Going forward with these diaries, I am going to try to be more informational and less emotional. The initial shock has worn off and I hope I can communicate more clearly. So let me give you the background here. Future entries will be shorter. See you after the orange curlies.
The first of Feb, we noticed Rubi's left eye was partially covered by her "third eyelid", the Nictitating Membrane and the pupil was much smaller than the right eye. The vet found an ear infection, which was quickly treated but although the membrane returned to normal, her pupil remains smaller. It does react to light and she can see well but it is not right. Later, the vet said this is called Horner's Syndrome and may be related to her lymphoma. It may have been the first sign.
On Feb20, I had her teeth cleaned under anesthetic and asked the vet to check her throat and mouth carefully because she had a little nagging cough. During the cleaning, the vet found 3 small nodules on Rubi's tongue. All xrays showed no problems; normal organs, bones, no obstructions, all clear. All blood work showed normal levels. She sent samples for biopsy.
On Feb 23, the lab results of the biopsy showed cancer, suspected melanoma. It has now been determined NOT to be melanoma but probable lymphoma.
On Feb 25, the 3 nodules on her tongue, one on her left tonsil, and three from her body were removed and sent for biopsy. On the 22nd, she had 2 or 3 small lumps on her head, by the 25th, she was covered with them, like a rash.
On Feb 27, we saw the oncologist. By then, Rubi's entire body was involved with lumps. She was given a shot of L-Asparaginase to kill off the lumps and on Feb 28, they were all gone. This was not a cure, just a starting point.
All tests, other than biopsies, have shone her to be healthy. No lymph nodes have been involved, there is no sign of cancer on her organs or bones, all blood work shows her to be in the normal ranges. She is not quite as energetic as usual but she has had surgeries and shots. She eats well, everything comes out normal. She has lost 2-3 pounds but again she had 2 days of limited food due to surgeries and she only weighs 65 pounds to begin with. All the doctors she has interacted with have expressed the same thought in almost the same words: "By all appearances, this dog should not even be here." I don't know if it is any indication of her chances to live longer, but if a positive attitude is helpful, Rubi has it in spades! She loves, kisses and wants pets from everyone that crosses her path.
So, that bring us to her next treatment, which will be Mar 6. She will be at the vet's all day. They will do blood work to make sure her white and red cell counts are good and then start this week's chemo. Every Thursday for the next 8 weeks, she will get a different drug to determine the best reactions. It is still to be determined if this is B cell or T cell cancer. I will write about her on Tuesdays so that the treatment will have time to work and for me to have any insight to report.
Thank you to those of you who have made supportive comments and suggestions. I hope I can give a good account of our journey. Come see us on Tuesdays and cheer us on.