Test Results, 3rd Round of Chemo and New Chemo Drug OH MY!

So today was Max's 3rd chemo treatment and he is having tests ran to check the progress of his prostate cancer. As much as we've been praying, feeling God's presence, and being loved on by our wonderful friends and family, testing days and waiting for results always gives me anxiety.


Remember the rocking?

Yep.

Today I rocked.

When we arrived at MSU today I was super anxious and so was Max. Max has actually not been nervous on any of our trips to MSU but I think he was feeding off my anxiety today bc he just wanted to be in my lap. When his 2 oncologists walked up to say him to him, he clawed his way up me (literally) and was clinging to me and didn't want anyone touching him.

I have no doubt it was because he could sense my worry and anxiety. :( They took him back for his pre-lab tests (bloodwork, urine analysis, etc) and Colin and I chatted about what we were going to do since it was going to take a  few hours. I was too nervous to just sit there so we decided to go and grab lunch and then go and walk around a nearby camper store so we could browse campers.

It was just over an hour when I received a call from his oncologist.

I always brace myself for these conversations because since we started this journey, these conversations have always been devastating. From finding out his initial diagnosis and prognosis, to finding out he is NOT stage 1 and more like stage 3, to learning he is not a candidate for stereotactic radiation like we'd hoped.

These conversations are always so nerve wracking and I hold my breath a lot.

I will never forget going to the Ellen B. Thompson center to find out if I had breast cancer and when walking across the parking lot towards the building, my legs started to feel like I was wearing cement boots. I couldn't lift my legs. I stood on the corner and literally could not walk. Colin was with me and he was so patient and just told me to take my time. I stood there and cried, hyperventilated, and couldn't walk in. I will never forget a bus going by me and people just looking at me through the windows.

Sigh.

Waiting on a diagnosis or test results is SCARY!

Maybe you, too, can relate.

So, here I am standing in a gravel parking lot wearing my flip flops looking at campers with a stone stuck in between my toes holding my breath.

The first thing Max's oncologist said was "We see progression in Max's cancer."

Deep deep sigh.

Take a breath Brenda.

This freaking stone is in between my toes still.

To which I replied "Ok. So what does that mean?".

She said that the tumor on his prostate grew but not a lot. It grew from 4.2cm to 4.5cm (so +.3cm). This COULD be inflammation and is honestly great news that his main tumor has not really grown.

The nodules on his lungs have doubled in size (but they were VERY small to begin with). She said there was not any change in the size of his lymph nodes that were enlarged (there are two of them).

We discussed changing up his chemo protocol and using a different chemo medication. Cancer is smart and can adapt to certain meds so when one med isn't working or not working as well as they'd like to see, they like to switch it up to a different med. We are moving from Mitoxantrone to now Vinblastine. The meds are comparable and the side effects are pretty much the same. The main difference in these meds are the Mitoxantrone is given intravenously over about a 30 minute duration whereas the Vinblastine will be a shot and it will be given quickly.

We are going to also give him the Vinblastine more often, so instead of having a chemo treatment every 3 weeks, he will have one every 2 weeks for now.

In 6 weeks, we will re-test and have more scans done on Max to see how he is doing on the Vinblastine.

We always knew there was a chance this could happen and we are thankful there are other medicine options available.

When I got off the phone I had an initial feeling of panic and tears. The more Colin and I talked we realized how blessed we are that his cancer hasn't grown more! There was a chance it could have metastisized to other organs and there was a chance his main tumor on his prostate could have grown tremendously, so the fact there hasn't been much progression besides on his lungs is a big win.

Of course, we were hoping to see that his tumors had shrunk, but that is just not the case right now. Max's cancer is a very aggressive cancer and looking at these results, we think coupling his treatments (immunotherapy, radiation and chemo) has helped to slow down it's progress, which is what we want to have happen.

We NEED to see the silver lining. We NEED to remember that Max is clinically healthier than he was in the spring. His blood work is fantastic and looks great and he is feeling good and acting almost normal. He still chases bunnies. He still steals shirts and tries to rip up blankies. Just this morning he was doing zoomies on our bed and bouncing around and playing!

Max is thriving with having cancer. He is living a good life and is happy. His cancer doesn't define him (or us) and he is doing well. God's hand has been evident and He continues to guide us and keep us strong. He has given us such a wonderful support system and shows us His love every single day.

On our tired days we will remember this.

On the days Max isn't feeling well we will remember this.

On days where I have a stone stuck in between my toes I will remember this.

All will be well because God loves us and because my Maxie is happy.

