CancerCompass message board discussion started by Francesw01 on 1/21/2006 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,4193,0.htm Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ My Princess, Ginger, is a 12.5 year old Sheltie with a heart of gold. She was diagnosed with bladder cancer (TCC) just about a month ago after a urinary tract infection that cleared up, but she still had to pee more frequently. Other than that symptom, there didn't appear to be anything else wrong. An ultrasound revealed the bladder tumor, and a cytology biopsy confirmed it. However, it hasn't spread to her uretha. She's fine all night when she is sleeping and even during the day when she's not active. When she eats or when she's active, she feels the need to pee. The first squat, there is a full flow of urine. Then she has to squat 5 more times before she feels like she doesn't have to go. A lung x-ray was clear, so the cancer had not spread to the lungs. My vet said there were a couple of small spots in other internal organs, but they were small and could just be age related and without a biopsy couldn't really be confirmed as cancer. Given the fact that her lungs were clear, she was otherwise healthy, etc., we decided to treat her with a combination of piroxicam and the chemo mitoxantrone. This appears to be the latest combination drug treat. She has been on the piroxicam for almost a month without side effects. She had her first mitoxantrone chemo treatment on Jan 6. It takes about 15 minutes, and it is injected into her bloodstream. She had no side effects from that first treatment (some dogs may have GI upset for a few days after, but Ginger didn't). 10 days later, they check her blood to make sure her blood cell counts didn't get pushed to low. She didn't have a problem there. Her next chemo treatment is on Jan 27. After 3 treatments, they will check to see whether the mitoxantrone is having an anti-tumor effect and if it should be continued. I debated on what to do . . .my vet, who has dogs, said if Ginger was one of his dogs and given her current good quality of life, this is what he would do. So I'm giving it a try as long as it doesn't make her feel worse. I was really upset when she was diagnosed. I know she's 12-1/2, and Shelties typically live 12 to 14 years. So I was hoping she'd be around 14 or 15 years. But I know that with this disease, that is not likely. Now that I've gotten over the initial shock, I'm happy I found out while she doesn't seem to be sick. I can take this time to spoil my little Princess even more and let her know how much I love her. So I feel lucky she has been with me for this long without any prior problems her whole 12.5 years and that I have a chance to make her feel so special. I know that at some point in 2006, I will have to make a decision for her not to have to endure this disease, and that is hard. But I'm glad that I have the opportunity to try to push that date a little further away, not take her for granted, and just enjoy my little munchkin. Good luck to everyone here who is having the same challenge! Francesw01 Sat, 21 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT Please give Ginger a big long belly rub from us!!! Tim & Kathy Ray Penguin Thu, 26 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT Thank you . . . well, Ginger thanks you. :-) Little Miss Ginger Princess gets a full body massage every morning and every night!!!! Francesw01 Thu, 26 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT I hope Ginger is getting better by the day. My 8 year old SHeltie was just diagnosed today with bladder cancer. She has one large mass and several small ones in the cranial part of her bladder (away from he urethra). They say that so far none of her other organs have been affected. I started her on Piroxicam only today. Do you think the mitocantrone is something I should ask my vet about? I notices several years ago, maybe as many as 4 years that Lexie (my Sheltie) would squat numerous times when we would go out ...never any other symptoms until November when I noticed blood in her urine. THey gave me an atioboitic and it stopped the blood, but then it came back again last week. I pushed for an ultrasound which is where the tumors showed up. For th past few years, Lexie would make a little grunt when she got up or laid down..Now I wonder if it was becuase he bladder was sore. Did you notice anything like that with Ginger? I am hopeful that maybe she has had these tumors for a few years and they are very slow growing. If we start medication now, maybe she will live to at least 12 years old. I can sympathize with your heartbreak . Your positive attitude has helped me a bit as I think of how to get through this painful journey. Let me know how Ginger is doing, please.. You will be in my thoughts. Joanne Lexiesweetface Fri, 10 Feb 2006 00:00:00 GMT Joanne, Thanks for your thoughts. I'm sorry to hear about Lexie, especially since she is much younger. With Ginger, I was sort of preparing myself that she was in her senior years at 12-1/2 and wouldn't be around forever. And then the cancer thing came. I've done a lot of research and have talked to several vets, including internal medicine and oncologist specialists. Bladder cancer in dogs is very invasive (while in people, in is generally less invasive). The combination of piroxicam and mitaxantrone is the latest treatment out there. But my vet made it clear that if Ginger responded, it would give her extra months, not extra years. She gets piroxicam daily. The chemo is done every 3 weeks. It is quite expensive (about $500 per session for her weight at 23 pounds). Luckly I have pet insurance with a cancer rider which helps a lot. Every 10 days they check her blood cell counts which have been good thus far. After 3 treatments, they'll evaluate whether to continue. She did just develop a bladder infection this week, so we're now on an antibiotic. With the tumor in the bladder, infections are common. So it's important to get her urine checked regularly. I'm just starting to give Ginger Pepcid with the piroxicam. She didn't have any side effects from it for the first 7 weeks, but this week, she had some stomach upset, so they said to stop in for