Oncologist visit... help!

[5PotatoChips]

Has anyone here visited a dog oncologist before? I posted in a different thread about Jorah, but it is looking more and more likely that she has a very rare form of lymphoma. Our vet referred us to the oncologist and we have an appointment set up for tomorrow. (It's about 3 hours away.) Does anyone have any tips or suggestions? Things they wished they knew before they saw a specialist? This is a first time for us.

 

[Brandie&Maggie]

We took Maggie to one. It was actually wonderful.

Obviously every office is different, but the one we went to (NEVOG) had everything available there. We met with the oncologist and went over history, etc for about 30-40 minutes. She already had records and all the test results so far. She gave us her opinion and recommended a few more tests, which were done immediately, while we waited. We did X-rays to see if anything had spread and some lymph node testing.

We discussed the X-rays right away and a possible treatment plan, which was surgery. We had already met with a surgeon and she spoke to him to discuss everything as well. They even showed us photos of dogs who had had the same surgery so we knew what to expect.

She called 24 hours later with blood results and to confirm the plan. She also called our vet to discuss.

Overall, I was very happy with our visit. We did not end up needing to go back because the biopsy results after surgery indicated that the follow up injections we had discussed were not needed.

Just do your research, make a list of questions you want to ask (so you don't forget) and bring a notebook to take notes during the visit.

Good luck!

 

[victoria1140]

Went to one, they do lots of questions so that is the easy part.

Ask about support drugs,vitamins, etc that can be used alongside any traditional treatment. Our oncologist said to us she didnt do herbs but alternative diets,etc can be beneficial for quality of life.

Also ask about metronomic chemotherapy as an option

Our Max was given 3 months but we managed 6 good months with diet change,removing chemicals from the house, support vitamins,etc.
We had holistic, homeopathic as well as traditional radiotherapy for him.

Also read a book by dr Damien Dressler, it helped us be as positive as we could for our boy.

Some are lucky and last years , ours was happy for 6 months but we wouldnt have traded those months for anything.

 

[Alicia]

I think a notebook with questions you may have is a good idea and the book recommended to read by Dr. Dressler and Dr. Ettinger is sitting in my lap right now. I am about half way through the book and it really does give you some great advice. As a side note, ironically we met Dr. Ettinger a few years ago when Rocky had a spindle cell tumor removed. Good luck. I hope your dog does okay.

 

[5PotatoChips]

Thank you everyone for the great tips! My sister and really appreciate the advice. I will let you know what happens!

 

[lmfoltyn]

Any news?

 

[Lori]

My mom's little mixed breed dog Zoee has lymphoma, diagnosed by our regular vet. She just recently finished the Madison Wisconsin chemotherapy protocol and is doing great. No real side effects. Like everyone else said take notes and if you can, maybe take someone else with you. There's a lot of info to take in, plus it's emotional too. Good luck with your visit, sending prayers for your pup.

 

[NinaA]

As soon as Moonlight started having problems, I started a notebook. I found that it helped a lot in just keeping track of things like 9 pills twice a day in different combinations. It also helped in keeping a timeline. When did we do this and when did we do that. Hope things work out for you.