February 13, 2008 - A visit to Tufts Veterinary Hospital

Snuggy had an appointment at Tufts with another veterinary oncologist. The vet here told us that Snuggy's cancer is quite rare in dogs. Many canine cancers metastasize to the lung, but few actual start there. Therefore, there aren't any clinical trials running at Tufts for this disease, but the vet will ask his colleagues around the country to see it there are any being run at other veterinary hospitals.

The vet at Tuft's assessment was basically the same as at Angell. However, his statistics showed that dogs tolerate vinorelbine quite well and that the percentage of dogs which are helped by this drug is quite a but higher than 17%. He thought this chemo drug was the place to start, and if doesn't shrink the tumor, we can look at other options.

We felt that Tufts was a little more proactive than Angell and a bit better informed so we will start Snuggy on chemo at Tufts. The vet gave us a prescription for 25mg of Deramaxx. DERAMAXX is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). He will get this in conjunction with the chemotherapy, which will start next Tuesday.

Interestingly, the vet has said that the canine cancer research community has basically come to the conclusion that the explosion in rate of dog cancers is mainly the result of environmental factors. Dog's life spans are short and they metabolize everything much faster than humans. Therefore toxins in food, pesticides, air, water, household cleaners, etc...affect them faster and more acutely. All the more reason to adopt a green household to minimize the exposure to these deadly chemicals.

Snuggy is still showing no signs of disease. He is eating well, and enjoying life as always. He is the Snuggy buggy!

February 11, 2008 - A visit to Angell Memorial Hospital

We had an appointment for Snuggy with a veterinary oncologist at Angell Memorial Hospital in Boston. The doctor reviewed the x-rays with us again in great depth and reiterate that it appeared that the primary tumor appears to be the large one in the upper lung, and that it has metastasized and formed to smaller tumors on the other side of the lung. Surgery is not an option as the primary tumor is too large and because the cancer has already spread. To remove all the tumors would be major surgery and would leave him with too little lung capacity. The only option she could offer was chemotherapy. For this specific form of cancer they use a drug called vinorelbine. She stated that only 17% of dogs receive any benefit from this chemotherapy regimen. Without any intervention, he probably has 6-12 months to live.

So, the news is not good. We asked the vet about clinical trials and they don't have any to offer. We told her that we were going out for a second option to Tufts University Veterinary Hospital in two days. She thought that if anyone had clinical trial options, it would be them. So off we go to Tufts.

A Visit with the Holostic Vet

On Saturday we met with a vet who in addition to conventional medicine, also studies Chinese medicines. She is going to order some chinese herbs for Snuggy which hopefully will arrive shortly. She didn't think these could cure his cancer because the type of cancer he has (carcinoma) is so aggressive, but they should help diminish the symptoms and help slow the growth.

I asked her about acupuncture and she told me that acupuncture is great, except for cancer patients. She said it's because acupuncture brings energy and increases blood flow which will just feed the cancer, and obviously you do not want to do this. This was news to me as everything I've heard/read contradicts this. So back to the internet I went and found information that states "you want to be exceedingly careful in using acupuncture with cancer because selecting the wrong points can actually accelerate the cancer growth." The key is to get a very experienced acupuncturist who is knowledgeable about cancer specifically. So for now, we'll skip this option but are still looking at other treatments such as infrared therapy to complement the diet, herbs, and supplements he is taking.

Snuggy remains symptom free, but we have noticed his appetitite has increased. This is common in cancer patients as the cancer is trying to feed itself and robbing the rest of the body to do so. Weight loss is common in dogs with cancer which is why we feeding Snuggy a little more food, concentrated in high quality proteins because cancer feeds on carbohydrates.

Snuggy enjoyed watching the Superbowl last night but was disappointed that the Patriots did not win. However, we can't be too sad about the Giants winning as they support animal charities. Snug hopes he'll be around next year at this time to watch Superbowl XLIII. Go Snug!!