I'm so sorry about T.J. I hope the vet can do something to give him some good quality time with you and the rest of your pups...I am thinking of all of you. Please take care...

He's beautiful. Sending good thoughts that something can be done for him.

Rita

Oh, what a sweetie he is! I'm so sorry you're going through this ~ sending good thoughts your way.

I'm very sorry you and your handsome boy are having to go thru this. I lost my Dobe in Sept. to cancer. Whatever choices you have to make I'm sure they'll be the right ones for him. Hold him close every chance you get and good luck with his treatment.

Lisa

Thank you all so much for all the support, it means more than you know.
After waiting for the vet to make a refferal appt. for TJ at the cancer center, I got tired of waiting so this morning I made my own appt. on Monday they will aspirate some of the tumor and then we will know what it is that we have to fight.

I have been doing so much research! I started him on Flax seed oil and cottage cheese 1TBL of oil to 1/2 cup cottage cheese 3 times a day, I am not sure how but it helps him, he has been walking around with his head hung low and sleeping all curled up. After about 4 hours after giving him this mixture his head is once again up and alert and he sleeps all stretched out,and he eats all by himself! It is nothing short of amazing! I wish all of you could actually see the difference.
In order to get him to eat it I have to also give it to his sister Tasha, she is 9 years and has a really bad shoulder due to authritis(sp) after eating the stuff she was ready to take on the world, no limp but a very sassy mouth!

I'm sorry shiollie. I hope you get some good news.

Aw no!
I will keep you and TJ in my prayers.

Keep in mind that when feeding a dog with cancer you want moderate to high protein and fats but as low in carbs as you can find. Innova Evo is a good commercial food if he will eat it.

Lisa

He's an AB, isn't he? Or a white boxer?

I have an AB - he's so sweet and silly. Not to cats, though.

Let us know how it goes - maybe it's not malignant. One of my dogs had an odd type of cancer in his nasal cavity. It was very treatable and it cost three times as much to diagnose it as it did to treat it.

vicky

dobesrule,yes, we have cut all carbs and sugars out of his diet, I am going today to get some Vit. E, which is my understanding that they really need.

TJ is a white boxer altho after a bath he looks more Dalmation because of all the black spots on his skin.

My thoughts are with you and your beautiful friend. I am glad to hear he is feeling better, my prayers the vets can get the tumor.

Best of luck to you and TJ Malone. I think you're so smart to be proactive and to be addressing pain management as well. I recently had to have my dog on Tramadol for a few days, and it worked very well with no side effects (that I could tell).

I'm glad your boy is eating better on his cancer diet. Be sure that he drinks enough water, too.

You and Maroney are in my thoughts and prayers.

Today started out a bit rough for TJ, for the last 2 days he has had some issues with bedwetting (mine), so I am going to fashion some sort of diaper for him. This morning he got sick, it was more of the yellow bile, so I mixed up some flax oil and CC and he ate it right up, and now it seems that he is feeling better.
Just as a side note, his sister Tasha has always had the most horrendous fish breath and that was pretty bad because her nickname is "miss licksalot" her tounge actually snaps when she licks anyway, since she has also been on the iol and CC the fishbreath has dissappeared and now we can actually enjoy miss licksalot again. Tomrrow we go to the cancer center and hopefully find some answers.

Well, He has been diagnosed with Lymphoma. I had to leave him at MSU for at least 2 days, in order to aspirate the tumor they need the help of an ultrasound machine because of it proxcimity to his lungs. While his White blood cells were actually up (vet said normal!!) ( and I DO believe that the raise in that was due to the oil and CC) his blood calicum is thru the roof so they will have him on IV's to try and flush it out of his system and his blood platlets are low so they are testing his bone marrow to see if it has gone into that also. I really wanted to go the holistic plan but the doc said he needed something now, so he will get 2 rounds of chemo and once he is in remission then we will make sure that it does not come back.

He's such a lucky dog to have an owner like you!! I hope you can go visit him each day while he's in the hospital. He needs your love and support/your physical presence. I think that helps their attitude and appetite

I wish the best for all of you - I love boxers!!

vicky

Shiollie, I am glad there is treatment available for your TJ. My three mutts and I send our wishes for a fast remission and successful holistic treatment to be sure it does not come back. My new B-in-L had lymphoma a few years a go, and in helping her brother's friend in his time of need, my S-in-L discovered her true love! I hope you and TJ feel all the love from THS, MSU, and all the other dog lovers you meet. I just went to your Page to see if the MSU you mention is the one I know, or perhaps Missouri or Montana - and you are here in Mich, in my same garden zone and we share the same birthday. Weird! Keep up with the updates for us!

I take my sleepshirts to the clinic for my pets to sleep with when they're hospitalized.

When I visit each day, I change out the sleepshirt for a "fresher" one.

holding you & Maroney in my thoughts & in my heart.

By "fresher", I didn't mean fresher from the laundry.

I mean more-recently-slept-in, so that my scent is fresher, more comforting for the pet.

