Author: rhduff

A few weeks ago (January 20, 2019), my baby girl Ethel, left this planet for someplace better. I’m not sure what the cause was, but I can say that after her last lung scan in November, her lungs were all clear and her oncologist was optimistic about her future. Sometime before Christmas, she began to having catatonic seizures, and had two in two weeks, one of which made her fall over sideways and seemed to stop breathing. Prior to this, she’d had a few seizures with convulsions. Anyway, I went home for Christmas and took her with me. All was well. The day she passed, things seemed ok. I got home from work and we went to the park. She had what I think was a short catatonic episode, and seemed really tired after that. We came home, and I tried to get her to come in the house by dropping a cookie in her bowl. She didn’t come in the house, so I filled her bowl with food. This prompted her to come into the house and she ate dinner. She didn’t seem to eat with her usual gusto, but she did finish her food. She went into the living room and laid down. I took a shower and went came downstairs. She’d moved to another spot in the living room, and had thrown up a bit. I cleaned it up and went to grab some dinner. I came back about 40 minutes later, and she was in the same place. I sat down on the floor next to her and began scratching her ears. She began to make a sound which sounded like snoring. I moved her closer to me and her body convulsed twice. She stopped breathing and that was the end. I began crying, and about 30 minutes later, wrapped her in blanket and took her to the vet. Her ashes are still there; I can’t make myself go pick them up. I’m not crying every day anymore, but miss her more than words can say.

It’s been almost a year since Ethel’s amputation. We’re almost one year into her saga and her lung scan last week came back all clear. I’m really torn on whether or not to begin the osteosarcoma vaccine regimen. She’s happy and healthy, so those are factors in going ahead with the vaccine. On the other hand, she’s already 10 and bulldogs don’t usually live much longer than 10 years. I’m also concerned about side effects and adverse reactions to the medicine. Any input from the community is appreciated.

I took Ethel to the oncologist a few days ago for her lung scan after her fifth and final chemo treatment. Best new ever was that her scan was ALL CLEAR!! She goes back in three months for a recheck, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it’s clear again. Except for the double nadir back in July, she’s been acting like a puppy, bringing me toys and begging to go to the park every day. I’m so happy she feels great; I know now I did the right thing by having her leg amputated and having her undergo chemo.

Friday, Ethel became very ill, and I took her the vet the next morning. She was there until this morning when we went to see her oncologist. Turns out she’s one of the few dogs that suffers side effects, one of which was the dreaded double nadir. Her CBC was great 7 days after her first treatment, but plummeted on Friday leading to her hospital stay. Oncologist saw her today and said her CBC should be fine by Thur. He’s going to reduce her dosage and probably prescribe antibiotics to stave off any possible infections. I’m glad she’s home, eating, and feeling much better.

Ethel’s in the hospital. Yesterday started out great. Park time, breakfast, dental treats, quiet time, then weirdness. She got lethargic yesterday afternoon, and when I took her out to pee, she peed once, pooped, then walked around and peed, (or tired to, I’m not sure which) three or four more times. She came back in the house and at some point, got in her bed. I offered her dinner and water before I left for a 6 pm meeting, but she refused both. When I got back around 8:30, she was still in bed, but had left to pee on one of the mats on the kitchen floor. I offered food and water again, and again she refused. I slept downstairs, but it was a restless, fitful sleep. At one point I was awoken by her sitting up and panting. I was happy to see she sat up since she’d been immobile since I got back home, but still she wouldn’t get out of her bed. I woke up several more times during the night, sometimes hearing her snore, other times breathing regularly. Finally at 5, I got up and she was in the same position in her bed as she’d been since I’d gotten home at 8:30. I couldn’t budge her from her bed, so I pulled the bed out of her crate to find she’d peed in her bed. I took her to the vet and they did blood work. Her white cells are way down, and she’s got a slight temp, so she’s in the hospital for the next few days. My question is why did her white cells drop so long after chemo round one, and is this going to be a recurring event after chemo. Any answers are appreciated.