From:
katharine
Date: 2001-04-19 15:21:00 UTC
Subject: chemo for lymphoma
I'm not a vet but my Lily was given chemo for lymphoma. We
used Dr. Karen Purcell's protocol and there were 5 or 6
different drugs. Each week was different. Lily tolerated
all of the drugs quite well. One (can't remember which)
would make her very tired for a few days but that was the
extent of side-effects. Each time the drug was given IV, a
CBC had to be done prior to the IV to make sure everything
was OK. For these, she stayed all day. For the ones given
sub-q, I just took her in and we left immediately afterward.
Chemo is very expensive. Some weeks ran $100+, depending on
the drug (including the CBC and iso). Other weeks were not
so bad. Lily did well for a few months then it all fell
apart. Her lymph nodes started swelling again (all over her
body), a mass was felt in her abdomen, she quit eating and
lost over 10% of her body weight in one week. I had her
euthanized. I haven't had one second of regret over that
decision.
Would I put one through it again? I really don't know. I
was disappointed that Lily didn't live longer but I think
she got more time than if we had done nothing. And, the
most important thing is that, throughout the chemo, she
remained active and playful.
Katharine