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SHARED
REAL STORIES |
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My Rottweiler 'Angelica'
Dealing with
Transitional Cell Carcinoma (TCC) Bladder
Cancer
Submitted by Diane Richardson on
10/18/07
email:
frontierrots@msn.com
Frontier Rottweilers & Shiba Inu
http://www.frontierrots.com |
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Frontier
Avalon Angelica CGC, HICs
(November 17, 1991-January 18,
2005)
In November of 1999 Angelica
(aka 'Gel')
broke into the storage closet in
the entranceway and destroyed a
bottle of windshield washer
fluid, consuming some and thus
was on medication for minor
possible antifreeze poisoning
(windshield washer fluid has a
minute amount of antifreeze and
is minimally toxic). She then
had UTI's (urinary tract
infections) twice that summer.
In September of 2000 Angelica, then
almost 9, had an emergency pyometra spay. The following
March 2001 she was VERY ill for
a couple weeks with a mystery
ailment. She was hospitalized
for 5 days. High fever, high
white cell count, vomiting,
diarrhea etc. If she had not
already been spayed the vets
would have said pyometra. The
final guess was uterine stump
pyometra where an infection
settles in the remains of the
uterine stump. Angelica had a
couple more UTI's this summer
also.
Over the winter of 2000/2001
Angelica
had a couple more UTI's.
When she was first diagnosed
(May 2001) with transitional
cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder,
she could only pee in drips -- 1
drop at a time of bloody urine.
At first we thought she had
another UTI and tried 1 week of
antibiotics to no avail, so we
sent off urine for a full exam
and culture which is when we
discovered the TCC.
Transitional Cell Carcinoma's
presence was confirmed with the HUGE clumps
of TCC cells in Angelica's urine,
as these cell clumps are NOT present unless a TCC tumor is
also present.
Within 2 days of starting
Piroxicam she could pee normally
and that continued as long as
she took her Piroxicam. We opted
for no surgery or surgical
biopsy based on my research and
discussions with others with
afflicted dogs and with cancer
researchers. TCC spreads like
mold spores when touched or cut
and thus is a poor type to
perform such things on. Also
normally bladder cancer is at
the part of the bladder away
from the outlet and if surgery
is performed that portion of the
bladder is removed (and most
dogs become urine incontinent
after surgery). Angelica's is at
the exit of the bladder, and
thus not eligible for surgery
unless we removed most of the
bladder and made her 100%
incontinent.
We tried Chinese herbs with 'Gel'
(started about 1 week post
diagnosis), but they made her
very very sick as did dog kibble
-- the kibble she'd been eating for a
good long time. She could not
even smell kibble without
turning her head away from it!
About 1 month after diagnosis I
thought she was dying. Bloody
vomit, bloody poop, blood oozing
from her vagina, etc.. For
several days she was this ill
and we seriously considered
putting her down.
I have since
discovered that this "crash" is
very common in dogs being given Piroxicam WITHOUT using
Sucralfate. When telling people
this story, we now stress that Sucralfate is a must!
We discontinued everything,
started her on Sucralfate twice
a day and fed her just raw beef
burger and amazingly enough, she
got better. A couple days later
we restarted the Piroxicam and a
couple weeks later went to just
one Sucralfate a day, 1 hour
before her pm meal and Piroxicam. 'Gel'
continued to make improvements
and moved from death's door to
being a normal old Rottweiler.
The average life span of a dog
post diagnosis being treated
with Piroxicam is 6 months with
some living 12 months and a few
living longer. Angelica lived 3
years and 8 months post
diagnosis!
MOST dogs have had the TCC quite
awhile before showing any signs.
We guess that 'Gel' had hers for
at least 12 months prior, based
on her past
history of crystals and UTIs
(which we had wrongly attributed
to her accidental ingestion of
windshield washer fluid 2 years
prior.)
Angelica was 75-78 pounds and 22
1/2" tall at the shoulder.
After the death's door illness, a
month after diagnosis, 'Gel' was
eating/taking daily the
following:
AM
15 minutes before meal, she got 1
tablespoon Ultraclear Plus mixed
with a
bit of water (available through
http://www.illnessisoptional.com
)
Then we mix together:
1/2 cup ground beef
1/3 can Innova
1000 mg Vitamin C
2 Cranberry capsules dumped into
food
10000 IU Vitamin A
200 IU Vitamin E
1 Nutribiotic plus capsule (also
available through
illnessisoptional)
mixed with a bit of warm water
PM
1 hour before hand she got 1
Sucralfate pill -
1gram (prescription med to keep
the Piroxicam from eating her
stomach)
Then 15 minutes before meal she got
2 tablespoons Ultraclear Plus
mixed
with a bit of water
Then we mix together:
1/2 cup ground beef
1/3 can Innova
1000 mg Vitamin C
2 cranberry capsules dumped into
food
1/2 human multi-vitamin with no colors
added
followed by 10 mg Piroxicam (the
dosage is about 0.3 mg/kg) and a
slice of bread (her treat)
In April of 2003, we changed her
from the ground beef to Bravo
prepared raw beef (meat, ground
bone & veggies) 8 ounces in
the morning and 6 ounces in the
evening and 1/4 can Innova.
In November of 2004 we changed to less Innova canned and added some
Innova EVO dry food in an effort
to reduce carbs further and she
tolerated this well.
After diagnosis, she got no
vaccines at all except Rabies.
No chemicals applied or ingested.
At each of her recheck
urinalysis the clumps of TCC
cells became less and less and
about a year before her death
they only saw scattered TCC
cels, not clumps.
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Angelica collapsed on her way in
from going out for her last potty at
11 p.m. on January 17, 2005 and then
managed to get in the house
without aide. She and I and our
then almost 2-year old Rottweiler Bea stayed on her
bed with her most of the night
and she passed in her sleep
after 1:00 a.m. on the 18th of
January, 2005. Angelica
was 13 years 2 months old. A
WONDERFUL dog to the end.
Photo: Younger Angelica
dealing with a bad sheep |
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