From:
Caitlyn Martin
Date: 2005-05-11 18:21:54 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Tufts protocol -- experiences?
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <3686501.1115839059640.JavaMail.nobody@strontium.smartgroups.com>
Hi, Regina, and everyone else.
> (despite her very positive view of the protocol, I
> decided against it for Pan. Although he was also a
> young ferret, his lymphoma when diagnosed had
already
> spread very rapidly into his liver, spleen and
> abdominal lymph nodes, making him a poor
> candidate for the protocol. His chances of recovery
> seemed to me to be so negligible I decided that it
> wouldn't be fair to put him through the weekly
> treatments. He also had severe
> vaccine reactions in the past, so I worried that he
> might have experienced side effects that other
> ferrets might not, or
> reacted to the carrier agents of the chemo drugs.
Here are some critical points which might have been
gleaned from my various posts to the list about Nyssa:
- she's seven
- we're six months after diagnosis and her abdomen is
tender. I suspect if we did more diagnostic work we'd
find the disease has already spread quite a bit
- this is a ferret who has had an anaphylactic
reaction to a rabies vaccination
- Nyssa used to weigh 2.5 pounds and was a really big
girl -- not fat, just long and muscular. As of this
morning's vet visit she's down to 1.5 pounds and is
basically skin and bones despite a voracious appetite.
- Nyssa has been on steroids for six months
Under these conditions does anyone believe the Tufts
protocol buys her any chance of recovery? I have my
doubts about whether she'll live another six days let
alone six months. Aren't we a bit too late here?
Our original vet (retirement announcement received
this morning) advised us against chemo back in
November feeling that Nyssa'a age and overall
condition made her chances of recovery/remission very
poor back then. Her vet in the Cincinnati area was
more aggressive in her treatment but still went with
steroids and palleative care and not chemo. Her
current vet (now back in NC, former backup vet) is
continuing what the Ohio vet did except that she
subsituted depo medrol for the vetalog with no change
in Nyssa's condition.
I'm not ruling anything in or out. I just want to
believe that there is a real chance that something
taht will truly benefit Nyssa can be accomplished.
Otherwise I just want to keep her comfy if I can and
say goodbye when I can't.
-Caity and the fantastic five