A page detailing my dog's treatment for cancer using new medicine
Hello everyone.
Today Rudy turns 13!!! She is still thriving, and thoroughly enjoying her life. She makes us laugh so much and bring us so much joy. Our world remains a very happy place with her still in it.
For all of you going through treatment with your dog, or facing it, try to stay positive. Hopefully you have many happy years ahead of you together with your dog ###
So I thought it would be good to update you on Rudy as this Thursday she turns 12!!
We honestly never believed she would reach this age. Between her mobility issues, her MCTs, her heart murmur and a REALLY nasty bout of colitis a couple of months ago, she really has been little short of a miracle. The video was taken last month and shows that the vast majority of days, she is still living a very happy life.
She currently has a little lump on her head that could be a skin tag or could be a MCT, but we have taken the decision not to have it removed. It’s too small to FNA, and it’s not growing, so we have opted to just let it be.
So Thursday will be celebrated with cake and a romp with her birth brothe, and her brother-from-another-mother. And we will offer up an ocean of gratitude for the years we have shared with this amazing dog, and hope that we have a bit longer still.
So please, if you are currently struggling with a diagnosis, try to retain hope. I know how hard it is, but when I look back on how much time I have spent sad and upset about a diagnosis Rudy’s had, I wish I could have been more positive & optimistic, and not wasted our time together.
Hug your dog. Play a game. Feed them something yummy. Try not to cry about the future. Enjoy the now ###x
Hi everyone. I just wanted to update you, one year on from finding the initial MCT that led to Rudy’s Stelfonta treatment in January.
Late summer, Rudy had 2 lumps surgically removed from the base of her tail. First was a malignant peri-anal tumour rather than a MCT, but clean margins and so far no recurrence. The second came up within weeks and looked very similar, but testing after removal confirmed it was the benign version thankfully.
Then earlier this month we found a small lump on her side, not that far from her spine. It was tiny, smaller than my little finger nail. It looked like her previous small MCTs and we all, including our lovely vets, suspected the worst.
However this morning I got the call from the vets and they said it’s BENIGN!!!! No MCT this time. Such wonderful news to get, this week of all weeks.
Rudy has some other medical issues, but at 11.5 years old she is still living her life to the full and bringing us so much joy!
We know things can change very quickly, so we are thankful for all the extra time we have with her, and extremely thankful to the skilled and caring vets at Bitterne Vets4Pets and Southern Counties Veterinary Specialists who have looked after her so well. I’d also send thanks to Bought By Many insurance who have taken so much of the financial stress out of this year.
I hope Rudy’s story over this past year offers you hope that a MCT diagnosis doesn’t have to be worst news. Sending all of you the most positive wishes for 2022 ###
Hi. A quick update for those of you wondering how Rudy is doing. I have been very reluctant to post on here because somehow, irrationally, it feels like tempting fate. However, I’ll be brave and provide an update.
It’s been 15 weeks since Rudy’s treatment. To date there has been no recurrence of either of the 2 MCTs. The wounds have healed and her hair has grown back. The huge area on her torso that was shaved for her liver/ spleen biopsy has also almost grown back fully.
We obviously check her regularly. It is so hard to go looking for something you don’t want to find, but we know early diagnosis helps, so force ourselves to do it.
We have opted not to put her through another biopsy. Our thinking has been that if the cancer had spread and gone to liver and spleen, we would probably opt to not treat her. So we work on the basis that as long as she seems well, she is well and we cross any other bridge if it comes. The biopsy involves a general anaesthetic, so it’s not without its own risks.
Having said that, she had bloods done a few weeks ago and they showed healthy liver function and white & red blood cells, so her body doesn’t appear to be fighting anything. We will continue with regular blood tests.
This is a video taken this week. Rudy has just started new meds for her arthritis- Librela injections. She is off all other pain relief, doing well and as you can see- enjoying life!
If anything changes I will let you know. I’ve always wanted to be as honest as possible. For all of you going through tough times with your dogs, Rudy and I send our love xx
ps I am having problem seeing messages sent to me via this page- something to do with Facebook set up. Posting stuff in comments is the best way for me to see/ respond.
Hi everyone. If you want to follow another dog just starting their Stelfonta treatment, have a look at Dixie's MCT Journey. Dixie the boxer’s guardian is kindly recording and sharing her progress. We all wish her well in her recovery xx
And so our current journey reaches a happy destination.
Rudy saw Charlotte, the amazing oncologist at Southern Counties Veterinary Specialists this morning who was really pleased with the outcome so far.
Based on what she could see/ feel she decided there was no need to do a Fine Needle Aspiration test on the areas where the tumours had been. Such great news!
