First Week of Treatment (1st Week Radiation & Chemo)

So our Maxie had a rough night last night. It is day 4 (going into day 5) post chemo treatment and we were told that between day 4-5 he may have some nausea symptoms or have straining issues with going out to urinate.

The reason for this is because day 4 & 5 are the days that the fast replicating tumor cells are dying off from the chemo treatment and this action can cause nausea. These symptoms usually dissipate after day 5.

Max has been doing really well all week with his symptoms so far (see the timeline below). Monday was his first chemo treatment and on Thursday afternoon he got a little nauseated so we gave him a nausea pill right away (Cerenia). It stopped his nausea.

He was good the rest of the night (this is day 4) until 11pm. He started having really bad nausea at 11pm and he couldn't get comfortable. He was pacing and lapping and trying not to throw up. The Cerenia pill can only be given once every 24 hours, so I couldn't give him another pill until Friday afternoon. My husband worked until 12am and he had worked all day so he really needed to get some sleep so I brought Max out into the great room and just tried to talk with him and make him as comfortable as I could, rubbing him and reassuring him that I was there.

If you've never had a nauseous dog before, consider yourself lucky. It's a very helpless feeling bc there is not too much you can do (although little did I know there was something I could give him that I forgot about). Every dog is different, but for Max, when he gets nauseous, he paces and can't sit still. His tummy is just so upset and all he wants to do is go outside and eat grass. He laps his lips, constantly gags, and can't get comfortable.

From 11-4am I just followed him around wherever he wanted to go. I sat with him on the ground rubbing him and talking to him. I sat in his favorite chair and he'd join me for a few minutes before getting back up and pacing. We went out several times throughout the night to pee (or not pee). He mainly wanted to eat grass which I wouldn't let him do, but I can't not take him out bc of his situation. The last thing I wanted to be doing was trying to console a nauseated dog while cleaning up chemo peepee on our carpet. So, outside we went. The moon and stars were welcoming and I didn't hear any coyotes tonight so that was helpful, too.

At 4am, he wanted to go in the bedroom so we went in there and he laid down and slept for 1.5 hours. I was so happy for him that he could get some rest and his nausea started to slow down a bit. I slept too.

At 5:30am he woke up wanting to go back outside so we went out just as the sun was starting to rise. There is something about the sun rising in the quiet countryside that, despite being so so  tired, it just soothes my soul and makes everything alright. See what I mean?!

We came back in and he was nauseated again so we hung out, I talked to him and just tried to get him comfortable, and I did my morning devotional with him lying next to me. I had super tired eyes but knew Sammy Lammington would be getting up soon for his breakfast so I waited to hear him stir. Like clockwork, Sammy got up at 7am demanding ...... errrrrr.... asking for his breakfast. :)

Colin got up and fed Sammy while I focused on Maxie. We had a professional photographer that I scheduled about 4 weeks ago coming out to the house this morning at 10:30a to take pictures of the dogs so I reached out to her to let her know we were going to have to reschedule. Thankfully she was understanding and very empathetic.

I was counting down the hours until we could give Max his next Cerenia pill and was talking with Colin to see if there was anything else we could do bc we felt so helpless.

Then it hit us. CBD oil. We have been giving him CBD oil for the past 2 weeks now, increasing his dosage every few days to get his body use to it. The most we've been giving him right now is just under 20mg for the entire day and we will eventually work our way upwards of around 25-30mg for the day (given in several doses).

I did not give Max his last dosage of CBD oil on Thursday night bc I had given him CBD oil already that day, along with Claritin for his allergies, ear meds for his yeast infection (due to his allergies), Metronidazole 250mg for his diarrhea, Carprofen (his NSAID), and Cerenia for the first round of nauseousness in the afternoon. I had given him so much throughout the day that I decided to skip his last round of CBD oil that I would have normally given him.

It just so happens that if I had given this to him, he may have still had nausea but the oil would have probably kept him comfortable.

I was so focused on counting down the hours until I could give him Cerenia again that I completely forgot that CBD oil has anti-nausea properties and is perfect for that.

Serious mom fail.

We grabbed a treat and put 7 drops of CBD oil on it and within minutes, Max's nausea went away.

(face palm)

I suck.

HUGE mom fail.

I feel so bad bc I could have made him feel better last night and he could have had a good night sleep and not have felt so crappy.

