Dog with lymphoma - I’m an emotional wreck

Anyone else on here have a dog that’s been diagnosed with lymphoma? My 10 year old pup Foxy just got a confirmed diagnosis on Thursday, so we’re off to see an oncologist on Monday to determine our options. Really hoping chemo or some other treatment is feasible, though fully expecting it to be multiple thousands of dollars if so. It’s a LOT of money, but not treating isn’t an option in my mind, as long as the vet gives a decent prognosis. Not entirely sure how we’ll scrape that together, but my husband and I already agreed we will figure something out. I know some people wouldn’t spend that much money, but I don’t judge no matter what people decide - it’s a very personal (and financial) decision to make, and there’s no easy answer.

For me...see, I’m a Non-Hodgkins lymphoma survivor myself. So given my own history, I can’t fathom not trying to fight this. I was diagnosed as stage 4 at age 29, and let’s just say I was terrified out of my mind when it happened (I’d also just watched my father-in-law pass away from leukemia a month prior to that. So the possible implications of cancer were at the forefront of my mind...that year was a bit of a mind mess to say the least. Thankfully, I’m one of the extremely fortunate ones who went into complete remission following some intense chemo, and just celebrated my three year remission mark last month.

Needless to say, my dog’s diagnosis is devastating. Of course I made the mistake of doing a google search and found out that without treatment, life expectancy could be as short as 1-2 months. And even with treatment, it sounds like it’s rare (but not impossible!) to have a remission lasting longer than a year, two at most. Though that sounds a LOT better than 1-2 months! Still, everything is unknown at this point as we don’t have any specific details on her specific case yet. I’m trying not to get *too* ahead of myself, but it’s hard not to worry. Really, REALLY hoping the vet will have good news for us next week (well, as good as can be expected here). Thus far Foxy still seems close to her normal self with only mild symptoms, so we’re doing our best to remain optimistic.

Anyone here have relatively good/positive lymphoma stories to share about their fur babies?

 

I hope everything goes according to plan and I’ll be praying for her tonight.

 

I’m sorry, I know my response is not what you are looking for because I can’t give any advice. I will say that she looks very happy and is so lucky to have a great mom like you

 

I don’t have any experience with lymphoma in dogs, but I’m wishing you strength and peace of heart and sending wishes for Foxy’s recovery.

 

I’ve been down this road twice. It’s devastating. Unless you have insurance chemo is off the charts expensive with nothing guaranteed and not a better life for the dog.

 

Thanks, everyone. Figure I should post an update -

Foxy was officially diagnosed with Stage 5a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in late November - essentially the same thing I was diagnosed with in 2017. Not great news.

While lymphoma isn't considered curable in dogs and stage 5 tends to have a poorer prognosis, it seems that an individual's response to treatment is all over the map, and hard to predict for sure. So after much discussion, research, and and the help of a couple of foundations, we made the choice to start her on chemo and take things week-by-week. We started Foxy on a regimen called L-CHOP, very similar to the R-CHOP that I had. Assuming she goes through the full course, she'll get four rounds of treatment spread over 20 weeks; each round is about 5 weeks, with weekly vet visits/treatments.

We are INCREDIBLY thankful for the assistance of both the Live Like Roo and FETCH a Cure Foundations, as between the two of them they donated nearly $4K towards Foxy's $9K treatment plan. They're entirely what made it possible for us to pursue this course of action - no way it could have happened otherwise. Between their assistance and currently having a bit of extra income due to deferred student loans from COVID relief, thus far things have been manageable (I should also note, my husband and I are both lucky and so thankful to have jobs that haven't been greatly impacted by COVID). It also helps that it's not $9k upfront - it's incremental as she receives a treatment each week. And we really are always taking things week-by-week - if there's ever a time when Foxy's quality of life declines, we know we will need to reassess our outlook and plans. We never want her to suffer; continuing to treat at that point would not be fair to her.

I'm thankful to report that we're about two months in, in the middle of the second round, and Foxy is doing great! She only had side effects once with the first drug - nausea for about a day and a half - but we adjusted meds and she's been fine since then. Quality of life is fantastic as well. Besides not having ANY symptoms, she's her old self - full of energy, initiating play, great appetite, and running about the backyard like a maniac.