Chemo treatment #3 (new chemo med Vinblastine):

Day 1: Max was tired most of the night. He was not nauseated (we had them give him a shot of Cerenia and he will get a Cerenia pill daily for the next 6 days). He was hungry and wanted food but I only gave him less than a 1/4 cup of boiled chicken soaked in bone broth. He wanted to eat more BUT food and sedation doesn't usually work well for him. He never became nauseaus and he slept from 12am to 4am, went out potty, and was back in bed asleep by 4:30am.

Day 2: Max was tired today. He is straining to poop but he doesn't have much in his system food wise since he had to fast yesterday and didn't eat much. He ate REALLY well for both breakfast and lunch! He has slept most of the day and has been drinking a lot of water. He ate dinner well and his late night snack went down fast! We are limiting his water intake from 7pm - till morning so he can hopefully sleep through the night. His stool was a teenie bit loose but I am giving him pumpkin to help firm it up. Over all, great day. No nausea.

Day 3: Another great day today! No nausea to speak of at all. We have been giving him cerenia all week long along with his normal dose of CBD oil. His poop looked fantastic today! Like the best I have seen in months! The pumpkin is helping to keep everything firm and he isn't straining to poop at all. He has a great stream when he pees too. Over all a great day. He ate really well, too with no problems. He was happy, a little tired, but went potty great. Only woke up at 5am to go potty! Wahoo!

Day 4: Today is normally the day he doesn't want to eat after his last few chemo treatments but this is a new med that we started this week (Vinblastine). He woke up at 3am to pee and then again at 5am bc of the skunk on our front porch. :) I gave him 5 drops of CBD oil at 3am. He woke up again at 7am and was excited to eat! SO SO HAPPY! I gave him only chicken with bone broth today along with pumpkin so it was easy on his stomach to digest. He ate well for all of his meals and had no nausea today! Super exciting! We will see what tomorrow holds but maybe this new med is easier on his tum tum. Still a little tired today but he is doing well.

Day 5: Still a little tired today but he did not have any nausea at all! He ate totally normal today. He was not picky about his foods, was VERY eager to eat, and did well for all meals! He has also not strained at all to poop this entire week. His poop looks like normal dog poopy! We do the happy dance every time we go out! He isn't straining and he hasn't had diarrhea. I am giving him pumpkin for 2 meals during the day so I think that is helping. He hasn't had any issues with his tummy at all on this new chemo med.

Day 6: Still doing great! Pooping and eating great! The only side effect he has had is he has been more tired than on his other chemo med but Vinblastine seems to be way easier on his tummy. No GI upset and not diarrhea and his poop continues to look great and he has had no straining!!!!

Day 7: Same as above! He continues to eat well! Poop looks GREAT! No straining! Yeehaw! I had his wbc count checked on 9/24 and it was lower but nothing to be alarmed at. His oncologist said he was fine and wouldn't need to be on any antibiotics. New chemo drug seems to be working great with him! Only side effect of being tired!


Cost of treatment today:
$860.33

Bone Broth! It's Not Just for Dogs.....

This is the face of a Maxie that does not want to eat usually day 4 or 5 after chemo. On a normal day, Max is VERY food motivated. He LOVES to eat!!! But day 4 and 5 after his chemo treatments are the days that his tummy usually gets upset and we have to entice him with goodies to try and get him to eat anything.

Sometimes it works but other times he just refuses to eat. I freaked out at first, worrying about him not eating because he needs nutrients and his strength, especially during chemo weeks since his wbc count will take a nose dive, but I learned after a few chemo treatments what to expect and I learned not to panic.

This too shall pass and he will be ready for food soon.

One of the things I read about and many of my awesome friends told me about was bone broth and all of the good nutrients it provides for both 2 legged creatures (that's you and me)  and the 4-legged kind.

Here is some great info on bone broth that I never knew:

-Bone broth is a collagen-rich and nutrient-dense superfood. It contains important nutrients, especially minerals, which makes it a beneficial dietary supplement for many people. When bones from chicken, cows, and even some fish get simmered down, it releases nutrients from the marrow of the bones and it breaks down other tissues into the water making it a flavorful and nutritious broth

-Bones themselves are rich in vitamins and nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous. Brewing connective tissue into bone broth provides the body with natural compounds from the cartilage. Tissues and bones also contain collagen which provides the body with amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins.

-Bone marrow is rich in nutrients such as: Iron, vitamins A & K, fatty acids, selenium, zinc, and manganese.

-Bone broth may help protect joints, it may aid in fighting osteoarthritis, and it may help in reducing inflammation and aid in overall gut health.

