OT: I get my Chow puppy on Monday but my Scottie has lymphoma

My Scottie has been vomiting off and on for about a week, has been a little mopey and not eating very well.  About the time I decided to call the vet, he would eat a little or not vomit for a day so I would wait another day.  He did not eat anything yesterday, though, has been walking around with his tail down (VERY rare for Scotties), and turned his nose up at some cheese AND some Alpo filet mignon flavored canned dog food last night and this morning... so I took him to the vet. All of his lymph nodes are enlarged, so she aspirated one of them and confirmed that he has lymphoma.  He is only 6 (about half the normal lifespan for a Scottie). 

Cancer is the most frequent cause of death for Scotties (we have had one in the family continuously since the early 70's, and I have personally had at least one for at least 25 years), and they do not generally respond well to chemotherapy.  So we are going to try steroids (and anti-nausea medication) and see how he does.  She said we should know in a few days if the meds were going to help him at all, and she said she would call me tomorrow morning to see if the anti-nausea med had helped any.

I am trying to be optimistic, but it appears likely that I may get my Chow puppy and then lose Maxwell shortly thereafter.  It certainly has put a damper on my enthusiasm about FINALLY getting my puppy. 

No one should have to put down TWO dogs in less than a year! 

Lora

OMG, Lora, I am so so sorry!  No one should have to deal with that.

My kitty had cancer a couple years ago and she had chemo (i know, it was a cat and a different type of cancer) and she did OK for a couple years, then had a recurrence of the cancer last summer.  We opted not to do chemo again, just to do surgery, and so far she's hanging in there.  I hope Max continues to do well for a while.  I'm so sorry you're going through this.

I'm so very sorry :(.  I've been following your puppy posts and you are soo supportive to everyone on here.  Hugs...

So sorry Lora :(  That is such a difficult thing to go through.  We lost our beautiful Collie to pancreatic cancer the same week that we brought our daughter home from the hospital...having a new child seemed to ease the pain of losing our Collie.  Maybe having a new puppy will ease your pain?  Either way, it's painful, prayers are being sent your way.  {{{Lora}}}

Janet

Sorry Lora!   I lost my Golden Doodle (Merlot)  to cancer last summer (he was 4) and am now awaiting the birth of my new puppy (due tomorrow).

You are right - no one should lose two dogs in one year ...  very sad!

Oh, I am sorry. I am crossing my fingers that the steroids and anti nausea medications will really help Maxwell.

My heart is crying for you Lora.  You just can't seem to catch a break.  It was so hard putting Wags down this summer, and I'm still not over it even though I love Sadie.  I'm so happy you're finally getting your puppy, and will keep my fingers crossed that Maxwell is the exception to the rule and gets better.

HUGS!

Jan

I am so,so sorry. What type is it, and how long do you have with him?

He's a six year old Scottish Terrier.  I do not know how long he has.  Much of it depends on us being able to get him to eat.  He has not had more than a couple of bites of food in three days now, and has lost a pound since Tuesday.  (Doesn't sound like much, but when you start at 25 pounds and lose one in 3 days..)

Lora