Ozzie National Canine Cancer Foundation
Ozzie's Lymphosarcoma Blog for Week of September 22, 2006 (chemo protocol week #4)






This week's chemo treatment has had me concerned for some time; it involves an injection of Adriamycin® (generic name doxorubicin), which (quoting Dr. Ogilvie's paper) "in some rare cases, can irreversibly damage the heart muscle." Also tissue damage can result; again quoting Dr. Ogilvie's paper, "If Adriamycin®, is accidentally given outside the vein, severe tissue reactions can result. Therefore, drugs like Adriamycin is handled with the utmost care, and is only administered by highly trained professionals. If irritation of the injection site develops in the form of pain or redness, apply ice packs for 15 minutes every three hours. Call your veterinarian if you have concerns, and certainly if the condition persists for more than 24 hours." It must be given with great care, and given over a longer amount of time, according to what I had read about the drug. I was worried that Ozzie could be still long enough for the injection to go well and not accidentally be spilled onto his body.

Ozzie went in for his blood test, this week he weighed 36.1 pounds, so he gained about a pound in the last week. His blood showed his PMNs was acceptable, but he is still slightly anemic (the Hematocrit (HCT, or PCV, Packed Cell Volume) is a 33 when the PCV should be 38 or greater). I shared my concerns about the risks of the Adriamycin with the vet, and she decided to give Ozzie a slight sedative before he received his injection.

Ozzie and I arrived at the vet's office at 4:45 and he was given an antihistamine and a mild sedative. We then waited for 30 minutes the drugs to take effect; Ozzie gradually got sleepier and limper, and eventually we went in for the catheter process to begin. The vet started the process with two assistants on either side of Ozzie to keep him still, we didn't want the catheter to come out and the drug to get on Ozzie (or the people). Ozzie, with the help of the vet and the assistants, was kept quiet and all went well. We left the office at 6:00 PM, happy to go home.

Ozzie did not have a negative reaction (no vomiting or diarrhea) to the Adriamycin; I would saturate the areas in the yard where he urinated, and I carefully picked up his feces.

Ozzie also continues to have a good appetite; he is starting to know the new times he gets fed and can almost anticipate a meal time.

Link to Week of Sept 29th Blog