I’d love to be able to say, that’s it...we all lived happily ever after, but the truth is we need to continue monitoring the sites of the tumours as well as remaining vigilant for any new ones elsewhere. The recommendation is also that we repeat the biopsy of her liver and spleen in 2-3 months to check for any metastasis/ spread. In an ideal world that would then be repeated every 3 months for a year, however we need to weigh up the fact Rudy needs a GA every time she has a biopsy, plus realistically what we would even do treatment-wise if we found it had spread? Rudy is 10 and a half...her quality of life will ALWAYS be the driver for our decisions. At the moment my feeling is that we will check for any spread in 2 months time, but if she’s clear then, we will work on basis that as long as she appears fit and well, that’s good enough for us.
So in summary- Stelfonta appears to have done what is was supposed to do- it killed off two malignant tumours. Rudy experienced no side effects from the drug or any of the adjunct drugs. She healed quickly and after the first couple of days showed no discomfort or concern.
I’d have no hesitation using the drug again. It’s given us a FAR better chance of preventing spread of the cancer than surgery would have done on the awkward larger tumour, and also successfully killed the smaller one that was technically ‘too small’. It offers a real hope for dogs where surgery isn’t a good option for any reason. Price wise (a few people have asked, and I am happy to share but it’s all gone direct to our insurers so we don’t know the full costs yet) the oncologist says it’s cheaper than surgery at a referral vets but a bit more than if the surgery is done by your local vet.
What Stelfonta can’t do is guarantee what happens next, any more than surgery or any other cancer treatment can. However, as things stand, we have our darling, amazing, beautiful girl with us, and she is happy, fun and enjoying the world. For now, that is everything, and is more than we dared hope for in December.
Thank you all for your love, support and kindness over the past couple of months. It’s meant so much. For those of you going through tough times with your own dogs, we send you our most positive thoughts- we hope Rudy’s story offers you hope.
I will post again in a couple of months after the retesting, but for now... 😘
The scab fell off the site of the large tumour yesterday so now the wound is officially healed!!! 29 days. Simply amazing.
We go to see the oncologist next Wednesday. Everything crossed.
Just sharing a short film of Rudy & Jig enjoying the chilly sunshine today. We have a game we play where I hand Rudy the ball...she trots off with it, gets bored, drops it and starts chewing something else or having a dig. Jigso, the true ‘retriever’ in our household, then swoops in and brings the ball back to me. They both get their ball fun with no high impact chasing.
As you can see, today someone else wanted to get in on the fun...photobombed by another Goldie...turned out he comes from the same line as Rudy so a distant relative! A question about Rudy’s shaved patch revealed that the other dog’s guardian lost a Goldie to cancer...never the conversation you want when you are going through treatment with your own, but I understand that people want to talk about it.
28 days ago Rudy had her treatment and spent a night in the referral clinic.
Today the large wound has just the tiniest of scabs left to heal. There is nothing at all left to see where the smaller tumour was...the darker patch is just dirt I think 😂
The healing process has been miraculous. I am now seeking an appointment with the oncologist so she can have a look at progress (and test whether the tumours really, truly, have gone?!)
I will post again once we have seen the oncologist and can update everyone.
Thank you all for your ongoing support and kindness- it’s meant a lot xx
Day 25:
So there is nothing to show you now at the site of the small tumour. It’s gone, and the skin feels less ‘lumpy’ than it did in the week.
The larger wound is now tiny. A little raw looking, but getting smaller by the day.
They say it takes between 28- 84 days for the wound to heal. Rudy looks on course to be at the lower end of that.
Today we had a crappy walk, in that everywhere is muddy and there are too many people in the spaces we usually go to have a quiet dog walk so it’s all a bit more fraught than ‘usual’. I was feeling grumpy and a bit low about the changes covid has made to our walks/ lives ...and then a switch went off in my head and I stopped moaning and said to my husband ‘Really, it doesn’t matter how cruddy a walk this is...Rudy is here enjoying it with us, and it looks like she should be here a bit longer. That makes this an amazing walk!’ And she WAS enjoying it...running, rolling, body wiggly and soft...she was a joy to watch and lifted my spirits.
Day 22:
The big wound is healing so well, and the smaller wound is basically almost invisible now. That’s my little finger nail in each shot for perspective.
However, gotta be honest and say I have doubt and worry.
I can still feel a small lump where the smaller tumour was. Obviously it may be scar tissue or just continued healing, but I can’t rule out that the MCT is still there. We knew there was greater risk the smaller tumour wouldn’t respond. We can’t repeat the treatment until after 28 days anyway, so it’s a case of wait and see. Luckily, we still also have the option of surgery of the small one is still there.
