A very special Christmas

Tia came home on Christmas Eve!  What  a WONDERFUL Christmas present.  She was obviously happy to be home, and so were we.  Her radiation treatments are finished and now we wait while she heals.  I was very excited to see that her tumor is smaller, even just 4 days after I had last seen her.  The fur around her tumor site has started to thin and the skin underneath is quite pink, like a bad sunburn.  Her tongue is very red too, which makes it painful for her to eat.  It doesn't stop her though!  We are feeding her wet food diluted in lots of water, because the Honest Kitchen food has many little food particles that cannot be ground down any smaller, and get stuck in the hole in the back of her mouth.  After her meals we have to use a special oral rinse, to help clean things out.  It is not easy to direct the squirt to the right place, and Tia hates it.  The vet told us that the next week or two would be messy, and she wasn't kidding!!  Tia will also continue to drool a thick saliva until things start to heal.  We've put a doggie shirt on her to try and keep her clean.  Otherwise her rough gets all gross.  She's a real trooper, and is handling things well, but during the healing process we are not supposed to let her rub her face on or in anything.  Tia has always LOVED the snow.  She loves to throw herself in it and make "Sheltie Angels", and she also loves to stick her face in it.  (This was before her radiation treatment!)  Now we have to be sure she doesn't rub, until the tumor site has healed.  She continues to take Prednisone, Baytril and Tramadol, and we return to NEVOG for a re-check on Monday afternoon.  Good thing we are nearing the end of the year, when vacation time starts from scratch.  I am all out of time for 2009!

We are so grateful to the NEVOG staff for the wonderful care they gave Tia during the 14 days she spent with them over the past 3 weeks.  If any of you ever find yourselves in need of a canine (or feline) oncologist I highly recommend them.

Almost done!

I'm excited to say that Tia's last radiation treatment is tomorrow morning.  I had a long chat with Dr. Rosen tonight and she reported that they have started hand feeding her small pieces of wet dog food, which they find doesn't get stuck in the hole in her mouth like her regular food.  They have increased her prednisone so she is hungrier than ever, if that is really possible!  Dr. Rosen said the next couple of weeks are going to be "messy".  Tia will continue to drool for awhile, which gets all over her fur.  She suggested that we put a T-shirt on her to keep her clean.  I have the perfect outfit ... something I bought for Emma a few years ago.  The radiation side effects will continue to increase over the next week or so, and then begin to subside.  There is still a chance that Tia will develop a corneal ulcer in the right eye, and this is something we need to watch for very closely.

Dr Rosen said Tia is an incredible patient.  They have really enjoyed having her around.  She has been extremely tolerant of all her treatment.  She is so well behaved that they don't even leash her when she is out of her kennel. 

Tia will have to return to NEVOG on Monday for a re-check.  They want to be sure her mouth is kept very clean and that she is still doing ok on her meds.  She will remain on the Tramadol, Baytril and Prednisone for now.

#12

Talked to Dr. Rosen today when I called for my daily update.  At first I was surprised that she took my call, because I usually talk to a technician.  Then I wondered if there was something wrong but I was happy and relieved to hear everything is fine.  Tia had her treatment this morning.  Her tumor is no bigger.  They have increased her Tramadol to 1/2 a tablet because she is having a harder time eating.  Her tongue must be really sore from the radiation.  They are thinking about switching her food because they are finding small bits of food stuck way back in her mouth, especially around the area where the infection is still draining.  They clean out her mouth daily while she is still anesthetized, but that is going to be much more difficult for me to manage once she comes home.  Tia eats a very healthy diet.  It is a dehydrated raw food made by The Honest Kitchen.  You just add water and let it soak for awhile.  There are lots of small bits and chunks, which easily get stuck in her mouth.  I wonder what food we can give her that won't cause the same problem... maybe a totally raw diet?  Dr. Rosen said they will figure out something and we'll talk again tomorrow.  Just a couple more days and she'll be home!!!

Counting down

Tia had her 11th radiation session this afternoon.  Only 4 more to go!  She still has some drainage from the infection, but it is much better.  Katie, the technician, told me that they noticed her tongue is red, which is a side effect from the radiation.  Her tongue is sunburned!  Can you imagine?!  I can only think of one thing that'll relieve that... ICE CREAM!  No doubt Tia would love that!  We'll have to get her some when she comes home on Thursday.

Week Three!

Tia is back at NEVOG for what we hope will be her third and final week of treatment.  Despite all the snow we had over the weekend, the drive up to Waltham was uneventful, and we got there 20 minutes before they opened.  Dr. Rosen was not in yet so I just dropped Tia off and returned to Hartford, to work. 

Dr. Rosen just called to say that she examined the tumor and it measures the same as it did last week.  She actually thinks it might be slightly smaller because some of the swelling from the infection has gone down a little.  They will continue with the radiation treatments, but will keep a close eye on the tumor.  If it gets bigger they will stop everything and we'll have to talk about the surgical debridement again.  Dr. Rosen said this is about the time when we should start seeing the tumor get a bit smaller. 

Tia was very quiet over the weekend.  She hardly barked at all, and spent a lot of time curled up on her ottoman.  She also started drooling from the same side of her mouth as the tumor is on.  I asked Dr. Rosen about that and she said it is a radiation side effect - thickening of the saliva.  Tia is still eating well, so I was surprised to see that her weight was a little down from last week.  Now that I think of it, that's probably because the hospital staff overfed her the first week she was there, and now that she's been eating her normal diet she is back to where she should be.  All in all, Tia was not her happy go lucky self, but we hope that will change once all her treatment is done.

Two down, One to go

Tia has completed 10 radiation treatments and is doing well.  I just spoke to Dr. Rosen, who said she got the culture results back.  The results show that she has a "sterile abscess".  It doesn't show any bacterial growth, which is good.  She is going to remain on the Baytril (antibiotic) as well as the Tramadol (for pain).  She has also just started taking Prednisone (a steroid) which will act as an anti-inflamatory.  Being that this is her second week of treatment, this is when they expect to start seeing some side-effects of the radiation.  I have also been instructed to do warm compresses on the tumor site 3-4 times a day over the weekend.  She still has a small hole in her mouth where we want the infection to continue to drain.  I asked if they have noticed any signs that she is in pain.  She said not really, because Tia is such a tough girl, but she asked the staff and they said they have noticed she isn't eating as fast.  Ok, THAT is DEFINITELY a sign that she is in some discomfort.  They said she still likes her meals though.  Duh!  That dog LIVES for food!

Dr. Rosen said if the tumor area is any bigger on Monday they may have to do a surgical debridement inside her mouth.  If it is the same size or smaller we will continue treatment as usual.  (Definitely hoping for the latter!)  She also said we may need to do another CT scan.  One day at a time!

Good news!

I spoke to Katie, one of the radiation technicians today.  She said Tia's infection seems to be under control with the antibiotic.  When she intubated her today for her radiation treatment she didn't see any evidence of puss or anything.  Her mouth was nice and clear.  I am happy and relieved by this news.  We will keep her on the current antibiotic until we get the biopsy results.  The Doctor will then determine if anything needs to be changed.