She was re-staged after completing her first round, and is officially in partial remission. Based on physical exam and bloodwork she would have been considered in full remission, but an ultrasound scan confirmed that there's still some involvement with her spleen and left kidney - but both greatly improved compared to when she started treatment. Everything that was noted on her initial diagnosis has either been resolved or at least greatly improved!

So for now, we're cautiously hopeful and optimistic. We try not to look past the next week since it's hard to know what the future will bring (or when), but for now we're enjoying the time we've gained with Foxy.

Here are a couple of pics from mid-December:

 

Thanks, everyone. Figure I should post an update -

Foxy was officially diagnosed with Stage 5a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in late November - essentially the same thing I was diagnosed with in 2017. Not great news.

While lymphoma isn't considered curable in dogs and stage 5 tends to have a poorer prognosis, it seems that an individual's response to treatment is all over the map, and hard to predict for sure. So after much discussion, research, and and the help of a couple of foundations, we made the choice to start her on chemo and take things week-by-week. We started Foxy on a regimen called L-CHOP, very similar to the R-CHOP that I had. Assuming she goes through the full course, she'll get four rounds of treatment spread over 20 weeks; each round is about 5 weeks, with weekly vet visits/treatments.

We are INCREDIBLY thankful for the assistance of both the Live Like Roo and FETCH a Cure Foundations, as between the two of them they donated nearly $4K towards Foxy's $9K treatment plan. They're entirely what made it possible for us to pursue this course of action - no way it could have happened otherwise. Between their assistance and currently having a bit of extra income due to deferred student loans from COVID relief, thus far things have been manageable (I should also note, my husband and I are both lucky and so thankful to have jobs that haven't been greatly impacted by COVID). It also helps that it's not $9k upfront - it's incremental as she receives a treatment each week. And we really are always taking things week-by-week - if there's ever a time when Foxy's quality of life declines, we know we will need to reassess our outlook and plans. We never want her to suffer; continuing to treat at that point would not be fair to her.

I'm thankful to report that we're about two months in, in the middle of the second round, and Foxy is doing great! She only had side effects once with the first drug - nausea for about a day and a half - but we adjusted meds and she's been fine since then. Quality of life is fantastic as well. Besides not having ANY symptoms, she's her old self - full of energy, initiating play, great appetite, and running about the backyard like a maniac.

She was re-staged after completing her first round, and is officially in partial remission. Based on physical exam and bloodwork she would have been considered in full remission, but an ultrasound scan confirmed that there's still some involvement with her spleen and left kidney - but both greatly improved compared to when she started treatment. Everything that was noted on her initial diagnosis has either been resolved or at least greatly improved!

So for now, we're cautiously hopeful and optimistic. We try not to look past the next week since it's hard to know what the future will bring (or when), but for now we're enjoying the time we've gained with Foxy.

Here are a couple of pics from mid-December:
View attachment 761199
View attachment 761201

Foxy has some awesome parents!

 

Foxy looks happy! Wishing her and her family the best.

 

Thanks, everyone. Figure I should post an update -

Foxy was officially diagnosed with Stage 5a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in late November - essentially the same thing I was diagnosed with in 2017. Not great news.

While lymphoma isn't considered curable in dogs and stage 5 tends to have a poorer prognosis, it seems that an individual's response to treatment is all over the map, and hard to predict for sure. So after much discussion, research, and and the help of a couple of foundations, we made the choice to start her on chemo and take things week-by-week. We started Foxy on a regimen called L-CHOP, very similar to the R-CHOP that I had. Assuming she goes through the full course, she'll get four rounds of treatment spread over 20 weeks; each round is about 5 weeks, with weekly vet visits/treatments.

