Below is the timeline of significant events in Nunya’s journey through the cancer diagnosis and treatment. Still Updating.
April 2012 – Nunya starts sneezing frequently. The sneezes are clear, but it is uncommon for her so she goes to her regular vet. Hydroxyzine is prescribed to treat allergies, which is the suspected cause of the sneezing. The sneezing continues on a frequent basis for the next several months at a slowly increasing frequency.
08/30/2012 – The sneezing continues and Nunya goes to her regular vet again. Hydroxyzine and Cerenia are prescribed, with allergies still being the suspected problem.
09/20/2012 – Bloody nose night. Nunya started sneezing up a large amount of blood out of the left side of her nose, and the bleeding did not stop. Since this happened at night we took her to an after-hours animal ER clinic. The doctor there mentioned cancer as a possibility for the first time and referred us to get a CT scan. Blood work was done, which came back normal. Epinephrine was used to stop the bleeding.
09/21/2012– Nunya is referred to the North Houston Veterinary Specialists. They find a soft tissue mass in the nasal passage and request a CT scan/scope/biopsy be done. Nunya is prescribed Meloxicam as an anti-inflammatory, Tramadol for pain, and continue with antihistamines currently taking.
09/24/2012 – CT scan/scope/biopsy is performed. The CT scan finds a large tumor mass blocking most of her left nasal passage. A biopsy is sent off to determine if the mass is cancerous. Nunya has increased difficulty breathing with the left side of her nose being blocked. She starts reverse sneezing and seems stressed and panicked.
10/01/2012 – Biopsy results confirm the tumor is cancerous. Nunya is taken to the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical School and admitted to the ER for an overnight stay and observation. Another CT scan and blood work is done to confirm the diagnosis.
10/02/2012 – We pick Nunya up from the ER and discuss the findings with the oncology department. It was confirmed she has a large nasal carcinoma in her left nasal passage. Treatment options are discussed and thoroughly explained. We decide to go forward with radiation treatment/tomotherapy, which will take 20 days to complete. Due to quick growth of the tumor and Nunya’s breathing difficulties, it is recommended to start treatment right away.
10/04/2012 – First day of radiation treatment. Nunya will go daily to A&M for the tomotherapy treatment. She is there for a few hours, then we bring her home at night.
11/01/2012 – Last day of radiation treatment. Nunya is thought to have done well and her breathing is much improved.
11/19/2012 – Follow-up visit at A&M. Nunya gets a good check-up. She is given Meloxicam as an anti-inflammatory and pain management medication.
11/21/2012 – A blood test revealed some concerns with Nunya’s liver. An ultrasound was conducted. Liver levels were higher than desired, however no obvious concerns were noted. Ursodiol and Denosyl were prescribed to help with liver function.
01/01/2013 – Nunya starts on chemotherapy – the pill Cyclophosphamide. She will be taking this along with Furosemide to help prevent the cancer from returning.
02/12/2013 – A CT scan is done at A&M to determine the results of the radiation treatment. The scan shows that almost the entire tumor is gone, with only trace spots present. Nunya is officially considered in remission from cancer.
05/15/2013 – Nunya has started having difficulty breathing again. She has some blood-tinged discharge from her left nostril. We took her to A&M for a check-up. The vet suspects rhinitis (inflammation) and prescribe antibiotics.
06/21/2013 – Another CT scan is done since Nunya is having a lot of congestion and breathing issues. The scan finds that the nasal tumor has returned and is once again blocking the majority of the left side of her nasal passage. A different chemotherapy option was suggested – an injection of Carboplatin. Nunya received the injection.
07/09/2013 – Nunya has a major nosebleed. We cannot get the bleeding to stop so take her to her local vet, where she receives some epinephrine to help stop the bleeding.
07/11/2013 – Nunya receives another chemotherapy injection – this time it is Doxorubicin she receives.
07/25/2013 – Nunya goes back for another Doxorubicin injection. Her breathing has been getting more labored and she appears very congested. Prednisolone was prescribed as an anti-inflammatory.
08/03/2013 – It has become very difficult for Nunya to breathe. She cannot sleep due to not getting her breath, and seems very uncomfortable.
08/05/2013 – We took her to A&M to see if there were any other options to try. A second round of radiation was presented as an option, however the side effects and possible outcome were bad. We decide not to pursue radiation treatments. We are out of treatment options, and Nunya’s health and quality of life is rapidly declining. The decision was made to go ahead with euthanasia and we spend the remaining time enjoying Nunya’s favorite activities.
08/06/2013 – Nunya passes away peacefully at home at noon.
I’m heart broken today. My mother’s brown cockerspaniel who was her best friend for the past 12 years had to be put to sleep this afternoon. This was the most friendly dog ever to walk the earth. He was a good companion and i use to love taking him for his nightly walks when i visit every couple of months. He is going to be missed beyond words. He started to sneeze about a month ago with a little bit of blood coming out each sneeze. She took him to his vet, they could not find anything wrong, but suggested to take him to the specialist. He went this morning after my mom packed his little overnight bag, received the call later that afternoon from the vet stating he had cancer spread throughout his facial area and nose, and said he would only live weeks more and not with a good quality of like. The put him to sleep. I am truly heart broken like never before.
Sorry to hear this. Just posted about our experience. Very similar. RIP to our lost pups.
We lost a Sheltie at 8 to what we thinks was nasal cancer. Started with a mild nose bleed in December and went quickly. Docs never found a tumor or mass. She was on Prednisone and did well but when we tried to wean her off the bleeds came back harder. By March she was losing her appetite which was not like her. She got take out every night because we had to hand feed her. Finally felt masses around her neck and within a week I had to give her some peace. I still wonder if applying the Flea/tick meds on her neck might have been the root of it. Sweet memories now but it is very difficult to go through.
I’m so sorry that anyone else has had to experience this. I myself am enjoying the remaining months with my heart dog. I opted for the Stereotactic Radiation Therapy at the University of Florida. (Go Gators!!) It was only three sessions. I caught Ecko’s very early on, so the SRT helped reduce the tumor by almost half. The doc said 12-18 months before it would begin growing again. She also said that it is VERY aggressive. So I don’t expect I’ll have him for too much longer before I’ll have to make that final decision.
I had searched online for months for something like this. Someone, anyone to point me in any direction. I didn’t find this until now. I was lucky enough to stumble across UF’s oncology department. I’m glad that you have put this out there for people like me. I hope everyone who needs it, finds it so they can see there are others who have been through this, and many of us who have bought extra time with our hearts.
My English Cocker Spaniel, Levi, is 13 years old. He was diagnosed with cancer 7/25/2019. He has a large cancerous tumor inside his body in his belly area that has been pushing against various internal organs ever since. On the day he was diagnosed, it was suggested to end his life. He was very sick and we knew it was the right thing to do. I couldn’t, July 25 was the date that his bonded brother had been put down. So we told the vet we would be back in the next couple of days and do it then. Well, he is still with us, and for the most part he has been his happy tail-wagging self. He has had a couple of bad days, almost always over a holiday or a weekend when vet was not open. He has been “yacking” for lack of a better term lately, it is kind of a cross between puking and coughing, but nothing comes up. Tonight he had a nosebleed. I fear his time is coming soon. I am not sure I am strong enough to handle him passing now, I have cancer myself and he is my rock. I will post again soon on his …… journey.