I can feel a lumpy bit at the bottom of the larger wound too but somehow I feel less worried about that one. It was such a bigger wound, the tumour clearly died, and the lumpy bit is close to the where the skin flap was. In my mind (hope?), the bigger nastier tumour has completely gone.
I know that looking and feeling doesn’t tell us anything about MCTs- only testing via Fine Needle Aspiration can do that. So I’ll try to push my worries to the back of my mind and wait to see the oncologist.
Day 18 post 2...
It is so wet and muddy here at the moment. We keep Rudy on lead most the time so we can steer her around big puddles but allow her to have an off lead run on drier ground.
She wears her full body suit from Equafleece which we LOVE! That covers the small wound successfully. However, the larger wound is much closer to the ground, comes close to the end of the suit, and was so large initially that we didn’t want fibres from the suit getting in (as well as mud!). We have therefore been covering the wound we go out, except on pure pavement walks.
I thought it might help some people to see how we are covering the wound.
Extra thought: we taught Rudy a ‘roll over’ cue when she was younger. We never pushed it to a full roll because of her spinal crunchiness. However, the ability to get her to lie on her side on cue/ request has once again been SO helpful. I’d thoroughly recommend teaching it to any dog.
As you can see, Rudy is a real sweetie, and although she has a strong, independent mind, she will also do anything for Kev or I. However, I try to work on the ‘just because you can, doesn’t mean you should’ principle with my handling of her, and find cooperative ways of doing things rather than physically moving her. You can see she is a bit wary here about what I might do next...hardly surprising given the last few weeks, but we keep everything to a minimum and give her a clear release at the end (and there was a tasty reward afterwards!)
Day 18
Rudy wounds are healing really well. I can’t believe how good her larger wound is looking in such a short time. The area around it looks pretty dirty from licking, going out etc...I’m loathed to try and apply too much water or scrub to it...it can wait till the wound is healed.
In the second post today (filmed yesterday) I show what I am using to cover the wound while we are out.
Day 15: the second wound revealed!
Day 15: Tumour removal video 2
Day 15...removing the dead tumour!
I emailed the oncologist yesterday to show her the smaller tumour that was stubbornly hanging on. She in turn checked with the manufacturer. The advice came back that as the tumour had clearly necrotised (died) we could see if it would come of with some gentle pressure. If not, they advised waiting a while longer to see what happened.
As you will see from the videos (first one here, second in next post) Kev and I played vet! The bulk of the dead material sloughed off using just a soft cloth. Final bit was more stubborn. I think there was fur holding it but also probably a tiny bit of tissue. It is now gone though. I felt a moment of triumph consigning it to the bin!
Tiny wound underneath. Be interesting to see if that one grows much and how slow it is to heal given its position. I do have to remind myself that it was a very small tumour in the first place, so there was never going to be the dramatic wound of the one on the lower leg.
She remains on antihistamine to counter any granulation.
My more immediate concern is that she finished her Gabapentin yesterday, so we will need to now monitor whether the current level of Pardale (paracetamol) and tapered steroid dose is enough to keep her free from arthritic pain...she can’t return to her usual NSAID anti-inflammatory pain killer (Onsior) until 5 days post the final steroid. We cannot allow a situation where she is uncomfortable and miserable due to join pain. Once her wounds heal we can get her back to her hydrotherapy (Richmond Canine Hydrotherapy Centre) which she loves. Quality of life is all and through this she has remained our Rudy, so it’s key we manage her other condition well.
Day 13 post treatment:
The larger wound continues to get smaller and heal, while sadly the smaller one still hasn’t formed a wound. The tumour appears to have died but is slow to come off. Again I can only marvel at the role of the dog itself in promoting healing by licking.
Rudy’s pills are reducing- she’s now on steroids only every other day, to effectively get her off them completely by next Sunday. Am pleased to be seeing the back of them, but would have no worries about her taking them again, as she has had zero side effects.
Day 10 post treatment:
Today lifted my heart!
We took Rudy for a proper walk today. It’s been wet here over the past few weeks and the ground is very muddy. We don’t want dirt or standing water getting in to the wound.
We covered the wound with a non-sticky dressing and used a yellow vet wrap around her wrist to hold it in place. We put her Equafleece onesie on to cover the other mass (which still hasn’t formed a wound).
We kept her on lead for the majority of the walk to prevent her going through large puddles or really muddy areas. However, on this walk there is a spot we normally linger for a while and let the dogs chew sticks and chill. Luckily the ground was quite solid in that area today, so we could let her off lead for a few minutes.