a few days and then start giving her Pepcid about an hour before giving her the piroxicam. I also did a lot of research when she was diagnosed. There are always exceptions and miracles, but a good summary of the prognosis is: "Treatment of bladder cancer rarely is curative and more often is used with the intention of controlling the disease temporarily, relieving partial urinary tract obstruction, and making the pet more comfortable for a variable period of time. Such an approach will usually improve your pet's quality of life and allow you to spend more time with your pet." After doing all the research and talking with the vets, I decided to do the chemo along with the piroxicam. With the exception of having to squat numerous times when she went out, you would not have known Ginger was sick. This was the best risk to slow down the progression and maintain a good quality of life as long as possible. Ginger hasn't had any side effects from the chemo. The side effects in dogs are not as severe as in people. They don't lose their hair. Most common side effects are stomach upset, and she hasn't really had that, and then they check her blood every 10 days to make sure her cell counts are okay (the amount of chemo would be adjusted if it was affecting her immune system too much) and they watch kidney function. Here's a good at the bottom of this message regarding a clinical study summary on the piroxicam/mitoxantrone combination below. The internal medicine and oncologist that Ginger is seeing recommend this combo in cases where the cancer does not appear to have spread. Piroxicam does not have direct anti-tumor effect, but the chemo does. Good luck with Lexie. To be honest, Ginger never really had a problems her whole life until the bladder infection in November that wouldn't go away . . . I will always have Shelties and one day I'll have another . . . from all of this, I've learned that it is something I will keep a careful eye on (including urine tests and check for epithealial cells in the urine) as part of an annual physical as Shelties and Scottish Terriers have a high incidence of bladder cancer. Keep in touch and let me how things are going with Lexie! :-) Frances PURPOSE: Cyclooxygenase inhibitors show promise in chemoprevention and therapy of certain carcinomas, an effect that may be additive to that of standard chemotherapy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of combined therapy using the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, piroxicam, and mitoxantrone against a relevant canine model of human invasive bladder cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Fifty-five dogs with transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder were enrolled in this nonrandomized one-armed prospective multi-institutional clinical trial. Mitoxantrone was administered i.v. (5 mg/m(2)) every 21 days for four treatments, and piroxicam was administered p.o. (0.3 mg/kg/day) for the study duration. Tumor staging was performed at baseline, day 42 and every 3 months after protocol completion. Endpoints included time-to-treatment failure and survival time (ST). RESULTS: Response data were available for 48 dogs and included one complete response, 16 partial responses, 22 with disease stabilization, and 9 with progressive disease for an overall 35.4% measurable response rate. Subjective improvement occurred in 75% of treated dogs. Median time-to-treatment failure and ST were 194 and 350 days, respectively. Using censoring and end point definitions similar to those of previous reports of dogs treated with piroxicam alone, the median ST in this study was 291 days, compared with 181 days with piroxicam alone. Diarrhea and azotemia were the most common treatment complications. CONCLUSIONS: Mitoxantrone/piroxicam induced remission more frequently than previously reported for either drug as a single agent in this canine model of invasive human transitional cell carcinoma. Additional evaluation of these drugs in combination protocols should be explored." Francesw01 Sat, 11 Feb 2006 00:00:00 GMT Frances,. Thank you so much for your reply. It is so scary to think they our babies don't seem sick but have this disease inside of them. Is Ginger's tumor in the trigone section of the bladder near the urethra? My vet, so far, has said that they felt good about the prognosis of piroxicam as it has been shown to some times shrink the tumors. I have also read a lot on these boards about Glaviola. Have you discussed that with your oncologist. Those on the boards say that it is suppose to have cancer killing results particularly in the bladder. I also wanted to share with you that my vet advised this morning that he is treating 2 dogs presently with bladder cancer. 1 was diagnosed 1.5 years ago and is still doing okay and did not opt to take any drugs at all. The seond was diagnosed 1 year ago and is on piroxicam and is just now starting to show signs of not eating and not feeling good. I believe with all my heart there is hope. If Ginger still is acting like she feels good... that is a terrific sign. Does she have multiple masses in her bladder? LExie has one large mass in the cranial part of the bladder and over time smaller ones have broken off from the large and created new smaller tumors. I am so hopeful that the piroxicam will just not spread to other organs and stay away from the trigone area (which would obstruct urination). I am so anxious to hear how Ginger's test come out after her 3 chemo's. I am taking the article you sent me (thank you) to my vet visit on Wednesday to discuss all of the options. My vet recommended the piroxicam every day for only 7 days, then every other day. I am worried that won't be enough. Please do stay in touch and let me know how Ginger is doing. We are so blessed with these amazing poets. I have Lexie's brother as well and the two of them are the sweetest . I agree...i will always have Shelties. One last question....how do you manage to ensure Ginger is emptying her bladder when you take her out. I am trying to shove a papertowl under her so I can see what is coming out. She then will squat 5 more times where nothing comes out. big hugs to Ginger from Lexie, Joanne Lexiesweetface Sat, 