Chemo canceled

I spoke to Dr. Bannink at OVRS today about canceling Presley's chemo treatments. She was very understanding and offered several alternative therapies that will help boost Presley's immune system.

She did remind me, however, that this next round of chemo would not have been as suppressive to the bone marrow. She also reminded me that without chemo, the typical survival time after amputation is 6 months because other masses can develop in the bone and/or lungs. I explained that I understand the prognosis but I don't want to take the chance of making Presley sick again.

Dr. B wants us to come in on Tuesday to check Presley's CBC again because the chemo can still affect her blood count. She said we can talk more tomorrow about the alternative therapies but she offered these supplements that have no known negative side effects:

1. Vitamin A & D3 either via pills every day or injections at OVRS every three weeks. Neither one is more effective than the other. If we decide to do the pills instead of injections, Dr. B said Vitamin A is easy to find, while Vitamin D3 might be a little trickier and she may have to order this for us.
   
2. Fish Oil (Super EPA) pills 3 times daily. Presley is already taking these, which I would like to continue. I think her coat is softer and shinier because of this.
   
3. Maitake Fraction (pronounced: my-tock'-ee) is a mushroom extract that increases T-cells that help fight cancer cells. This is a liquid that is administered daily.
   
4. Hoxsey Formula (cocktail of 9 herbs) is a liquid tincture that is given 2-3 times daily. There are currently no clinical trials but in lab studies this liquid has shrunk tumors. For a dog of Presley's size, the liquid would cost about $120/month. I think Dr. B said this liquid contains alcohol and most dogs find that it doesn't taste very good. Dr. B recommends to heat up canned food or baby food, then add the liquid to the hot food and let it sit for about 10 minutes so the alcohol can burn off. I'm not too sure about this one.
   

Dr. B said she will discuss all of these options with us tomorrow, as well as costs. I'm also going to do some research online tonight.

Presley had another good day today. She absolutely loves her new food and she's taking all of her supplements. Such a good girl.

After her late-morning nap, she was sleeping on her bed in the bedroom on her left side. I have never seen her laying on her left side, so this was an exciting moment. I massaged her right side, which she loved. If I paused even for a second, she would tap for me to keep going.

After the massage, I encouraged her to go outside because it had been five hours since she went potty and I wanted to see how she would get up. She wouldn't budge at first. So I bribed her by offering a treat. Then she rocked herself back and forth a couple times until she was able to get her right leg under her body and push herself up. It wasn't graceful, but then again Presley has never been know for grace.

I tried to take her for a walk, but she won't go without Diesel. She just sits on the front lawn and looks back at the gate where D is standing. I can't take them together because they act like idiots. They don't listen to me and they pull me down the street if they see something that they want to check out. So I returned Presley to the house and took Diesel for a 3-mile walk.

Later in the afternoon, Presley initiated a short wrestling match with Diesel in the living room. She jumped up on her little sister a couple times and Diesel chewed on her neck. Just like the old days.

I hope today was a glimpse into the new "normal" that I am looking for.