Sigh.

It's not the first screw up and won't be the last, but I certainly learned a lesson and I can help alleviate this symptom for him moving forward with CBD oil (We use Lazarus Naturals by the way). Also, the next time he has chemo, I will be pro-active and give him his Cerenia pill probably on day 2 or 3 - day 5 to help him with these symptoms.

It is now 2:30pm on Friday and he has been fine since then. I rescheduled our photo shoot for Sunday evening and I am just hanging out with the dogs for the rest of the day.

Symptoms Max has had since his first radiation/chemo treatment:
Day 1: He was nauseated in the car on the drive home (most likely from the sedation). We will either give him CBD oil or a Cerenia pill prior to getting him in the car after his next treatment to avoid the car sickness. He was tired that night and slept the entire night all the way until the next morning.

Day 2: He was tired. He used the bathroom fine but slept most of the day. Diarrhea started today so we gave him Metronidazole 250mg (1 pill every 12 hours). This pill is to be given to him 2 days BEYOND full resolution of all diarrhea. This helped him within one day and I kept him on this until Thursday night.

Day 3: Normal. He was not as tired. No diarrhea. No nausea. No straining to eliminate. Even chased bunnies outside. :)

Day 4: He was acting normal until around the afternoon when he became nauseated. We gave him 1 Cerenia pill and his nauseousness went away. He started "straining" to urinate today. By straining, he still has a good first stream but then he tries to "mark" around the yard afterwards with nothing coming out. Around 11pm, he became very nauseous and was nauseated until we gave him CBD oil the next morning. Next time, we know to give this to him right away (how much will depend on how much has been given to him already that day bc you don't want to give dogs too much). He is pooping just fine. I removed the chemo fence on this night bc the chemo should be out of his system now.

Day 5: Once we gave him CBD oil, he was perfectly fine. He is still straining to urinate (great 1st stream and then constant marking around the yard) but he is pooping just fine. He had slight nausea last night but slept through most of the night.

Day 6: No nausea today at all! Wahoo!!!!! He is definitely straining to pee and poop today. He has a good first stream but then walks around the yard trying to pee with nothing coming out. He is also straining to poop today. No Nausea at all today though! Great news! He had energy today, was barking, running, and acting like himself. He woke me up today by licking my face. What a wonderful way to wake up.

Day 7: No nausea today again! Yeehaw! He is eating like a champ! No fussiness at all. He is getting around 24mg of CBD oil each day (in 2 doses). He is still straining to urinate a little bit but he's peeing. He did not strain as bad today to poop. Just a little straining in that area. He slept through the entire night last night. He acted most like himself today more than he has in months! He was running and happy and barky! I loved every minute of it. We had a professional photographer come here today to take pics of the boys and they both did so well!

Side note: Max has had a great appetite all week long and has been eating well all week.

I had called and left a message with his oncologist yesterday afternoon bc I noticed his gums were slightly pale. The color seemed to come and go. I heard back from his radiation oncologist and she
wasn't worried since he was eating well, eliminating fine, and not lethargic.

His chemo oncologist & his radiation oncologist BOTH called us today (Friday) to check on him (MSU is AMAZING). I told them both what happened with his nauseousness and they confirmed that this is all normal for days 4 & 5 after treatment bc of the cancer cells dying off and they were happy the CBD oil worked.

Side note: In the state of Michigan, vets are NOT allowed (it's state law) to discuss CBD oil with patients and owners. They can not advise this kind of treatment but they both let me know that if we decide to use it, it will not adversely affect any of his treatments.

They both agreed with my plan to be pro-active after his next round of treatment and to start with Cerenia on day 2 or 3 - day 5 to keep him comfortable, bc likely he will experience these same symptoms again. Plus I have CBD oil in my arsenal.

Max is sleeping next to me right now and he has decided to forgive me for being stupid and forgetting about CBD oil (duh-mom!).

We are hoping to have a much better night tonight for him. He has been such a trooper through all of this and he's such a sweetheart. I hate to see him sick or hurting. I am learning so much and making some mistakes along the way, but hoping to not repeat any of them.

Thank you for your prayers and for taking the time to read all of this! I hope it helps someone going through this down the road.

Total cost of this treatment today:
$1,614.40

Much love from Max, Sammy and I!
xoxoxo