renegade
10-18-2007, 07:43 PM
I think most of you have heard that my 8 year old golden Jasper was diagnosed with cancer back in July. He had a apocrine ductular carcinoma and a grade 2 mast cell tumor removed from his rear. The margins on the ductular carcinoma were really poor and it was near his tailbone so we weren't sure that surgery was going to get all the pieces. We ended up doing radiation for the ductular carcinoma - luckily both tumors were within 6 inches of each other - what are the odds of that! So we zapped the mast cell tumor at the same time.
He did radiation treatments 3 times per week for 6 weeks (he had to go under anesthesia each time) and finished up 2.5 weeks ago. It was tough going the last few weeks as the radiation site was really yucky and the affected area ended up reaching to his anus which made pooping really unpleasant for him. :( We pretty much had him doped up on pain meds the last 2 weeks all the time to keep him still and somewhat calm (otherwise everytime he moved he acted like his radiation site was causing a lot of pain and he'd try to run away from it or bite at it and more movement caused more pain, etc).
He just did his 2 week post radiation recheck and the radiation site is looking awesome (bald but no scabs or yuckiness anymore). He also got to lose the cone which he has been wearing for 4 months straight now. He is feeling much more chipper and the vet cleared him to compete at cynosports!
So - he's gearing up for the Splash Division world championships and I figure the streamlining he'll get from his bald rear will make up for all lack of exercise and conditioning...
Now we just cross our fingers and hope it doesn't recur anytime soon. This cancer is very rare and as a result there is little info on likelihood of recurrence or time frame of recurrence, etc.
We're looking forward to seeing so many friends new and old in a few weeks!
He did radiation treatments 3 times per week for 6 weeks (he had to go under anesthesia each time) and finished up 2.5 weeks ago. It was tough going the last few weeks as the radiation site was really yucky and the affected area ended up reaching to his anus which made pooping really unpleasant for him. :( We pretty much had him doped up on pain meds the last 2 weeks all the time to keep him still and somewhat calm (otherwise everytime he moved he acted like his radiation site was causing a lot of pain and he'd try to run away from it or bite at it and more movement caused more pain, etc).
He just did his 2 week post radiation recheck and the radiation site is looking awesome (bald but no scabs or yuckiness anymore). He also got to lose the cone which he has been wearing for 4 months straight now. He is feeling much more chipper and the vet cleared him to compete at cynosports!
So - he's gearing up for the Splash Division world championships and I figure the streamlining he'll get from his bald rear will make up for all lack of exercise and conditioning...
Now we just cross our fingers and hope it doesn't recur anytime soon. This cancer is very rare and as a result there is little info on likelihood of recurrence or time frame of recurrence, etc.
We're looking forward to seeing so many friends new and old in a few weeks!