There are many benefits to bone broth for your dog, too!!! Research has shown that bone broth is a great liver detox for dogs, it promotes gut health for furry Rover (or Max!) and it supports their immune system which is important, especially for those dogs fighting cancer.

On top of these great benefits for your dog, bone broth has a wonderful meaty flavor and if your dog is being picky about their food, adding warm broth can make their meal too enticing to walk away from!

Over these past weeks of chemo and Max being picky about his food or not wanting to eat at all, I have found when I add warm bone broth to his meals, he can't resist. He laps it up right away and I feel good knowing it's giving him extra nutrients to support his immune system.

The first time I made bone broth I used bones from roasted chicken. I used our instant pot and it worked out great! The next time I made it I wanted to try beef bones with marrow bc marrow has wonderful nutrients in it!

Below is what we did when making beef bone broth for Maxie and I hope it helps you if you decide to try this for your furry loved one or for YOU!

To make beef bone broth you will need:

3lbs of beef bones (with marrow if you can find them)
3 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar (I used organic)
Instant Pot (or crock pot)
Filtered water

**You can make bone broth on your stove or in your crock pot but it has to simmer for 24 hours in order to pull all the ingredients from the bones. We like to use our Instant Pot bc it is quicker. The amount of water will vary from stove to crock pot to Instant Pot so look up the proper water requirements once you decide which cooking method you prefer

The first thing you will want to do is to roast your beef bones in your oven. Set your oven temp to 400 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with vegetable oil.

Place your bones on the baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes.

Roasting brings out the flavor in the bones and will make for a more flavorful broth.

Next, place your bones in the bottom of your Instant Pot. Be careful! Those suckers will be warm! Add filtered water and cover the bones and fill to 1" BELOW the max fill line on your pot.

Next, add in 3 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar which will help draw out the nutrients from the bones and marrow.

Set the Instant Pot on high pressure and set for 120 minutes.

Once time is up, allow your Instant Pot to slow release for 30 minutes.

Once your pin drops, shut off and get ready to strain.

**Side note: When we took our lid off here, we noticed our bone marrow did NOT come out of the bones, so, we took a knife and pushed it out into the hot broth. We decided to cook the broth for 1 more hour just to allow more nutrients to be extracted from the marrow into the broth, but not sure this is really necessary.

Next, you are going to strain your broth to get rid of any bone pieces that have splintered off and to remove any chunks of marrow left or other impurities.

When you have completed straining, pour your broth into storage containers and cool in your fridge over night.

The next day, there will be a layer of oil that has risen to the top that you will want to skim off.

As you can see, Sammy was helping me with the process. :)

Then, you can store your bone broth however you want! We like to freeze it in ice cube trays so we can pop 2-3 cubes out for each one of our dog's meals and pour it over their food. It is super convenient that way, too.

Don't be alarmed by the light color of the broth. I had in my head it would look dark brown like it does in the beef broth you buy in the stores. My bones did NOT have a lot of meat left on them (actually none at all) and I have read it's the meaty part that adds the darker color.

On days when Max doesn't want to eat bc his belly is upset, giving him some warm broth in a bowl will keep him hydrated and provide the nutrients and gut health he needs.

Hope you found this helpful and if you have any tips or tricks on how you make bone broth, I would love to know! A BIG thanks to my friend Diane Shimansky and Dawn Church for giving me advice and feedback how to make this!!! I couldn't have done it without you!

Comment below and let me know if you try this!

Love,
Brenda (and Max, too!)

Nutrition for a Dog with Cancer... Part 2!

Here is a picture of Max helping me with all my research on his food. :)

In my last blog post we talked about how there has been a lack of studies done on dogs with cancer and nutritional needs/protocols and there has especially been a lack of research on ketogenic diets and dogs with cancer.

I mentioned PetDiets.com, which is the resources we used to get additional information to make sure we were feeding Max properly and giving him the right amount of nutrition while on his cancer journey.

I ended my last post about cutting out carbs to starve the cancer while feeding your dog.

You can learn from our mistake here! Read carefully!

We were excited bc we thought we were doing the right thing with Max's new food regime, and while we were on the right track, we were missing out on some healthy fats for him that would allow him to maintain his weight.

When we switched him over to a Ketogenic diet, he was getting WAY less than 20g of carbs per day. He is eating a lot of fibrous veggies and proteins but since he had very little carbs and his diet didn't have a lot of fat in it, he started to lose weight.

While for us, we may get excited when we drop a few pounds - for a dog and especially a dog with cancer, losing weight is not something you want.

