Month: May 2018

Right after the last treatment, I called my regular vet’s office (who is staying in close contact with the oncologist).  I asked the tech to have her give me call back if she wanted the post-chemo chest x-ray the next day or at the 10-14 day mark, to coincide with post-chemo labs/bloodwork.  She opted for imaging at the 10-14 mark.  The suspense has been distracting.

I dropped Roscoe off yesterday morning, and as I transferred the lead, he jumped up on me, gifting me a small scratch (in an apparently very vascular part of my forearm).  I knelt down and gave him a reassuring hug and kiss on the side of his mouth.  After the hug and a kiss, he happily trotted back into the treatment area.  I left the vet’s office, wondering….  and waited…

 

And waited…

The phone rang in early afternoon, “Roscoe is ready.  There is no need for Vitamin K on this round.  Neutrophils are in the normal range.  The oncologist said we’ll continue with the next two rounds of Carboplatin, and re-image the chest in three months;”  The implication is that the chest x-ray is clear.  He can finish the chemo, and is still a candidate for the osteosarcoma vaccine…

Again, I’m thankful for another day in the life of Roscoe.

 

5/18/18.  Today was treatment number three with Carboplatin.  Roscoe is chillin’ tonight and doesn’t seem quite as run down as he was with the first two treatments.  So far, the only side effects have been post-treatment blahs, low platelets and borderline neutrophils at the two week mark after treatment.  Vitamin K and Yunnan Baiyao  have done really well at helping him rebound in the platelets department.

For the last week or so, he’s been really full of energy.

Before the next treatment, his oncologist wants a three-view chest x-ray to see if there is evidence of metastasis to the lungs.  If the lungs are clear, then we are hopeful to make it to the vaccine.  In any case, I am so grateful for each day with this guy.  So full of love.  Thanks to all for the thoughts and prayers!  It’s good to have somewhere like this to see the stories of others, and to share some bits of Roscoe’s journey through this.

This is about the five or six-month mark since we first noticed the limping.