Darkwind

Victory · Post by **Victory** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 9:55 am

Is sick again. Last Friday about 3:30am he vomited, I didn't think too much of it, only that he had too many treats maybe. Then when I got home Friday night I saw that he had had several more episodes during the day. So I fasted him for the day. He ate a bit on Saturday, and an hour and a half later, vomited it all up again, he'd also been vomiting a bit during the day, but other than that he seemed fine. Sunday he didn't want to eat, still vomiting just foamy bile and water, (all he was taking) Saturday he'd been a bit lethargic, but sunday more perky.

So Monday I made an appointment for him to go to the Vet's, it's for 5pm today. He still didn't eat on Monday, had three episodes of vomiting though smaller amounts. He wants to be energitic but doesn't have it right now...

I hope it's something like a parasite he picked up, (lots of dogs around in the summer and lots of food left all over the sidewalks and parks) and not liver or kidney damage from the rimadyl, even though he's been off it for over a month. Anyone hear anything negative about Cosequin? Which he has been taking.

Judy Fox · Post by **Judy Fox** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 10:35 am

Oh dear Victory, I am sorry - I hope that it is not anything too desperate!
Give him hugs from us please.

Rogansmommy · Post by **Rogansmommy** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 12:05 pm

Cosequin wouldn't do that. It's very benign. I know there's been a doggie flu going around... Good luck at the vet.

kiwani · Post by **kiwani** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 1:19 pm

You've mentioned giving many treats as one possible cause of digestive distress. Were heartworm meds or any other meds given about this time too? If there was any ulceration after the Rimadyl, a bleeding problem may be involved.

I know that the glucosamine type *injections* have some adverse effects when there are existing bleeding disorders.

Sending all Best Wishes your way.

Jeff&Peks · Post by **Jeff&Peks** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 3:12 pm

Hopefully its what you said about the Food and junk left all over the streets and parks, Pekoe has had a few days of not feeling good from trying to eat trash off the street before I can get to her and get it out of her mouth then she gets sick.

Victory · Post by **Victory** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 5:01 pm

I got back from the vet a bit ago, and the news isn't too good. First Darkwind is running a fever, and he's a little dehydrated, (both of which I suspected) he's also lost about 12 lbs. They are keeping him over night, and they did blood and urine tests already and xrayed his abdomin. They found a mass on his liver, which has pushed his stomach side ways, (thus some of the vomiting) They are going to rehydrate him tonight, give him some antibiotics and two drugs to lessen the amount of acid in his stomach as well as stop the vomiting. Then in the morning they are going to do an ultrasound and a needle biopspy to find out what the mass is.

It could be benign, (the best news) it could be a treatable cancer, (not so good) or an untreatable type of cancer, depending on whether the mass is growing on the liver or within the tissues of the liver.

I'm trying to hope for the best here, I'm devastated; he's only six!

I do want to thank you all for the good wishes and it's good knowing that others are out there who understand.

LEO's mum · Post by **LEO's mum** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 5:33 pm

Oh, Victory, so sorry to hear that. Hope Darkwind is feeling better after the treatment. We won't know till we get the test results, so don't fear the worst. Take every news as it comes. We are thinking of you both.

Warmest Huggs,
LEO & mum

ngraham · Post by **ngraham** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 5:39 pm

Victory,
you, Darkwind and Firesong are in our thoughts and prayers. I am so sorry to hear that you all are going through this. I am believing for the best possible outcome for Darkwind.
Hugs from me and purple kisses from Koda and Molly.

Jeff&Peks · Post by **Jeff&Peks** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 7:07 pm

Victory, I've been debating if I should post this now or wait until tomorrow but I didn't want you to make any rush decisions if the diagnoses isn't good, If you remember Pekoe was diagnosed with untreatable cancer by the vet, You are approximately 250 miles from one of the top Oncology schools in the Nation, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Pekoe's oncologist works through them that's where all of Pekoe's treatments and vaccines come from and that's who I make my payments to, what ever the outcome I know you will do what ever is needed, Hopefully it will be good news and you won't need the information but I wanted you to know about them before you went back to the vets tomorrow just incase.

http://vmthpub.vetmed.wisc.edu/sa_servi ... /oncology/

I hope I'm not upsetting you more then you already are but when Pekoe was diagnosed I had this lost feeling like where do I go from here so just incase I wanted you to know there is a place to go and its not the end if the news isn't good

I hope everything works out for Darkwind and you can just trash this post.

Mandy · Post by **Mandy** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 7:40 pm

Oh Victory... I'm so sorry. I will be thinking of you all. Please keep us updated.

All our love

Post by **Zhuyos mom** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 8:23 pm

Victory, we will think and send good thoughts your way.

janet · Post by **janet** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 9:07 pm

victory, all our prayers are with you nd darkwind. have faith.

Post by **kingalls** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 9:34 pm

Victory,
I can't begin to imagine what you are going through right now. We are all praying that all will be good for Darkwind.

Post by **chris** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 5:40 am

victory...I have been where you are now before. You are all in our prayers.

Roxana · Post by **Roxana** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 6:01 am

Oh Victory,
I'm so sorry

Dakota & I will be sending our most positive thoughts & wishes your way. Please take care of yourself.

Rogansmommy · Post by **Rogansmommy** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:38 am

Victory, we are all so sorry here. Keeping Darkwind in our thoughts. Please keep us updated and remember, nothing is hopeless yet.

pannw1267 · Post by **pannw1267** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 8:55 am

Prayers, hugs, and dog kisses coming your way.

kiwani · Post by **kiwani** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 5:34 am

Holding on tight to that Hope with you.