In a matter of about 5 weeks, Max had lost around 7lbs.

Another reason Max was losing weight was because he was fasting and skipping meals prior to (and sometimes after) each treamtment. He had treatments for 5 weeks in a row, so he was skipping MEALS one day a week, for 5 straight weeks.

Something that is important to know about feeding a dog with cancer is that dogs (and people) can eventually get what is called "Cancer Cochexia". This is a metabolic condition that causes weight loss, loss of appetite and fatigue. Dogs can lose muscle mass and their immune system can be affected by this.

It's important to know that tumor cells get their energy from glucose in the dog's bloodstream, so it is very important that dogs get the right carbohydrates that will give them energy without giving their tumor energy. Simple carbs like those from grains are the sources of glucose that tumors use and feed on, so your dog should be limited with these types of carbs and only be fed low-glucose carbs from things like fruits and veggies.

Both your dog and their tumor need protein to survive, so make sure to give your dog enough protein so it can maintain muscle mass and to help keep their immunity strong even with the tumor taking some.

It's important to note, too, that too much protein gets converted over to carbs.

SAY WHAT!?

Yep.

It's true.

Too much protein can be hard on their kidneys as well as constipating them.

(insert picture of my head spinning here)

So, the first thing we learned was that we needed to get Max back to his ideal weight (or slightly more) to avoid Cancer Cachexia and to allow him room for the meals he would skip during chemo weeks when he may not be feeling the greatest. It's also good to know that when they have treatment days, they will fast prior to treatment and probably skip a meal or two that day which can cause weight loss, so keeping them at their optimal weight is important.

Once we noticed Max losing weight, we focused on adding in healthy fats and adding additional meals for him.

Pre-cancer, he would eat 2 meals a day. Breakfast & dinner with a bunch of goodies throughout the day (kong bone, treats, veggies, fruits, etc).

Now, Max is getting 4 meals throughout the day and his main meals (breakfast & dinner) are larger meals. He also gets snacks throughout the day like a kong bone, kale treat, fruit.

When you feed a dog with cancer, especially if you switch over to a food regime like ours, it will AMAZE you how much food they are eating. We were SHOCKED at the quantity of food Max was getting per meal when we looked at it BUT he was eating fresh food now instead of kibble (we do give him 1/4 kibble per day - I will talk more about that below).

With the meals he was getting, he was easily eating more than I was in a day!

Since we needed to add in more healthy fats, we made sure to put it where it would count. Instead of feeding him organic chicken breasts, he was fed organic chicken thighs, since thighs are higher in fats. With turkey, he would eat ground turkey that had 7% or more of fat. He gets either greek yogurt or cottage cheese for lunch, both of which are full fat and made with whole milk (nothing reduced fat or skim).

Max started putting weight back on slowly right away once we bulked up his feedings, added lunch and a late night (7-8pm) meal, and once we focused on healthy fats.

Here are some pics of his meals and lunches:

For treats, instead of just fruits, we give him kale treats (2 a day) which is how we give him his CBD  oil, and I freeze greek yogurt in ice cube trays (and I add a few blueberries and cut up strawberries) for a fun frozen snack.

Here is Max with a yogurt stache!

He is putting weight back on with this new regime now thankfully!

And here is what Max thinks of his new food regime!

As you can see, he is pretty happy! :)

A few other things we learned that may be helpful for you:

1. Healthy dogs should get on average the same amount of protein in grams as their body weight. For example, if your dog weighs 36lbs, they should roughly get 36g of protein per day. For dogs with cancer, the protein amount needs to be higher bc the tumor will take up some of that protein.

2. On a dry matter basis, your dog should be getting moderate to increased proteins at around 30-45% of their daily diet. (dry matter basis is explained below)

3. Dogs with cancer should have moderate to high fat intake at around 25-40% (on a dry matter basis)

4. Dogs with cancer should have no more than 25% carbs in a day.

5. Dogs with cancer should have Omega 3 fatty acids (although supplements can affect chemotherapy so this should typically come from food sources).

6. Dogs with cancer should have arginine in their diet. Read here about arginine: https://en.wikivet.net/Arginine_-_Nutrition . Chicken thighs are high in arginine so if you are feeding them chicken thighs, they should be getting the proper amount.

7. Always choose chicken over beef. Beef has a lot of fat, and although your dog needs fats, healthy fats are more important. Chicken has a lot of nutrients that your dog needs and it's easy on their stomach. It's always good to have a good rotation of proteins for your dogs, but most of their meat based protein should come from chicken for your dog with cancer.

