Eight weeks ago Tank was diagnosed with Lymphoma, at 7 years and 2 months old. It caught us completely off guard, as Cancer often does. Our youngest dog to get some type of big C.
The average survival rate for dogs without treatment is eight weeks. Which means, as of this post Tank would no longer be with us.
After a lot of discussion about what is best for Tank, along with sleepless nights, sadness and tears, we decided to take a chance and have Tank's Lymphoma treated.
With time, Tanks cancer has gotten easier to talk about. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to post about what our big 92 lb boy is going through.
We are selective about who we tell. These days I care less about the people who instantly give us a "it is just a dog" look in their eyes. Most do. Their hearts just don't hold the same depth of love as ours. Other times, I get the cynical "how much does THAT cost?" comment. Cue my canned response.
I am open and happy to share all things I didn't want to learn about Canine Lymphoma and chemotherapy treatment, with animal lovers.
The most frequent question I get asked is:
Q: How did you find it?
A: I found a lump on Tanks neck while petting him. At first, I thought it was a fatty tumor. It was moveable. It grew in a short week and half and I knew something wasn't right.
We took Tank to see his vet. His blood cells revealed Lymphoma. Ironically, Tank had a wellness visit the month before and his bloodwork came back great. We learned Lymphoma doesn't show up in routine blood draws. We were told we found his cancer early, and given a glimmer of hope. Most dogs are diagnosed with baseball sized lumps. Tank's had grown a bit smaller than a quarter.
We were referred to an Oncologist at a small clinic to find out the type of Lymphoma, and discuss options. T-cell does not respond well to treatment. B-cell has a 90-95% proven remission rate with a Chemotherapy protocol (CHOP) developed by our WI University.
Chemotherapy is not a cure. With B-cell, the potential average quality of life with treatment is not that long, but a lot longer than eight weeks. I asked SO so many questions. Before and after we found out Tank has B-cell Lymphoma. His Oncologist is wonderful and patient. She answered all of my questions and addressed our concerns. Validating, there is no wrong decision. All the staff at the oncology clinic are kind, caring animal people.
Our decision to treat Tank was not made lightly.
His lump/s disappeared shortly after we started, and lymph nodes are currently back to normal. We have a long way to go to complete the recommended treatment series.
We are cautiously agreeing to the CHOP protocol week by week. Much depends on how Tank handles it. So far, Tank is doing really well. You would never know he is being treated.
Many photos were shared of our chemo baby during my February land of wonders post.
3.29.26
1 comment:
He looks great! As a general rule, I don’t question other people’s life and death decisions. Death is permanent and can’t be reversed. Our animals are precious to us for however long we have them and, with our dogs, it is always too short.
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