Pet Owners In Treatment

Ahhhh... all that sage advice from friends will get you. 

In my pre treatment "Chemo Class" they told us not to change litter boxes, if possible. If you had to, wear gloves, etc. Pretty much the same advice I got when pregnant. Just use common sense.

You're fine playing with pets, children, and scruffy neighbors.

Stephanie 

Two dogs and a cat during chemo treatment not one made me sick.  Couldn't stand it if I had to quarantine myself from them. 

I also have a dog and cat and the only changes I made to the usual routines were:

I don't clean the cat box or clean up in the yard after the dog (if nothing else this was the perfect excuse to delegate those chores to my DH).

I am cautious with the cat to make sure I don't get scratched because of the concern about infections.

I santize my hands more frequently. 

I concur with everything said above; how could we stand going through this without the comfort of our pets?

However, the one cautionary note I would give you is to not let your cats lick you (if they usually do so).  We have 2 cats, and one of them is a licker -- every chance she gets!  While on chemo (and for about 2 weeks after the last tx), I had to brush her off repeatedly...luckily she didn't  take offence!

Cheers,

Linda

Couldn't have made it without my two dachshunds!! They make me feel better

I am glad to read this as I would not want to have to not be near my dogs -- are the only ones that don't treat me in any way shape or form differently! (even though my family, friends co workers have been great )  I will be starting radiation only in the next 2 weeks or so, and I am worried I will be too tired to walk the younger one -- he is so happy leaping through the weeds that you just can be sad watching him!

This is an e-mail my mom sent me. It made me cry and I wanted to share it with other pet owners.

A GREAT DOG STORY

Anyone who has pets will really like this. You'll like it even if you don't and you may even decide you need one!

Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named Lucky.  Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they
would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck  his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.

Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease....in fact, she was just sure it was fatal.

She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I  die, Lucky will be  abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him.  The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.

The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his  evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and was miserable. 
Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital.  When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom.  Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap. Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.

When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned!  While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life.  He had covered her with his love.

Mary forgot about dying.  Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and
Mary is still cancer-free.  Lucky?  He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.

Remember....live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing from God. And never forget....the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care for us.

If you see someone without a smile today give them one of yours! Live simply. Love seriously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

A small request: All you are asked to do is keep this circulating.

Dear God, I pray for the cure of cancer.  Amen

All you are asked to do is keep this circulating, even if it's to one more person. In memory of anyone you know that has been struck down by cancer or is still living with it.

Great story.  My oncologist just told me not to clean up after the animals and never told me I still could not touch them.  Actually, at that time I only had 2 dogs and 1 rabbit.  My youngest dog came and slept with me the first chemo tx.  I know she knew something was not right but after that she seemed standoffish from me.  Dogs are smart and I believe she knew that what was being given to me was not good. 

Patrice,

I went through 6 rounds of TAC last fall and recently discovered mets on my spine have started me on 6 cycles of Taxal/Avastin/Zometa in October. We have two dogs and I agree with everything said already. My husband has taken over the back yard clean and he does a better job than I ever did!

One thing I would mention is that if you have pets who tend to drink out of the toliet, make sure you double flush, or keep the lid closed, at least for the first week or so after every treatment.

Nancy

Y,all,

When i was diagnosed 5 years ago my dr. told me not to ride b/c of bone mets. I never stopped riding, I even hopped on a horse bareback on the way home from the hospital after my mastectomy. There would be little living w/o my corgi and my horses. 5 years later I'm getting ready to start chemo a 3rd time and I still ride and care for my horses myself. They take care of me to. God sure knew what he was doing when he created our best friends. Don't ever consider giving up your pets for a millisecond.

The horses are so totally awesome because they know how frail you feel after chemo and will walk in small steps besides you as if they are leading you. Ussually they are very careful not to drop you.

When I was exhausted and dealing with my bad news PET scan a few weeks ago I had dogs pressed against my body as I lay in bed.

The animals are such a huge part of hope, treatment, and recovery. They are a support group that never takes a break. They are closer than best friends. Can you even imagine being without horse hugs?

I was alone and took care of them just like I alwawys did.  If the hamster bites you, have it looked at.

My mom was the told the same thing about cleaning up after her pets but the doctor never told her that she couldnt be around her dogs ( with cats its different b/c the tend to dig in there litter boxes.) what the doctor told my mom about indoor dogs was its better to be around them then in a gern filled hospital and be sure to get there nails cleaned every 2 weeks. About your hamster and fighting fish you still cant clean them with out gloves and all and if you want to handel your hamster then i suggest garden gloves because if it does bite you it wont be as bad since he'll be biting through thick plastic first. other than that i think you should ask your doctor about your cats and dogs if they are outdoor animals the rules may be different depending on the enviroment in which your animals live.

Whenn I was on treatrment my little Jack Russell wouldn't leave my side.... she was next to me on the recliner....

My corgi is most always glued to me but assures me that when I am in TX that those Mommy hugs and snuggles are ever so much more important. The horses are incredibly careful with me when I'm in TX. Maybe,your other dog needs to have a talk with her.