Dogs and chemo: Calling all dog-lovers!

yensmiles, I only have one dog but to be honest I never even thought about separating her from me during chemo! She was by my side like glue and I was thankful for her constant companionship. My husband worked out of town during the week and Bailey seemed to sense I needed her! I did find that she stopped licking me and I think it could be that I had a chemo smell, probably best that she didn't. It's funny that she would curl up by my chest and if I rolled over in the night, she would wait until I was settled and then hop over me and curl up again. After my surgery she wasn't so insistent on being that close to me and I wonder if she could smell the cancer?

I would ask your MO if your concerned and I'm sure the answer will alleviate family concerns as well. 

Yensmiles,

Another dog (and cat) lover here. I just finished my year of Herceptin ....after four months of the heavier stuff (TCH) last fall. My pug and rat terrier slept under the covers with me every night. Warm little buggers! They offered great comfort during the whole process. The only think my docs asked me NOT to do was change the kitties litter box while going through chemo. That was one chore I happily delegated to my kids!

Annie

When I went through chemo six years ago my DH was working out of town and the litter box was my chore - I wore a mask and disposable gloves and handled it very well (darn it!) and my beloved dog (just recently passed at 15+ years old) was by my side the whole time - she never was a licker (not like my labs years ago) and honestly her cuddles are what got me through some very tough times - I think pets are worth there weight and then some in gold!

Within a few weeks of me being DXd IBC, Hubby lost his 'Baby Girl' to cancer.  He had been searching for a 'New Girl' but hadn't found one.  For some unknown reason, the day before my UMX, I drove past the local Humane Society and had the feeling I had to stop. There was a young adult female B&T Coonhound in there which is what he was looking for.  He didn't off work in time to see her that afternoon, but once I was in my room after UMX, I sent him and Son off to eat and go see her.  When they came back to hospital, her had gotten her but she had to stay til spayed.  When Son picked me up the next day, on the way home, we stopped to see her and were told I could take her home - didn't.  Hubby dIdI'd pick her up later so home she came and still is here.

I had an OLD Gordon Settter.  Once I started neoadjuvant chemo, he would be right with me all the time.  When I think back, he started being so close to me all the time was about 2 weeks before DX. 

Won't go into also my 'pet bunny' in the house and being out with the horses - but our 4 legged babies do give us so much. 

What 'works' for one of us may not work for ALL of us.

I was looking to adopt at the time I was dx, so I put that on hold. I was wanting a boy of my own because BFs boy, Reggie, just isn't that lovey, and I'm not used to that. During chemo Reggie became very lovey and would stay in bed with me all day on the few days that I was down all day. He's never been a snuggler and normally stays at the foot of the bed but on those days, he would scoot up next to me, all 120 lbs of him, and put his head on the pillow. I never considered that he could be a health risk for me but I was constantly paranoid that I would make him sick. Reggie thinks toilet bowl water tastes way better than any other water and I stayed psychotic about the lids being put down. If I found someone had left one up, I would try to determine if the water level was low and watch Reggie like a hawk for says. After bmx and during the next rounds of chemo, I decided I was ready and adopted a new boy of my own. Also a Toby. Luckily by then, BF was used to keeping the lid closed, so it wasn't as stressful that time around. 

yensmiles - I am down to one dog now as I lost my older girlie right after my second surgery. They were/are both rescues as were the two dogs before them. 

I am on A/C every 2 weeks and my blood counts go way down days 7-11 every cycle. I ended up in the hospital my first cycle with extremely low counts and a temperature 

We decided to not let the dog sleep on the bed during my low count days and that I would not handle him a lot. Seemed to work for round 2 as I did NOT go to the hospital :-)

He has been really good throughout the surgeries and chemo.  He is a mama's boy anyway, but really didn't leave my side at first.  He has been very gentle as well .... He knows when I don't feel well

If your dogs go in and outside, they can pick up bacteria on their feet.  Same with licking you ... If they have licked themselves, or have just eaten, or have had a drink from that big porcelain bowl, they can carry bacteria.  During your low blood count times, depending on your chemo regimen, you can be susceptible to germs as your body just isn't capable of fighting off much. 

I haven't had the energy to walk him much, especially during low count days.  And the fatigue appears to be cumulative.  My son has been good and takes him for a nice long walk when he comes over. 

This is hard on both of us .... We were heavily into agility before this and used to doing "stuff"! 

Yensmiles -This is bit off topic but will say it anyway.  I am a firm believer in 'rescuing'/'adopting'  young or older adult dogs who need a home rather than getting a puppy.  The last puppy I had was a Christmas present from Mom in 1977.  Since then all my/our dogs have been 'rescues'.  

The 1st Hubby got was a very well bred Irish Setter who should have gone far in the show ring except the people who had bought her did not bother to give her her shots and she developed  distemper thus becoming aneorixic.  By force feeding her, I kept her alive (and basically healthy) for several years and even got her CDX.

A lot have been found through Vets, an Irish the owner had actually run over with a mower and wouldn't bother taking care of the injuries properly after the initial surgery and told Vet to put her down, he didn't and we got her.  A Pointer that the elderly owner died and the family put it at the Vets but then decided that they were not going to continue to pay it's bill out of the very large estate and for the Vet to put him down - he didn't and we got Bot.  