11 Feb 2006 00:00:00 GMT JoAnn, Ginger's main tumor is up at the top of the bladder and there's a smaller one next to it. Her uretha is clear (they did a cytology thing where they went up through the uretha into the bladder and took pictures). The only negative thing is that the tumor was where one of her kidneys connect to the bladder, so it was starting to block that ureter. The vet said as long as her other kidney was okay, one kidney can sustain her. Her urine flow is not obstructed at all. When she goes out, she immediately releases a large quantity of urine the first time. Then she'll sqaut a few more times when hardly anything comes out. She won't come back in the house until she's ready to. She's a stubborn little doggie with a mind of her own!!!! I don't force her to come back in, and I take her out usually every few hours. During the day when I'm at work, I have a dog walking service come by to take her out. Until this week, she has been feeling really well. But this bladder infection has gotten her feeling down. She's not eating very much. I'm hoping it's just the infection, and not a downard trend. And she has a lesion on her tail that is infected. She won't let me touch it to put anything on it, but the vet said the antibiotic should help with that too. I'm taking her back on Thursday to doublecheck that. I've read about Glaviola. If the mitoxantrone doesn't seem to help, then I might look at trying that. My focus right now is just getting her over this bladder infection and getting the tail lesion healed. She's been so friggin' healthy her whole life and then boom . . . .it all hits. Since she is pretty old, I suspect that she's had the cancer for a good while, but just never had any symptoms. They say more than 50% of older dogs die of cancer. They just don't live long enough. That's neat that you have more than 1 doggie. Since Lexie is so young, I hope the meds work well and slow the growth so she is around a long time. Being younger will hopefully help! That's neat that you have Lexie's brother. Give them both a hug from Ginger and keep in touch. I'll write later this week on how Ginger is doing. :-) Frances Francesw01 Sat, 11 Feb 2006 00:00:00 GMT Frances, Thank you again for writing back...i will say a prayer for Ginger that this infection clears up and soon (plus the one on her tail). How do you know when there is a bladder infection versus just irritation from the tumors. Is that when there is blood in the urine? Lexie started passing a few tiny blod clots last night. I went back to the vet this morning and got more antiobotics. They said it can't hurt here...only help her. How long will Ginger need to be on the chemo? after that treatment is done will she stay on the piroxicam ? I have no idea what to expect with the piroxicam. So far, she has not had any stomach upset...and is eating like a horse...I am so anxious to hear how sweet Ginger is doing and how her appointment goes on Thursday. I am sure Ginger is very aware how much you love her...there I times I swear Lexie smiles at me to let me know she understands.... with love, JOanne & Lexie Lexiesweetface Mon, 13 Feb 2006 00:00:00 GMT Frances, We have been thinking of you & Ginger and wantedto check in to see how she is doing. I believe you had her last chemo treatment by now. Has the infection on her tail cleared up? I have thought of you daily as I have been seraching for the right threatment for my little LExie. Please let me know how things are going.... we will keep you both in our prayers, Joanne Lexiesweetface Sat, 11 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMT JoAnn, I'm sorry I haven't written. The last month has not been good since I wrote. I've been very upset. My little Ginger is gone . . .she's at the Rainbow Bridge. It appears the cancer was probably in her liver when we started the treatment, so the chemo was too late. And actually, the chemo was working on the bladder tumor because the bladder tumor had shrunk. So here's the story of the last month. First, her tail and bladder infection were healing just fine, and she seemed to be doing really well. The ultrasound showed the bladder cancer had shrunk. But then out of the blue, she stopped eating, and had some vomiting and diarrhea. We tried some different medicines for her GI tract and to manage nausea, and they seemed to work briefly. Daily, I was searching for something new for her to eat with a little success to get her to eat a little. Then she stopped eating again and would hardly drink anything. Blood tests then showed that her liver was not doing well. She refused to eat, no matter what. I had to coax her to even to get her to drink a little. Animals do that when they start failing So I had to make the tough decision . . .I didn't want her to starve to death, and when she wouldn't hardly take water, I knew that it was time. I stayed at home with her for a week, enjoying each day. On March 1, her last day with me, we had a wonderful time. We took a long walk for an hour (she walked slow, but still loved to go out) and she smelled every leaf on the ground. It was a nice afternoon, and we sat outside in the yard in the sun which she loved to do. And the 'big brown truck' even happened to stop, and she ran across the yard barking and chasing it. And then we sat on the couch and I held her while she took a nap. Late that evening, the vet came over, and she went to sleep for the last time in my arms on her couch. First, he gave her a sedative, and she got sleepy. The last thing she did out of the blue was to pick her head up from my arm, look at me, and give me a kiss. I will never forget that. It was the hardest thing I've done, but she deserved it. The next few days were terrible. Luckly (in retrospect), I had a business trip to Europe from 6 March to 11 March. That really helped me. I'm back home, missing my Ginger terribly. But she's here in spirit and in my heart. I have her ashes in a beautiful oak box with her leash and a piece of her coat, with her picture on the front of it. It is sitting on a little table in the living room right next to her seat on the couch, so she can still watch me in the house as well as the activity outside the window, like she always did