Watching my dog die from cancer: For advanced self sufficiency experts only

Any qualified advice would be appreciated. !5yo rott with soft tissue sarcoma mets to abdomen. Original tumor resected 6 yr ago. Yeah I know, lost cause but then again he was cheyne-stoking last year at tis time. Dont recommend vets, they're upset that I did all the work so far when all they could offer was to put him down last year. All I have is mtx and prednisone, he'd done well and survived cns mets and recovered from paralysis and happy for a whole year with LDN but now it's not holding, and he's drinking more and eating less and his abdomen is expanding with solid tumor.Too big for me to take home for a vert and the ground's still froz hard..
Unless someone wants to gift an old faithful warrior rescue some cyclophosphamide, vincristine or doxorubicin, anything else that's palliative? Dietary support ie alkalinization? Zapper? I have my doubts but willing to listen to experienced voices.
When the time finally comes, would IV oxy do the trick benignly, Halothane? or some combo?
Other than constructive considerations with the task at hand, all other opinions are not reqested and best kept to oneself

reply to post by FriedrichNeecher


dood i hate to say this but if your dogs suffering , go have him putdown. i did with previous dogs ive owned. it tares heart stings out , but it is the gentlest way.

sadbox

Ah man I'm no expert with these matters but I hope your friends gets better... hope someone comes around with some useful advice.

Though, I'd really recommend you taking your pal to the vets. And if it comes down to sending him into the next life I'd rather do it if I were you. Can't keep him around suffering. Would only be selfish.

reply to post by FriedrichNeecher


Out of curiosity did you or do you have a lawn service?

Most of our food now has growth hormones and who knows what other chemicals.

Sorry about your friend.

I just lost mine july 12, 2010. We had a lawn service for several years, watched our neighbor's dog die of cancer of the lower legs and quit our lawn service.

If you dog is suffering, the best thing is to make sure you are right there when they put him/her to "sleep". Specify that they float him/her down slowly (get them high), talk to them and than let the second shot be the one to put them to quiet rest.



In honor of my Odie having to be put asleep, we are adopting another death row dog so as to make something good come from his death.

My deepest sympathy.

reply to post by funbox


Dude, he's not suffering yet, he smiles and is happy but slowing down and losing muscle mass. But he has bright and happy and what seems like thankful eyes still. You should see him and his doggirlfriend howling together in the evenings, they have such fun still. Compared to the severe abuse he had before I got him, je's still ahead. Ya I cant see him suffering but he doesnt want to go yet, trust me. I know. I'm being what's called 'proactive' something that's rarely done nowadays.

Take a look at cancertutor.org, it's for humans, but the cures/remedies given there should work for your dog too.

I hope this helps

Peace

reply to post by ofhumandescent


No lawn service, no chemicals other than wood stove in home. Decent species appropriate diet, his pics even in a recent BARF book. 100# rotts dont as a rule make it to 15 so mostly well played imho.

reply to post by FriedrichNeecher

My dog also had the same thing. The operation for her was going to cost 900.00 dollars which I did not have. It took me and my son 3 mos to get up the money for the operation and by that time the tumor was about the size of a grapefruit.
I got antibiotics and painkillers for her from the vet and she was running around, playing and eating well. The day of the operation came and we were very hopeful for her as, was the vet. We took her in at 10am and at 2pm got the call that she had died.
That was a shock!! and not the news we were expecting. We loved her very much and it broke all of our hearts that she was gone. My grandkids cried and cried every time they thought about her for days. Me too!!
I have not wanted another dog since then, Also where I live is like living in a fishbowl. There are houses on all four sides, but My son has adopted 3.
I hope you can find some good help for your dog.

My son had a Shepherd mix that has pancreatic cancer. I gave her Burdock and the swelling did go down. But then my son said he didn't want me giving her any of that "radio doctor" stuff, so I quit and it came back. She was 14 1/2 when she left us 6 months later. This dog and my others were fed Pedigree and Nutro Natural Choice.

