And the plot thickens.....

Change in plans! We took Blaze and Joker's "samples" in for testing before going forward with the transplant. We discovered that Blaze had a protozoa population (!) in her system, which is odd because she gets checked twice a year and it hadn't ever turned up. Regardless, it ruled her out as a "donor" and raised the question of whetherTrapper had the same issue. The protozoa in question causes just the type of symptoms Trapper has been experiencing for 7 months... It's only known to cause symptoms in puppies and adult dogs that are immunosuppressed (as Trapper has been for 8 years). We are hopeful that treatment might resolve the issue, but time will tell....Tonight we started the first day of a 10 day treatement. For those biologically inclined, you might be interested to know that the medication doesn't kill the protozoa, but inhibits the synthesis of folic acid which prevents the protozoa from reproducing. So, stay tuned....never a dull moment with Trapper!

On a happier note, Trapper actually played with Blaze tonight! It was brief, but it was awesome to see! Trapper is definitely feeling much better not being on chemo anymore :)

That's all for now....fingers crossed that the next update will be that the medication worked!

Kirsta & Trap

You're doing WHAT to me??

Trapper has improved over the last couple of weeks! And we have a very interesting treatment planned for him. More on that in a bit...

Love these little paws--Trapper hangs out in the bathroom/laundry room door when we're not home since he needs a little more space than his kennel these days given his tummy issues.

HUNGRY!

I'm thrilled to say that Trapper's appetite is AWESOME!! We were at the vet a couple of days ago and Trapper's up to 49.0 pounds!!! It's been months since he weighed that much--I think the 3 times a day feeding is paying off. I'm thankful to look at him and not see a skinny, bony boy!!

The pups waiting for their birthday treats to celebrate Joker's 6th birthday

Waiting patiently while we sing Happy Birthday.

And it's GONE!

Awwww.....such a love.

My wolf dog...please don't eat me, Trapper!!

So, to that treatment I mentioned earlier....unfortunately, even with stopping chemo and antibiotics, Trapper's GI system hasn't gotten back to normal. We have 2 options going forward to address this issue. The first is to hope that the flora and fauna in his gut are out of balance due to all the antibiotics he's been on for several months. If so, a fecal transplant may solve the issue. I'll spare you the details, but feel free to Google it if you want to know more... And if it works, Trapper will owe Blaze and Joker a big thank you. ;D The transplant is scheduled for Wednesday Oct 29, assuming an ultrasound that morning shows no signs of lymphoma in his GI system. The good news is that his lymph nodes continue to be normal size!

If that treatment doesn't work, we'll likely need to add a new immunosuppressant drug to treat what we would assume at that point to be Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Stay tuned....



Trapper chillin' in the kitchen.

 And last, but certainly not least, it's Trap Vader!! I couldn't resist this costume, and it's so perfect for Trapper! I also entered him in a contest to win laser treatments for his hip pain--fingers crossed!

That's it for now...thanks for all the support!!

A little agility and some TLC

Today Trapper was able to play some agility :) The jumps were set at 4", but he had a blast. He loved the tunnels, jumps and weaves. Having been off Rimadyl since the lymphoma returned, he is much weaker in his back legs, but his spirit was there full force. I am thankful for the days when he sparkles like only he can. And, he was able to spend time with his "ladies" from Harper's Ridge, getting a chiropractic adjustment (his shoulder and neck are much better tonight, Dr. Andi!), energy work, laser treatment and of course, treats! So thankful for their care for my little buddy!

Trapper relaxing with me a few days ago



Trapper obviously not feeling well--ears back and such bony hips. Ugh.

 We haven't seen the immediate recovery of Trapper's GI system that I had hoped for. Some days are definitely better, but then he will decline a day or two later. Trapper's cancer doc is on vacation this week, but we will definitely talk with her next week. I'm wondering whether Inflammatory Bowel Disease is causing these issues, or whether there's lymphoma hiding in his intestines.... Or maybe it will just take a little longer.

Trapper's feast for the next few days.

Trapper's weight is a big concern for me right now, and I'm happy to report that today he was up to 47.8 pounds. He's inching higher, and we celebrate the little victories. I'm hoping to see him weigh in at a healthy 50 pounds one day soon....

I have to thank all of my amazing friends, and especially my agility buds. They understand the special bond that a canine-human performance team share. Trapper and I depend on each other and know each other in a way that I've never experienced with another dog.

I'm living in the moment with Trapper--I can only take it day by day. Michael reminds me that Trapper laughs in the face of death -- so true :)

Thanks to all of you for your support! You rock :)

Week 6 and a big decision

On September 30, Trapper had a dose of Vincristine and it was really tough on him. He just felt awful.

Poor little buddy after his Vinc treatment :(

The night of October 2 was hard. I looked at Trapper and his spirit was weak. I really think the chemo was slowly killing him. His life wasn't what he wanted it to be....I'm certain that if he could talk he would have told me so. I decided, and Michael agreed, that we wouldn't continue putting Trapper through this. He is such a proud dog, such a larger-than-life boy, and it just wasn't fair to him.

The next day I spoke with his chemo vet and she told me that in her mind, this treatment was the proverbial "line in the sand". If he had another bad reaction to what had historically been one of the easiest drugs for him, that it was time to consider another path. I can't say enough good about Dr. Karin Cannizzo--I'm so thankful to have her on this journey with us!

So, 6 weeks into the 26 week protocol, we pulled the plug on the Wisconsin-Madison treatment protocol. It served Trapper so well 2 years ago, but it just isn't in the cards this time around.

Trapper bounced back pretty well and thanks all of his fans for their love and prayers...
he's looking like that proud boy I know and love!

Tired baby

There are still days that I look at Trapper and my heart breaks a little. Thankfully, his appetite has returned, but still he's so thin. He had reached 47 pounds, but today (Oct 9) he was only 46.4 pounds. We gave him IV fluids on Oct 3, but happily his diarrehea settled down so we didn't have to give him any more. We're still waiting for his GI system to totally return to normal. I think that will help him feel SO much better.

That is the face of a HUNGRY boy!

Chillaxin' in the living room

So, what now? The first step, to quote the vet, is to see how good Trapper can feel. We want him to be happy, be interesting in playing, and return to agility class, even if it means jumping 4" jumps :) Next step is we hope for a long, long remission time. If/when he comes out of remission, we will likely start him on lomustine, which is the final medication in our "bag of chemo tricks". Until then, as much snuggling as Trapper will allow and gratitude for every day we have with him. And yes, plenty of tears when I think of the inevitable.

Give those pups an extra hug for me and thanks for all the support--it means the world to us!