It was so lovely to she her do all the normal things she loves on a walk: roll, chew, sniff and mooch. The sun was shining and we even saw catkins. I’m sure today did her the world of good and it certainly put a smile on my face. We managed to walk further than we have done since the treatment.
I’m sure she will sleep well tonight!
Day 9 post treatment:
The lower, larger wound is looking smaller so I think it’s definitely healing. The area around it looks quite discoloured and a bit dirty from her licking but I’ve been loathed to clean it or disturb it. I’ll now probably give it a gentle wipe with warm water but nothing else.
The smaller, upper tumour is still black and hopefully dead. The tumour isn’t off yet and no wound has appeared.
It’s frustrating that the 2 wounds aren’t forming and healing concurrently, but the most important thing is the tumour is dying. I can’t emphasis enough how good the advice to let them lick is, because the one that Rudy can reach, despite being so much larger, is so much further progresses than the one she can’t.
Day 7: a post about practical ways we are supporting Rudy...and why there is a chicken in our house...!
Email from the oncologist this morning to say she is happy with the wound on Rudy’s lower leg- she says she has seen that white material in the other dogs she has treated.
She confirmed also that the small tumour has gone necrotic (ie it’s died) so should detach too.
We will continue to monitor, but basically so far, so good!
To celebrate, I thought rather than share another gory picture this morning (no change from yesterday basically), I’d show you this fun film...yep, we currently have a house chicken who LOVES Rudy. For those that don’t know, the UK has lockdown for chickens because of an Avian Flu outbreak. We have a single chicken left, who already spent quite a bit of time indoors last summer when the doors were open, but now officially lives in our lean-to, but in practice spends 90% of her time inside with the rest of her ‘flock’ (Rudy and our Border Collie). She no longer lays eggs so is no longer subject to DEFRA rules on what she can eat, so she too enjoys yogurt on a Licky Mat 😂
Licky Mats are brilliant for enrichment and for distraction so I’d 100% recommend them for anyone who’s dog is going through any treatment/ recovery period. Rudy can’t have her usual off lead walks because of the mud, so we need to make sure we keep her brain working, plus it’s important to get her up and moving because of her arthritis. We have a whole range of low calorie treats for her to lick or to search for.
You can also see that we have rugs throughout the rooms Rudy goes in to prevent micro-tears on muscles from little slips as she walks around. All part of her long-term arthritis management. However, I would say it is essential to get rugs down if your dog is having Stelfonta treatment on a leg, because Rudy was decidedly wobbly for the first few days and reluctant to fully weight-bear. She needed really good traction on the flooring, which only rugs can really provide.
We also currently have double the amount of water bowls around the rooms she uses. In the event, the steroids have not increased her thirst, but we were warned it is a common side effect. I couldn’t think of anything worst than being in discomfort and having to walk a distance to your usual water bowl, so we simply added more.
Day 6 post treatment:
Took a video to send to the oncologist this evening, so thought I would share that.
The smaller tumour is not sloughing off because she can’t lick it but it is black and dying.
The larger tumour looks to be gone. I am check with the oncologist whether we should have any concerns about the white stuff in the wound. There is no smell, so hopefully it’s just part of the healing process rather than an infection. The skin around the wound looks quite red but isn’t hot- I suspect it’s red from her licking. She isn’t licking obsessively, but obviously more than she usually would.
She’s quite quiet, but bright enough when it comes to doing food searches and is eating and drinking normally.
Hopefully I’ll get some feedback from the oncologist tomorrow.
Day 5 post treatment:
Remarkable!
Just before I went to bed last night I had a good look at Rudy’s leg. Often the wound is a bit hidden under her body and her fur when laying. Anyway, I was so excited by the change that I called my husband out of bed to come and look. It appears the larger tumour has gone!
The photos were taken this morning. As you can see, there is a large ‘crater’ where the tumour on her leg used to be. It’s literally a hole. It looks clean and there is no smell, so we hope it stays healthy and heals quickly. She is licking it periodically, but not obsessively.
The smaller tumour is dying but probably because she can’t lick that one because of it’s location, it’s not coming off as quickly.
Today also marks another milestone- it’s the first decrease in her steroid dose. I have to say she has had zero obvious side effects from them- no change on appetite, thirst or urination, and no behaviour change. I know they are such a useful drug, but I’m still glad to be phasing them out.
