From:
Linda Iroff
Date: 2006-04-19 11:08:00 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] re: Nilla's Chemotherapy for Lymphoma update
To: xxx@xxxxxxx.xxx, Ferret Health List <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
xxxxxxx
First, my best wishes are with you and Nilla for a successful
treatment! My Chaucer underwent the Tuft's protocol, and did very
well on it for some time. Sadly, after about 5 months the tumor in
his abdomen bled out, and he had to be put to sleep. I've no doubt
though that the treatment gave him a much better quality of life and
added months to his life. Just a few days before his death, he was
dooking and dancing.
Some questions and comments: First, you say the 6 week treatment,
don't you mean 6 month? Also, which drug is considered Class X? My
vet did all the treatments in his office, though finding some of the
drugs in small doses was difficult. (My vet and I will be glad to
give you and your vet pointers to sources if needed.) One of the
drugs that needs to be given orally for 2 weeks I even took home and
gave him myself, though the vet gave me gloves to wear when handling
the stuff.
My total costs were right around $1000. About $400 was for the chemo
drugs, the rest mostly for office visits and blood tests. (Although
we didn't get all the way through the protocol, all the drugs had
been paid for.) He did not charge me for a lot of stuff. For example,
the only way to get blood out of Chaucer was to knock him out. I was
only charged $25 for the CBC, no charge for drawing blood or the
anesthetic. No charge for the fluids that needed to be given with the
cytoxan, no charge for the pretreatment with Benadryl and Dex before
the l-asparaginase.I was never charged for more than a brief office
visit, even the time I was there for almost an hour while we
carefully calculated doses, and waited for him to wake up from
anesthesia to give him an oral med. When I had to board him there for
a few days when we were out of town, I was only charged $5/day, no
extra charge for giving him his daily pred or feedings!
We usually had the last appointment of the day on Tuesdays or
Thursdays when he is open in the evenings. I joked that Chaucer and I
like to close the bars and the vets office! All the staff were
wonderful. They all knew me from my frequent phone calls and visits.
I brought them brownies and a Jeanne Carley Ferret Calendar.
xxxxxxx (or anyone else doing this protocol) if you have any
questions during Nilla's treatment, or just want to talk, feel free
to email me.
Linda
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