We are INCREDIBLY thankful for the assistance of both the Live Like Roo and FETCH a Cure Foundations, as between the two of them they donated nearly $4K towards Foxy's $9K treatment plan. They're entirely what made it possible for us to pursue this course of action - no way it could have happened otherwise. Between their assistance and currently having a bit of extra income due to deferred student loans from COVID relief, thus far things have been manageable (I should also note, my husband and I are both lucky and so thankful to have jobs that haven't been greatly impacted by COVID). It also helps that it's not $9k upfront - it's incremental as she receives a treatment each week. And we really are always taking things week-by-week - if there's ever a time when Foxy's quality of life declines, we know we will need to reassess our outlook and plans. We never want her to suffer; continuing to treat at that point would not be fair to her.

I'm thankful to report that we're about two months in, in the middle of the second round, and Foxy is doing great! She only had side effects once with the first drug - nausea for about a day and a half - but we adjusted meds and she's been fine since then. Quality of life is fantastic as well. Besides not having ANY symptoms, she's her old self - full of energy, initiating play, great appetite, and running about the backyard like a maniac.

She was re-staged after completing her first round, and is officially in partial remission. Based on physical exam and bloodwork she would have been considered in full remission, but an ultrasound scan confirmed that there's still some involvement with her spleen and left kidney - but both greatly improved compared to when she started treatment. Everything that was noted on her initial diagnosis has either been resolved or at least greatly improved!

So for now, we're cautiously hopeful and optimistic. We try not to look past the next week since it's hard to know what the future will bring (or when), but for now we're enjoying the time we've gained with Foxy.

Here are a couple of pics from mid-December:
View attachment 761199
View attachment 761201

Foxy is beautiful and looks happy. I wish you both the longest possible time together and also wish both of you a good quality of life. Gentle hugs to you both.

 

Foxy has some awesome parents!

Foxy looks happy! Wishing her and her family the best.

Foxy is beautiful and looks happy. I wish you both the longest possible time together and also wish both of you a good quality of life. Gentle hugs to you both.

Thanks for the support, everyone!

Two months further down the road than last time I posted, and Foxy is still going strong! We started what should (fingers crossed) be her final round of chemo this week! Three more weeks of treatment, then we check her via ultrasound. Hopefully she'll be in full remission, but won't know until then.

In the meantime, she continues to be her happy, energetic self. Amazingly few side effects - mostly just some thinning fur recently, most noticeable on her belly. Clearly doesn't bother her though.

Really hoping I have good news to share w/ everyone in three weeks!

 

Thanks for the support, everyone!

Two months further down the road than last time I posted, and Foxy is still going strong! We started what should (fingers crossed) be her final round of chemo this week! Three more weeks of treatment, then we check her via ultrasound. Hopefully she'll be in full remission, but won't know until then.

In the meantime, she continues to be her happy, energetic self. Amazingly few side effects - mostly just some thinning fur recently (noticeable on her belly. Clearly doesn't bother her though.

Really hoping I have good news to share w/ everyone in three weeks!
View attachment 779743

Awesome news! Best of luck and keep us posted.

 

Yay! Go Foxy! Praying for more good news!

 

Thanks for the support, everyone!

Two months further down the road than last time I posted, and Foxy is still going strong! We started what should (fingers crossed) be her final round of chemo this week! Three more weeks of treatment, then we check her via ultrasound. Hopefully she'll be in full remission, but won't know until then.

In the meantime, she continues to be her happy, energetic self. Amazingly few side effects - mostly just some thinning fur recently, most noticeable on her belly. Clearly doesn't bother her though.

Really hoping I have good news to share w/ everyone in three weeks!
View attachment 779743

This post made me so happy! It's all about quality of life, and you've managed to provide her with that and extend her time on this planet. Go Foxy! Go you!

 

Last planned treatment and repeat ultrasound/xray are this Wednesday. Fingers crossed for full remission!

 

Last planned treatment and repeat ultrasound/xray are this Wednesday. Fingers crossed for full remission!

I've got everything crossed for dear little Foxy! Sending all the good thoughts I can your way.

 

I’m happy to announce....

FOXY IS IN COMPLETE REMISSION!

No sign of lymphoma anywhere, and her treatments are all done! Just occasional follow ups to make sure she stays in remission.

Hard to believe we went from Stage V to completely clear, but so happy and relieved!



I can finally say that her bandana is 100% accurate!

 

I’m happy to announce....

FOXY IS IN COMPLETE REMISSION!

