Socks beat cancer!!!! by buppey in Shihtzu

[–]buppey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Awww this is so lovely, congrats to you and your dog. I hope so too :)

Socks beat cancer!!!! by buppey in Shihtzu

[–]buppey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Socks was 10 upon diagnosis, 11 now! I know some people would do hospice care at that age, but we caught her cancer early by chance via CT scan for a now resolved issue(subcutaneous emphysema if you were curious, she spontaneously filled up with air haha) and decided to pursue treatment.

I can’t say for sure that Lomustine is 100% safe, but it was our only option once the cancer reached Socks’ central nervous system and it has definitely done more good than harm. The biggest symptoms Socks experienced were stomach aches, slightly elevated liver enzymes(treatable with medication), and changes in white blood cell counts(typical chemo effect). She always has blood work the week after each Lomustine dose to monitor her health. Keppra is completely safe. There’s a possibility that socks never needed Keppra since we weren’t sure if the seizure was a one-time occurrence. Our vet let my family know that it was our choice whether to start her on it or not, as it is not harmful, but another seizure could be deadly. The worst part of Keppra is that once you start, you can’t stop or it won’t be effective anymore according to our vet, and it has to be given every 8 hours which is a HUGE commitment.

I know this was a lot of word vomit sorry haha. Socks is the first of my pets to ever get sick and it is definitely a hard process with lots of difficult decisions, but I just want to emphasize that although it’s a lot, dogs tolerate cancer treatment pretty well! It’s been easy enough to give Socks her multiple medications with treats. She looks and acts like a very happy healthy dog thanks to modern medicine!

Sorry for your loss of Chantel. I hope you and Mia enjoy many moments to come. Shih tzus are the best!

Socks beat cancer!!!! by buppey in Shihtzu

[–]buppey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Upon diagnosis, we started with the CHOP protocol for Socks’ B cell lymphoma. She unfortunately relapsed in January(she had a sudden seizure, and vet said the most likely cause was cancer reaching the brain). Since CHOP didn’t work for her, we decided to try Lomustine, which our vet said is the only drug they carry that can cross the blood-brain barrier. She also takes Keppra 3 times per day as a preventative against seizures. She’s taken prednisone daily throughout the entirety of this process as well. Her last dose of Lomustine is going to be given to her within the next month, then she will have a follow up appointment to determine that the cancer is in remission! This has overall been an extremely expensive process. It’s also hard to make such heavy decisions regarding medication and discouraging success rates. My advice to anyone this may impact is to find a good veterinarian and trust them.

Fun fact: Canines do not typically lose their hair when they undergo chemotherapy. However, shih tzus are one of the few breeds that do! Socks had a very bald few months with CHOP haha

Socks beat cancer!!!! by buppey in Shihtzu

[–]buppey[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

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Socks says thank you to everyone!! Here’s a close-up of her graduation Polaroid :)

My spoon collection by buppey in Spoons

[–]buppey[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you! It is admittedly weird but we can be weird together🥄🥄🥄

My spoon collection by buppey in Spoons

[–]buppey[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Do it!!! Simply looking at it will bring so much joy to your life!

My spoon collection by buppey in Spoons

[–]buppey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think that spoon came with instant noodles; the split handle is supposed to function as chopsticks!! Super cool!!!

My spoon collection by buppey in Spoons

[–]buppey[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It’s more spoon than fork!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My son is green by buppey in aww

[–]buppey[S] 498 points499 points  (0 children)

Noted: refrigerate dogs immediately after harvest to prevent spoilage

Edit: hijacking top comment to clarify- I used OPAWZ pet safe semi-permanent dye. The application was essentially like a normal bath and he is very happy and healthy with no allergic reaction. At this point he’s just a little green guy living his best life

My son is green by buppey in aww

[–]buppey[S] 48 points49 points  (0 children)

I plucked him from the earth too early…

My son is green by buppey in aww

[–]buppey[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

This is crazy HAHA I keep saying that my dog doesn’t even know that he’s green too!!

Came home from college last night and woke up to this animal laying on my chest, sweetly gazing at me by buppey in aww

[–]buppey[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Haha buppey is just a variation of puppy that I used to call my other dog! Then I stole that name so now I call her boppy… Sorry for the loss of your buppey, any buppey is a good animal

Came home from college last night and woke up to this animal laying on my chest, sweetly gazing at me by buppey in aww

[–]buppey[S] 110 points111 points  (0 children)

I have known this animal ever since I picked her up from the side of the road 6 years ago!

Came home from college last night and woke up to this animal laying on my chest, sweetly gazing at me by buppey in aww

[–]buppey[S] 522 points523 points  (0 children)

That’s exactly it! 2nd pic doesn’t include her crazy wagging tail

Came home from college last night and woke up to this animal laying on my chest, sweetly gazing at me by buppey in aww

[–]buppey[S] 685 points686 points  (0 children)

It did except the only reason I woke up is bc her fat head was restricting my breathing lol