Lulu got her second chemo boost today (a week delayed because of an infection). She seems to be handling it really well. She's just been sleeping all day after all the excitment of going into Manhattan and seeing all the doctors and nurses at the vet.
For those who want to learn more about the type of chemo she's doing, listen up. She's been given doxorubicin. It's a pretty standard drug that's given for all kinds of cancers in both animals and humans. Animals aren't given as strong a dosage as humans, which is why they don't have to deal with hair loss and severe fatigue, nausea, and general sicky feelings. The reason they're given a lower dosage is because dogs don't live as long as humans. When a human is diagnosed with cancer they usually have 40 or more years to go so doctors want to kill the cancer cells in order give the patient a chance at a full life. Unfortunately when you try and kill cancer cells you also almost kill the patient. For dogs, when cancer is diagnosed they usually only have a few more years left in them at most, so the point of their treatment is to fend off cancer for as long as possible and ensure the dog's quality of life is at its highest.
When Lulu goes in for treatment she's given Anzemet, an anti-nausea med and bendryl to make her drowsy. She's sent home with two other drugs to fend off nausea and other gastro-intestinal issues. She didn't have any major issues the first time, in terms of nausea or the D, so I'm hoping that'll be the case this time.
Let me know if you have any questions.