Side note: I boil my chicken thighs for 40 minutes on the stove top and then shred it.

8. Another tip we learned along the way is that too much protein can cause constipation (just like in people). We noticed Max straining to poop and we noticed when we did give him carbs (we went back to feeding him 1/4 cup of grain free kibble a day mixed in with his other food which has other nutrients in it that he needs) his poop looked better and there was not much straining. To help him with straining as well, I give him 1/4 teaspoon of MetaMucil (regular, not flavored, and make sure it doesn't have sugar substitutes in it) in his breakfast and then 1/8 teaspoon with his dinner.

To sum up: Current recommendations for cancer management in adult dogs are as follows (Dry Matter Basis (DMB)): 1 Digestible carbohydrates: avoid excess, <25% DMB, or <20% of the food’s Metabolizable Energy (ME) Fat: Provide a large proportion of energy from fat = 25-40% of DMB, or 50-65% of the food’s ME Omega-3 fatty acids: >5% DMB Omega-6:omega-3 fatty acid ratio: as close to 1:1 as possible in formulation Protein: avoid deficiency – provide in excess of adult requirements = 30-45% DMB or 25-40% of the food’s ME Arginine: Provide foods with arginine >2% DMB

To figure out Dry Matter basis:
 To determine first the % dry matter by subtracting the moisture % from 100, then dividing each nutrient by this number.

This will provide a means to compare nutrients across diets with different moisture levels (dry, canned, or homemade/fresh diets), and a means to compare to recommended nutrient levels for cancer management.

Example: Guaranteed Analysis (As Fed) = Crude protein - 12%, Crude Fat - 16%, Moisture – 67% Dry Matter = 100 – 67 = 33% or 0.33 Crude Protein (Dry Matter Basis) = 12 / 0.33 = 36.3% Crude Protein DMB Crude Fat (Dry Matter Basis) = 16 / 0.33 = 48.5% Crude Fat DMB

I know this is a lot of info but I promise once you figure out their food regime, you will feel much better and confident knowing that you are feeding the dog and not the cancer AND that you are giving your furry loved one the right nutrition for their journey.

I could recommend PetDiets.Com. They are $$ but it is an investment in your dog. We paid $200 for a 30 minute teleconference call but I was able to put together a list of questions before hand and we made the most of our time on the call. They also send you a written summary of everything discussed so you don't have to be writing like mad while you are on the phone.

I hope some of this info helped you and if you have questions please don't hesitate to reach out! You can do this! Your dog can do this!

Cost of TeleConference:
$200

Much love from Max and I!
xoxoxo
Brenda

Nutrition for a Dog with Cancer..... Part 1

Once Max was diagnosed with cancer, we dove into researching everything we could on canine cancer, treatments, and how to care for Max. We had no clue about the journey that would lie ahead and we didn't know anything about
cancer in dogs or the care that Max would need.

It was a lot of research!!!

Overwhelming to be honest. There is just so much to know and things you should know that you would have never thought to ask!

If this is you and you are experiencing cancer in your dog, take a deep breath, don't panic, and know there are a ton of resources out there to help you! Yes you! Also remember, Rome wasn't built in a day. You are not going to learn everything right now and you will continue to learn months after your pet's diagnosis. My best advice to you is to not do this alone. Ask questions and when you think you have asked all the questions there are.... ask more!!

I am about to get on my soap box for a hot minute..... are you ready?

I am climbing up there. Ok

Here goes....

RELY ON OTHERS that have gone through this experience ahead of you!

GASP!

What did she say?

RELY ON OTHERS?!

Say what?!?!?!?!

Hear me out.

It's important to not go solely by what you read on the internet or what others have gone through, bc cancer is such a personalized disease.

BUT! BUT! BUT!

You can find trustworthy and reliable resources on the internet through articles written by renowned vets, specialists and others that have walked this path before you. Just because someone does not have a veterinarian degree does not mean they can't be helpful in what they've learned through this process, even if you are just getting emotional support from them.

As always, seek advice from your oncologist(s) and the medical professionals bc that is what they are there for! They are educated and trained to handle your dog's specific ailment and cancer and that is what they do.

If you learn about something from the internet or from a friend, take it to your doctor(s) and ask them about it. They will guide you and give you their medical expertise and advice. I did this A LOT (thank goodness our doctors love us!) and some things I had heard and read from others were not going to be ideal for Max during his treatment BUT (there is that BUT again!).... there were other things I had learned, and when I asked our doctors about it, they said "Sure! Absolutely do that!".

