Leukeran....

Leukeran….

  

I can tell Cody is not feeling well. His color on his nose and around his eyes is more purplish grey than normal. He is more lethargic. Sleepy. He has a harder time waking up in the mornings…

This is where I get heady…

Am I doing the right thing. The whole point of treatment is to keep him happy and feeling good for as long as possible. If he is not feeling well… is it worth it? What is the line in the sand for feeling good or not so good? Puking? He is not horribly sick right now but he has only had three doses so far including this morning. I guess if he gets worse I will determine whether or not to continue. He is ok… don’t get me wrong. And I am hyper sensitive to his moods and behavior. I know my dog. I just worry. Of course. Some of what I have read on the web has me a bit concerned about side effects I can not quite see:

“Chlorambucil works similar to chemotherapy that is sure to have issues with side effects. Bone marrow suppression is one of the most common of the adverse reactions that animals encounter. This can lead to anemia, or/and a decrease in the WBC count, though the animals will regain health when the medication is discontinued. Also, the hairy breeds in cats and dogs can experience hair loss.”

I do believe his purplish grey color is anemia as I have seen that before in him. This pill is SO tiny! It amazes me how potent some drugs are. I am not supposed to touch it although I did not know that until today… Actually that is a lie. As soon as I got the drug I thought I should probably not touch it but that was fleeting. I am also supposed to stay away from contact with his saliva, urine and poop for 48 hours after he takes it. HUH? He takes it every other day! Am I supposed to get no kisses for the month he is on it? That is ridiculous and not going to happen.

Whatever. We are in this together and it is what it is.

So I am in monitor mode. I am watching him like a hawk… making sure he is not showing other side effects like dizziness, coordination issues, hallucinating. Yes these are all side effects I have read about. Nice huh? This is stuff that if I see it… he is done with this drug immediately.

Onward…

~ by gowiggle on January 24, 2012.

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