I promised Trapper that if he stayed with us through Christmas, I'd give him a steak for Christmas. He did it! And he loved the steak! More on that later.....
Since the last update, Trapper had another Lomustine treatment, this time combined with L-asparginase on December 16. At that time we also added gabapentin to hopefully help with his increased muscle weakness/pain in his back end. To help address the possible inflammatory bowel disease, we have increased his azathioprine (an immunosuppressant that he's been on for years for his immune-mediated thrombocytopenia).
Trapper's never been a fan of snuggling, but we have had some nice snuggle time on the sofa the last few weeks. (Just don't tell him I posted these pictures!)
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| Mr Sleeping Beauty.... |
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| At the vet, ready to see his favorite doctors and nurses! |
Before his chiropractic and laser treatments, Trapper ran through some tunnels, jumped a few 4" jumps and jumped onto the low table. I was sad to see him have trouble getting over the one 8" jump that he took, and noticed that his telltale barking while running agility was gone. He was too busy focusing on getting through the obstacles with his weakened body..... I do, however, remember how incredibly fortunate I was to compete with this pup until he was 13 years and 4 months old. What a gift! I'd give anything for him to be able to run with the joy that he used to. (Though he does look pretty happy coming out of that tunnel!)
Don't let his expression fool you... he loves Dr Andi! He was cranky at the time of treatment, but I'm sure it helped him feel better the next day.
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Love this shot--not only is he showing off his Christmas collar, but I see the sparkle that is Trapper.
That steely look of determination. He really is a dog like no other. |
On Dec 23, I took Trapper in for a CBC follow up from his Dec 16 chemo treatment. I took this photo when we got to the vet's office. I thought Trapper was just being his usual badass self by the look on his face, but then realized that he was stuck.....His left leg had slid down between the seat and the wheel well and he didn't have enough strength in his back legs to get himself out. Most dogs would welcome help getting out, but not Trapper! He glared at me, and eventually started snarling and snapping at me. Soooo, quick trip in to the vet to borrow a party hat, and I was able to get him unstuck. It wasn't easy though, and Trapper was pissed off at me! Merry Christmas, Trapper style ;D
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Trapper waiting to get the treats off his paws. Unfortunately, when I released him, he didn't go for the treats....combined with the "stuck in the car" situation, this lack of willingness to move for FOOD which he LOVES really
hit home with me how weak he was. |
Trapper's vet was also quite concerned about his back end weakness (his back legs just slide out from under him on smooth surfaces), so she fashioned these hobbles to help him out. I'm not sure whether he's licking his lips because he just ate treats or because he wants to eat us for putting hobbles on him--LOL! Seriously, though, they have helped A LOT! His grandma even sewed him a few pairs so they'd be smooth with no knots (thanks, Grandma Sandy!) We've also added twice a week vitamin B injections and alpha-lipoic acid supplements. His weakness seems to come and go, and we're hoping it improves with these new treatments.
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| Christmas morning!! |
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| Christmas gifts! Trapper has a bacon-wrapped beef tenderloin. |
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| Trapper spying to see what Joker & Blaze got.... |
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| "I want to eat it NOW!" |
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| Waiting patiently for me to cook his steak. |
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| Ready to EAT!! |
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Trapper is certain he should eat the leftover steak
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Unfortunately, on Christmas night, just 9 days after the Lomustine treatment, Trapper's lymph nodes became enlarged again. If the drug was working well, he would have stayed in remission for 21 days. The cancer appears to have become resistant to Lomustine. On December 26 and again today (Dec 29) I spoke with the vet about our options. Tomorrow Trapper will go back in for a CBC and we will either treat him with Vincristine or Mitoxantrone, both drugs that have worked well in the past. We stopped using them for Trapper because we thought they were causing stomach upset and making him feel miserable. Now that we know the stomach issues may be unrelated, we will give them a try again. We're now trying to balance the lymphoma, the stomach upset and the hind end weakness against each other. We don't want to use such an aggressive chemo that it throws the other 2 off, but obviously want to keep him in remission as long as possible.
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| Poor Trapper is feeling really puny tonight. Hoping that the vitamin B and chemo will restore that sparkle to his eye.... |
This is an extremely difficult time. Two years ago when Trapper was diagnosed with lymphoma, I asked about the end. What would happen? Eventually we would run out of treatment options. We're not there yet, but we're close, I'm afraid. I hate to see him suffer. The days that he's having no fun, or worse, when he's sweet and pitiful, I fear the inevitable. It's such a huge obligation we have to care for our furry kids all the way through their lives. I just so want the old, cranky, spunky Trapper back. I enjoy every moment I can with him, regardless.
Hug those pups.............
Kirsta & Trapper