You have to remember, you are with your doctors and oncologists for a short period of time. They don't live with you. They are treating your dog. They have a short amount of time with you. They also have other case loads and patients to treat so they don't have the time to sit down with you to cover everything.

Most of your time spent with them will be to put together a treatment protocol and then to work that treatment plan. The extra things like nutrition, supplements, CBD, etc will be things you want to run by them and educate yourself with.

I was told early on in Max's journey to not go by what others are saying and to solely go by our doctors and vets but I will say, after walking this journey myself, I don't agree with that.

I DO THINK you need to run things by your vet and your medical team - DO NOT EVER put your dog on something that you are unsure of or that you simply read about. EVERYTHING should be ran by your doctors.

E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!!

What I am saying however, is, do your research. Ask questions. Talk with others that have gone through this before you. Get advice. Get feedback. Then, take it to your doctor and medical team and get their opinions and final approval on things. MOST of what I know about canine cancer has been because of the research I have done and the questions I have asked. Not from what my doctors have told me. I am not saying our doctors are not great bc we are being treated by one of the TOP Vet schools in the entire country! They are AMAZING! WE LOVE THEM!

BUT, they only have so much time with you. A lot of what you will learn will come from your research and then going back and talking with your oncologist about it.

Hope this has made sense and was helpful.

Soap box done. :)

Back to nutrition needs for your pet with cancer.

Upon my research, I was running across information about pet food and cancer fighting benefits certain foods have in dogs with cancer and how a dog's nutritional needs would change with a cancer diagnosis. The interesting thing I found when researching was that there are not a lot of studies that have been done on dogs with cancer regarding food and nutrition.

Say this isn't so?!?!!? I KNOW!

But, it's true.

There have been studies done on people, cats, and rodents.... but not a ton of studies yet on dogs.

Hmph.

Sigh.

So let's dig deeper.

We started looking for a vet nutritionist so we could get some questions answered and vet nutritionists are hard to come by!

WHAT!?

Yep.

This is also true.

MSU doesn't currently have one, which was shocking to us. The nutritionist that was there has opened her own practice here in Michigan. I was able to track her down and get in touch with her to request a consultation but she is currently in Canada (eh) for the next year teaching but she directed me to a nutritional group at petdiets.com (https://www.petdiets.com/) that may be able to help us.

A little about PetDiets.com: Petdiets.com is the largest independent veterinary nutrition service with 5 nutritionists, all of whom are veterinarians and with combined 100+ years of clinical practice, research, teaching, industry and private consulting experience. They provide teleconsulting services for pet owners and veterinarians and they've been around for 19 years (they were started by Veterinary Nutritional Consultations which is an independent consulting service for professionals and pet owners that are seeking nutritional advice for their pets).

Since we really wanted to learn as much as we could about Max's nutritional needs during his cancer journey, we reached out to them and set up a teleconsult with one of their veterinarians so Colin and I could discuss questions we had on Max's nutrition and make sure we were on the right track with feeding him and taking care of him (see blog post about Max's food regime - https://maxiesadventures.blogspot.com/2019/07/new-food-regime.html ).

When you find out your beloved dog has cancer, their nutritional needs will change. The biggest thing that I learned and something that is important to know about canine cancer is that cancer feeds on sugars and carbohydrates.

The first thing we did was to put Max on a keto diet and remove most carbs from his eating/treat plan. We started feeding him a diet consisting of dehydrated raw veggies (Dr. Harveys Paradigm - $87.99 for a 6lb bag that lasts us a little less than 30 days) and homecooked organic proteins (chicken, turkey, beef, eggs). More info to come on this meal plan in Part 2 of this blog post.

By reducing the carbs, it can starve the cancer, which is the goal.

But wait!

There is more to know!

Just like people, when we go on a Keto diet, we tend to do it to lose weight. The same thing will happen to your dog when you place them on a Keto diet and remove the carbs, so you will need to adjust accordingly to ensure they are getting the right amount of protein, healthy fats, etc.

I am going to end this blog post since this blog post is going so long but I have Part 2 for this post for you now!

You can check it out here: https://maxiesadventures.blogspot.com/2019/09/nutrition-for-dog-with-cancer-part-2.html


I hope some of this info has been helpful so far for you in learning how to help your dog. Please comment below or message me if you have any questions!

xoxoxo,
Brenda and Max

Big Day... Big Test Results Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is a really big day for us. Max will have imaging tests done at MSU to see if all of these treatments are working on his cancer. We will either see a reduction in tumors, tumor size, stabilization, or an increase in tumors/sizing, extra metastization, etc. Oh boy!