Most recently my Belgian Malinois had Discoid Lupus plus a mass on her spleen. I opted for no surgery as she was already so old and this would only have weakened her more. Gave her everything I could think of....did no good. No steroids for her....made her liver swell. She went to doggie heaven Jan 20th..age 14 1/2. She just dropped like a rock..no need to have her put down. I had fed her only the Premium foods and also some raw human food...chicken hearts and gizzards and turkey necks which kept her teeth clean.
There is so much poison in all our food that we don't stand a chance. That is why they are predicting that 1 out of 2 people will get cancer.

Having had 21 dogs in my life I have come to accept that there is a time we just have to let go. That doesn't make it any easier. The 6 that I've had the past 30 years, all of which made it to ages 14 1/2 to 17, are buried in the back yard in a plot with a white stone border. It was a month before I could even go back up there after my girl died.

reply to post by FriedrichNeecher


Hey fella, sorry to hear about your friend. I haven't tried this, but have been researching wheatgrass & seed sprouting for health reasons & it's also the ultimate storable survival food. During this research I did come across some stories of people adding wheatgrass juice & clippings to the animals food with wonderful results, so I will be doing this as soon as my kit is up & running. Also for the pooch a raw food diet is the best. We feed ours raw chicken necks, grated carrot, food scraps (no fatty garbage) & ground linseed. I'm convinced good health boils down to feeding our self repairing body's the stuff it needs. Hope this helps.

reply to post by CarpenterMatt


Thanks but BTDT with Dutchy, I helped write a cute little book about the very same topic, took many of the pics, I didnt even get attribution and she ran off owing me decent cash after I got sick and was dying. Good book though for a beginner.
We're gonna try the cesium/alkalinization thing as an adjunct, makes sense on a cellular level as a potassiun analoge, just like LDN did at a receptor level regarding endophin feedback and killer T cell activation, and it did save my life and Dutchy's in the past..
Best regards and memento mori

Unfortunately I don't have any advice but am in the same boat as our yorkie was diagnosed with breast cancer last month. She is very elderly but I don't think she is to the point of her suffering as she is still eating and walking on her own accord. And that's not denial that's the truth. I don't know what kind of decision we are going to have to make if she gets to the point of her not eating and walking because I don't even want to think about that. I'm just praying it don't come to that and hope she just passes in her sleep peacefully. We will keep our paws crossed here in prayer for your dear furbaby.

reply to post by SavannahJane


look into LDN, it's safe and simple and done for pennies. Doesnt work in all cases but it worked for me and many others and buys time AND comfort. u2u me and I can go into detail that I dont want to inflict on others. I have no financial interest in it you can do all the research on the net and as one with multiple degrees in physical sciences I can vouch for it as based firmly in the real world of receptor biology and basic feedback loops and it is basic biochem applicable to all higher mammals imho.
Best of luck with your situation

reply to post by FriedrichNeecher


Our dogs cancer is so far advanced that I don't think it would help. It sounds like the dog would need to take it for several months before a difference is noticed. I can say with a degree of certainty that our dog doesn't have several months. I hope I'm wrong but I just don't think she does.

reply to post by SavannahJane


Nope, When I first gave him it he was paralized, couldnt walk but a few steps or eat and worst of all had a terminal breathing pattern called cheyne-stokes, which is the result of increasing intracranial pressure. He was in pain and yelped when touched. A week of vet treatment and pain meds and high dose steroids werent helping and he was getting worse
Two days later he was up and acting normal although it took a few months for the paralysis to diminish and finally dissapear, and othe r tumors got smaller or disappeared on his skin. To recap, he was dying and had only a day or two max and it's now a year later, and he's had a wonderful happy last year.
I'm waiting on some cesium chloride, to give that a shot in debulking the tumor, He's doing ok now, but not much pep or appetite after the mtx, I know how that can be.

reply to post by FriedrichNeecher


Thanks for the advice. I have more on my plate now then I can handle because my hubby possibly has a broken ankle. He goes to the ortho Monday. I will look further into what you are talking about. Fortunately she hasn't exhibited any signs of pain. I am so thankful for that. Our poor dog is just so old (17-18) I don't know if anything will help at this point. We will still keep your furbaby in our prayers.

reply to post by SavannahJane


Another person I had advised regarding putting their dog to sleep did quite well for another 6 months with LDN after they were already intent on putting the dog down. I could tell you about the people i've helped or what happed to me. Or you could look it up on the web on your own. Even Stanford U is using it for chronic pain, which I used it for before they did. This is not at all for just dogs it helps heal almost anything.

reply to post by FriedrichNeecher


As long as he is not in pain.