Victory · Post by **Victory** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 7:33 am

Well, he came home last night, he's a lot more alert and far better hydrated. My vet showed me his xrays and the ultra-sound. It's pretty ugly. The xrays show a large, about 3-4 inch, (7-8cm) ugly whiteish mass. Also his intestines are full of air, from not eating, so his digestive track isn't working quite as it should. (But that might just be from not eating for four days) His stomach is in the wrong place and that is making him uncomfortable.
The ultra sound showed more of the changes to the liver, it's all in the right lobe, so the bile duct has been moved from the right side to the left.

They were able to get a sample for the biospy by doing a needle extraction, (with the help of the ultra sound) And the vet thinks the cells will be good enough for the patholigists to make a diagnosis. We have to see if it's a lymphomic type of cancer or adneosarcoma. The lymphomic would be the worst diagnosis because it would mean the cancer has invaded all the liver. The adniosarcoma is a centralized kind of cancer so then surgery would ba an option to strongly consider, (remove the mass, one lobe of the liver. No one needs their entire liver) and then maybe some chemo or something. I'll know by monday at the latest.

Good news is that he ate a little last night. He still easily gets tired so we're going on short walks. But he also intiated play with the brat princess last night, so he feels somewhat better. He's on an antibiotic for 14 days starting last night and pepcid. He's so good with taking his pills.

You know when whoever wrote the rules for the universe cancer in animals should have been banned!

I'm also wondering why there is so much cancer now. Is this a new thing, just because of better diagnostics and better health care by owners? Or is it something connected to our changed enviroment? If the former okay, that's good. If the latter, we may all be in trouble...dogs are our closest companions, they live with us, work with us and are exposed to all the same crap we are...have we poisned the mine so to speak? In the past miners knew that when the canary stopped singing they needed to get out or fix something fast. Are we now being warned to clean up our food sources, water sources, air etc?

Pure bred dogs with their more fragile genetics would be the first to show the effects of an environment that is quickly going bad. But if this is the case then the mixed breeds and cats will be the next to show an increase in the symptomology.

All speculation and questions on my part, but having been through this twice before and hearing of it in many other purebreeds, I'm wondering if there is any research into the causality that looks at the environment. Anyone know?

Roxana · Post by **Roxana** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 11:24 am

So it's definately cancer then Victory?

You're right it sure does seem like more and more dogs are getting cancer these days, my hunch is its probably a combination of the two: better health care & diagnostics and environmental factors.....whatever it is it sure SUCKS!!

Be waiting to hear the outcome from you on Monday. Still sending lots of positive thoughts your way

kiwani · Post by **kiwani** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 11:59 am

Re: "I'm wondering if there is any research into the causality that looks at the environment. Anyone know?"
---

There's a lot of mercury in the environment, and mercury in vaccines. There are toxic chemicals in all the monthly pesticide treatments, and more chemical toxins in the various meds. This is enough of an assault on the liver/spleen, but there are more chemical toxins within the home and various 'garden chemical' toxins. Toxic preservatives in foods, and toxins in plastic polymer chewy-bones, etc. Someone here mentioned 'glow in the dark' nylabones. This can't be healthful. The list goes on and on...

Best wishes.

Jeff&Peks · Post by **Jeff&Peks** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 1:41 pm

Statistics are 50% of all dogs over the age of ten will get or have cancer, ( I know Darkwind is 6, Even worse) Could be the environment but personally even though I do it, I think its all the vaccines and medications they get through out their lives plus I think it could be due to all the high priced food we buy with all the supposedly helpful ingredients, I have joked about the farmers dog that get the tables scraps thrown out to them but they are also the ones that live to or past their expected life spans and very rarely ever see a vet.

Just like Humans I think all the medications that we have taken in the younger years for colds, flu, what ever, over the counter or prescription catch up to us in the later years. Even the food we eat is chemically treated with something that they think will make it better for us. I heard once the Body is perfectly capable of fighting diseases even cancer but our immune systems are shot from all the boosters and everything else we take so when its time that we or animals need our immune system in the later years its not strong enough to fight anything anymore so bring on even more drugs.

ciaobella · Post by **ciaobella** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 2:30 pm

All good thoughts and prayers out to Darkwind. Cancer just happens sometimes to good dogs with good parents... and it does suck.

Rogansmommy · Post by **Rogansmommy** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 3:41 pm

I don't know. I think that it could be either situation. People didn't take care of their animals the way we do today. If a dog slowed down, no one worried about it. They just put it down. Today, they are our children. We love and nurture them. And as such, look after their health. That being said, I think all of the 'wonderful' technological advances have also had a negative effect on our health. Humans are like locusts (imo) and consume everything presented before them without any thought involved.

We are still focusing our energy here toward Darkwind (and the others) who are so ill. I know you will do everything in your power for Darkwind. We're fully behind you.

LEO's mum · Post by **LEO's mum** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 4:23 pm

Of the two chows I had growing up, we lost one to bloat and one to cancer. The environment might be a factor as well, but I think its the vaccinations & more so food. The kibbles will not grow mold easily. Why is that? Prob because its been treated & dried so completely even the molds don't fancy 'em. I feed LEO kibbles as its the easiest choice, esp as she is still a puppy, and I feed her puppy formula for balanced diet. But I am thinking of moving her on to human grade food, cooked or raw when she if off the puppy stuff. I have read on some blog of a vet or a handler, that the dogs she knows who lived to be old age were fed human food. Leftovers by older generations, because that's good enough for a dog, or hand-made stuff by the new-age generation. I did have a read on how pet foods are regulated and how treats are not, and how much/little of the ingredients are required to be stated. Scary stuff. But all said, I think dogs are living longer these days because they are cared for more, too. It could be because other diseases are treatable now and the cure/vaccinations for cancer is not prevalent yet, we succum to it.