Prayers are definitely appreciated as we hold our breath for these results. What we do know is this: God is good! He has been right by our side during this entire cancer journey. He has shown us His love through each one of you and all of your support and prayers and WE ARE SO THANKFUL! <3

We also know that Max currently has a better quality of life than he did in the spring when this all kicked off. He is eating like a champion 95% of the time, he is gaining weight back, he is barking, bouncing, doing zoomies, and giving kisses every chance he gets.

We have learned so so much through these past 5 months about dog cancer, dog health, poop, our love for Max, did I mention poop, and ourselves and what we can get through together. We have learned so much about God's love for us, how much he really really loves us and how He gives us what we need when we need it.

We are so grateful for each one of you and for all of your prayers. Max seems to be doing better today. We aren't sure if he has a UTI but we will know tomorrow for sure, but for now, he's acting totally normal. Thank you for your prayers and we will update you tomorrow evening with his test results. Love to you all! 

Max says "Thank you for all your prayers everyone!!!"

Love,

Maxie and his mama 

2 Bunnies and a Dog with Cancer....

See this face? This is the face of a dog that kept us up until 5am this morning. This is the face of a dog that wanted to go outside every hour on the hour last night. This is the face of a dog that saw 2 bunnies in our backyard at 11pm last night and then wanted to go outside at 12am, 1am, 2am, 2:45am, 4am, and then 5am to chase.... YES CHASE those 2 rabbits.

With Max having prostate cancer, we don't question him when he needs to go out. It doesn't matter if he just came back in, if it's raining, or the middle of the night. If he says he needs to go, we go. And we don't just let him outside. We go with him. Especially since Sammy Lammington eats poop, we pick up their poop right away so there is no chemo exchanging and poop burps. :)

Last night, this 10 year old dog with metastisized cancer ran faster than I have ever seen him run. He chased both bastards.... errrrr..... milk dud dropping bunnies around our yard all night. When he said he had to go out, we went out. To chase rabbits. Yep. To chase rabbits.

Today has been slow going for everyone but especially for Max. We suspect his back legs feel like ours do when we do 100 squats or lunges at the gym. Tonight, we are hoping we all get to sleep through the night. But right now, we are just thankful for our rabbit chasing boy that is living with cancer. Not dying from it. But living with it. Our boy Max. 

xoxoxo,

Brenda

Last Week of Radiation!! Week 5!

It's Max's last day of radiation therapy!!!!!! Wahoo!!!! Max went through 5 rounds of radiation therapy (1 round per week for 5 straight weeks) and he did really well with his treatment.

We did not notice many side effects from radiation except that his tummy and boy area pigment changed colors and went from pink to black'ish.

Other side effects of radiation therapy are hair color change. Hair will change to a salt & peppery color BUT Max is already that color so we didn't notice any color change there.

He tolerated radiation really well and didn't have any issues with the anesthesia (except for that time we gave him trazadone on the same day). Sigh.

Most days radiation therapy only took 1.5-2 hours tops and the average cost was around $350 per treatment (except for the first treatment which was higher for set up costs, testing, etc).

On Max's last day he wore a party hat to celebrate and his oncology team came out with a bag full of treats, a special dog cancer ribbon, and a certificate of treatment completion where all of his team signed and wrote special notes to him. It was so sweet! Here he is with his head oncologist and tech.

When we got home Sammy Lammington wanted to check him all out giving sniff sniff sniffs to make sure his brother was ok. We were very pleased with this form of treatment and how easy it was with very little side effects that bothered him. We were told a week after his final treatment there could be some straining to urinate or defecate but that is yet to be seen.

Max had 2 chemo treatments during the course of radiation (1 chemo the first week of radiation and 1 chemo the 4th week of radiation). Those were double treatment weeks, which he tolerated well. He has some side affects with chemo but I will make a new blog post about those.

Max has tests that will be ran on 9/17/19 that will give us a good look into his progress and it will let us know whether all of these treatments (immunotherapy, radiation, chemotherapy) are working. Max's rad oncologist did tell us that his prostate is smaller to the touch, which is great news! But, this mama is guarding her heart bc this journey has been a roller coaster ride so I don't want to get too excited until we have his x-rays on 9/17 and know for sure.

Until then, we are trying to add some weight back on Maxie bc he lost 7lbs (most likely due to his diet change). We met with a Vet Nutritionist this week (conference call) just to make sure we feel confident in how we are feeding him and to ensure he is getting the proper nutrition.