every day. I'm lucky she was with me almost 13 years. I miss her so much. I know one day she'll send another little sheltie along when I'm ready. I wish the best for you and Lexie. Please keep in touch and let me know how things are going. The following is the email I sent to her friends that night (it was therapeutic to write). There are pictures in it with each section, but they don't copy into this site, so you can't see them. I'm also lucky that I have a "Ginger Book" . . . a scrapbook that I had been maintaining ever since she was a puppy. Good luck and I'll by praying for you and Lexie! Frances Dear Friends and Ginger Friends, Ginger is now in doggie heaven. She lived every day of her entire life with such enthusiasm, loyalty, and love. Today, it was my turn to listen to her and give that love back to her. She fell asleep for the final time in my arms on her couch at home . . . with the two things she loved the most . . .her "Mom" and her "home" . . .her two favorite words. While I know Ginger's friends will remember her for one of her little personality traits or another, I wanted to share a few pictures from the past year. I hope you look at them and smile. Thank you for being Ginger's friend and mine! And give your doggies, cats, other pets, and loved ones an extra hug from me and Ginger. :-) Frances Ginger June 15, 1993 - March 1, 2006 The cutest, sweetest, smartest, most loyal little Sheltie in the whole wide world with a heart of gold and a strong will and mind of her own. One of Ginger's nicknames was "Snow Doggie." She loved the snow so much. She chased snowballs. And she would sit down in the snow and eat it, while Mom would freeze. She hated the rain, but she loved the snow. Another one of Ginger's nicknames was "Couch Doggie." Ginger's favorite daytime spot was on the couch. She'd keep an eye on the window, barking at the big brown truck, dogs, someone opening a curtain or window across the street, and at the same time watching whereever her Mom went in the house. One side of the couch was Ginger's and the other side was Mom's. She'd sit on Mom's side when she wanted attention. And when her Mom came to sit down, she'd get up and move to her side without even being asked. You have to laugh at her favorite place to sleep . . .curled up behind the toilet. She never got a nickname for this. She started sleeping there when she was 6 months old after we put her training crate away. I guess she felt safe curled up there. It was so cute. Her head and legs would be curled around the back of it. Now the funniest thing to see was when she was curled up behind the toilet and she heard you sneeze. It was hilarious to see her get up and back up out of there as fast as she could so she could bark at you and run circles around you for sneezing! Ginger's house rule was "no sneezing"! Some of Ginger's other nicknames were "Ginger Muffin," "Miss Ginger," "Sweet Pea," "Ginger Puppy," and "Miss Princess." And of course, Ginger's favorite nickname was "Momma's Girl." She was a Momma's girl from the first day she came home. She always was and always will be! Francesw01 Sun, 12 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMT Dear Frances, Words can not express how deeply sadened and sorry I am that your sweet Ginger is now with you in only spirit. I truly can not imagine what you are going through but am trying to prepare myself for the same. I loved reading your thoughts about Ginger and laughed so hard when I read that you too have a "no sneezing" rule in your house. That is also Lexie's rule. But the best part it is only when I sneeze.. anyone else she doesn't care. Reading about Ginger made me realize that Shelties have a lot in common. I have had Lexie since she was 8 weeks old and she is truly been so much to me on so many levels. That unconditional love is truly amazing. It is clear that Ginger had an amazing mom too and I am so glad she let you know that with the kiss... You are so lucky that your vet was willing to come to your house. I am sure Ginger was at peace being in her favorite spot. I have decided against the chemo for now as they tell me it could cause her other challenges. I brought her to a holistic vet last week who put her on a grain free diet since tumors use carbs to fuel...we are cutting those out. She is getting green tea, garlic, salmon oil and flaxseed mixed in with her cottage cheese at night. Her tummy is very upset right now with the changing of her food. I think i switched things too abruptly. I was looking back through all of her blood work from the past few months and know that she has high cholesterol so I am hoping that the raw diet doesn't make that worse. How did you concur that she had the cancer in her liver too? They did an abdominal ultrasound and did not see anything in the organs near by, but am not sure if they could see her liver. I am sure you went through this same thing where you start to question every move you make. WIth LExie only being 8 years old I am just not ready to let her go. Do they think it was definitely the chemo that shrunk her tumor in the bladder or could it have been the piroxicam? If you need to talk or a shoulder to cry on, I am here for you. I will think of you and hope you are doing okay. Joanne Lexiesweetface Mon, 13 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMT JoAnn, Thanks for your thoughtful message. I really do appreciate it. It's been a very busy week, and I haven't had a chance to write back. I do miss my little Ginger dearly, but I am also comforted by all the time I could spend with her, the care she got, and how she peacefully departed. I am very lucky the vet was able to come to my house. I must say, he was the most gentle and compassionate person, for both Ginger and for me. Ginger now has her own little table next to hear seat on the couch. Her ashes are there in a beautiful red oak box with her picture in the front frame portion. And there's a brass tag with a heart that says, "Ginger" with her birth/death dates. She's in her favorite spot . . .watching the window and activity outside and keeping an eye on me and her home on the inside at the same time! We're not 100% sure the cancer was in her liver. Only a biopsy/surgery would have