Hi Folks,

I'm totally gutted. My nine year old Golden, Lady Antonia Fraser has been diagnosed with Lymphoma. She's in that age bracket to have it and I know it is rife within the breed. Still, that doesn't help. We will not be doing Chemo as the longevity after treatment is very short & no way do I want to put her through that. Have done much research on the subject too. Most dogs do well on Chemo but there is a percentage that don't.
Are there any forums out there that deal with this? Folks who are also going through or have been through this? I need to stay strong and focused to give her all the very best care. I do have a network of friends & Family & Vets who are very supportive but it helps again to talk to those who are going through the same thing.

Many thanks.

AnnieVA,

Hi Annie and welcome to the forum. I'm sorry that you found us under such sad circumstances.
We have a "celebrity" dog here on the forum, Meggie, if you do a search under "lymphoma" on the forum you will find Meggie's story as well as hundreds of posts about her and her mom. She has been battling lymphoma for a very long time.
I know it's a tough decision, but honestly a lot of dogs do very well on chemo, and most do not get very sick from it. A remission of a year or more is not uncommon, but I'm sure others on the forum can help you more than I can.
One site I would suggest is www.landofpuregold.com, which is dedicated to golden retrievers, and addresses cancer at length. Some very good information among the 1000+ pages on that site.
Have they determined which type of lymphoma she has, B cell or T cell?
Again, welcome.

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Gibson's Golden Girl, CD, CGC, TDI (born 3-20-1997), a.k.a. "Tiny"

CH Rosewood Little Giant, UDX VER RA SH MXP MJP VCX WCX CCA CGC FFX-OG (born 3-10-2007), also UCH HR UUD UJJ URO1 UHIT a.k.a. "Tito" (the Tito Monster)

and my heart dog
Gibson's Golden Guy, CD, CGC, TDI ( 01-31-1998 - 01-02-2012) a.k.a. "Toby", "HRH"

Hi Annie,

I went through this back in December, and we had to put down our Gus a little less than two weeks after the diagnosis because things progressed so fast. He had Cutaneous T-cell, though, which is rare, fast, and responds relatively poorly to chemo.

A lot of B-cell dogs do well, as do some T-cell dogs, but only you and your dog can really make the decision to go through with it or not.

Steroids and pain meds can do a lot to ease symptoms when they get bad and buy you more quality time without putting the dog through serious side effects and without taking on an enormous financial burden just for a little bit of time.

For me, talking about Gus, sharing stories, and sending around photos helped me a lot. I certainly cried my eyes out many times, but I found that sharing my fears and my grief helped them move through me. After all, we only cry because of the joy we've known, right?

Be strong and don't be afraid to keep us updated. You've got a forum full of people who will love hearing about your Lady and will love seeing pictures of her. And there will be people (once they notice this thread) with more advice and perspective about chemo, managing symptoms, and how to know it's time.

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Hi Annie, I think I have seen you on the GRiC website over the years, but have not seen you there is a while. Sorry to hear about Lady Antonia. Several years ago, one of our first Goldens had lymphoma as well. At the time we opted not to chemo. However, shortly after he was diagnosed he started to stop eating, etc. We put him on Pred. just to stimulate his appetite. However, what it did was to put it in remission for a year. It was almost a year to the month he was diagnosed that it seriously started to return and we had to make the decision for him. Yes, there were some side effects to the Pred., but we can say he did have a very good year. For several months if you did not know he had cancer, you would have been surprised to find out. Just this past January, we had to put our 9 year old female through chemo. I can vouch for the fact that she did handle it very well. Yes, she was tired. But she only had one incidence where she had a bit of a side affect and did not want to eat for a day or so. Not bad for 5 sessions of chemo that went from January through April, along with pills she had to take as well. Her hair did become very thin, and she lost all her feathers, but they are now slowly returning. To do it over again - I might have opted to do chemo for our first dog now that I know what I know about the whole chemo process. Definitely discuss the use of Pred with your vet. Good luck in whatever you decide.

Annie, sorry to hear about Lady Antonia. Is Sir Gordon still with you? There are many good chemo stories out there, as well as some not so successful ones. I think it's a tough decision whether to pursue chemo, but only you and hubby can make the ultimate decision.

Howdy, Phyllis....glad to hear Lacey's doing so well.

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Golden retrievers think life is a party thrown especially for them

So sorry about your golden's diagnosis. My 13 1/2 Murphy was recently diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma-a whole different cancer, but I definitely know how you feel. Murphy was diagnosed in July and given 2-4 months. We have decided against surgery and chemo. We did however create a great organic diet for him, the tumor has not grown and we have stabilized his weight so that he is not losing any more. The diet has rejuvenated him and we hope his last few months will be happy and peaceful.

Know whatever decisions you make, you are doing what's best for your dog.

Darlene

Annie,

I am so sorry to hear about Lady Antonia. Whatever treatment you decide on is the right decision for you and your pup. We have a 6yo Tasha that we recently adopted that was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma in November. She had 6 rounds of chemo which she tolerated well and is currently in remission. Whatever you decide cherish the time you have together. Everyday is a blessing. Know that you can come here for support and advice. The members on the forum are great. We will keep you all in our prayers.

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Sky - Forever in our hearts. Mommy loves you
Tasha - Forever in our hearts. Mommy loves you

Thanks folks!

I hope to see more postings from other folks as well. I promise to get back to you this weekend. I hope you can understand that I'm drained. Have not slept much or eaten much since Saturday. I have to rebound myself. GeZZZZZZ!
As for you folks who were on the GRIC Forum..., yup it is indeed me. Sir Gordon Fraser sends lots of wags & woofs to you guys. We have a new addition that we rescued recently. His name is, Sir Oswald Fraser. Lots to tell on him as he came to me with massive CSA.

So, on that note I'm saying night-night. Will again check in on this weekend and as I said can answer some questions & explain better what is going on with Lady Antonia Fraser & what we are doing care wise for her.

Hugs,

Annie, VA

I just LOVE the names! Is there a story behind them?

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Gibson's Golden Girl, CD, CGC, TDI (born 3-20-1997), a.k.a. "Tiny"

CH Rosewood Little Giant, UDX VER RA SH MXP MJP VCX WCX CCA CGC FFX-OG (born 3-10-2007), also UCH HR UUD UJJ URO1 UHIT a.k.a. "Tito" (the Tito Monster)

and my heart dog
Gibson's Golden Guy, CD, CGC, TDI ( 01-31-1998 - 01-02-2012) a.k.a. "Toby", "HRH"

Hi Annie!
I'm on GRiC as well. My Belle (pictured below) was diagnosed with lymphoma, tolerated chemo well, and we had her for a year after diagnosis. I know it's heartbreaking to deal with, but just one word of advice: Think really hard before you make the decision for or against chemo - and don't start the prednisone until you are absolutely sure. Prednisone is certainly one treatment for lymphoma, and may be prescribed in conjunction with chemo - BUT - prednisone taken before starting a chemo protocol may hamper the chemo's effectiveness.

At first, for Belle, I said no chemo & the vet started her on prednisone without telling me about the drawbacks of the pred in relation to the chemo. Shortly after starting the pred, & after doing more homework, I decided to try chemo anyway - No telling how well Belle might have done if I had been more educated when she was first diagnosed.

Here is the link to the thread for Meggie's lymphoma story that was mentioned earlier in this thread: http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/...ad.php?t=28984 (lymphoma) I believe Meggie's Mom, Cindy would be a good resource for you.

I know you will make the decision that's best for you and your sweet girl, and the knowlegeable support you will find here on GRF is wonderful! Take care of yourself too!
Fidele

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