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Frontier Avalon Angelica , CGC, HIC's Pedigree

1991 - 2005
OFA RO39233G24F

Information about transitional cell carcinoma (TCC)

dam of D, E, F litters

*PARENTS*	*GRANDPARENTS*	*GR.GRANDPARENTS*	*GR.GR.GRANDPARENTS*
Gladlea's Senator of Apoldo RO-11002G41M	CH Radio Ranch's Axel von Notara RO-599 ARC Gold sire	CH Rodsden's Nomad vd Harque RO-201	CH Rodsden's Kluge vd Harque, CD RO-50 Gold Sire
			Rodsden's Gypsy, TD RO-54
		CH Kuhlwald's Tara of Ronlyn RO-330	CH Axel vom Schwanenschlag, RO-166 Silver Sire
			CH Kuhlwald's Little Iodine, CD RO-58
	CH Rodsden's Vera Du Trier RO-1045	CH Max vd Hobertsburg RO-320	Caro v Kupferdach, SchH 3
			Adda v Dahl, SchH 3
		CH Rodsden's Alexa vh Brabant, CD RO-574	CH Falco vh Brabantpark RO-286 Gold Sire
			CH Rodsden's Lady Luck, CD RO-60 Gold Dam
Shadowhaus' Classic Starr	CH Concord's Justin Bear	Ch. Bethal Farm's Ali RO-1673	George Anderson RO-760
			CH Graudstark's Irma La Deuce, CD RO-752
		Concord's Artistic Charm Producer Of Merit	CH Welkerhaus' Rommel, UDT RO-759-T Gold Sire
			Concord's Special Edition RO-1899 Bronze Dam
	CH Midnight Magic v Shadowhaus	Shadowhaus' Bruno v Meadow	CH Rodsden's Bruin v Hungerbuhl, CDX RO-1189 Gold Sire
			CH Margurita von Meadow, CD RO-2184-T Bonze Dam
		Altar's Jewel vom Axel RO-6476	CH Radio Ranch's Axel von Notara RO-599 Gold Sire
			CH Panamint Yonka v Altar RO-1355-T

2nd place 6-9 puppy 5/31/1992

Transitional Cell Carcinoma
Frontier Avalon Angelica CGC, HICs
(November 17, 1991-January 18, 2005)

In November of 1999 Angelica (aka Gel) broke into the storage closet in the entranceway and destroyed a bottle of windshield washer fluid, consuming some and thus was on medication for minor possible antifreeze poisoning (windshield washer fluid has a minute amount of antifreeze and is minimally toxic). She then had UTI's (urinary tract infections) twice that summer.

In September of 2000 Angelica, then almost 9, had an emergency pyometra spay. The following March 2001 she was VERY ill for a couple weeks with a mystery ailment. She was hospitalized for 5 days. High fever, high white cell count, vomiting, diarrhea etc. If she had not already been spayed the vets would have said pyometra. The final guess was uterine stump pyometra where an infection settles in the remains of the uterine stump. Angelica had a couple more UTI's this summer also.

Over the winter of 2000/2001 Angelica had a couple more UTI's. When she was first diagnosed (May 2001) with transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder, she could only pee in drips -- 1 drop at a time of bloody urine. At first we thought she had another UTI and tried 1 week of antibiotics to no avail, so we sent off urine for a full exam and culture which is when we discovered the TCC. Transitional Cell Carcinoma's presence was confirmed with the HUGE clumps of TCC cells in Angelica's urine, as these cell clumps are NOT present unless a TCC tumor is also present.

Within 2 days of starting Piroxicam she could pee normally and that continued as long as she took her Piroxicam. We opted for no surgery or surgical biopsy based on my research and discussions with others with afflicted dogs and with cancer researchers. TCC spreads like mold spores when touched or cut and thus is a poor type to perform such things on. Also normally bladder cancer is at the part of the bladder away from the outlet and if surgery is performed that portion of the bladder is removed (and most dogs become urine incontinent after surgery). Angelica's is at the exit of the bladder, and thus not eligible for surgery unless we removed most of the bladder and made her 100% incontinent.