confirmed it. It was either that or a bad infection. However, when we started the treatment, the first ultrasound did show some spots in her liver. However, the vet had said in a dog of her age, you would see spots. Only a biopsy would confirm if it was cancer. Her lungs and lymph nodes looked good, so the hope was that it wasn't it in her liver. Then when we had the subsequent ultrasound after the 3 chemo treatments, it showed that the bladder tumor had shrunk, but the spots in her liver had increased . . .so it seems that's what it probably was. I'm just glad it was fast . . .she really was herself until the last 3 weeks when she really slowed down and stopped eating. I hope Lexie is doing better with her diet changes! It's a tough decision to decide how to best treat them. The piroxicam does not have direct anti-tumor activity/effect . . . it appears to help slow the spread/growth, but it doesn't directly attack an existing tumor. So it seems the chemo did have success on attacking the bladder tumor. I feel for you with Lexie only being 8 years old. That's too young for this disease! But since she is younger, hopefully it was found so early that it can be better managed. Ginger had high cholesterol too . . . but she had that most of her life . . .ideopathic hyperlipidemia (high triglyerides/cholesterol with no known cause). We always managed it with a low fat, high fiber diet and she never had any problem. I had read a lot too about keeping the diet 'low carb.' Are you giving her Pepcid or anything with the piroxicam so as to try to prevent that from causing stomach upset? Email me directly at --- Message edited by CancerCompass staff: for personal protection, email address removed. Please review CancerCompass Member Guidelines at http://www.cancercompass.com/common/guidelines.html ----. I'll then give you my routine email address so we don't have to keep exchanging mail on this site! Hang in there and I'm thinking of you and Lexie. :-) Frances Francesw01 Sun, 19 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMT Dear Ginger's Mom... I just saw this part of the message board. I am so sorry for your loss. I lost my beloved Scotty - Johnnie Walker to TCC last January. He battled valiently for over 6months after diagnosis, but toward the end, we also chose to help JB (Johnnie Boy!) out of this world so he would not have to endure a painful end. He gave us nearly 10 years of unfailing affection, companionship, loyalty and was our consumate stand-up comic. The brave Scotsman deserved an honorable exit. We took him and our other 3 furry children out to the Oregon Coast - JB's favorite place on earth, for one last stroll down the beach and the smell of the sea that Johnnie loved. At sunset we drank a toast (of Johnnie Walker Black scotch - of course) to him. Everyone said their good-byes...Willy & Robby are still the babies, but JB's old companion GlenLivet took the whole thing very hard. We had a very compassionate, wonderful Vet that came out to the house and performed the last rites. It was the hardest thing we have had to to do yet in our life. But our furry kids count on us for their quality of life, and sometimes, that means making the hardest decisions. Ginger was deserving of your love & affection and she trusted you to take care of her right to the end - which you faithfully did. My thoughts are with you. Johnnie's Mom Johnnies Mom Fri, 12 May 2006 00:00:00 GMT I just found this message board and am amazed at how similar all of our stories are with recent diagnosis of TCC. Sippy is 10 years old, been very healthy, but last winter noticed she was taking an inordinate amount of time to urinate. Kept getting worse until I took her in February to be checked. The vet put her on a series of antibiotics but nothing was changing. Finally, I got more demanding about finding out what was wrong, they did an ultrasound and found a tumor half the size of her bladder. The tumor wasn't there when they had done an ultrasound a month previous. She's also on piroxicam. I'm searching for a holistic vet that can help us with alternative treatments, nutrition and supplements. I've got her on Cell Forte (which strengthens the cells), G3 (an immune system support) Vit. C, Sea Vegg, Flaxseed Oil, kefir (yogart) and/or acidophilis for the bacteria balancing. I've kept her on the vet's recommended food specifically for bladder problems, but I'm going to change to the raw diet also. The pathology done last week confirmed that it has spread to her lymph nodes, she is very swollen around her breast area and has several tumor-looking very hard bumps on her belly. Her legs are swollen, her belly's swollen. She's on a diuretic also that's suppose to help with the swelling. I just really hate having her on all this medication, especially because none of it gives a cure, only trying to extend some time for her. But she seems to be declining very fast. Any suggestions or recommendations would be much appreciated. Sippys Mom Tue, 16 May 2006 00:00:00 GMT Dear Sippy's Mom, I am so sorry to hear about Sippy and what you are having to go through. TCC is a terrible disease. Because it is typically not discovered until late, the prognosis is poor. When Ginger was diagnosed, my vet oncologist made it clear that treatment would only possibly extend her life by months. The goal was to maintain a quality of life as her life quality had not diminished when she was diagnosed. With Ginger, it had not spread to her lymph nodes, so that is why we opted for the combination perioxiam and chemo. She had two small tumors in her bladder. And even though, her official prognosis was "guarded to poor." It did not appear to be in her lymph nodes because they were small. Her lungs were also clear. Her liver showed some spots, but without an actual biopsy, could have been cancer or could have been related to age. Sometimes I question if I should have even done the chemo as it didn't appear to lengthen her life. On the other hand, she maintained a quality of life until the end. You would not have really know she was sick (except for the more frequent peeing). But at the end, she stopped eating and was starting to stop drinking. I knew it was time. I was not going to let her