OK, so after reading all about the possible side effects of the various drugs used for Mina’s lymphoma treatments, and Berry the dog’s reactions to some of them, I’m kinda freaked out. The one that’s coming up on Thursday is Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide). Here’s the info from Berry’s Web site:
Cytoxan is an alkylating agent that interferes with the replication of cells. It is a nitrogen mustard and is related to gases used in chemical warfare. Cytoxan is given in pills, which must be handled with extreme care. Cytoxan is an inactive drug in the capsule. It is activated in your dog’s liver, where it is broken down, and then it is broken down again in the bladder. It is extremely important for dogs to receive ample water while on Cytoxan so that the drug wastes can be flushed out of your dog’s organs. Your dog also needs to be let out often to urinate while taking Cytoxan to remove the waste products from his bladder as quickly as possible. Detailed information about Cytoxan is available at: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_cyclophosphamide_.html.
From what I read on that link, you can’t even touch these pills with your fingers, which makes me wonder how I’m supposed to give them to Mina? I would assume it’s bad if the pill touches the inside of her mouth? Will a Pill Pocket work? I’ll write down my questions today so I have them for our next visit to VIMP on Thursday.
Also, I may not be entirely out of the chicken cooking business, UNFORTUNATELY. I can’t seem to find a doggie snack for Mina that’s not full of grains and stuff she doesn’t need. She’s not bugging me for snacks now because she eats four to five times a day, but it’d be nice for her Aunties Lori and Sherrie to have something easy to give her. Any ideas? Hints? Suggestions? Today, we have some chicken breast in the fridge that she can have for snacks, but I’m not looking forward to doing that on a regular basis because I’M TIRED OF DISMEMBERING CORPSES IN MY KITCHEN.
So, this morning we were up after about five hours of sleep to go outside in the pouring rain. Gotta hand it to Mina, she’s tough because she managed to do all her business while getting soaked as I stood in the breezeway and watched. She got a nice rub-down with the towel when we got inside, something she particularly enjoys. Pills, food, laundry, carpet spraying, pack lunches, eat breakfast, finish laundry, get ready for work, leave a sad-eyed Mina behind. I wish I could set up a little corner for her here in my office but this is not a non-human animal-friendly workplace.
Generally, she seems better, even broke out the trot for a bit this morning and yesterday. She still sleeps an awful lot, but she did invite me to play a couple of times yesterday but wore out after just a few minutes. She’s still eating enough for three Wheaties, though, and still drinking lots of water but I’ve noticed that’s tapered off. She’ll need to drink tons while taking the Cytoxan, so I may employ Colleen’s sneaky method of getting her elderly pooch, Tosca, to drink by putting a little chicken broth in the water. Eww.
s.
It's OK to Talk About the Cancer 
May 5, 2009 at 12:26 pm
When the dismembering of dead corpses comes to a halt it will make your words and actions in your AR activism that much stronger.
I always think of the undercover PETA employees that have to watch –and can do nothing at that particular moment– the infliction upon their friends; this experience allows them to do what they do and get the word out and save these friends of ours.
…Hang in there, you can do this.
I love Mina!
May 5, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Girl, I’m gonna start making her treats myself from whole foods that aren’t dead animals!
This is hard and it’s kind of exhausting and it has narrowed my focus and I don’t like that. So, I’m trying to pay attention to the other things that matter to me as much as Mina and hope I find some balance. Mina seems pretty well balanced, well, except for the fact that she eats enough to get fat and doesn’t.
Mina loves you!
s.