My Chest

Well, after my 3rd lot of chemo Mummy and Daddy gave me a little break of 10 days and the sores did clear up. Then I had my 4th lof of chemo. I was quite sick afterwards and not able to eat and I got very skinny. Then at the point when the nausea should have worn off, Daddy could not get me to eat at all but Mummy could only feed me tiny bit by tiny bit. About a week after my last chemo, I started making those horrible honking, straining, crowing retching noises. Very loud choking sort of sounds but it was just me trying to clear my chest. I got to the stage where I could not lie down at all and so something had to be done as I was very very tired.

I went back to my vet and he drained a lot of fluid off me. I weighed about 32.5 kilos in before, and then when reweighed I was 31.33. My chest was full of fluid so I could not breathe, could not swallow and my ribs were pushed out...it was horrible. Mummy and Daddy made a video of it to show our vet.
When I got home, I was so tired, I snoozed like a pup on my brand new bed and was much more comfortable. I had a reasonably comfy night, only a few groans and honks....so a dramatic difference from when the fluid has built up.

It looks like the chemo so far has not made a lot of difference to the problems coming back, and that surgery to remove the mass is the only option. We are all very frightened because the surgery is risky, and we don't know what we might find if it is opened up. Hopefully it will be something my vet can take out really easily which would be good.
If not, then at least we can know exactly what it is, get it biopsied, and then treat it with specific  treatment.

The other thing I overheard Mummy and Daddy talking about is the insurance. I was insured for one condition for up to £2,500 treatment and it looks like I am a good few hundred pounds over that. If there is more surgery, and more treatment then we might double that figure above. I heard Daddy talking to a man in the park whose friend spent £30,000 on cancer treatments, but it didn't work. Mummy and Daddy promised me that we would not make a decision on whether to go ahead based on finances. They will make sure I am very comfortable and that they won't choose something that will make me very uncomfortable unless there is a chance of it working.

So, looks like I will be getting my chest opened up next week sometime, possibly after Tues as Mummy has to go to hospital herself on Monday. If I am too sick or unwell to post, then Lily is going to have to (reluctantly) put a post up for me to tell you how I am.