Yesterday we also took her to our local country park for the first time post op. The plan was for her to stay on lead and stick to the main paths to avoid getting mud on the wound. Unfortunately the park was rammed due to lockdown, and it would have been impossible for us to remain on the paths due to the number of other users. So sadly Rudy only got a short walk but at least it was a change of scene, and she bumped in to an old human friend of hers, so having a little tickle from them cheered her up.
Day 4 post treatment:
Not feeling quite so positive today...
Ended up calling SCVS yesterday because was I was concerned about blood in Rudy’s stools again. She is taking a stomach protecting drug to help prevent problems from the steroids but even so I am keeping my eye on her.
I spoke to the on call vet who based on the description (solid, red bits in it rather than black and tarry) and the fact that otherwise Rudy seems well. felt it was more likely a colitis based issue than a stomach ulcer. Her stools looked better this morning but I’ll continue to monitor.
The other reason I’m a bit worried is that everything looks a bit too ‘small’ and ‘undramatic’. Looking at photos from the drug company, and some that another Goldie guardian sent me, I am worrying that not enough is happening and the treatment areas should look bigger. I know it can take up to 14 days for the wound to reach full size, but it’s usually 7, and the tumour should be necrotised (killed) 4 days after treatment. My fear is the treatment hasn’t got everything.
I will wait till day 7 and then send the photos over to the Oncologist who is far more qualified than me to judge these things and a lot less emotionally invested!!
I think the reality is it’s normal to have a bit of a wobbly and panic that things aren’t working, but we need to wait and see.
In more positive news, Rudy seems steadier on that leg, and she bounced down the road yesterday and comfortably did double the length of our Friday walk. I suspect very soon we will have trouble convincing her she can’t go off lead. Sadly everywhere is just too muddy at the moment.
Day 3 post treatment:
WOW!!! I can’t believe how quickly the tumour is starting to die and the wound is starting to form. These photos of the larger of the 2 tumours were taken at 8pm yesterday, 8am this morning and 2pm today (times under each photo)
She started licking for the first time last night, so it was obvious things were starting to really happen. She isn’t licking excessively or biting it, and doesn’t seem unduly bothered, so based on what we were given to expect and understand, her licking is actually hastening up the healing process.
It makes me a bit teary to see this very obvious fight back of her body. Amazing.
I slept upstairs last night as she seemed so relaxed in the evening. She slept through. Her poos are back to normal. The leg still wobbles a bit if she stands too long, but her gait looks a bit stronger.
It’s such a lovely bright day out today that we took a little amble just along our street.
She was slower than usual and sometimes when she stopped to sniff, the treated (right fore) leg got the wobbles.
You can see her gait is not right as she walks, and her head is not usually carried so low, but I think overall some air and sniffs is beneficial.
The advice from the oncologist and the drug company is that they can exercise as usual, but I am going to take it slowly and base it on how I think she’s doing generally. Rudy does have arthritis, including in the wrists, so I don’t want to put too much compensatory strain on other joints. Equally I don’t want her getting too stiff.
In the end we compromised- we did a little more than I would have liked and lots less than she wanted!
Seems weird seeing her in a collar and lead- we always use a harness but I don’t want there to be any risk of rubbing on tender skin. As you can also see, it will be a while before the fur on her tummy and sides grows after she was shaved for the biopsy. She does have a coat but she was fine today.
First night at home:
I slept on the sofa last night to keep an eye/ ear on Rudy. At 3am she woke me to go out. Her tummy was VERY noisy (and a bit smelly) and she had a poo. Once she came back in though, she settled down and slept right through with no more gurgles.
At the moment we aren’t seeing any real increased thirst/ drinking/ urination caused by the steroids. And actually no obvious increase in hunger...Rudy lives in perpetual ‘hunger’ anyway as food is her greatest love in life, but we are very careful to keep her weight down to protect her arthritic joints. She’s usually 24kg these days and I don’t think she has put anything on yet since starting the steroids.
On waking this morning she was still a bit wobbly on the treated leg, and hesitant to initially bear weight on it. However once she gets going she is moving ok. We didn’t go out yesterday and we won’t today because I think walking any distance at all would be uncomfortable. We will get her up at times during the day doing food based enrichment activities instead to keep her moving and keep her mind occupied.
She had a poo around 8.30am which was very unformed and possibly had a little bit of blood in, but impossible to tell because of the overall texture/ consistency. Whilst I’m not worried about her tummy being a bit unsettled after the GA, the treatment and so many new drugs, I will obviously monitor the situation.
She is being an angel about taking her pills!
Here are her meds for the coming week. We’ve used an old egg box as pill store so we can see at a glance what she is due. Luckily Rudy is a poppet about taking pills as long as they are washed down with some food!
