PERKIN'S STORY
Perkins' mom, Sandi, wrote us to say
Your website, and others on the internet, are an invaluable source of
information and hope for those of us whose pets have been diagnosed with
that most dreaded of canine diseases - Cancer. But I notice a large number
of the letters and message board postings contain stories of some of the
worst aspects of cancer treatment, so I wanted to write to you with details
of what Perkins, my 14 year old dachshund/beagle cross is experiencing
because so far, chemotherapy has been the best decision I ever made!
Like me, I'm sure there are many folks in an agonizing dilemma about whether
to treat their pet with another dreaded word - Chemotherapy. The torment
for any pet owner who loves their animal is whether to treat - or not
treat - the cancer. Quite apart from the financial burden that ongoing
chemotherapy will place on them, bigger still is the fear that the cure may
be worse than the complaint. I swore to myself that I would not - under
any circumstances - submit Perkins, the love of my life, to any discomfort,
just so I could selfishly have a little more time with him. As a result,
I searched desperately on the internet for some words that would reassure me
I was making the right decision in starting chemotherapy. There weren't
very many. And this is why I'm writing to you.
In late September 2001, Perkins was diagnosed by his vet with Lymphatic
Sarcoma. The only indication that something was wrong were what felt and
looked like "swollen glands" under his chin. My vet did a needle biopsy
where she removed some fluid from the lumps and sent them to pathology for
analysis. Two days later my worst fears were confirmed. Cancer.
After referral to a Veterinary Oncologist and an office visit to discuss the
different treatment options, I went home and cried. And then I looked at
Perkins, standing in front of me with a tennis ball in his mouth, barking
and demanding a game. He didn't know he had cancer. And it was up to me to
make the best possible choices for him so he could have more years of
chasing that tennis ball.
Our Oncologist was wonderful - she clearly outlined the treatment choices,
success rates for both remission and cure, the cost and the potential side
effects. Regardless of what choice I made, she assured me that she would
help me do only the best for Perkins and that when it came time to let him
go, she would let me know long before he would suffer in any way.
I chose what is known as the Aggressive Protocol which is the administration
of several different chemotherapy drugs once a week for 8 weeks, followed by
another 8 treatments every other week. Perkins went into remission after
the first chemotherapy treatment of Vincristine on October 23. "Remission"
meant that the lymph nodes were no longer swollen and that the growth of the
cancer had been slowed if not stopped. Each week we have visited the
Oncologist for treatment - most of the drugs injected using a butterfly
catheter in his front paw - a 5 minute process. Just before Thanksgiving
he was given a 20 minute IV drip of Adriamycin - the "big" drug in cancer
treatment and the one that usually produces the most/worst side effects. I
was a nervous wreck just waiting for nausea, diarrhea, dehydration or worse
to suddenly appear. They didn't.
Something very important to note is the choice of Veterinary Oncologist.
Dr. Harris explained to me that the (somewhat expensive) veterinary fees I'm
paying are buying the skills required to accurately calculate how much drug
to give her patient that will kill the cancer, and at the same time,
minimize if not eliminate the side effects. That "balance" is obviously
critical.
We have finished the first 8 weeks of chemotherapy and are now visiting the
Oncologist every other week. I am here to tell you that Perkins remains in
remission, is as active and playful as ever, is eating well, has barely lost
weight, and most remarkable of all, has suffered absolutely no side effects
from the chemotherapy administration at all. He still eats his regular dog
food (with enthusiasm) and I supplement his diet with a daily 1/2 slow
release Iron tablet (children's) to keep his blood cell count healthy.
That's all.
My heart breaks for all those who have written about the agonies of side
effects from their pet's chemotherapy. I fully expected to see at least
some, although hopefully minimal, side effects in Perkins considering he was
being filled with highly potent drugs on a weekly basis. But there has
been absolutely nothing. Those who know and love him find it impossible
to believe that he has cancer, let alone is in the middle of very aggressive
chemotherapy.
