Sky's Tummy Troubles

I fed sky some regular kibble because I was worried about her nutrition after having been on the chicken and rice for over a week. That turned her loose poop into diarrhea... I was out in the yard with her at 3:00AM. So, we went to the vet this morning and she was prescribed metronidazole. That should set her right!

My normal vet wasn't working today, so I asked for the vet that she's said had experience with the Kinavet. He said that since Sky had been doing well that this bout of issues is probably not because of the Kinavet and she should be able to continue on it. He wasn't worried at all about the vomiting since it had been a couple of weeks without recurrence. We discussed how long Sky would need to remain on it and he was unsure. There just aren't any studies yet to determine how long a dog should stay on this new medication. He said he had a previous patient that was getting tumors every 4 months. So they gave the dog Kinavet for 4 months, then stopped. The dog didn't get a recurrence while taking it nor in the 4 months since. But it's still a guess. And Sky got three tumors in as many weeks, a completely different scenario. He said that if taking it for 6 months prevents a recurrence, and you can afford to continue it after that, why not just stay on it for life. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone else that has insight and experience with Kinavet. Just leave a comment...

Sky's Blood Work & Sleeping Arrangements

Sky's blood work came back good today. She can continue to take the chemotherapy Kinavet. She will get another blood draw in two weeks, and if that comes back good, then she will go to once a month.

When Sky first had surgery, I didn't want to put her in a crate. She is usually in a crate overnight and when I'm not home. But I didn't want her to rub the stitches or staples against the sides of a crate. So, I set up a kennel in the bedroom. Shannon wanted to be in there too, which I let her do overnight. It turns out, she really likes to stretch out. That's Sky up against the side of the kennel. She is in a e-collar when I'm not watching her. She still has a tumor in front of her ear. If she scratches it, it will release histamines and make her itch. I don't want her scratching until she bleeds again. They have plenty of room, but this is how they end up every night.

Sky: Update & Expenses To Date

Here's an update on expenses in the treatment of Sky's Mast Cell Tumors:

I'll get her results tomorrow from her blood test. She's had some vomiting and loose poop. She's been on chicken and rice since Friday evening. I didn't get to see the vet today, they just took her to the back to draw her blood. So, I'll bring it up tomorrow when they call with the results.

Sky: How is she doing?

Sky continues to do pretty well. She vomited on 9/11 & 9/15 and had a loose poop on 9/18. She would vomit every now and then anyway, so I'm thinking she's ok. I put her on chicken and rice (which is a treat) to help firm up her poop. She will have her next blood draw on Tuesday, 9/22, to make sure she is still doing ok on the chemotherapy (Kinavet).

Sky Update: Vomit

Sky vomited a little bit last night -- on the carpet. Ugh! This is the first time she has vomited since starting the chemotherapy with Kinavet... I got all the dogs away from it, put on some gloves and cleaned it up. But I'm not really sure how to make sure the spot isn't toxic. I've got a stool straddling the spot and I've sent an email to the manufacturer asking them. Am I going too far worrying about this stuff? I know this isn't the last time she will vomit. She tends to get an acid tummy. She gets famotidine twice a day, but she still gets sick every now and then...

Sky Has Another Tumor, But She's Still A Happy Girl

Sky has a small tumor in front of her ear. I'm not advocating for surgery since the chemotherapy (Kinavet) is supposed to shrink tumors and can even make them disappear. (I found this several days ago but didn't think to get a picture and post it sooner.)

She is a happy girl! She is the most engaging Sheltie I've ever met. She is all about the eye contact and is in your face!

Sky Update: Blood Test Results, Healing Shoulder Wound, Worrisome Limp, and Daisy With A Dog Food Bag

Sky's blood test came back good, nothing to worry about. She can continue on Kinavet. The incision site on her right shoulder where a tumor was removed is looking better each day.

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She has been limping all day. She's favoring her right front leg and was licking that foot this morning. If she's not doing better by tomorrow, it will be another trip to the vet...

Here's a picture of Daisy being a funny girl today. She's my Belgian Malinois mix. I always throw the empty dog food bag on the floor because my other Sheltie Shannon loves to lick the inside of the bag. Well, Daisy finally figured out (after all these years) what Shannon was doing...

Sky's Staples Are Removed

I took Sky to the vet today to get her staples removed and to get her first blood draw. She has been doing really well. She is full of energy and so far there haven't been any side effects from the Kinavet. I left her there after the staples were removed so that she could have a bath. Isn't she pretty! And she feels good and she smells good! She doesn't seem to be bothering any of the incision sites, so I'm taking off the e-collar when I'm able to watch her. If I'm in my chair, she only wants to be in my lap or at my feet (total Momma's girl) so it's easy to keep an eye on her.

Here's some pictures I took after the 53 staples were removed. Isn't there a saying about the good, the bad, and the ugly. Her leg looks pretty good. Some scabs though make it 'the ugly'...

Her side looks fantastic. 'The good'

 

Her shoulder looks horrible. This is 'the bad'. The technician started removing the staples and the wound started opening up. So I had the technician stop and asked her to get the vet to look at it. (Just a note for the record here. I had expected to see my normal vet today, but she was out for some reason and a different vet took care of us.) The vet came in and said sometimes with staples a wound will roll in. And removing the staples allows it to roll open. At this point, fur is growing in there and it's better to leave it open. I don't get it. I think it looks horrible. I don't understand how fur can be growing in the part that was inside the wound. But the vet assured me that it would look great in no time... I'll post some more pictures as this wound heals.
 

I'll also post again when the results of the blood work come in. Tonight she will get the last two pills of the first bottle of Kinavet, completing 2 weeks of chemo... I have another bottle here before I will need to get a refill, but that will wait until after the lab results come in, in case she needs to stop taking it.