I just got off the phone with the Dr. The cancer has spread to Tj's bone marrow. He is not eating for them either. I wanted to scream at them to get the oil and cc into him, but I dont, I am going up there today and will feed it to him myself and leave very strict instructions that TJ is to have this mix 3 times a day and if they cannot do that then I will bring him home, the stress that he is under cannot be good for him.
My husband talked with his mother last night and told her about TJ and got the standard "just put him down" he told her that TJ was his kid and if he had options that he would take them. He was much nicer than I would have been.. I would have asked her that if it was one of her kids would she still have that same answer?
I believe that when you take the responsibility of a animal it is much the same as a marriage... for better or worse and in sickness and or health. Just because they have 4 legs and fur does not make them less in my eyes. I am going to stop now, I cant see thru my tears and my heart is breaking.

Shiollie, I cannot say anything to make you feel better. People who love you want to help by saying things that sound good to them. I hope you understand that more than likely your mother in law is suffering by seeing you and your husband's sadness.

Unfortunately this is happening far too much, and it is really tragic. I would like for you to be prepared for those in charge of your dog to refuse your medications. Please do be prepared to bring him home. They may think they would be open to a law suit, and simply won't do it. However they may allow you to come up periodically to give him the medications or the treatment you are depending on.

Good luck to you. I have been there as have so many others who are reading about your dilemma.

Sammy

We have a canine oncologist on staff where I work and Dr. Mitchner has some patients with lymphoma go into remission and live with a qood quality of life for quit a while. I hope Maroney is one of those lucky ones. She is also open minded to holistic treatments to help support the pet while they are fighting cancer.

Lisa

Tj is doing better this evening, his blood calicum is now within normal limits. They will take another blood test in the morning

On this post I just want to take it in another direction....
First I want to say a Thank You to those that are posting encouragement thru their own pain, you humble me.

I am writing this in real time, you get the info when I do, and in reading the posts here, I truely draw on the strength that is directed TJ's way.
Thank you.
Beverly

I've not added anything for a while, I am so sorry you are all going through this.

Last January, I had an old dog (14) who cheated death at least 3 times that I know of. Like you, I did everything I could think of to help her.

When her last days came, I spoke to a "true country vet". One that works on cows, pigs, etc.etc. And, has all of the experiences that go along with that situation.

She also had the previous experience of being a city vet. Very well liked and respected.

When my dog started throwing up water almost instantly after drinking it, I knew something was horribly wrong. I consulted with "country vet", my regular vet who I respect, trust and admire, and myself. Country vet made many good points about the dogs life. She also commented, that when she was a "city vet" she did many many things to keep pets alive. When she became a "country vet" she saw the incredible contrast between the two. She now believes that she did way to much to keep pets alive.

I firmly believe in no "heroics" and the natural order of things. When country vet commented that since the dog was throwing up water almost instantly after drinking it, she was not feeling well. What was her "quality of life" at that point. I admitted, it was not good.

I learned many things from this experience. Dogs really need to do dog things. We as humans, have within our power, to do what ever we seem fit to justify their existence. I didn't have the strength to watch suffering, when it was within my power to stop it. Dog could not run, eat, drink, or do any other "dog things."

Making these decisions is individual. Just be sure it is the right one, for you and your pet.

Good luck!

SG

Beverly,
I am thinking of you tonight, and sending thoughts of healing to your TJ.
Nancy

My boy is comming HOME!!!!! He is eating and peeing, his eyes are bright. I dont know how I will make it untill tomrrow afternoon.
Tasha has been so mad at me that she will not even come near me. I know it is because it seems to her that everytime I take one of her brothers away, they dont come back. (Deohgee- 9/22/05). I am so happy!!!

YAY!!! What are your plans for treatment for him?

Lisa

Hi Lisa, I just got the book "Natural health for cats and dogs" by Richard Pitcarn.. Quite fansinating altho a bit dry. There will be no more commercial food for any of the dogs, TJ will get an all natural diet supplemented with the vitamins and minerals that his body is craving. Dr. Bob (reg vet) will see him at least once every 2 weeks. ( I also bought him a copy of this book) We will work on making his body as strong as it can be and give him a chance to fight this cancer. Now that everything is within normal limits, we can go ahead with the holistic segment.

I really dont know what I would do with out all of you here :).

ck out poly mva, it is expensive but it is great. I will keep you and TJ in my prayers. Dena

TJ is such a doll. I'm glad he's able to be home with you. You must be researching like crazy between everything else you're doing!

Best of luck to you and TJ. You've got a lot of good wishes going your way!