When he is in pain ask the vet for some heavy duty pain killers.

I can only offer my own experiences in this matter.

When the pain killers no longer work, and he is in pain, the kindest thing to do, is to take him to a quallified vet - someone who really knows how to "put them asleep" correctly. DO NOT DO IT YOURSELF. A screwed up euthanasia can be quite painful.

Specify to the vet to float him down gently - get him good and high, then have him give your beloved the final shot. Stay with him, hold his head in your lap, talk to him, tell him you love him and he's always been a good dog. Ask him to please not forget you and your wish is to meet up with his soul again. Tell him in just a few seconds he will feel no pain and be free.

Sounds corny, but with Sinbad, that is what we did. All three of us were with him. I watched the vet and made sure he did it correctly. Sinbad had a peaceful death. He was a shepherd husky that has hip dysplasia. We had him for 7 years, he was 12-13 when his back legs totally gave out and he had a stroke.

Odie was 18-20 years old. We had him for 15 years. My husband was with him. Although we had talked about it for a while, Odie was at the point where he was past saving, he had cancer and in pain. My husband was with him and didn't tell me until afterwards.

If it will make you feel any better. I have four dogs total, all lived to a good old age. That are in sealed boxes with a urn inside) with their ashes. It costs more, but I was not going to let my companions, (hate the term pet) be put in a garbage bag and thrown in a landfill or worse.

All four of my dogs are in my bottom drawer and will be buried with my husband and I. We have a fifth that is buried in our back yard where he use to love to lay about.

Again, my sympathy goes out to you at ths difficult time. I know how heart breaking it is. Odie has been dead now for (tomorrow on the 12th) eight months and my heart still physically aches.

Those 15 years went by so quickly.

We are still waiting on gettin Lucy from Maine to Illinois - any pilots or truckers please contact www.pointerrescue.org...

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One last thing. In order to give meaning and honor to Odie's death we are again adopting / rescuing another deathrow doggy.

I hope this post eases your burden. Death is a bitch. I lost my mother at 9 so I guess I got acquainted with the Grim Reaper rather early.

It's never easy to say good bye, but dogs (unlike most people) I believe not only have a soul, but go to a better place.

By spending the extra bucks, if you can and having your companion cremated or to take the body and bury it in his favorite place might make you feel better in the long run.

A botched "putting down" would only traumatize you further, I witnessed two dogs we have had being "put asleep' and a good vet really makes it very peaceful. Don't do it yourself.

You can do without the beer for a couple months, eating out, Starbuck Coffees, buying a newspaper, a thousand and one ways to save up - but have this situation completed in a "humane" manner.

The picture below is a dog that was 2-1/2 and at a kill shelter. He was euthanized yesterday morning because there weren't enough good homes.............we do this to eight million dogs and cats each year.

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I believe he was in a kill shelter in Arkansas.

reply to post by FriedrichNeecher


That's good.

You will know when the time is right. He will tell you. Make sure to treasure each day you have left together.

Maybe post a picture of him here so we can see how handsome he is.

15 year old Rott suffering with cancer, grand old age for this bully breed and stricken with its number one killer. It looks as if the last page is being written, sadly enough.

I am the owner of aging Rotts as well, (2, both 11+ years, one rescue) and am well acquainted with the breed--fine animals as well as big pain-in-the-necks at times. I know I worry about how mine with fare as times get bleaker.

It sounds like you've done your best up to this point, perhaps a vet can give you a supply of a good canine pain reliever like Metacam and a syringe of whatever they're using for euthanasia these days when the suffering gets too much.

I don't envy your position, they're a joy to have and heart-rending to let go. @->---