This should be the last bit of my c&Ping from other posts. After this I will start updating this blog and people can just come here for updates.
9/25/11
he does a 3 week cycle – week 1 is adriamycin and cytoxan, then weeks 2 and 3 are just vincristine each week. All IV.
the adriamycin can cause heart problems. Male dobermans are already more prone to heart problems. So, we already were only doing 12 weeks of chemo rather than the 15 because the extra round pushes past the statistical cost/benefit with the possible heart problems vs. the benefit of the chemo.
Last week we were in Disney. We had a family reunion in FL for the weekend, and then did Disney Monday through yesterday (Saturday). My mom brought Spencer back home with her from the reunion and he stayed with her all week.
She commented that he fell a lot, which I hadn’t seen. Then on Friday it happened 3 times on one walk – like his back legs suddenly just went out. The 3rd time she had to get a neighbor to carry poor Spencer back to her house (did I mention that he is about 75 lbs?). After each episode passes he is back to normal – no problems.
But it worried her. So she took him to our vet on Saturday. They sent him to the ER vet where they started a cardio work up. They think he might be having episodes of cardiac arrhythmia. I take him back to the cardiologist tomorrow morning. I guess we have to figure out if we are going to continue the chemo, maybe try a different kind… I don’t know. hell. he has only had ONE does of the medicine that MIGHT cause heart problems. But we don’t know for sure if he DOES have a heart problem. The EKG was normal yesterday; but the vet thought that his pulse seemed weak? So far he hasn’t had any problems since I picked him up last night; but he is sleeping more than normal. But that could just be the chemo.
He seems FINE though. when I take him out I’m having to force him to take it easy (they said if it IS arrhythmia that while he has come out of them fine each time in the past, that there is no telling if he will come out of the next one 
). He wants to run around and play.
so… I walked away with that his heart isn’t GREAT; but he isn’t in heart failure either. At this point, this isn’t something that is going to kill him; but we are going to have to watch it.
I talk to the oncologist in the morning. He is due for a dose of vincristine on Thursday. He would be having the adriomycin and cytoxin next Thursday, so we will definitely be changing before then; but I’m also going to ask about the nerve issues with the Vincristine.
He hasn’t had any issues with unexplained falling since Friday. he is still happy and playful – even at the vet today. (and he hates going to that vet, he tries to head straight for the door. 
) He walked down to the bus stop and back with me today and was only a little slow (the bus stop is 5 or 6 houses down, all on about 1/2 acre lots – down hill to get to the stop, so up hill to get home). He did seem a little slow; but I really think that is probably due to the chemo.
Oh, and if he makes it through this I think I might try to find out if he can be some sort of dog to visit at the local children’s hospital or even at retirement homes around here. My mom was walking him last week and she said an old man came out and asked if he could give Spencer a dog treat. He then said that he had been sitting inside really depressed and then he saw Spencer come by, obviously having just been through so many surgeries; but still plugging away with his tail wagging and it made him realize that moping doesn’t help anything.
