Update on Shadow April 2/08

Right now little Shadow is happily sleeping on the sofa with me as I write this post.  Our family and Shadow thank you for all of the kind comments, emails, and well wishes over the last few days.  Quite a few things have happened since my last post, and most of them have been very positive.

During Shadow’s appointment at the Mississauga Oakville Veterinary Emergency Hospital and Referral Group, he was treated with the utmost care and respect.  Many of the other clients and staff were amazed that he is almost 18!  We saw a wonderful internal medicine specialist, Dr. Webb, who examined the little guy, and also did an ultrasound of his abdomen.  She confirmed my previous findings and suspected that this unfortunately was an aggressive tumour that has spread to one of his internal lymph nodes.  We thought it might have originated from an area deep to his anal sac–a few days later, the biopsy samples confirmed this is a cancerous tumour of his anal sac that is quick to spread.  So far, we have only confirmed that it has spread to the big sublumbar lymph node (tucked under his spine).  I took x-rays of the rest of his chest, and no obvious evidence that it has spread there.  Sadly, because of how much the tumour has spread and the bad location, the odds of getting the whole cancer with good margins are slim to none, should he even be able to tolerate and recover from such a major surgery at his age. Other options of chemo and radiation alone are not viable for this little guy either. 

While at the referral centre we also consulted with another great specialist, Dr. Duque, who is a neurologist.  Based on  his exam, and the info we have, she thinks the likely source of his neurological episodes is actually a separate degenerative lesion in his back further up from where the tumour is.  So really, I found this tumour hidden deep within his body by accident.

So we have two separate problems to manage:  The cancer, which really isn’t giving him any trouble right now, and his back pain, that is.  We made the tough decision to not chase after a major cancer surgery and treatment that realistically won’t make this problem go away, specially knowing Shadow’s age and disposition, and how quick he is to go off food.  We decided instead to focus on treating his back pain and maintain his overall health to try to keep him happy, comfortable, and keep this cancer at bay for as long as possible.

In order to help accomplish the above goals, we decided to seek the help of a very knowledgeable veterinarian, Dr. Sherebrin, at Secord Animal Hospital in Toronto, who is certified in Veterinary Acupuncture and practices integrative medicine.  Dr. Sherebrin is an experienced veterinarian, and has been studying traditional Chinese medicine in pets for several years.  Not knowing very much about this type of medicine, but definitely believing that it can make a difference, my husband and I took Shadow to his first acupuncture session and consultation.  We went over Shadow’s history and all of his medical findings in great detail, then came up with a plan.  Dr. Sherebrin did an acupuncture session on Shadow, and the results were something I would have never expected from him.  The little guy had been pretty nervous and scared, but did not fight us much during the first session, and shortly thereafter, hopped up on the leather sofa and was fast asleep snoring!  The colour of his tongue improved, and he was the happiest I’ve seen in weeks.  I expected that it might help, but never expected anything so soon!

 We also started him on a supplement for his back, and are really boosting the amount of antioxidants and essential fatty acids (like the Omegas) he gets to help his overall health, immune system, and make it tougher for the tumour to take over.  Dr. Sherebrin is also formulating a special diet for Shadow to help nourish his body without also feeding the tumour. 

He went in for his second acupuncture session yesterday and did even better than the first time!  This amazes me since Shadow has always been a nervous dog who doesn’t like to sit still for very long, or really even be hugged. 

I have no idea what the future will bring, but the important thing is that Shadow is becoming more comfortable by the day: His fur is growing back rapidly after being shaved for the catheter and ultrasound (a very good sign of his overall health), he is happy and comfortable, and most of all, he is eating well again and tolerating all of his supplements no problem.  He has not had any further episodes where he can’t walk, and I have some good pain medicine on hand for him when he needs them.  We are just taking this one day at a time, and so far, so good.

The most amazing thing happened last night.  Shadow hopped up onto the bed all by himself and walked over to our dog Naula.  For a long time he let Naula sniff under his tail near where his tumour is.  She then gave his face a little lick, and he snuggled in to sleep for a few hours right on her side and legs.  I have never seen this from either of them: Shadow usually likes his own space, and Naula doesn’t like anything on top of her.  The sight of these two dogs reminded me that despite all the formal knowledge we have, just how little we really understand about the way things work.

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