starve/thirst to death. We had a wonderful last day together . . .taking a long walk (but slow) . . .sitting in the yard . . .holding her . . . What I did learn is that you have to watch them carefully and make the best decision for them. My friends had told me that I would know when it was time to let her go. I didn't understand or realize that until it actually happened. But I did know. And she knew too. Having the vet come to my house made all the difference in the world. I didn't want to have to bring her into the vet again. At least she left here in my arms. It wasn't easy, but that's one thing I'm so glad I did. I'll never forget the last thing that she did when she looked up and gave me a kiss before she passed . . . that meant the world to me. It sounds like you are doing all the right things. All you can do is to make her as comfortable as possible. I'm glad she did not suffer a lot. That's the hardest thing . . . not wanting to lose them but not wanting to see them suffer. Keep doing research on the internet. I did a lot of reading. And I asked my vets lots of questions. They were very good, patient, and open. Hang in there and keep me posted. I'm thinking of you as I know the difficult road! Frances Francesw01 Tue, 16 May 2006 00:00:00 GMT Dear Johnnie's Mom, My heart went out to you when I read about your Johnnie as I went through the same thing with my Ginger. It is so hard. Ginger had a wonderful last day just like Johnnie did. I worked from home her last week, and we had such a wonderful last day together. And like you, it was so nice having the vet come to my house to see her to the other side. It made me feel good knowing she was at home and in my arms (her two favorite places) when her heart stopped beating. It was hard as hell, but she deserved that. Ginger was my only baby. One day I'll have another little Sheltie puppy. I always say that Ginger will send one along when I'm ready. I do miss her. Her ashes are in a nice oak box, with her picture in the front, and a nice inscription engraved on it. Her ashes sit on her own little table, next to her seat on the couch . . . so she can still watch outside through the window and watch her Mom inside. Sometimes, I still think I hear her little footsteps across the wood floor at night or her quiet little 'oof' when she knew I was sleeping but wanted something. Thank you for sharing Johnnie. They're at the Rainbow Bridge waiting for us!!! Frances Francesw01 Tue, 16 May 2006 00:00:00 GMT Dear Katrina... unfortunately TCC is very aggressive in dogs, and to this date, terminal. Toward the end, the pain can become pretty bad. (I had Johnnie on Metacam which helped a bit). However, if the cancer has already spread to the lumph nodes, Sippy is in dire straights. Only you will know what is the right thing to do for your dear friend. She will count on you to make the right decision for her quality of life. Believe me, I can say with confidence I know exactly what you are going through. The toughest thing for me was to make the appointment with the Vet. Once that was done, the wheels were set in motion & I fought through the tears to keep my resolve to go throught with Johnnies exiting of this earth. My heartfelt sympahty to you. Johnnie has been gone 4 months now & I still check this message board to try to give some tiny amount of comfort to those out there going through this horrible cancer with your furry family members! Johnnie's Mom Johnnies Mom Wed, 17 May 2006 00:00:00 GMT Katrina, There is another message board on this site relating to canine bladder cancer - if you search Canine bladder cancer (tcc) you will find it. There are close to 300 messages, so I know you will find some useful information and understanding "friends". My Scottie - Kacee is 15 years old. She was diagnosed last August -taking piroxicam and doing great! Check it out and stay positive. Our babies don't know they are sick, but they do pick up on our moods. Enjoy everyday you have with Sippy - all they really require is our love. Karen Kacees Mom Fri, 19 May 2006 00:00:00 GMT Hi everybody, I'am glad that I can searched this web and found much valuable information. I'm from Hong Kong and my poor girl Mui Mui (7-8 years old Maltese mixed Shih Tzu)was confirmed suffering from bladder cancer in this May. We can see the transitional tumor is lying at the bottom of her bladder through the X-ray. The Vet not suggesting surgery nor other treatment but advised her taking prioxicam for 8 weeks. I feed her the prioxicam 2.5mg for weeks and it seems quite work as I can see the blood in urine is much much less. After the regular check up in late Jul, the Vet noticed the side effect of prioxicam that mildly affecting the function of her kidney and the blood cell is lower than the average standard. The vet told me to stop the medication and let her to enjoy the rest of her life until that day comes. I don't feel comfortable with his advise but don't know what to do to help out my poor girl. Her condition is so good for the time being, good appetite and very energetic. Please, would you share your experience and tell me what medication other than proxicam that I should try. I and my husband love her so much and want to keep her with her as long as possible. Kit Kit Wed, 02 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT Hello from England, My nearly 12 year old collie cross was diagnosed by a special x-ray, just two weeks ago, as having bladder cancer. Until I found this site, I didnt realise how common it is in dogs,I wonder why? I am very upset, as hers is almost blocking the bladder exit. I have been given Metocam with the instructions to take her home and spoil her. In herself (on the medication) she seems fine. She is eating well and comes for cuddles evert five minutes. She also is deaf and always has been, so I have to make extra sure that she knows how much I love her through touch etc. I check her urine every couple of days, and it is still very red, although she isnt showing signs of infection such as lethargy or dry nose etc. The vet hasnt given me any hope, they have said if it is a slow growing tumour she has a few months, and if not just a few weeks. How do these things normally pan out? I dont know