Prednidale- a steroid to prevent the wound ‘granulating’ as it breaks down...which I believe basically means sending little bits of cancer elsewhere. She has a full dose of steroid for 7 days (2 of which were before the op) and then it’s a slow ween off over 2 further weeks.
Chlorphenamine Maleate (Piriton)- an antihistamine, also to prevent granulation. She’s been on this for about a week so far.
Famotidine-this basically protects her stomach and started yesterday
Gabapentin- pain relief to make sure she STAYS comfortable
Pardale-V - a paracetamol/ codeine mix. She’s having this to help manage her arthritis because she can’t have her usual anti-inflammatory medication (Onsior) while having steroids. Again, she had to start this in advance of the treatment because she had to come off the Onsior to let it ‘wash out’ her body. It’s not as effective as Onsior, especially at the fairly low dose she’s on, BUT the steroids and Gaba will also help, and we will moderate her activity to help her stay mobile during this period.
Day 1 post treatment:
She’s home! So pleased to see her trot across that car park to me. She’s sleepy, and not fully weight bearing on the leg, but generally ok. Expecting that she will sleep most of the day now she’s at home and it’s quiet.
Both tumours have started turning black already. Stelfonta’s work is starting!
Oncologist rang at 5.15pm and said Rudy was fully awake and had eaten. The great news was she apparently appears more comfortable at this stage than the 2 other dogs who SCVS have treated to date.
She will have some more food this evening (cue happy Golden Retriever) and another pain relief injection and then all being well she can come home mid morning tomorrow. Meanwhile my best boy kept me company on a run in the park- thanks Jig x
I dropped Rudy at SCVS this morning. This was us waiting in the car park for the Oncologist to come and collect her. She didn’t really want to go with them today, but I walked as far as the door with her, and so she got in safely.
Original plan was for her to be treated this afternoon but I’ve just had a call to say she she’s been done already!!
Apparently the general anaesthetic went well- Rudy reacts badly to sedation, so we had opted for GA. The drug manufacturers say you don’t need either but our Oncologist said she found that dogs find it a more painful injection that perhaps the literature suggests, so she prefers to sedate them to reduce the pain. Plus, given one of Rudy’s MCTs is so small, it makes it easier to hit the target when there is no danger at all of her moving. Anyway, it was only a short GA, and no problems- phew!
I asked whether our Oncologist was happy that the medication had got in to the smaller tumour, and she said yes, she could see it swell up as the medication went in.
All in all then, it’s gone well so far.
She will be kept in tonight with pain relief, and a light covering over the injection site. They will call me later to update. Hopefully home tomorrow.
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So I thought it would be good to update you on Rudy as this Thursday she turns 12!! We honestly never believed she would reach this age. Between her mobility issues, her MCTs, her heart murmur and a REALLY nasty bout of colitis a couple of months ago, she really has been little short of a miracle. The video was taken last month and shows that the vast majority of days, she is still living a very happy life. She currently has a little lump on her head that could be a skin tag or could be a MCT, but we have taken the decision not to have it removed. It’s too small to FNA, and it’s not growing, so we have opted to just let it be. So Thursday will be celebrated with cake and a romp with her birth brothe, and her brother-from-another-mother. And we will offer up an ocean of gratitude for the years we have shared with this amazing dog, and hope that we have a bit longer still. So please, if you are currently struggling with a diagnosis, try to retain hope. I know how hard it is, but when I look back on how much time I have spent sad and upset about a diagnosis Rudy’s had, I wish I could have been more positive & optimistic, and not wasted our time together. Hug your dog. Play a game. Feed them something yummy. Try not to cry about the future. Enjoy the now ###x
Hi everyone. I just wanted to update you, one year on from finding the initial MCT that led to Rudy’s Stelfonta treatment in January. Late summer, Rudy had 2 lumps surgically removed from the base of her tail. First was a malignant peri-anal tumour rather than a MCT, but clean margins and so far no recurrence. The second came up within weeks and looked very similar, but testing after removal confirmed it was the benign version thankfully. Then earlier this month we found a small lump on her side, not that far from her spine. It was tiny, smaller than my little finger nail. It looked like her previous small MCTs and we all, including our lovely vets, suspected the worst. However this morning I got the call from the vets and they said it’s BENIGN!!!! No MCT this time. Such wonderful news to get, this week of all weeks. Rudy has some other medical issues, but at 11.5 years old she is still living her life to the full and bringing us so much joy! We know things can change very quickly, so we are thankful for all the extra time we have with her, and extremely thankful to the skilled and caring vets at Bitterne Vets4Pets and Southern Counties Veterinary Specialists who have looked after her so well. I’d also send thanks to Bought By Many insurance who have taken so much of the financial stress out of this year. I hope Rudy’s story over this past year offers you hope that a MCT diagnosis doesn’t have to be worst news. Sending all of you the most positive wishes for 2022 ###
