Heartbroken...

Hi everyone,

It is with complete sadness and a heavy heart that I have to say that unfortunately Lassie's journey came to an end on Saturday. She had not eaten for a few days and wouldn't even eat cheese which was her favourite so we put this down to the treatment suppressing her appetite. She had no energy and was very lethargic to the point where she wouldn't get up other than to have a drink.

She started swallowing really loudly and strangely which concerned us so we took her into the vet to see if there was a problem with her throat. Unfortunately the vet found a very big abscess in Lassie's mouth that was extremely infected and could only be removed through dental work under anaesthetic, which in her weakened state she would not have survived and so we had to take the incredibly difficult decision to let her go to stop her suffering.

We are all completely heartbroken but it was without doubt the kindest outcome and the best we could do for her as she was starving but unable to eat. She was extremely brave till the very end and coped with treatment very well.

Lassie was a very special dog and a very special friend who taught us an awful lot and could always keep you smiling. She was and still is my best friend and I will never forget her or the amazing, and often funny, times we spent together.

I am absolutely honoured to have had Lassie in my life and while I will miss her more than words can say I will always have extremely happy memories to look back at and we can all safely say we loved her with all our hearts and she had a very good and happy life full of cuddles and treats.

Thank you for everyone's continued support and kind words through her treatment, they really did help and mean a lot <3

Amy xx

Sorry for the slow updates!

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the slow updates on Lassie's progress, I have had a lot of work due in at university but will try to keep this updated more often from now on!

Lassie has been to the vets again today for her chemotherapy injection, between now and her last injection 3 weeks ago she has been a little bit better than when she was getting them weekly but still has a lack of energy. The vet told us today that Lassie's red blood cell count is low and she is anaemic and she explained that this could be the reason for Lassie being tired all the time.

We are waiting for a call back later today to see what we can do to stop the red blood cell count dropping any lower which could involve changing some of the drugs that Lassie gets for her chemotherapy.

I will update again when we get the call but for now Lassie is doing alright apart from having no energy but she is quite content lazing about in the garden sunbathing! Her sleeping is getting back to normal as well, whereas she used to be getting up in the middle of the night and walking around she is staying settled all night. She's still being an absolute trooper! She had a lovely bright pink bandage this time but I didn't manage to get a picture because she was lying on that leg!

Amy xx

Since her 3rd chemotherapy injection on Thursday Lassie has been a little bit under the weather again although a lot better than after her 2nd. She still won't go for long walks like she used to although whether this is lack of energy from treatment or her being lazy (as she likes to be)  remains to be figured out! Her steroid dose has gone down from taking them every day to every other day and she hasn't had her other drug Endoxana for a few weeks although she will be back on these next week when she gets her 4th injection as it is a 3 weekly drug. No major side effects and she is still eating which is a good sign. Lassie has been a bit restless overnight getting up and moving around a lot but this could be down to stopping her joint supplement Yumove as we weren't sure if it would affect the chemotherapy but we have been told it is fine to give her it so we will see if this helps her settle again.

Back to the vets again next Thursday for her 4th injection and after this next one the dose will decrease from once a week to once every three weeks so that is every week for the first month and then every 3 weeks after that.

Will keep updating as and when developments happen :)

Lassie has been to the vets again this morning for her 3rd chemo injection. The first few days after her second injection she was not really herself, she wasn't eating and was sick a few times but towards the end of the week she gradually got back to her normal self. Her blood count had decreased when it was checked with her 2nd injection but she was given antibiotics and her blood count was back up this morning so that is good news :)

I think she must have been stressing this morning because she was flat out in the car on the way home!

Back to the vets..

Well today Lassie has been for her 2nd chemotherapy injection and was fine as always, walked into the vets quite happily. I should probably mention the vets we go to at this point, we take her to the Croft Veterinary Hospital near Cramlington and Lassie's vet is called Dani, who she has taken quite a liking to and all the staff are so lovely, Lassie has no trouble going there and we know she is in good hands :)

Lassie has two matching bald legs now but we can tell she is getting better everyday and she has had all of her stitches out, ready for some long walks!

Early Signs of Progress...

Hi All,

Just an update to say that Lassie is doing extremely well, she is slowly getting her energy back for longer walks and is starting to enjoy being outside more again. Her lymph nodes are noticeably shrinking so the treatment is obviously having the desired effect! She has been fine after having the treatment apart from her brief lack of energy although this could have been down to the disease itself as opposed to the treatment as like I said her energy is returning with treatment, no other unwanted side effects at all and still has her usual appetite, so far so good!

Back to the vets again on Thursday for her second chemotherapy injection and to get her stitches removed which have healed brilliantly...

Steroids...

Today Lassie had her first lot of steroids (Prednidale) and her second cancer drug Endoxana she took them with no trouble although they were hidden in scrambled egg and cheese which probably helped! She seems to have less energy and is tired after shorter walks than usual but other than that everything is well :)

Thought I would share this photo from a few Christmases ago of Lassie looking extremely stylish and ready for winter!

The start of a long journey...

So today was a big day for us all but for Lassie most of all, this morning she got her first round of chemotherapy and was extremely brave through the whole process. She went into the vets happy and met some friends (including a dog that could be mistaken for a small bear!) and came out happy and wagging her tail complete with trendy blue bandage!

She is on a chemotherapy protocol called EVP in which she is getting Endoxana, Vincristine and Prednidale and the vet informed us there is an 80% chance of a full 12 months remission which is great news for us all! (luckily we managed to catch the lymphoma at a very early stage). Lassie will be going back to the vets every week for the first month (which I'm sure she'll be thrilled about...) to get her injection and then once every 3 weeks after that.

So far since getting home she has been her lively self and although she wouldn't eat her own dinner she didn't say no to a scrambled egg! Clearly just a fussy eater, much like myself or is milking it to get better treats!

I will keep this blog updated with developments as and when they happen but so far so good and we have nothing to worry about currently :)

Lassie is an absolute trooper and takes everything in her stride, she has already taught us a lot.

Amy xx

Baldy...

The day we first noticed that Lassie's lymph glands had swollen in her neck and back legs was the first cause for concern although initially we weren't too worried. When I started looking into the causes of swollen glands and noticed that it could be lymphoma my heart sank as this meant we had to face the possibility of losing our amazing friend.

A few vets trips later and last week Lassie had some tests done for a full diagnosis and ended up covered in bald patches and stitches..

They have all healed well and yesterday the tests confirmed lymphoma. By this time we already knew we wanted to start chemotherapy to give our girl a fighting chance.

How we met our furry friend...

The day we first decided to get a dog was a particularly exciting one as I myself had been wanting a dog for years. We decided not to buy one but to instead look at adopting a dog who needed a new home. This is the first ever picture we saw of lassie and from this day on we just knew we had to have her,after all, who could resist that little smiley face!

This is Lassie on the first day we got her home 4 years ago from Pawz for Thought animal adoption. She started life with us slightly overweight at 32.4 KG and her weight had made her quite the celebrity being featured in newspapers and on TV...

We soon got her out walking, running and playing with toys which meant the weight gradually dropped off and she started shrinking to the size of a normal dog slowly but surely...

I can truthfully say that I have found an amazing friend in lassie and even though she may be a little bit strange at times...

We all love her to bits and it is an absolute honour and a privilege to have her as a member of our family <3