what to expect. Will I know when she has had enough? Any info would be helpful. Jackie Jax61 Thu, 23 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT Hi Jackie, My Scotty is almost 15 years old and was diagnosed in August of 2005. At that time the vet gave her about 6 months - she is still hanging in there. So do not give up hope. Give her all the love and kisses you can and don't let her see that you are sad. Our babies don't know they are sick, but they will pick up on our moods. If you go to the Cancer Message Boards, then to Bladder, then to page 4 - go down a ways, and you will see Canine Bladder Cancer (tcc) with over 400 messages. There is a wealth of information and great supportive folks. Hope to see you there soon! Good luck. Karen Kacees Mom Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT Thanks for that. She is doing well, so am trying to make her life the happiest doggy life on earth! Will look at the links Jackie Jax61 Mon, 04 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT Hi- I have a 12 year old fox terrier (Ginger) who was diagnosed last October with TCC.  She is on piroxicame and seems to be doing well.  I want to know what to expect as her disease progresses.  I am terribly afraid I will keep her alive past reasonable expectations or not recognize when she needs to be euthanized.  Can someone tell me what to expect at this point?  I actually took her to her Vet in to put her to sleep because she was having low urine output and seemed very quiet.  My Vet told me that I was premature and actually put her in Xanex to help her be less restless at night.  Can someone share their experience?  My husband and I had vacation plans for May which I have canceled because I just can't leave my dog at this time.  Am I over-reacting?  Jfitz Tue, 03 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT  On 4/3/2007 Jfitz wrote:Hi- I have a 12 year old fox terrier (Ginger) who was diagnosed last October with TCC.  She is on piroxicame and seems to be doing well.  I want to know what to expect as her disease progresses.  I am terribly afraid I will keep her alive past reasonable expectations or not recognize when she needs to be euthanized.  Can someone tell me what to expect at this point?  I actually took her to her Vet in to put her to sleep because she was having low urine output and seemed very quiet.  My Vet told me that I was premature and actually put her in Xanex to help her be less restless at night.  Can someone share their experience?  My husband and I had vacation plans for May which I have canceled because I just can't leave my dog at this time.  Am I over-reacting? I know exactly how you feel! My dog Annie was diagnosed in March of 2005 and I canceled all travel plans, turned down every invitation and worried. Annie was put on piroxicam, but her tumor remained.Well it is now 2007 and Annie's symptoms are getting worse and some days she seems very agitated.  The vet put her on a medicine--tramadol-- that I have seen on this board.  It is supposed to be for pain, but I am not sure that Annie's agitation is from pain.  Anyway, it makes her sleep, so one way or another it resolves things.It is getting harder for her to urinate and she has more accidents in the house, but otherwise seems happy. (She eats too much and is gaining weight which probably isn't good either, but everyone seems to agree that this is the time to spoil her)My vet says she is doing well; so as long as both Annie and he think that, I'll believe them.  I did finally just go on a week's vacation and nearly came home twice as I was so worried about Annie, but she was fine.I wish you and your dog the best.Marty   Gentleannie Sat, 21 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT  On 7/21/2007 Gentleannie wrote: On 4/3/2007 Jfitz wrote:Hi- I have a 12 year old fox terrier (Ginger) who was diagnosed last October with TCC.  She is on piroxicame and seems to be doing well.  I want to know what to expect as her disease progresses.  I am terribly afraid I will keep her alive past reasonable expectations or not recognize when she needs to be euthanized.  Can someone tell me what to expect at this point?  I actually took her to her Vet in to put her to sleep because she was having low urine output and seemed very quiet.  My Vet told me that I was premature and actually put her in Xanex to help her be less restless at night.  Can someone share their experience?  My husband and I had vacation plans for May which I have canceled because I just can't leave my dog at this time.  Am I over-reacting? I know exactly how you feel! My dog Annie was diagnosed in March of 2005 and I canceled all travel plans, turned down every invitation and worried. Annie was put on piroxicam, but her tumor remained.Well it is now 2007 and Annie's symptoms are getting worse and some days she seems very agitated.  The vet put her on a medicine--tramadol-- that I have seen on this board.  It is supposed to be for pain, but I am not sure that Annie's agitation is from pain.  Anyway, it makes her sleep, so one way or another it resolves things.It is getting harder for her to urinate and she has more accidents in the house, but otherwise seems happy. (She eats too much and is gaining weight which probably isn't good either, but everyone seems to agree that this is the time to spoil her)My vet says she is doing well; so as long as both Annie and he think that, I'll believe them.  I did finally just go on a week's vacation and nearly came home twice as I was so worried about Annie, but she was fine.I wish you and your dog the best.Marty Hi Marty -my name is Ron, I have a 7 year old Scottie Winnie who was diagnosed in Nov 07 withj TCC. I was wondering the following: where was the tumor located when your dog was originally diagnosed, what did you do for treatment and how is the dog doing now?THX,Ron   ScottishTerriers Sun, 13 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi Ron!I'm so sorry to hear about your Winnie--7 years old is SO young.To answer your question, I pulled Annie's records.  The pathology report is gobligook to me, but the tumor was on the bladder wall and urethra in the area of the trigone.  