We tried Chinese herbs with Gel (started about 1 week post diagnosis), but they made her very very sick as did dog kibble -- the kibble she'd been eating for a good long time. She could not even smell kibble without turning her head away from it!

About 1 month after diagnosis I thought she was dying. Bloody vomit, bloody poop, blood oozing from her vagina, etc.. For several days she was this ill and we seriously considered putting her down. I have since discovered that this "crash" is very common in dogs being given Piroxicam WITHOUT using Sucralfate. When telling people this story, we now stress that Sucralfate is a must!

We discontinued everything, started her on Sucralfate twice a day and fed her just raw beef burger and amazingly enough, she got better. A couple days later we restarted the Piroxicam and a couple weeks later went to just one Sucralfate a day, 1 hour before her pm meal and Piroxicam. 'Gel' continued to make improvements and moved from death's door to being a normal old Rottweiler.

The average life span of a dog post diagnosis being treated with Piroxicam is 6 months with some living 12 months and a few living longer. Angelica lived 3 years and 8 months post diagnosis!

MOST dogs have had the TCC quite awhile before showing any signs. We guess that Gel had hers for at least 12 months prior, based on her past history of crystals and UTIs (which we had wrongly attributed to her accidental ingestion of windshield washer fluid 2 years prior.)

Angelica was 75-78 pounds and 22 1/2" tall at the shoulder. She took a standard 10 mg capsule of Piroxicam. The actual dosage is 0.3 mg Piroxicam per kilogram of body weight. 10 mg capsules is the norm and some pharmacies will assemble capsules in whatever size you need. Sucralfate comes in a standard 1 gram size and that is what we used.

After the death's door illness, a month after diagnosis, Gel was eating/taking daily the following: (now a days I would use Innova EVO instead of plain Innova, but Evo was not available then)

AM
15 minutes before meal, she got 1 tablespoon Ultraclear Plus mixed with a bit of water (available through Illness is Optional )
Then we mix together:
1/2 cup ground beef
1/3 can Innova
1000 mg Vitamin C
2 Cranberry capsules dumped into food
10000 IU Vitamin A
200 IU Vitamin E
1 Nutribiotic plus capsule (also available through illnessisoptional) mixed with a bit of warm water

PM
1 hour before hand she got 1 Sucralfate pill - 1gram (prescription med to keep the Piroxicam from eating her stomach)
Then 15 minutes before meal she got 2 tablespoons Ultraclear Plus mixed with a bit of water
Then we mix together:
1/2 cup ground beef
1/3 can Innova
1000 mg Vitamin C
2 cranberry capsules dumped into food
1/2 human multi-vitamin with no colors added
followed by 10 mg Piroxicam (the dosage is about 0.3 mg/kg) and a slice of bread (her treat)

In April of 2003, we changed her from the ground beef to Bravo prepared raw beef (meat, ground bone & veggies) 8 ounces in the morning and 6 ounces in the evening and 1/4 can Innova.

In November of 2004 we changed to less Innova canned and added some Innova EVO dry food in an effort to reduce carbs further and she tolerated this well.

After diagnosis, she got no vaccines at all except Rabies. No chemicals applied or ingested. At each of her recheck urinalysis the clumps of TCC cells became less and less and about a year before her death they only saw scattered TCC cells, not clumps.

Some of the websites I have utilized:

from the pub med website
articles # PMID: 11809678
PMID: 7653891
PMID: 7983623
PMID: 1733554

From Gooddog Magazine You have to register first but it's free. Once registered search on Bladder cancer, or go direct to this article bladder cancer

Marvistavet on TCC

Marvistavet on Sucralfate

Rennie’s page of TCC resources

Angelica collapsed on her way in from going out for her last potty at 11 p.m. on January 17, 2005 and then managed to get in the house without aide. She and I and our then almost 2-year old Rottweiler Bea stayed on her bed with her most of the night and she passed in her sleep after 1:00 a.m. on the 18th of January, 2005. Angelica was 13 years 2 months old. A WONDERFUL dog to the end.