Max is feeling great, his quality of life is pretty much the same as before his cancer except for chemo weeks when he feels a little sluggish and queasy. He is active, he is happy, he is eating like a champ and he is still here and breathing.... which we are so so thankful for.

Every day we embrace. Whether it's the good, the bad, the nausea, the upset tummy, the happy zoomies, the bouncing around, the barking that use to annoy me now sounds like a sweet symphony, and the 4am potty runs just gives us an opportunity to see the stars.

Embracing. Thankful. Grateful.

Thank you for following along on this journey with us and for all of your support and prayers. We love you all!

Last Week of Radiation:

Day 1 (Tuesday): Max did great with his last radiation treatment. Tonight our oncologist called us and Max's white blood cell count was too low which would open him up for infection easily, so she wanted us to put him on an antibiotic for 1 week to help guard against infection. It usually takes 5 days for white blood cells to recooperate and build back up so she wanted to make sure he was guarded during this time. He was put on Clavamox 375mg - 1 pill twice a day 12 hours apart. This antibiotic can upset their tummies so it's important they take it with food.

Day 2: Max did fine today. Acted normal. Pee'd and pooped just fine. Poop looks great.

Day 3: Same as day 2. We were told to look for straining with poop/pee during this week bc some dogs experience that but we aren't noticing that much. He is pooping fantastic. Not straining to poop. His poop looks like healthy pre-cancer poop. He is peeing great but then marking around the yard more but nothing too out of the ordinary.

Day 4 (Friday): Today Max did not want to eat anything. He stayed in bed while I fixed his breakfast and I had to go and get him to eat. He walked into the kitchen and wanted NOTHING to do with his breakfast. It was his favorites too! After trying everything stinky I could think of, I tried his grain free kibble and he ate that out of my hand. The rest of the day, the only thing he would eat was his kibble. He ate it for all 4 meals but wanted nothing to do with any soft foods.

Day 5: Today he was hungry and ready for his regular meal! He gobbled up his breakfast of Paradigm, chicken, broccoli, and some stinky sardines. I topped it all off with bone broth and he loved it. 20 minutes later after his meds were given, he threw it all back up. We came to the conclusion that the Clavamox he has been getting is upsetting his stomach. I made an appt with our local vet to have a blood panel ran to check his wbc count to see if it was high enough to take him off the antibiotic. His blood panel came back just great. His wbc was 7.22 (needs to be above 5.8). He's on the lower end of good but he's still in the good range. His other results from his blood panel were all really good. His vet said she was shocked to see how great Max looked. She said she was thinking she would see a sick looking dog but he looked the exact opposite. She also said that she was surprised to see how great his blood panel looked for a dog that is undergoing radiation and chemo. Such great news! I talked with his oncologist and she said since his wbc count had recovered we could take him off the Clavamox. Since not being on that medication any longer, he has been eating great and his tummy has not been upset.

Day 6: Max had a rough night last night. We were up all night and didn't get any real sleep until 5am. He did not seem sick. No nausea. No diarrhea. No vomiting. He had eaten well all day Saturday and we had taken him off his Clavamox. We do however, have rabbits. That's right. Rabbits in our backyard. Both dogs have been on the hunt (Sammy more than Max) trying to catch these little jerks leaving milk duds all over our yard. The 2 rabbits were out there during Max's last potty break around 11pm and close to every hour after that, Max wanted to go out. With him having prostate cancer, we don't mess around if he says he needs to go outside. We take him no matter if he just went out or not and no matter the weather or what time it is. So, every hour we were going outside. 12am. 1am. 2:45am. 4am. 5am. I could tell he was feeling ok bc if he had an upset tummy he would be trying to eat grass, and that was not happening at all. What was happening was a 10 year old dog with metastisized cancer chasing rabbits FULL SPEED through our backyard every time we went outside. Finally at 5am he couldn't take it any more and crashed. I was able to hold them off till 8am to eat breakfast but right after that, they went back to sleep and I started my day. :) Max did eat and drink fantastic today!

Side note: Max moved REALLY slow today. His back legs are killing him! It is like a great workout leg day after you have done 100 squats and lunges and can barely sit on the toilet or walk up steps. His legs are super sore from all that rabbit chasing. We now have 2 more live traps set with more goodies to try and catch these bastards.... errrr... lovely God's creatures. Hoping to catch some waskowy wabbits tonight.

Side note 2: When we took Max to the vet on Saturday he weighed in at 51.8lbs. Only around 4-5lbs more to get him back to his normal weight! Super happy!

Cost of Treatment:
$313.05


xoxoxo,
Brenda, Colin, Max, and yes... the poop eater Sammy Lammington, too