Lily Twinkle lasted for nine months from the day of diagnosis for Lymphoma and was happy and pretty much healthy until I made the decision to take her to my vets.
Since my last blog in April, Lily Twinkle was amazing and every vet who met her couldn't believe she had lymphoma as she was bright and her coat and eyes shined. She was pretty much a normal dog healthwise except for the enlargement of her lymph nodes.
She stayed on a daily dose of 25mg steroids until she went and the side effects got less and less as the steroids got less effective. I had spoken to Prof David Argyle at the Dick Vet in Edinburgh but he felt there was a chance she would crash if I took her off steroids all together as it had happened to him before with a dog so I didn't want to take that chance.
I did mean to update Lily's progress in July but the time just flew in! With the help of CV247, holistic meds, natural herbal meds and nutritional therapy from raw food she led a healthy and happy life. She was a bit sluggish in July and I noticed she had some fluid on her hock as she hadnt wanted to walk that day so her circulation wasnt at its best. From that day on she got a walk twice a day which she loved after she got up and out the door. I also managed to get in touch with the physio at the Glasgow Vet School, Melanie. She showed me how to do a lymphatic massage to help boost lily's circulation and lymphatic drainage system. It really helped and she never had another odema after that.
I also couldn't have done such a good job with Lily's treatment without the help of my vets..ICR Butt and Partners...Sarah, Rory and the two Chris's who all had an open mind and knowledge that helped me be positive and productive.
Richard Allport was brilliant and so positive and full of ideas to help Lily and such an understanding of holistic meds and the importance of nutritional therapy. Prof David Argyle was so helpful and managed to fit me in for a consultation at a minutes notice as his oncology knowledge is amazing. Melanie the physio was so patient and kind is showing me how to help Lily with massage. It was great to have such a great support mechanism in place to help Lily and me!
Lily turned eight on 12 September 2011 and we had a wee party for her and I made a liver cake with cheese topping which she and all her friends loved. I was so delighted she'd made it to her eighth birthday as was sure she wouldn't make it past four months with Lymphoma.
At the beginning of October she had an infection that was treated with antibiotics and she was ok for a week then it came back and it was treated again and we decided that she would have to go on antibiotics permanently. It showed her immunity, that had done brilliantly for so long, was now starting to find it hard to keep infections at bay so that is the next protocol.
I got an appointment with Prof David Argyle on 18th October to see what advice he could give me. He was very pleased by how well Lily Twinkle looked and acted at having no chemo only natural treatment for nine months. He did however say that she was at the end of her illness and her liver and spleen were now involved as her tummy was still pot-bellied from the steroids depositing fat on her tummy but now it wasn't fat but organ enlargement.
She was healthy looking and happy and loving her food and her walks but her insides were telling a different story. I was glad I went to see David as I knew there was no-one more qualified with so much experience of Lymphoma to give me a true picture and he even said some of his patients don't do as well as Lily Twinkle has when on chemo.
He couldn't give me a timescale as look how well she had lasted beyond all the odds but I knew it was time.
I made an appointment at the vet on the 20th October and I spent two days going for walks, cuddles, pictures and giving her tasty things to eat, still raw meat but left out the veg. She went for her final walk and was slowing down but still managed a trot and a good sniff round the woods. At the vet she got chicken, corned beef and mature cheddar and then got a raw chicken leg to munch on while the blue jag went in her leg. She was ready and knew and she looked at me with happiness in her eyes while she chomped on her bone three times before she just went. She lay with her head on my lap with her tongue out one side and a chicken leg out of the other with her big soft head and looked so cute and peaceful.
I sat patting her for 40 mins in that position while chatting to the vet and my friend, it wasn't rushed and I feel I got to say my goodbyes and I knew that Lily Twinkle never suffered. She could have lasted another month or so but I was so worried her spleen would rupture or her liver would fail and I couldn't have forgiven myself if that had happened because I would have been keeping her alive for me not for Lily Twinkle.
I now have wonderful memories of a fantastic dog called Lily Twinkle who made everyone see her on the inside not the outside. She was a true pacifying kind dog whose calm nature is so missed in my house. She was a credit to her breed and she changed so many peoples opinions of Rottweilers.
She gave blood to save dogs lives and was a true angel.
Lily Twinkle ~ 12 September 2003 to 20 October 2011 ~
I will miss you so much
Nikki x
PS Thank you for the lovely comments. I forgot to thank Lily Twinkle's breeder, Sharon at Blairoak. She was so helpful when I went to pick Lily eight years ago and has continued to be a great support and friend who sent Lily Twinkle a Xmas card every year and whom I will keep in touch with as she lets me go and kiss all the puppies when she has a litter.
