I just found this website and message board. Our 11 year old weimeraner has bladder cancer. I read that surgery is not recommended because it can spread the cancer, but also heard of lazer surgery which is minimally invasive. Right now, we are dealing with treating gastroenteritis which she had last winter as well. We are of course devastated and want to do what is best for our dog. Any thoughts would be appreciated. thanks, aigjr@aol.com
Dog has bladder cancer-help please
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 Cailg |
Dog has bladder cancer-help please |
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Posts: 3 (08/09/07 08:13:41) |
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dragondawg |
Transitional cell carcinoma | ||
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Posts: 297 (08/11/07 14:29:05) |
assuming it's that type as opposed to another type of cancer which has spread is being treated with Laser plus Chemo (Mitoxantrone plus Piroxicam). www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/site...d_RVDocSum Piroxicam is a NSAID COX-2 inhibitor which has activity against some of the soft tissue cancers. The principal side effect is its tendency to induce ulcers. The use of an acid blocker (cimetidine, rantidine) will get around this problem. Discuss incorporating it with the oncologist. Mitoxantrone is similar in its side effects to Doxoribicin since it's in the same class of drugs. The use of metoclopromide will probably prevent nausea which is the most common side effect. For a dog your size probably the same as what I gave my 80-90 lb Daisy Lymphoma puppy would be ok: 10 mg 3X a day, for up to 72 hrs post treatment. Then I would wean her back to 2X per day on the 4th and 5th day before stopping. Don't be afraid of the Chemo. With supportive drugs to control the side effects, chances are your puppy will not have any signs of discomfort from the treatments. As the link provided gives the median and mean survival times are 299, and 411 days. Start incorporating fish oil into the dog's diet. It has anti-angiogenic properties that will help slow down the spread of the cancer. I gave mine about 2000-4000 2X daily. If nothing else they really like the taste of fish oil. 
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Cailg |
will treatment make a difference? | ||
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Posts: 3 (08/12/07 07:45:50) |
thanks for your response. Yes, the vet said the type of cancer our dog has is transitional cell carcinoma. He said there was no cancer in the lungs or stomach. Actually, he believes it is limited to the bladder. I know he did ultrasounds. The tumor was going into the bladder wall however, so the entire tumor would not be removed if we do the laser surgery. They just hope to get rid (temporarily) of the bulk of the tumor to prevent the dog from being blocked from urinating. The research is all so depressing since the prognosis is death no matter what treatment is utlized, at least that is my understanding. Any other thoughts on this? thanks
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Cailg |
just spoke to doctor | ||
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Posts: 3 (08/12/07 11:07:04) |
dragondog and all, I just spoke to the dr. and understand more about my dog's condition. the cancer is in the uretha. He said that yes, even with the laser surgery the cancer will spread but at least she will not be blocked and unable to urinate. this is what I am really worried about as it is horrific. any thoughts? thanks aigjr@aol.com
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dragondawg |
A couple more references and thoughts | ||
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Posts: 297 (08/13/07 10:16:09) |
Here's an article on canine cancer nutrition. You're in the realm where you look for every edge you can get. www.vin.com/proceedings/P...&O=Generic Another try you can investigate is the Animal Clinical Investigation (renamed from Animal Cancer Institute). This organization essentially performs animal testing for leading edge drugs that may later progress into the human oncology field. One anti-angiogenesis drug they have been testing for quite awhile is Thrombospondin-I. Note it's experimental and you have to live within range of a Vet that is participating in their trials. They readily respond to Email or at least use to. www.animalci.com/trials.php Apparently if the urethra becomes blocked, they can implant stents. Of course all surgery is hard on cancer puppies due to slower healing times. There's also research to indicate Cox-2 expression enhances TCC expression of the P-glycoprotein pump that leads to multiple drug resistance. What this all means is that resistance to the Chemo may arise quickly, and your oncologist will have to figure out ways to try to get around it- difficult to do. But as long as the Chemo works you should notice a happier puppy dog. |
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motorbeagle8 |
TCC | ||
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Posts: 3 (08/25/07 17:22:32) |
My dog had TCC-Bladder cancer that had spread to the urethra. We did the chemo (mitoxantrone) with Piroxicam and pain meds. This combination kept him comfortable. My thoughts are with you, it's a difficult thing.
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