I remember her oncologist drawing pictures of it growing along the side of the bladder as opposed to into it.Once I knew that we were unable to get rid of the tumor, I have had no more ultrasounds done (I am crazy enough with this as it is) The last was in May of 2006.Up until last week, Annie was doing so well that I really was wondering why we were so lucky.  Her urinating was, if anything, getting better.  I had only seen blood in her urine a very few times and I think that was in the first half of 2007. (Her initial diagnosis came in February 2005!!!)Last Tuesday, Annie developed horrible horrible diarrhea and  started to lose her appetite.  I, of course, assumed the worst.  I called the oncologist and the nurse there said to take her off the piroxicam (which is the only treatment she has been on these three years--5mg. I have considered it her salvation and it KILLED me to stop it).  We went to see her regular vet who treated her for worms, a microorganism and gave her anti-diarrhea medicine. That was Wednesday. I think it is working. Her diarrhea has improved greatly, her appetite is somewhat returning. I am thinking perhaps we will be okay--we will see over the next few days.  Meanwhile, she is showing all the classic symptoms of the TCC--she is going out every 15 minutes to attempt to pee (mostly unsuccessfully) and has had a few accidents in the house.I have found over the past years, that when she is under duress, the symptoms are much worse. (Like 4th of July fireworks time)I am sorry if I went on and on--usually I am more to the point. It's just been a bad week. I usually try to be optimistic and upbeat for everyone on this board. No matter what else happens, Annie has already lived a very very good three years with this cancer.  I know we are a lucky pair, but if we can have this luck someone else out there will as well.I hope it is you and Winnie.  Please write again if I can give you some more info.Marty   Gentleannie Sun, 13 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi Marty:  Thanks very much for responding. Iti s such great news to hear how you and Anne are doing.  You both have clearly beat the odds!Winnie's TCC was not operable and one kidney was not functioning-so the vet suggested Piroxicam. It is only available in 10 mg.  The vet ordered 2.5 mg. I open the 10 mg capule and sprinkle 1/4 capsule on her food daily (use Hills N/D diet).  On top of that I place about 1/3 of a cup of steamed vegetables (served cold) containing broccolli, cauliflower and carrotts-she loves it!I also give her cranberry tablets ( 2 x daily) to keep down urinary infection, Ginsing (Korean red), garlic tablet X 1, vitamin c 500mg X 1, fish oil tablet x 1, milk thistle and dandelion root (liver protection) 1 each daily cytotec 1/2 tablet twice day and CoQ10 x 1 daily.  I have been doing this for about 8 weeks and Winnie seems good.  She has to be taken out about every 2 hours or she has an accident.  If she is crated she can maybe go to 3.5 hours.I realize you have been very lucky with Anne and wish you both well. Was wondering if you knew of anyone who used prednisone to help dogs with TCC to urinate easier.THXRon and Winnie  ScottishTerriers Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 1/16/2008 ScottishTerriers wrote:Hi Marty:  Thanks very much for responding. Iti s such great news to hear how you and Anne are doing.  You both have clearly beat the odds!Winnie's TCC was not operable and one kidney was not functioning-so the vet suggested Piroxicam. It is only available in 10 mg.  The vet ordered 2.5 mg. I open the 10 mg capule and sprinkle 1/4 capsule on her food daily (use Hills N/D diet).  On top of that I place about 1/3 of a cup of steamed vegetables (served cold) containing broccolli, cauliflower and carrotts-she loves it!I also give her cranberry tablets ( 2 x daily) to keep down urinary infection, Ginsing (Korean red), garlic tablet X 1, vitamin c 500mg X 1, fish oil tablet x 1, milk thistle and dandelion root (liver protection) 1 each daily cytotec 1/2 tablet twice day and CoQ10 x 1 daily.  I have been doing this for about 8 weeks and Winnie seems good.  She has to be taken out about every 2 hours or she has an accident.  If she is crated she can maybe go to 3.5 hours.I realize you have been very lucky with Anne and wish you both well. Was wondering if you knew of anyone who used prednisone to help dogs with TCC to urinate easier.THXRon and Winnie Hi Ron! We haven't beaten the odds, but we're given the cancer a good run for its money! Annie is feeling well again, although as of today the diarrhea persists and she has been off the piroxicam for a week.  I am so hoping I can get her back on it tomorrow or FridayYou will have to listen to your vet and weigh what he tells you, but I have not heard of anyone giving their dog prednisone.  To me, it does not sound like a good idea.  Winnie is fine with that one kidney functioning, but she needs it to work. As a steroid, prednisone can be hard on a dog's kidneys (I know, I had to give one of mine it for an extended period of time and he eventually died of kidney failure--it was dreadful)  Also, one of the side effects of prednisone is that it can increase urination--and I am not sure if that is because of increased water intake or not.At any rate, as I understand it, it's not that our babies  simply can't urinate--sometimes the tumor is putting pressure on the bladder and they just feel the need to urinate, but don't really have to, other times it is blocking their ability to pass the urine--increasing the DESIRE to urinate won't help either of those situations.For Annie, she can usually sleep through the night, but she's awake now and just put herself out twice in the past 15 minutes--she doesn't really need to go--she just thinks she does. When she wakes up tomorrow, having slept through the night she'll pee a lot!Annie weighs around 37 pounds give or take and she has been on 5mg. of piroxicam.  Is Winnie that much smaller than Annie that her dosage would be half?   You might want to check on that.Good luck Ron, you are doing everything you can for your girl--she's lucky to have a dad such as yourself. Annie and I wish you both the best.Marty   Gentleannie Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT