Some of you may be wondering how Sailor is doing since his diagnosis of lymphoma and his resulting chemotherapy. It’s been kind of an up and down journey so far. The first protocol which he had started the last time I wrote had to be abandoned after his nodes doubled in one week after the third treatment. It was very discouraging for us since this is the protocol that 80% of dogs respond well to. Not so for Sailor. Although he tolerated the chemo extremely well and was not at all ill from the treatments, it obviously was not working.

We started a new protocol five weeks ago. Instead of having a treatment every week this particular protocol is given three weeks apart. It had a 50/50 chance of putting his cancer into remission. After the first treatment his nodes decreased by about 2/3 during the first week and they stayed down for the next two weeks. On his second treatment our vet was discouraged that the nodes were still not normal; hence no remission. She was skeptical that the second treatment would have much effect. We went ahead with the same protocol anyway and made an appointment to have him checked in two weeks time instead of leaving it the full three weeks. Her thinking behind this was that if it was not working and his nodes increased in size again, we shouldn’t wait another week before switching to a different protocol.

Today was his two week appointment. I had been monitoring his nodes during that time and could not really tell any difference in them. Some days they would feel slightly smaller but it was not enough to be certain of. The vet confirmed that they were approximately the same size that they were two weeks ago with no changes. This is not the greatest news, but neither is it the worst. Her term was “partial remission.” Hey, I never thought I’d be glad to hear those two words, but I am. He has even gained weight. This might just be due to my giving him extra protein in the form of cooked meats added to his kibble which is supposed to be good for fighting cancer. I’ve cut back on the amount of kibble and give him at least 4 oz. of fresh meat at every meal.

Sailor doesn’t know he’s sick. He gobbles his food, has a high energy level, his coat shines, his eyes sparkle. He groans and moans when I hug him in his little Sailor-talk. We can’t ask for anything more right now than his quality of life.

We went in today fully expecting to switch protocols and start a new one, but we were all in agreement that we should continue with this one until it isn’t working anymore. So, no chemo today but we will go back in next week for our normal three week treatment. We are keeping our paws crossed that his nodes continue to behave! He will never be “cured” of this cancer but for now we are managing to keep the monster at bay.