The memorable ones, not through a Vet, include 2 OTGs (Off Track Greyhound) immediately after they ran their last races, a Bassett because he barked too much in base housing.  From HSs, an elderly Irish, a huge Lab/Newfie that some guy had seen Huey before and came back to get because he thought Huey would make a good 'bear dog' because of his size (this subhuman even followed us out into the parking lot trying to buy him from me). a Gordon, I found out about really strangely that was in CO and we were in WA that I had flown to SEATAC.  Cody (my old Gordon at DX) had been a 'Dog of the Week" in the paper.  Son saw it (I didn't) and  told me about him.  We went out and there was a very sick Cody.  My heart went out to him and we left with him.  The local HS gives you a free Vet check with each dog but as it was a Wed afternoon there was only 1 Vet open for 'checks' so off we went to them.  I then was told to take him back to the HS as he would not live.  Well hardheaded me was not about to do that so took him home and he did live - more than 10 more years.  

Now we have the B&T Coonhound that Hubby got the day of my UMX and a Pembroke Corgi.  Dixie, the B&T, was at the HS because according to her breeder/owner she 'won't hunt'.  She may 'not hunt' but she could not be a better 'lap potato' (all 80 lbs) and 'buddy', which is what Hubby wanted.  I have a Pembroke Corgi that Hubby found in a snow bank out on the Rez miles from 'anywhere' and brought home.  Obviously, know nothing about her past but she did come with a lot of issues and has been challenging but she's here and we will deal with her.

Sorry for rambling on so much.

They are each so unique.  I think the one that surprised me the most was my OTG.  It was '91 and I took the boys back to my home town while Hubby was deployed to Desert Storm.  I went in to the pet store to get ferret food and there was a very mellow  OTG in there.  He was an OT about month off track.   I got the name and number for his race owner and called him..  A couple of weeks later he called me back saying he had a b---- that did not have it for the track but he thought would make a great pet.  So a few days later, she ran her last race and he brought her to me that night.  She walked in the house, looked around and hopped on the couch and went to sleep.  A few weeks later, Desert Storm was over, Hubby came home and took 4 weeks leave.  So it was time to go back to WA from FL.  So back we went.  Hubby left before the boys and I did with another OTG that we had 'inherited' (long story but she did find a great home in WA).  I had a station wagon at the time so when I headed back there was me, our 2 Sons, a friend who wanted to go to WA, 2 parakeets, a ferret, a ChowX and my OTG. .  I think she handled the trip the best of all of us.   Somebody in Iowa tried to buy her and offered me quite a bit.  I do not suggest anyone getting one straight off ghe track unless you are very knowledgeable and have a Vet who also knows OTGs.  There are many 'medical' challenges that go with coming straight off the track . 

I once got a fantastic mini poodle from a Puppy Mill - yes it was a 'puppy mill' in the worst sense of the words.  Actually the puppy Mom gave me was after I had to put CoCo down from the after effects of what she existed in.  Mom was a small breeder.  I've also gotten 3 Setters (2 Irish, 1 Gordon) that had their Championships from very reputable show breeders but due to problems whelping had to be spayed.

There are so many fantastic 'companions' out there - you just have to seek them.

Kicks - I have an Irish  He's just over 12 months old now, and is a joy.

We've always had rough collies (Lassie) and had an Irish quite some years ago. We were on 8.5 acres and at one time had three rough collies and an Irish - that was interesting lol. 

While I was getting chemo we had two rough collies.  One would always be right by my side, either on the lounge or in bed with me, and the other would be across the doorway to the room I was in, as if guarding me. They would swap positions regularly.

We have now moved back into town and have one very old rough collie, Beau (one of the collies we had while I was doing tx) and Finn our little Irish lad. Beau was a rescue, I had lost two of my beloved collies in one year - one to a brown snake (very, very poisonous here in Australia) and the other to old age. I picked Beau up from a home where he was being abused, and took him home to clean him up and find him a new home, but he looked just like my old boy, and had the personality of the boy I lost to a snake. So with us he stayed.  He's now 13.5 and is almost blind, mostly deaf and getting dementia, but still likes to cuddle up with me on the lounge.

Life's just not complete without a dog.

Trish

Toby's liking for papaya has reminded me - Finn our Irish boy loves fruit and vegetables! Pretty much all of them. When I'm preparing dinner at night, he sits at my feet and gets the carrot peelings, and eats all the stem of the broccoli. He has even been known to eat mandarin skins - and dogs aren't supposed to like citrus. I have to be careful of the things he's not allowed, like onions - he'll steal them from the kitchen bench if I turn my back on him lol.

He's also a yoghurt lover  I have to be really careful - he's such a garbage guts, he'll eat everything he can get at, and he's starting to look a bit too round!
Trish

Trisha-Anne - We've only had one Collie (rough coat) that we only had a bit over a year.  Lost him to a Mojave Green bite (a really form of rattlesnake in the Mojave Desert, California).  He had come to us while at a horse show.  Owners were there too and somehow Sons found out that owner was either going to find some one to take him or they were going to leave him alone in the desert on the way home because he chased cars.He went home with us.  A bit over a year later, while out in the desert with the boys and I on a ride a Mojave Green got him.  He didn't make it back to the truck even though he was being carried on my mare. 

Each comes into our lives differently but each for a reason - for them or for us.

I love Irish but am just a bit more partial to Gordon's - a bit 'mellower' usually (and I lover black and tan).  Never have had an English but have been told that they are usually more 'laid back' than Gordon's.

If you are interested, I'm a professional photographer (weddings and portraits) but have just started a pet photography business. If you want to see a picture of our dogs - have a look here: www.pawtography.com.au

Trish

Never even gave it a second thought!  I have 4 dogs and many cats and never changed a thing about how I handled them (cats are mostly outside, therefore no litter box)!  My DH also runs a kennel and some of the dogs we board are inside dogs and are used to sleeping with the owners, so some of them even slept with me during chemo!  I had no troubles and neither did any of the animals!