[pyrnet] Zuni Update (kinda long)

[D3melza@aol.com]

    Hello everyone, thought it was time I brought everyone up to speed on Zuni's cancer fight. I don't remember exactly where we left off, but I'll do my best. 
    As you may know, my 7.5 year-old Pyr Zuni has been diagnosed with bone cancer in her right front leg. She was undergoing radiation treatment for this until the vets found that her heart was very weak and enlarged. It was then unsafe to continue treatment with anasthesia. However, once on heart medications, Zuni's heartbeat improved dramatically, so we all decided to take the risk of radiation treatments every-other-day rather than every day, and watch her as we go along.
   Since doing this, Zuni has been able to come off of her pain meds altogether (YAY!), but just in the past week she has experienced some vomiting, diarrhea, and big loss of appetite (we are now 2.5 weeks in with only one more to go). So... now she is on two heart meds, antibiotics for the runs, anti-nausea meds, and an appetite stimulant. Oh boy. As of yesterday I had to start shoving the pills down her throat as she wasn't even accepting the yummy canned food I was hiding it in. She has only eaten spoon-fed wet food and treats in the past couple of days, and has lost three pounds. :-(  She has also (incredibly) completely lost her taste for peanut butter, which completely amazes me... that was what I had been hiding her meds in. 
   Anyway, Zuni had been doing fine (if getting a bit lethargic) with her radiation treatments. She has only received one low-dose of chemotherapy to see how her body did, and that was a week ago. We haven't done anymore because of her stomach upsets. On top of this, on Friday during her last treatment under anasthesia, Zuni's heartbeat fell from her normal 85 bpm to 50 bpm. The doctor administered atropine, which brought it up, but they said if they hadn't her heart might have stopped. So now we are reconsidering the last week of treatment. Along with this, we returned from an errand this afternoon to find Zuni lying in a puddle of her own urine, which has NEVER happened before. If/when she has accidents, she'll go somewhere to do it, not lie in it! She got up and I let her out when we came in, and she squatted outside, so I am left wondering on this one. I can't talk to the oncologist till Monday, but everyone I have spoken to thinks she may just be worn out from the therapy.
    Anyway, it looks less and less like we're going to do her last three treatments since she is eating so poorly and everything else. She hasn't had anymore vomiting or diarrhea, but she seems very tired. She does follow me to be nearby when she's inside, though. We're going to do some x-rays to see if the cancer has progressed in her body this week before we try out chemo again. I'm very interested to see what's going on in there. I'll update again when we know more... keep your paws crossed.

Emily, Belle and Zuni
Denver, CO
D3melza@aol.com