Hi. A quick update for those of you wondering how Rudy is doing. I have been very reluctant to post on here because somehow, irrationally, it feels like tempting fate. However, I’ll be brave and provide an update. It’s been 15 weeks since Rudy’s treatment. To date there has been no recurrence of either of the 2 MCTs. The wounds have healed and her hair has grown back. The huge area on her torso that was shaved for her liver/ spleen biopsy has also almost grown back fully. We obviously check her regularly. It is so hard to go looking for something you don’t want to find, but we know early diagnosis helps, so force ourselves to do it. We have opted not to put her through another biopsy. Our thinking has been that if the cancer had spread and gone to liver and spleen, we would probably opt to not treat her. So we work on the basis that as long as she seems well, she is well and we cross any other bridge if it comes. The biopsy involves a general anaesthetic, so it’s not without its own risks. Having said that, she had bloods done a few weeks ago and they showed healthy liver function and white & red blood cells, so her body doesn’t appear to be fighting anything. We will continue with regular blood tests. This is a video taken this week. Rudy has just started new meds for her arthritis- Librela injections. She is off all other pain relief, doing well and as you can see- enjoying life! If anything changes I will let you know. I’ve always wanted to be as honest as possible. For all of you going through tough times with your dogs, Rudy and I send our love xx ps I am having problem seeing messages sent to me via this page- something to do with Facebook set up. Posting stuff in comments is the best way for me to see/ respond.
The scab fell off the site of the large tumour yesterday so now the wound is officially healed!!! 29 days. Simply amazing. We go to see the oncologist next Wednesday. Everything crossed. Just sharing a short film of Rudy & Jig enjoying the chilly sunshine today. We have a game we play where I hand Rudy the ball...she trots off with it, gets bored, drops it and starts chewing something else or having a dig. Jigso, the true ‘retriever’ in our household, then swoops in and brings the ball back to me. They both get their ball fun with no high impact chasing. As you can see, today someone else wanted to get in on the fun...photobombed by another Goldie...turned out he comes from the same line as Rudy so a distant relative! A question about Rudy’s shaved patch revealed that the other dog’s guardian lost a Goldie to cancer...never the conversation you want when you are going through treatment with your own, but I understand that people want to talk about it.
Day 18 post 2... It is so wet and muddy here at the moment. We keep Rudy on lead most the time so we can steer her around big puddles but allow her to have an off lead run on drier ground. She wears her full body suit from Equafleece which we LOVE! That covers the small wound successfully. However, the larger wound is much closer to the ground, comes close to the end of the suit, and was so large initially that we didn’t want fibres from the suit getting in (as well as mud!). We have therefore been covering the wound we go out, except on pure pavement walks. I thought it might help some people to see how we are covering the wound. Extra thought: we taught Rudy a ‘roll over’ cue when she was younger. We never pushed it to a full roll because of her spinal crunchiness. However, the ability to get her to lie on her side on cue/ request has once again been SO helpful. I’d thoroughly recommend teaching it to any dog. As you can see, Rudy is a real sweetie, and although she has a strong, independent mind, she will also do anything for Kev or I. However, I try to work on the ‘just because you can, doesn’t mean you should’ principle with my handling of her, and find cooperative ways of doing things rather than physically moving her. You can see she is a bit wary here about what I might do next...hardly surprising given the last few weeks, but we keep everything to a minimum and give her a clear release at the end (and there was a tasty reward afterwards!)
Day 15: Tumour removal video 2
Day 15...removing the dead tumour! I emailed the oncologist yesterday to show her the smaller tumour that was stubbornly hanging on. She in turn checked with the manufacturer. The advice came back that as the tumour had clearly necrotised (died) we could see if it would come of with some gentle pressure. If not, they advised waiting a while longer to see what happened. As you will see from the videos (first one here, second in next post) Kev and I played vet! The bulk of the dead material sloughed off using just a soft cloth. Final bit was more stubborn. I think there was fur holding it but also probably a tiny bit of tissue. It is now gone though. I felt a moment of triumph consigning it to the bin! Tiny wound underneath. Be interesting to see if that one grows much and how slow it is to heal given its position. I do have to remind myself that it was a very small tumour in the first place, so there was never going to be the dramatic wound of the one on the lower leg. She remains on antihistamine to counter any granulation. My more immediate concern is that she finished her Gabapentin yesterday, so we will need to now monitor whether the current level of Pardale (paracetamol) and tapered steroid dose is enough to keep her free from arthritic pain...she can’t return to her usual NSAID anti-inflammatory pain killer (Onsior) until 5 days post the final steroid. We cannot allow a situation where she is uncomfortable and miserable due to join pain. Once her wounds heal we can get her back to her hydrotherapy (Richmond Canine Hydrotherapy Centre) which she loves. Quality of life is all and through this she has remained our Rudy, so it’s key we manage her other condition well.