Nikki x
Since my last blog in April, Lily Twinkle was amazing and every vet who met her couldn't believe she had lymphoma as she was bright and her coat and eyes shined. She was pretty much a normal dog healthwise except for the enlargement of her lymph nodes.
She stayed on a daily dose of 25mg steroids until she went and the side effects got less and less as the steroids got less effective. I had spoken to Prof David Argyle at the Dick Vet in Edinburgh but he felt there was a chance she would crash if I took her off steroids all together as it had happened to him before with a dog so I didn't want to take that chance.
I did mean to update Lily's progress in July but the time just flew in! With the help of CV247, holistic meds, natural herbal meds and nutritional therapy from raw food she led a healthy and happy life. She was a bit sluggish in July and I noticed she had some fluid on her hock as she hadnt wanted to walk that day so her circulation wasnt at its best. From that day on she got a walk twice a day which she loved after she got up and out the door. I also managed to get in touch with the physio at the Glasgow Vet School, Melanie. She showed me how to do a lymphatic massage to help boost lily's circulation and lymphatic drainage system. It really helped and she never had another odema after that.
I also couldn't have done such a good job with Lily's treatment without the help of my vets..ICR Butt and Partners...Sarah, Rory and the two Chris's who all had an open mind and knowledge that helped me be positive and productive.
Richard Allport was brilliant and so positive and full of ideas to help Lily and such an understanding of holistic meds and the importance of nutritional therapy. Prof David Argyle was so helpful and managed to fit me in for a consultation at a minutes notice as his oncology knowledge is amazing. Melanie the physio was so patient and kind is showing me how to help Lily with massage. It was great to have such a great support mechanism in place to help Lily and me!
Lily turned eight on 12 September 2011 and we had a wee party for her and I made a liver cake with cheese topping which she and all her friends loved. I was so delighted she'd made it to her eighth birthday as was sure she wouldn't make it past four months with Lymphoma.
At the beginning of October she had an infection that was treated with antibiotics and she was ok for a week then it came back and it was treated again and we decided that she would have to go on antibiotics permanently. It showed her immunity, that had done brilliantly for so long, was now starting to find it hard to keep infections at bay so that is the next protocol.
I got an appointment with Prof David Argyle on 18th October to see what advice he could give me. He was very pleased by how well Lily Twinkle looked and acted at having no chemo only natural treatment for nine months. He did however say that she was at the end of her illness and her liver and spleen were now involved as her tummy was still pot-bellied from the steroids depositing fat on her tummy but now it wasn't fat but organ enlargement.
She was healthy looking and happy and loving her food and her walks but her insides were telling a different story. I was glad I went to see David as I knew there was no-one more qualified with so much experience of Lymphoma to give me a true picture and he even said some of his patients don't do as well as Lily Twinkle has when on chemo.
He couldn't give me a timescale as look how well she had lasted beyond all the odds but I knew it was time.
I made an appointment at the vet on the 20th October and I spent two days going for walks, cuddles, pictures and giving her tasty things to eat, still raw meat but left out the veg. She went for her final walk and was slowing down but still managed a trot and a good sniff round the woods. At the vet she got chicken, corned beef and mature cheddar and then got a raw chicken leg to munch on while the blue jag went in her leg. She was ready and knew and she looked at me with happiness in her eyes while she chomped on her bone three times before she just went. She lay with her head on my lap with her tongue out one side and a chicken leg out of the other with her big soft head and looked so cute and peaceful.
I sat patting her for 40 mins in that position while chatting to the vet and my friend, it wasn't rushed and I feel I got to say my goodbyes and I knew that Lily Twinkle never suffered. She could have lasted another month or so but I was so worried her spleen would rupture or her liver would fail and I couldn't have forgiven myself if that had happened because I would have been keeping her alive for me not for Lily Twinkle.
I now have wonderful memories of a fantastic dog called Lily Twinkle who made everyone see her on the inside not the outside. She was a true pacifying kind dog whose calm nature is so missed in my house. She was a credit to her breed and she changed so many peoples opinions of Rottweilers.
She gave blood to save dogs lives and was a true angel.
Lily Twinkle ~ 12 September 2003 to 20 October 2011 ~
I will miss you so much
PS Thank you for the lovely comments. I forgot to thank Lily Twinkle's breeder, Sharon at Blairoak. She was so helpful when I went to pick Lily eight years ago and has continued to be a great support and friend who sent Lily Twinkle a Xmas card every year and whom I will keep in touch with as she lets me go and kiss all the puppies when she has a litter.
Nikki x
She sounds like a wonderful girl, I'm sorry you had to make that choice, but so proud of you for having the strength to do what she needed. My sympathies and I know one day you'll be with her again.
ReplyDeleteMay she rest in peace, Must have been very hard for you to take that decision.
ReplyDeleteYou were so lucky to find each other. RIP little one x
ReplyDelete