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Prayers for our dog

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Apparently the type of melanoma that Pepper has (nail bed) is malignant and very aggressive. :cry: The oncologist at Auburn said that even though I diagnosed it early and the margins are clean, we might want to consider the cancer vaccine for canine melanoma. It costs $2000 for the vaccine itself. The woman who runs the standard poodle cancer registry sent me an email last night and recommended the vaccine. Squamous cell carcinoma would have been good news in comparison to melanoma.

Thanks for all of your prayers and well wishes. :wub:
 
I know this news is scary even though the path report of the tumor removal itself was encouraging, and her x-rays are clear. The melanoma vaccine sounds very promising - are there any downsides to it? If this vaccine is as successful as it sounds, maybe more dogs can avoid having to endure the awfulchemo and radiation treatments, which has never seemed to be truly successful in the cases I have seen.:( Go Pepper!
 
jdarg said:
I know this news is scary even though the path report of the tumor removal itself was encouraging, and her x-rays are clear. The melanoma vaccine sounds very promising - are there any downsides to it? If this vaccine is as successful as it sounds, maybe more dogs can avoid having to endure the awfulchemo and radiation treatments, which has never seemed to be truly successful in the cases I have seen.:( Go Pepper!
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I've googled and saw a 2003 study done at Sloan-Kettering. Nine dogs with advanced melanoma were given four biweekly injections of human tyrosinase DNA vaccine that was constructed at MSKCC's Gene Transfer and Somatic Cell Engineering Facility. The dogs were injected with the vaccine using the Biojector-2000, a needle-less delivery device. They showed no side effects or toxicities with only a mild inflammatory reaction observed at the injection site. Two showed no evidence of disease when they were checked after completion of the vaccine regimen. Four dogs survived for over 400 days with the longest survivor still alive after more than 615 days. The median survival was 389 days.

Note this study is from dogs with advanced melanoma. Pepper's report said early melanoma.

I also saw another website where someone said her dog had just finished the four injections. The only side effect was dry mouth.

One thing I've learned is that the melanocytes of black dogs have to produce more melanin because of the black pigment. So maybe since these cells are more active, these cells are more likely to experience uncontrolled growth which is what melanoma is?

Oh, and after the 4 injections, if a dog taking the vaccine is lucky enough to live that long, there will be $500 injections every 6 months. These can only be administered by an oncologist because the drug is so experimental, it doesn't have a name yet. Thank goodness Auburn is an easy drive with no Atlanta traffic to deal with. When our Weim was there for three weeks, we visited her every day because the vet said it might help her recover.

Thanks for your, and everyone else's, concern.
 
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jdarg said:
I know this news is scary even though the path report of the tumor removal itself was encouraging, and her x-rays are clear. The melanoma vaccine sounds very promising - are there any downsides to it? If this vaccine is as successful as it sounds, maybe more dogs can avoid having to endure the awfulchemo and radiation treatments, which has never seemed to be truly successful in the cases I have seen.:( Go Pepper!
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Go Pepper! should be the theme of the month!! :wave::wub:
 
BR, Pepper is lucky to have you. Hope the vaccine, the early detection, and lots of love gives you the best results possible.
 
BR I hardly know what to say after reading this whole thread. My heart is sad for you and I feel your pain, uncertainty, anger, and confusion. This is something you just shouldn't have to go through....and especially Pepper. What a beautiful dog! I've gone through similiar situations with pets, and it's never easy.

I've always learned something from each of my pets that has helped me throughout my life. They are definitely God's angels. Thank you for sharing with us..... I will be praying for Auburn too!
 
Pepper has learned how to open the front door here! This morning she saw someone walking down our street towards Highway 30A. She went to the front door, pushed down the lever handle, and went out the door barking. I resisted the urge to chase her (they say dogs will go the opposite direction if you do that), and I said ?Come here, good girl.? When she finally came to me, I grabbed her collar. I was pretty nauseated for a couple of hours just thinking of what could have happened (as in, road kill on Highway 30A).

So now we have to be really careful to make sure we lock her crate when we leave and that we put the pet gate at the front door. She is so smart that she knows when we are about to leave, she gets in her crate, and sometimes we forget to lock it. We have to be make sure we lock it now.

BTW here is our latest advice from the standard poodle cancer registry after her seeing Pepper's pathlogy report. "EXCELLENT report!!!!! You couldn`t ask for a better outcome. I am very confident Pepper will live a long and healthy life. I don't think from that report that the vaccine is warranted.":clap::D

The vet says that UGA and Auburn recommended once a month melanoma checks.

Thanks for the prayers, y'all. I do believe in the power of prayer.
 
Wonderful news! I am so happy for you. :clap:
 
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