No Appetite for Chemo

Last week we met with Raleigh's oncologist and made a decision that was obvious but difficult: we're taking Raleigh off chemotherapy.

Raleigh's first chemotherapy regimen after surgery was a Doxorubicin/Cytoxan/5-Fluorouracil combination that didn't have the intended effect on her cancer but had serious effects on her well being. On weeks that she had the cancer treatment Raleigh was wiped out, excessively startled and  her appetite was waning. Some days we'd find Raleigh outside laying in a puddle of her own urine (Lasix was given to help flush out the cancer.)  For a dog with very tidy toilet habits it was one of the signs that she was taking it too hard and really not caring. 

Here's Raleigh on a recent hike.
Her energy and spirits are much better
now and we're making the most of the
time we have together.

We moved onto Palladia with the understanding that she'd be on this for the rest of her days, hoping that it would stretch them into months. The Palladia treatment was given Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  By Monday morning Raleigh's vomiting and diarrhea would abate, her energy would increase and her personality would be restored, but then it was back to the regimen.  She seemed depressed, scared and worn out. Our concern for Raleigh's well being and determining her care is based on the quality of her days, not the quantity. After lowering the dose with no change to the symptoms we were noticing we knew that this wasn't how we want Raleigh to spend her days.

With the guidance of our holistic veterinarian and a good friend, Rodney Habib, we're trying out a natural, softer, gentler approach.

Our standing question twice a day has been, "did she eat?"  It's bewildering and frustrating when a dog won't eat. Encouraging Raleigh to eat has been challenging as she went through the chemotherapy protocols, but I developed some good tricks that I'd like to share:

• Lamb Lung Powder - many dogs find Lamb Lung an irresistible treat.  Raleigh was no exception, even when she wouldn't eat her food. I pulsed this in the food processor until it was a fine powder and mixed it into her food then topped the food with an additional amount. 

• Salmon Oil - it's great for dogs and it makes their food enticing.

• Bacon Grease - I'm not proud of this, but it works. Just a little bit heated up and mixed into the food can add an aroma of deliciousness. Don't do this simultaneously with the Salmon Oil, it's just too much added fat and can lead to digestive upset at one end or the other.

• Change it Up - Switch up foods on a regular basis to keep things interesting. 

• Individual Ingredients - serving different foods individually helped; sometimes just meat or a good serving of watermelon to help keep Raleigh hydrated.  

• Forget Foods - When your dog starts to turn his or her nose up at foods, find something else.  Raleigh has thrown up on chicken so many times that it has become "her tequila".  She'll never touch it again.

• Meat Based Treats - when nothing else works, often treats will be devoured. Rather than have your dog eat nothing, give them something that is both nutritious and gives them a little boost. Good Girl Gizzards and Roasted Chicken Hearts are still a favorite - I don't tell Raleigh that they are made from chicken. Both recipes can be found in Feed Your Best Friend Better (just substitute chicken for the duck hearts.)

• Commercial when you need it - When we had a guest dog visiting the dog left some commercial wet food in his bowl. Raleigh refused her meal but ate the remainder with gusto. We bought commercial food just to keep her eating.

Raleigh's eating well again.  I'm going to see how long we can keep it going and you can bet that I'll be using some of these (or rotating through all of them) to keep her eating. 

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