Learn more about Dr Sue's early cancer detection program at WhyWaitAspirate.com
On The Pet Cancer Vet Dr Sue Ettinger takes pre-arranged calls from pet owners with a dog or cat with cancer to give information, support and hope. Click here to listen on The Radio Pet Lady Network.
Want to understand blood work and the chemotherapy patient?
In this IGTV video, I answer your common questions about blood work, white blood cells and chemo including:
🩸 How often do we have to check blood work, specifically the CBC?
🩸 What is an adequate neutrophil count to be able to give chemotherapy?
🩸 What about platelets and red blood cells?
🩸 When do we run CBC? Can you run it a few days before the appointment?
🩸 What do we do do for neutropenia (low WBC) and what you need to be thinking when it happens?
🩸 When do chemo patients need antibiotics?
🩸 Are there exceptions? Spoiler, yes!
When you need to run a chemistry panel? Another spoiler, not every visit IMO
Watch to hear more.
▶️ Looking for more info on chemo and side effects? Check out my YouTube channel including Vlog 93
What Side Effects Do Pets Feel with Chemotherapy: youtu.be/vgoo_lAfuCY
Challenge accepted 🖤🤍
Here’s to phenomenal females supporting and empowering each other.
My friends have lifted me up when I needed it most. They push me to be a better person.
Thank you to @drdanimcvety for nominating me. I know I’m late to the challenge, and many of you beautiful woman have already done this, but here are a few that have supported and continue to inspire me along my journey @drmarygardner @drjustinelee @dralexhynes
🎓 Chemotherapy Graduation, adapted time COVID times.
Copper just completed the CHOP combination chemotherapy protocol. It’s a BIG. DEAL. IMO.
It’s at least 16 chemo treatments, plus sometimes extra visits to check blood work. Also there were some weeks, Copper was neutropenic (low white blood cell count) & I had to delay his chemo.
All those visits, it takes dedication by his family, & we all get pretty bonded along the way.
When COVID hit the Connecticut & NY area in March, we were only a month into his protocol and had to go to curbside check-in. Only patients were allowed inside, & it added a new level of stress.
Your pet have cancer, is going through chemo, and you worry about relapse. That is stressful enough. Coronavirus was another added layer.
For a few weeks, I was on quarantine at home due to possible exposure, and Copper & his dad had to see another oncologist.
Then there was the very windy day. While we were going over Copper’s appointment and doing discharge instructions over the phone, Copper’s dad interrupted me, “Dr Sue, the porta potty just blew into my car!” What?! We have a porta potty because clients cannot come into the hospital, and the wind blew it across the parking lot and against his car door. Luckily, no damage was done.
My motto is live longer, live well.
With combo chemo, response rates are high at 90 to 95%, and chemotherapy is really well tolerated. And survival times increase to 13 to 14 months. Sadly the survival times without treatment are short - 1 month. (I know, when you first hear that, it sounds really short. BUT compared to one month and considering the shorter lifespan of dogs, more than a year of quality life, IMO it is respectable.)
Remember dogs tolerate chemo so well. I love that Copper was still has able to go on his 5+ mile walks most days with his dad.
🥳 Back to Copper, it’s graduation day and his family could not happier.
👉🏼 Swipe to see more including the video of when he came in one week after starting chemo and was in remission.
#kickcancersbutt 👊 #livelongerlivewell
▶️ Want more info on dog lymphoma and chemo? Check out my YouTube channel
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvGBJ56IQLG8Od2OlPRge-00uDB5z2UDv
✔️Dog Lymphoma Chemotherapy Options Part 1 and 2 - Check out YouTube Vlogs 87 & 88
✔️What Side Effects Do Pets Feel with Chemotherapy - Check out YouTube Vlog 93
youtu.be/vgoo_lAfuCY
✔️ What to do for a decreased appetite and when your pet won’t eat - Check out YouTube Vlogs 68 & 69
youtu.be/VOlhyWxPsrk
✔️ Home safety while on chemo - Check out YouTube Vlog 66
⭐️And please subscribe because I am working on a brand new lymphoma vlog, dropping in a few weeks
ANOTHER SPLENIC MASS in one of my long term patients!?
Last week I posted about Woobie. This week I rechecked Claude. He’s now 10 years old and out just over 5️⃣ years from his SQ hemangiosarcoma.
How did we treat him back in 2015?
His first surgery had incomplete margins, so he had a 2nd surgery to get wider margins and prevent recurrence. The tumor was lateral to the prepuce.
Then he got 6 doses of doxorubicin, plus I treated with with Palladia and metronomic cyclophosphamide.
Mom monitors the scar for regrowth and of course for new masses. And we screen regularly for metastasis
Last week he was getting and abdominal ultrasound for urinary issues and they found this 8 x 5 cm mass.
⚠️ Want to see the actual spleen after we removed at surgery? It will be in my IG story for the next 24 hours
⭐️ Did you know incidental splenic masses are LESS likely to be malignant?
⭐️ And a dog with a ruptured splenic mass is more likely to malignant, with hemangiosarcoma (HSA) most common (about 80%).
⭐️ Remember all splenic masses are not HSA!
⭐️ Dogs with splenic masses generally follow the “double two-thirds rule”
1️⃣ One-third are benign and do not have cancer
2️⃣ Two-thirds have are malignant, and two-thirds of those have hemangiosarcoma.
➡️ 2/3 x 2/3= 44%, and the literature shows about 45 to 66% of splenic masses are HSA. It’s not always HSA!
👀 Hemangiosarcoma & benign hemangiomas can look the same on ultrasound AND at surgery.
🩺 Arrhythmias at surgery and during the 1st few recovery days happen with benign and malignant masses
ℹ️ We have to wait for the biopsy results.
🙏🏻 Keep Claude in your thoughts as he recovers from surgery
🎦 Like this post? Please let me know! Bookmark to save it and check out my series in splenic masses and HSA on YouTube starting at # 84
youtu.be/iz5yiNW_XeM