Day 10 post treatment: Today lifted my heart! We took Rudy for a proper walk today. It’s been wet here over the past few weeks and the ground is very muddy. We don’t want dirt or standing water getting in to the wound. We covered the wound with a non-sticky dressing and used a yellow vet wrap around her wrist to hold it in place. We put her Equafleece onesie on to cover the other mass (which still hasn’t formed a wound). We kept her on lead for the majority of the walk to prevent her going through large puddles or really muddy areas. However, on this walk there is a spot we normally linger for a while and let the dogs chew sticks and chill. Luckily the ground was quite solid in that area today, so we could let her off lead for a few minutes. It was so lovely to she her do all the normal things she loves on a walk: roll, chew, sniff and mooch. The sun was shining and we even saw catkins. I’m sure today did her the world of good and it certainly put a smile on my face. We managed to walk further than we have done since the treatment. I’m sure she will sleep well tonight!
Day 7: a post about practical ways we are supporting Rudy...and why there is a chicken in our house...! Email from the oncologist this morning to say she is happy with the wound on Rudy’s lower leg- she says she has seen that white material in the other dogs she has treated. She confirmed also that the small tumour has gone necrotic (ie it’s died) so should detach too. We will continue to monitor, but basically so far, so good! To celebrate, I thought rather than share another gory picture this morning (no change from yesterday basically), I’d show you this fun film...yep, we currently have a house chicken who LOVES Rudy. For those that don’t know, the UK has lockdown for chickens because of an Avian Flu outbreak. We have a single chicken left, who already spent quite a bit of time indoors last summer when the doors were open, but now officially lives in our lean-to, but in practice spends 90% of her time inside with the rest of her ‘flock’ (Rudy and our Border Collie). She no longer lays eggs so is no longer subject to DEFRA rules on what she can eat, so she too enjoys yogurt on a Licky Mat 😂 Licky Mats are brilliant for enrichment and for distraction so I’d 100% recommend them for anyone who’s dog is going through any treatment/ recovery period. Rudy can’t have her usual off lead walks because of the mud, so we need to make sure we keep her brain working, plus it’s important to get her up and moving because of her arthritis. We have a whole range of low calorie treats for her to lick or to search for. You can also see that we have rugs throughout the rooms Rudy goes in to prevent micro-tears on muscles from little slips as she walks around. All part of her long-term arthritis management. However, I would say it is essential to get rugs down if your dog is having Stelfonta treatment on a leg, because Rudy was decidedly wobbly for the first few days and reluctant to fully weight-bear. She needed really good traction on the flooring,
Day 6 post treatment: Took a video to send to the oncologist this evening, so thought I would share that. The smaller tumour is not sloughing off because she can’t lick it but it is black and dying. The larger tumour looks to be gone. I am check with the oncologist whether we should have any concerns about the white stuff in the wound. There is no smell, so hopefully it’s just part of the healing process rather than an infection. The skin around the wound looks quite red but isn’t hot- I suspect it’s red from her licking. She isn’t licking obsessively, but obviously more than she usually would. She’s quite quiet, but bright enough when it comes to doing food searches and is eating and drinking normally. Hopefully I’ll get some feedback from the oncologist tomorrow.
It’s such a lovely bright day out today that we took a little amble just along our street. She was slower than usual and sometimes when she stopped to sniff, the treated (right fore) leg got the wobbles. You can see her gait is not right as she walks, and her head is not usually carried so low, but I think overall some air and sniffs is beneficial. The advice from the oncologist and the drug company is that they can exercise as usual, but I am going to take it slowly and base it on how I think she’s doing generally. Rudy does have arthritis, including in the wrists, so I don’t want to put too much compensatory strain on other joints. Equally I don’t want her getting too stiff. In the end we compromised- we did a little more than I would have liked and lots less than she wanted! Seems weird seeing her in a collar and lead- we always use a harness but I don’t want there to be any risk of rubbing on tender skin. As you can also see, it will be a while before the fur on her tummy and sides grows after she was shaved for the biopsy. She does have a coat but she was fine today.
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