Tj is home now, he seems much like his old self, he has a few square patches of fur missing where they took the marrow. He is glad to be home and established his dominance right away. ( he is the dominate dog) Apparently the chemo treatment will last 25 weeks( they did not tell us that, we were under the impression that he should be in remission with 2 treatment, I feel kinda stupid about that) The Vet has lousy people skills, he would not listen to me about the nutrition that I wanted TJ to have... I got the "Crazy Lady" shrug. He kept telling me that TJ would die eventually.. I KNOW this!! I know I cannot cure TJ but why am I getting so much resistance to building him up naturally?? I finally ended up telling the doc.. "Look, I am doing it your way because it seems to be working, but, I will also build up his body as much as I can to help him fight this cancer, I am not looking for a cure, but I am looking to make him feel the best that I can for as long as I can.. end of story" I think I will be a pain in his butt. I think this vet likes me about as much as I like him.. but at a vet university am not likley to find anyone who will embrace anything new.

I wish you and your dog the very best. You say that the doctors did not tell you that there would be 25 treatments? When we had a similar situation, I googled dog lymphoma cost, and read almost all the posts that came up. I needed to know about the total cost, and felt that asking the doctors would be extremely upsetting and would give me vague answers. To me there was a difference between reading the internet, and talking to a Veterinarian with my dog present.

You might want to google some words and find out exactly what others have experienced so that there will be no more surprises.

I wish you the best, and hope that everything works out well for you.

Sammy

The chemo is a long treatment and many dogs do go into remission after just two or three treatments. Others do not but if they stop the treatments after remission occurs instead of completing the whole protocol then they may come out of it much faster.

My dog's cancer had already spread to affect several major organs by the time we found it. She was not treatable medically but we did nutritional support and also accupunture to help boost the immune system.

Lisa

Shiollie, glad to hear your boy is home. I have the Piticairn book - it's very good. Piticairn doesn't advocate raw, but it is likely that in your research you will come across books and internet sites about it. In case it sounds appealing, I would caution you not to feed TJ raw. Cook, at least lightly, all of his food. Due to the chemo, he is immunocompromised, and will not be able to handle salmonella or e coli like a healthy dog would. Good luck to both of you, and keep us posted!

I woke up this morning and had to rush TJ to the vet, the leg that has the IV in it is swollen all the way to the shoulder and his temp was 104. We talked a long time with the vet and we decided that TJ will not undergo any more chemo, it is worse than the actual cancer on him. They gave him a large shot of steriods and he is on clavimox. We have an appt. with a holistic vet on Tuesday altho I am not sure that he will make it untill then, If he is still like this on Monday I will ask the vet to make a house call and we will send him to play with the angels.

TJ Malone.. Maroney 12/28/99- 4/29/07
I love ya big boy.

Oh, shiollie, I'm so sorry you've lost your sweet boy.
Rest in peace, TJ.

Shiollie, I am so sad to hear this news, and sorry for all the anguish & pain you are experiencing. (((Hugs)))
Ivy

I'm so sorry...

I thought of you with love today
but that is nothing new
I thought about you yesterday
and days before that too

I think of you in silence
I often speak your name
All I have are memories
and your picture in a frame

Your memory is my keepsake
with which I'll never part
God has you in His keeping
I have you in my heart

Author Unknown

Lisa

Lisa, that is beautiful.
Shiollie, I have been thinking of you.
I am so sorry to hear your news.
Sammy

I just found this thread today. I am so sorry for your loss.

I'm glad your dog was able to be home with you for his final moments.

TJ was blessed to have you for his owner. I don't think anyone could have done as much for him as you did.

Both of you (and Tasha) are in my prayers today.

I'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry to hear the news. You did everything you could for him. It was easy to see that TJ was a very special dog.

I'm so very sorry.

Shiollie,
I am sorry at the loss of your dear friend, TJ. I know you gave him the very best. A lot of us have made the same decision, and we know how you miss your friend. We are thinking of you today and sending you thoughts of healing.
Nancy

I am so very sorry to hear of your loss. Nothing can fix your pain for the time being, so simply take comfort in the fact that there are people out here who care and who are thinking of you. In time, you will remember the healthy, fun days you had with TJ and not the painful final days . . . and then you will smile through the tears.

Words will not really convey our Thanks to all of you for the support you have given over the past 11 days but they will have to do.THANK YOU. You have been there for me during my highs and lows, my hopes and my fears.
My husband and I sat down last night and just remembered TJ and all the silly things he has done. I sat my husband down at the computer and had him read each post here, we both cried some more at TJ's picture that I posted, having him read really helped, hubby does not use the computer and has a hard time understanding why people who dont even know us would offer such wonderful support and encouragment, But I do.. it is because we are all in love with our animals and when one is in pain or sick we gather around and build a protective bubble so the pet and person will have a soft place to fall.

Tasha misses him the most I think, TJ and Tash, were the very best of buddies, she knew he was passing and she laid by his side thru the entire process. When we laid TJ to rest I had to restrain her from jumping into the grave, and afterwards she laid for a long time on the grave.
I will always remember TJ with love and admiration for the strength and dignity that he showed right to the end.
I know he is playing with D.O.G. and he will be waiting at the bridge with that little nub of a tail wagging as hard as it can, until that day comes my memories will have to do.

I have been away for a couple of days, so sorry to check in this morning and read this. TJ was surely a loved dog.
Rita

I am sorry for you loss.