[PyrNet-L] CHAT, HEALTH: Clondike-Honor Student

[David P Kintsfather Jr <kintsfat@kutztown.edu>]

Clondike is the 11 year-old Pyr with lymphoma.  No she did NOT earn the
first leg on a CD degree, but she has been a busy girl since my last
report.

Friday before last she received the first dose of a new chemotherapy
protocol.  In 24 hours her lymph nodes had gone down dramatically and she
started acting like her old, obnoxious self!  Last Tuesday I took her to
my Honors Seminar where the topic for the semester is Webcasting: the
Democratization of Mass Media.  As a Web star she sort of qualified as a
visual aid and she really worked the room, obscuring the fact that I
wasn't very well prepared (works even better than showing a video).
I told her not to show up the students, or she'd put them in therapy for
life.

Wednesday night we went to our vet for a CBC because most of the chemo
drugs are bone marrow suppressors and we need to monitor her white count,
which normally hovers around low normal at just under 6,000.  The techs
had a little trouble finding a working vein (chemo does that to the
veins), but Clondike was her usual cooperative self with HER technicians
(don't try this stuff at home).

On Thursday we saw our regular vet who said Clondike's white count on Wed.
had been 7,700 and that in all aspects it was a very good CBC for a dog on
chemo.  So... either Clondike studied for this blood test, they mixed up
the samples (they swear not) or they accidentally took blood from one of
the technicians rather than Clondike.  In any case, the vet could only
find one lymph node she did not consider normal.

On Friday we saw the oncologist, who pulled more blood and got a white
count of 5,100 (still great for Clondike).  She pronounced Clondike in
full remission, but thought the white count may not have bottomed out yet,
so decided to get another CBC on Monday and probably do the second
treatment of the 1st chemo cycle on Wednesday.  This was actually a
relief, because it allowed Clondike to attend the Canine Learning
Experience (a dog expo held in Allentown) on Saturday without us worrying
how she would react to a totally new drug combination.  She was a big hit
with the public and enjoyed herself greatly.  She even let a few puppies
know she is still the Penn-Dutch Queen, but in a nice way.

So far her only problem with the first dose is one day of being a little
off her feed.  No vomiting or diarrhea so far!!!  The remission status
means little in the great scheme of things, because she has a long way to
go before we even think about repeating monoclonal antibodies, but it was
good to hear in any case.

So we just keep taking it a day at a time.  Thanks for all the support
from the lists.  I'll keep you posted.

David

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 David Kintsfather              | PHONE:       (610) 683-4497
 Dept. of Telecommunications    | FAX:         (610) 683-4659
 Kutztown University            | INTERNET:    kintsfat@kutztown.edu
 PO Box 730                     |   "We need not think alike to love alike."
 Kutztown, PA  19530-0730       |                Francis David
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