First Visit to the Oncologist

Do we have to go?

We took Burke to meet with Dr. Hamilton at the VRC Cancer Center on Tuesday, June 16th. He examined Burke and expressed cautious optimism regarding Burke’s prognosis and the ability of the chemotherapy to put the cancer in remission.  

We were relieved to know that we had a choice other than palliative care. The goal, Dr. Hamilton said, is to return Burke to full health and to do so without distress. YES!  We want that! It turns out that chemotherapy in dogs tends to be well tolerated and adverse reactions to the chemotherapy doses used in veterinary medicine are estimated to occur in 10-15% of pets.  Okay, that sounds good too!

The type of lymphoma Burke has will determine his treatment plan (and life expectancy).  The results from the Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Lab are expected today or tomorrow.  Burke's first chemotherapy treatment is Monday.  In the meantime, Dr. Hamilton started Burke on prednisone.  

We started our day in despair and left the clinic with hope. Hope that our boy Burke can, as my daughter said, "Kick cancer's butt!" We are hoping for a complete remission and are anxious to start his chemotherapy treatments on Monday, June 22nd.  

What type of lymphoma does Burke have?  What is his life expectancy?  Will he tolerate the chemotherapy?  Will the cancer respond to the treatment? How long will he stay in remission? Maybe he won't even have lymphoma -- we won't really know until the lab results come in from CSU, right?

I can't work.  I have trouble sleeping.  The only thing I can do well is read about lymphoma and post and read updates on the Flatcoated Retrievers & Flatcoated Retrievers Health Support Facebook pages. Burke is with me.  Sleeping quietly on the cool floor.  He wakes and licks his bare belly.  His wheezing is gone after 3 doses of prednisone.  For those who love their dogs, really love their dogs, you know our hearts are heavy.  

We welcome your prayer, well wishes, and kind words of encouragement.  We feel surrounded by the love of friends, family, and strangers.  Thank you for caring about us and Burke's fight against lymphoma.

Kick cancer's butt!