First Treatment

Well Jack had his first treatment today. We ended up going with chemotherapy (Carboplatin) and the melanoma vaccine. So far so good, but I know it could take a few days for any side effects to occur. Although a little tired (doesn't going to the doctor always do that to you!), he is willing to play and is eating and drinking. The doctors say that generally dogs handle chemo very well. He did great with his surgeries so I'm hoping this will be the same!! I'm giving him fresh minced ginger with food just in case he has any nausea. Even though it is New Years Eve, we will all be getting to bed at our normal time...sleep is important for all of us! We have an appointment with a Holistic Vet next week. We are looking at all our options to fight this disease!

PS...special thanks to Grandma and Aunite Sue....you have been so wonderful to Jack and us. We couldn't do this without your support!

Just a nail trim.....

Well I came back from a work trip and noticed that my dog was licking his foot and that the nail looked funny. I made him an appt the next day to have it checked out, thinking he just broke his nail off and he'd just get a nail trim....silly me. That was November 19, 2009. Long story short and three surgeries later....my darling Jack has been diagnosed with Melanoma of the nail bed. This has been a devastating period of time for family. Jack came to us as a rescue dog back in February 2008. He is such an amazing dog and has brought so much to our lives. It is very obvious that he was an abused dog before he came into our lives, but he is a fighter and has the best disposition!! He is full of hope and love, despite how poorly he was treated previously. Money is tight, but I am doing what I can to help him fight this awful disease. I've changed his diet, he had his toe amputated and he is doing amazenly well!! I've been reading as much as I can about this specific cancer and cancer in dogs overall. He starts chemo on Thursday so we shall see how that goes. I'm also looking into the melanoma vaccine. But man is all of this expensive!! He is also being evaluated at a local school of vet medicine for participation in a melanoma trial. We've got a tough road ahead of us but we will do whatever we can to balance fighting for his survival and keeping his quality of life high!