No sign of lymphoma anywhere, and her treatments are all done! Just occasional follow ups to make sure she stays in remission.

Hard to believe we went from Stage V to completely clear, but so happy and relieved!

View attachment 784490
I can finally say that her bandana is 100% accurate!

AWESOME news!

 

I just saw this thread. Oh wow, what fantastic news! Extremely happy hugs to you all!

 

General memories about my girl: She was a large 80lbs red-nose pit-bull who died because of lymphoma, like my dad. She was playful beyond belief and interested in just about everything including tossing my leg in the air when she had a chance.

She once caught a hedgehog in our tomato garden. She circled the garden until he freaked and tried to run. She gave chase. When she caught up, instead of sinking her teeth into it, tripped him. When it finished rolling instead of the attack I expected she waited, tail wagging, for it to get up and continued the chase. The cycle repeated 2 times before she allowed it to escape under the fence.

We named her Sophie, because her litter was dropped on a couch.

Godspeed and the best of luck, Gudgie!

 

Yay Foxy!!!!

 

Yay! Such good news!

 

I’m happy to announce....

FOXY IS IN COMPLETE REMISSION!

No sign of lymphoma anywhere, and her treatments are all done! Just occasional follow ups to make sure she stays in remission.

Hard to believe we went from Stage V to completely clear, but so happy and relieved!

View attachment 784490
I can finally say that her bandana is 100% accurate!

Amazing, wonderful news! Reading it gives me chills. I am so happy for you both!

General memories about my girl: She was a large 80lbs red-nose pit-bull who died because of lymphoma, like my dad. She was playful beyond belief and interested in just about everything including tossing my leg in the air when she had a chance.

She once caught a hedgehog in our tomato garden. She circled the garden until he freaked and tried to run. She gave chase. When she caught up, instead of sinking her teeth into it, tripped him. When it finished rolling instead of the attack I expected she waited, tail wagging, for it to get up and continued the chase. The cycle repeated 2 times before she allowed it to escape under the fence.

We named her Sophie, because her litter was dropped on a couch.

Godspeed and the best of luck, Gudgie!

Sophie sounds like she was a wonderful dog. (I love the way she got her name.) I'm sorry for your loss.
Were you living outside the US? Hedgehogs aren't native to the US and I see you live in Illinois. Very curious!

 

I’m devastated to share that we said goodbye to our beloved Foxy earlier tonight.

Her remission was sadly short lived, as the lymphoma re-emerged in early June. We were able to manage symptoms and keep a high quality of life for a couple months with prednisone, but she really took a turn for the worse in the last week.

We were able to enjoy one last good day yesterday, filled with car rides, treats, time spent outside, and lots of love. Today was a different story, and she let us know it was time.

She and Wrigley were/are my first dogs, so this is the first time I’ve had to go through this. And while I’m so incredibly glad Foxy is no longer in any pain, this still feels so much harder than I was prepared for.

 

I’m devastated to share that we said goodbye to our beloved Foxy earlier tonight.

Her remission was sadly short lived, as the lymphoma re-emerged in early June. We were able to manage symptoms and keep a high quality of life for a couple months with prednisone, but she really took a turn for the worse in the last week.

We were able to enjoy one last good day yesterday, filled with car rides, treats, time spent outside, and lots of love. Today was a different story, and she let us know it was time.

She and Wrigley were/are my first dogs, so this is the first time I’ve had to go through this. And while I’m so incredibly glad Foxy is no longer in any pain, this still feels so much harder than I was prepared for.

View attachment 809473

I'm truly sorry for your loss, but it looks like you gave her the best life anyone could ask for. I give you my condolences, but again, you gave her an amazing life, which is more valuable than anything else.

 

Sweet looking dog. So sorry for your loss. Losing a pet is the worst. At least you can be at peace knowing you did everything possible for your sweet pup.

 

Bless her heart! I’m so sorry to read this.

I myself had large B-cell lymphoma (stage 2) in 2016. That was a really horrible year. Just after I completed treatment, i had to help my beloved dog cross the bridge because his hip came out of the socket and because his arthritis was so bad in both hips, the doctor said recovery was almost impossible.

