My heart is breaking. The news on Sofy is not good. It is suspected that she has hemangiosarcoma of the spleen. The issue with her nose is secondary. A few more tests need to be done to confirm the diagnosis. Right now she is quite anemic. You can usually tell by looking for pale gums, however being a Black Lab/Black Chow her gums and tongue are black and no help. Hemangiosarcoma is one of the main cancer killers in dogs. Our choices were immediate euthanization (not an option for us), subject her to removal of her spleen and followed by chemotherapy, or managed care. The surgery alone would probably kill her as the tumor is about the size of a softball and is very vascular. It would only give her maybe an extra month or two. We have decided that we are going to fight this with the best possible managed care. If we dont work on it now she will be gone in a matter of weeks. Trying really hard to keep it together right now. We fought cancer before with Bear although it was a osteosarcoma and we got him into remission for 8 1/2 years. Sofy deserves this chance as well. Will also maybe help other pup owners faced with this disease. Just to manage it would still be cheaper than spending thousands on a surgery that will not help in the long run. After a long talk with the vet (awesome lady) and spending hours of research we have a plan. I am going to start a fund raiser for Sofy. No one expects anything like this and time is of the essence to get her started on a protocol. Were praying people will support her cause... she is a beautiful 11 yr old. Managed protocol will be treating the nose issue with neo-syneprine spray and intermittent use of benedryl. Without doing an invasive endoscopy, she could have a polyp, a allergy related problem but it is suspected that it could be associated with the splenic hemangiosarcoma. To treat the anemia she is going to be fed large quantities of fresh liver every day, placed on Pet Tabs Plus, and put her on Blue Buffalo canned dog food 3 times a day. The hemangiosarcoma looks to be the size of a softball right now. This is considered to be somewhat small as they will continue to grow. It is pressing up against her intestines. By putting her on the canned food it is hoped that it will keep things moving without additional strain. Her activities are to be kept at a minimal amount to prevent any rupturing. Avoiding stairs as much as possible. She also will need an orthopedic dog bed to help support her belly. The biggest tool we are going to use is placing her on Im-Yunity which is not cheap. Im-Yunity is not a guarantee but it could possibly extend her life for at least a year. Based on Chinese medicine Im-Yunity is a compound made from the Coriolus Versicolor mushroom.Dogs with hemangiosarcoma that were treated with the PSP had the longest survival times in comparison to surgery, chemo etc. Penn State has been doing trial studies with it and the Coriolus versicolor mushroom extract may be a promising supplement in maintaining immune health in dogs with cancer. The Coriolus versicolor mushroom, known commonly as the Yunzhi mushroom, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 2,000 years. The compound in the mushroom that is believed to have immune-boosting properties is polysaccharopeptide, or PSP. In the last two decades, some studies have suggested that PSP also has a tumor-fighting effect. She will need 7 caps per day at approximately a dollar per cap. Most of you know that we have no 2 legged children, the fuzzlebutts ARE our kids. We will try to move heaven and earth for them. We pray you will help share our fundraiser and really hope for blessings, prayers, rants and raves to St Francis. We are determined to extend her life, make it quality and spare her the torture of surgery and chemotherapy. We will need to raise 1500.00
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 03:08:26 +0000