not necessary to do that anymore as the drugs in use now usually don't have severe reactions. She gave us some anti-diarrhea and anti-nausea medicine to counteract side effects of this round of Chemo. The oncologist charges WAY more than the vet and now I see why the vet recommended us using him for the basic protocol. I gave Rocco one pill yesterday for loose stool and that's been it. Him and his sister are definitely happy to be up in New Jersey and enjoy walking around the streets and playing in the back yard. Their paws are a little sore for running around on the concrete in the back but that is the price to pay for fun!! Rocco is doing well.

Today's Chemo Treament

Rocco had a 5000 count for his white blood cells which meant Chemo was a go today. This was his best count in over 3 weeks although he skipped last week just so he could recover. Today was his last dose of the powerful prednisone steriod, he was been weaned off it for now. Next week is actually a scheduled break in Rocco's treatment. My only concern is the vet said the Chemo treatment from today can cause GI Tract problems. I'm worried that this will happen because Rocco had severe GI problems from the first round of Chemo. This is Rocco's first time taking this particular drug though and hopefully things won't be as bad as the first time. I brought his nylabone with him to the vet so he could chew it while there. He had to spend 9am-2pm so I hoped that would kill some time/stress for him. They said he chewed it a lot, I wish I had brought it on previous visits. For the future I will. Oh, and Rocco is 58lbs and almost back to his normal weight. This is good news although the muscle/fat ratio is different and hopefully we can get him back in tip/top shape when this is all said and done! Here's hoping to no GI problems for the week!