I know you’re hurting, but unfortunately, saying goodbye is part of the contract we accept when we bring these wonderful creatures into our lives.

 

I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

I'm sorry for your loss.

 

Gudgie You gave Foxy an awesome life!

 

Sorry to hear. You did all you could.

 

Sadly this is the price we pay for all the joy our pets bring us. Foxy is now gone but she will never be forgotten. I know it doesn't seem like it right now but take it from someone that lost the love of their lives not that long ago, the pain does ease over time. I would like to think when she crossed the Rainbow Bridge Mattie was there to greet her.

Don't be surprised if occasionally you still hear her and even feel her next to you. Some may think both hubby and I were imagining things but we both know she was still here for well over a year. Both of us felt her on the bed at different times. We would hear her often and at one point hubby even saw her. As the pain has eased we don't hear or feel her as often. I would like to think her spirit is still here with us.

Foxy is such a huge part of your life. She will be for the rest of your life. The pain of loss will ease and you will be left with just remembering the joy you shared with her. Give yourself all the time you need to grieve. You know you did your very best for her and in the end you followed up with the most difficult thing you will ever have to do and that is letting her go.

Sending love and support from one grieving pet owner to another.

 

I'm very sorry her recovery didn't last longer. The best advice I can offer is to try to concentrate on the good times you had with her instead of focusing on being sad she's gone.

 

I’m so sorry. I know she had the best life with you. Hugs.

 

I’m very sorry you had to go through that. One thing I will say is that it is important to give yourself time to grieve. Let yourself ugly cry and scream at no one. You will be done when you are ready. It gets better. She had a great life with you, and I wish you both the best on your current journey.

 

So sorry Gudgie! Hugs.

 

Thanks, everyone. Day by day, it’s getting a little bit better, a bit easier. Wrigley was definitely acting off the first few days, but thankfully is mostly back to normal.

In what I suppose you could call a silver lining, we’ve decided to sign up to foster for one of our local animal shelters. Foxy herself was a foster failure a decade ago, though haven‘t fostered since then because Foxy had issues with most other dogs. Don’t know when we’ll be ready to adopt again, but hopefully we can help some other dogs in the meantime.

 

Thanks, everyone. Day by day, it’s getting a little bit better, a bit easier. Wrigley was definitely acting off the first few days, but thankfully is mostly back to normal.

In what I suppose you could call a silver lining, we’ve decided to sign up to foster for one of our local animal shelters. Foxy herself was a foster failure a decade ago, though haven‘t fostered since then because Foxy had issues with most other dogs. Don’t know when we’ll be ready to adopt again, but hopefully we can help some other dogs in the meantime.

Thank you for choosing to foster. Do you have an idea of the type of dog you’d like to foster?

 

Thank you for choosing to foster. Do you have an idea of the type of dog you’d like to foster?

Well, we ended up adopting another dog way ahead of schedule. Meet Lexi - she's about 80 lbs, estimated to be about a year old, and the shelter vet guessed that she's a pit/cane corso mix. Since she's only a year, we fully expect that she's still got a bit of growing to do.





Here's her shelter photo. She looked so sad and unsure (though since then, we've also realized she has perfected this look).



Wrigley is still unsure about his new buddy, so we're taking it slow. They happily walk together on leashes, both sleep in bed together, and take treats next to each other, but he's not a fan of her rambunctious attitude. Wrigley has also been in some discomfort due to some teeth issues (he just had a cleaning and some teeth extracted yesterday to help fix that), so hopefully once he feels better he'll start to feel more playful again. Fingers crossed!

We're also still open to fostering an additional dog, but it needs to wait until we're sure Wrigley is more comfortable with Lexi. No particular breed/age/size when it comes to fostering - big or small (okay, we do prefer big but not a requirement), young or old, pit or not-pit. Theoretically we're open to any when it comes to fostering, but the best scenario would probably be a dog that was playful and comfortable enough to be another playmate for Lexi, so that they could wear one another out, which would actually give Wrigley a bit more peace. Our nearby shelter tends to have a lot of large pit mixes in a range of adult ages, so odds are good that we'd end up getting one to foster.