A journey into unknown territory with lymphoma

I have not written in the blog for some time now, since May would be my guess.  I would let Zak try and do the dialog and it just got to be too much.

This here is a picture of my sweet boy, Dannii.  This picture was taken on 12-12-2010, his 12th birthday.  Such a handsome guy, and my baby.

I'll start this journey from the beginning, as I remember it, not the dates, but since this past summer or so.

Jenna, Zak, Dannii on 5-29-2011

When we would go to the dog park, I had noticed that Dannii was bleeding from his rectum after he would go poop.  It wouldn't be alot, but was noticeable.  I never noticed this at home, or else I was just too dang busy and not paying much attention.  I don't know, only when we were at the dog park, did I notice the blood.

Finally I decided it was time to take him in to the vets and have him checked out, and find out why he was bleeding. This was in August. At first my vet, said that Dannii had an infected anal gland.  So, we put him on some antibiotics. No change. Dannii went back in two weeks later, now vet said that Dannii had colitis.  So, we put him on chicken and rice and another antibiotic.  After a month of this, and still no change, I took Dannii back to the vets.  My vet had since retired by then, and we were seeing someone new.  Now, things changed.

I don't remember everything that was brought up at first.  The vet wanted to do a complete CBC, since Dannii is prone to seizures, we also needed to check his liver values, since its been a year or so since the last time it was checked.  Ok, so we did that.  No significant results in that. Don't remember what it was, but something was a little high, and the vet had said, that that could be because of what going on in his colon.  Next step, sonagram.  That showed a mass on the outside of his colon, and the guy who did the sonagram was 90% sure that its cancerous.  Not good.  But still no idea of why he is bleeding from his rectum.

Dannii on 9-11-2011

Couple of options here. Could do a a scope up his butt, camera and all to see what's going on, which would cost around $1,500 to $2,000.  Money, which I did not have.  Or, we could do surgery. Would be a few hundred dollars less than the scope, but we would know more of what's going on inside.

So, I put out a plea to some people to see if anyone would be willing to donate some of their hard earned cash, and helping me to help Dannii and find out what is causing the bleeding.  Funds came in, which truly humbled me.  I was and am so very greatfull for their generosity.  My vet's practice is not set up to do a scope, so Dannii had to go to a specialist.

We went to see the specialist last Wednesday, the 19th, and I was surprised that she did the procedure right then and there. Guess that was why they told me that Dannii can't have no food or water the night before!  In the meantime, she put him on Piroxicam to help with the swelling and inflamation.  She said that she would call me as soon as the results from the biopsy came in, she thought it would be Friday, but it was Saturday when she call me.  She was pretty sure we were dealing with a scaroma, but the biopsy said "probable lyphoma".  I asked her, what the hell did that mean, couldn't they get a diffentive answer?  I honestly don't remember what she told me, all I heard that it would cost another $500 to get the true results.  So, here we are now, a week later, and the vet took Dannii off of the Piroxicam.  Saturday was his last day, she wrote a script for him to start Prednisone starting today.

Dannii 10-23-2011

I had someone from another list that I am on, send me information on dogs with cancer.  It was a very informative web site, and they talked about their dog, and the diet they put their dog on.  Didn't cure the cancer, but did buy the dog many more months than what the vet had said that they would have.

So, this is our journey, now.  I bought a small bag and several can's of holistic dog food.  Now, I have to be careful, as I have two other basenji's here, and they would love nothing better than to scarf up what Dannii is getting, as they are getting their regular food.

I have not got this down yet, as some stuff I had to order online, and they have not come in yet.  But, I just burned the organic long grain brown rice that I was cooking!  Jeez.  Computer is in my bedroom, and I didn't hear the timer go off, when I remembered the rice!  Didn't burn all of it, and maybe, just maybe, he will still eat the burnt stuff.  OR, if he won't eat it, I know Zak will.  Zak will eat anything that's food, and even stuff that's not food!

So ok now.  I will (hopefully) post and let everyone know, how Dannii is doing on his so called diet.  His appetite is still good, and his gums are still nice and pink.  I want to try and get his energy level up some, as he tires easily now, but he still's enjoys going to the dog park on Sundays!

So, as Zak would say, "you all come back again, now hear"?