It is obviously different for every animal on chemotherapy - and there does
not seem to be a "pattern" as to who will do well and who will not. But if
there is any doubt in someone's mind about not doing chemotherapy because of
the unhappy tales (pardon the pun) on the internet, please know that here at
least is one much loved dog and his Mom who know that without this
lifesaving treatment, we would no longer be together. Over and above that,
please know that it is not every animal who will suffer negative effects
from this aggressive treatment. The only evidence I have that he has been
having chemo at all is my badly depleted bank account. And he is worth
every single cent because as of today, January 8, 2002, as I write this, he
is happy and feeling great, even if it is on borrowed time. And I am very,
very grateful.
I guess he is also living proof that not only the younger dogs should be given
treatment, but also the senior dogs. I notice on most of the websites that
people are in a dilemma about whether to go with treatment for youngish
animals -- no-one seems to talk about 13, 14 or 15 year old dogs. My
thought is that if those dogs are still as active and full of life in their
twilight years as they were when they were younger, they too deserve the
chance at some more time.
UPDATE -- JULY 29, 2002
Perkins finished his 6 months of chemotherapy for Lymphatic Sarcoma on April
23, 2002. Today he remains cured, and even at age 14 1/2 is still
vigorously chasing his tennis ball and sunning himself on the patio any
chance he gets. During his chemo he showed no side effects at all and
there is nothing today that would indicate he ever had cancer. Perkins
and I pray that every dog will be this fortunate.
UPDATE -- DECEMBER 1, 2002
Back in July when I last wrote to you with an "update", Perkins was still in
remission and no longer getting chemo. In late September 2002, to my
horror, after returning from a brief trip out of town and picking Perkins up
from the kennel, I noticed the lymph nodes in his neck were enlarged like
golf balls again -- exactly the same as when he was first diagnosed with
Lymphatic Sarcoma in October 2001.
Of course I was totally freaked out and in tears all over again -- naively I
guess I had somehow believed Perkins would be in that 5% of dogs who are
cured permanently with the first round of chemotherapy. So we went back to
our Oncologist, Dr. Harris, and resumed the same protocol as the first
time -- weekly doses of Vincristine, Adriamycin, Cytoxan, Aspariganise
(L-spar) and Prednisone. Within a few days of the first dose of injected
Vincristine his lymph nodes had returned to normal and I breathed a huge
sigh of relief.
Dr. Harris suggested we try the administration of the drugs every 2 weeks
instead of every week as in the first go-round. The intention is to
administer the chemo only as frequently as is required to keep the cancer at
bay and the pet in remission. As Dr. Harris so aptly put it "From now on,
we just wing it." What she means is that for every animal it is different.
There is not a "set protocol" that works for everyone, first time round or
fifth time round. It is a matter of adapting the protocol each time to
reach the required result. And I liked that approach because I felt she
was focused on keeping Perkins in remission without filling him full of
drugs unnecessarily. Let's face it, those chemo drugs can't possibly be
good for his system.
Last month, just after a shot of Adriamycin (the supposed wonder drug of
chemo), Perkins' lymph nodes came back up. Again. I really lost it that
time as I believed if Adriamycin didn't keep the cancer at bay, nothing
would. But amazingly a shot of good old Vincristine did the job instead.
Since then, Perkins has been taking oral Cytoxan and Prednisone daily (both
embedded inside a hot dog!).
Long story short, we're now in December 2002 and on a roller coaster. Dr.
Harris has abandoned the "multi drug protocol" altogether after the
Adriamycin didn't work but the Vincristine did. Now Perkins usually goes 3
weeks between chemo visits but today as I write, his lymph nodes are back up
a third time so I don't know where we go from here. I never imagined at
the outset of this fight 14 months ago that it would be so hard to
emotionally handle the ups and downs. As I told Dr. Harris, it is the
unpredictability that scares me. Not knowing what will happen next and
dreading the time when there are no more drugs in the arsenal.
On the upside, the soon-to-be 15 years old Perkins is still his puppy-like
self and last night demonstrated this by "digging up" and dragging the
Christmas tree skirt out from under the tree and down to the other end of
the living room to sleep on!
Sandi Clarke
Dallas, Texas