Melena

Wed. Oct 7th - Sam stayed at home with Mushka again today & we tried to separate them but we lost power and our computer battery backup beeped which the pups hate! We aren't sure if the beeping sounds or Sam's other development of the day caused them to move the gate but they were no longer separated when Steve came home for lunch. He found that Sam had several accidents including diarrhea. After cleaning up the various floors, carpets & Sam, Steve worked from home the rest of the day. He kept a close eye on Sam and saw no more issues. Around 5:30pm he gave Sam Cerenia. I came home from work and around 7:30pm he gave him Palladia. When I saw the photos of Sam's stool I recognized it was black tarry stool & checked the Palladia info sheet. This side effect was listed as one requiring us to stop the Palladia immediately & contact our Vet. We texted Ruslander & asked if we should take Sam to ECVR to induce vomiting. He immediately called us back and recommended an Rx for Sucralfate to help repair the damage to his GI tract. He also said we should stop the Palladia until next week and get another CBC at ECVR Thursday. He didn't seem overly worried about the black stool, aka melena, but did say we should reduce the Palladia dose & that Sam may not be a Palladia candidate. We gave him 1,400 mL of fluids to help prevent dehydration following his diarrhea.

Obviously, in hind sight, we wish we'd not given him the Palladia tonight. We are worried about the melena and that Sam has yet another health concern. Please realize that we know some folks think we are putting Sam through too much but we are only doing what our research and our gut tells us to do. We only want the best for Sam and have followed the steps we have because we believed they would help him. He continues to be in good spirits and have energy so we do not want to give up on him. We do appreciate the support we are receiving during Sam's struggle with cancer. We do know where this road ultimately ends but honestly believe that we still have miles left to travel.