Video Tribute To Copper aka "Joe Friday"

Please leave your thoughts about Copper in the comment section! thank you!

Copper aka "Joe Friday" 1996-2007

I helped Copper make his journey to the bridge today. Last night we spent some time together saying good-bye which made today a lot easier for me. It touched my heart that some many people came to see him off on his journey. Copper had made so many friends at the vet hospital, they all wanted to see him off on his journey. Dr. McDonald and Copper's girlfriends Kristy and Sarah (his vet techs) along with several of my friends were with him as he was put to sleep. It was painless for him and he went very peacefully. Afterwards, my friend Heidi brought out a balloon with a treat attached to it. We all wrote something special about Copper and we released the balloon into the sky. As we were leaving the hospital, the balloon could be seen floating higher and higher as if it was following Copper on his way to the bridge.

I want to thank Dr. McDonald, Dr. Sfiligoi, Kristy and Sarah for the wonderful care they gave Copper over the last two years. Their love and the attention they gave Copper helped me through a very tough experience, and they will always be in my heart.

If someone were to ask me if I would make the decision that I did last March when Copper was diagnosed with cancer, I would say yes. For while the last few days have been very hard, I had the opportunity to enjoy knowing Copper for almost two additional years. If anyone ever has to go through this experience, and wants to talk to someone about it, please feel free to contact me.

While I will no longer be posting in this blog, it is here as a tribute to Copper and a resource to those whose pets are facing lymphoma.

Copper will be making his final journey tomorrow

Over the last day, Copper has not been getting any better. He sleeps most of the time, and when he is awake, he seems very disorientated. I am not sure if he can see well in his good eye or not.
Today I decided that it was time for him to be put to sleep. While it was a very difficult decision, it is the best decision for him. I want him to leave this life with dignity, respect, and not in pain.
So tomorrow we will make one last journey to see his oncologists. On the way, I will be sure to stop at McDonald's and get him so Chicken McNuggets, for he has come to enjoy this treat.
I debated a long time about whether I wanted to be with him as he makes his journey to the rainbow bridge, and have decided that while it will be very difficult, I owe it to him to be with him throughout the process.

While this is a very sad time, I do not regret anything that I have done for him over the last year and 8 months for I was given the gift of his time and for the most part, the times he was healthy and happy really outweigh the time he was not.

I love you Copper! Thank you for coming into my life, and for providing me with the experience of knowing you.

Copper seizures have gotten worse

Over the last day, Copper has begun to have more frequent seizures. In the past month, he would have a couple every 12 or 24 hours and then they would stop. This time they have been happening around every 8 hours. I took him to see his regular doctor (Dr. Parker), and she explained that because his cancer is behind his eye, it is probably putting pressure on his brain, causing the seizures. She also explained to me that while we could increase his seizure meds, it would take about 3-5 days for them to get to the right level, and even then they may not work for long because of what is happening with his cancer. We talked about adding Valium to the mix, and while it would probably work for the short term, her concern was for his quality of life. He wouldn't have much quality of life if he was knocked out all the time. She told me that it was time to start preparing for putting him to sleep, and in her estimation, the time would be within the next two weeks. While it is very difficult to hear that, I agree with her, and that is one reason she is a great vet. She always states what is best for the animal, rather than what we pet owners might wish to hear.

It makes me sad to know that Copper will soon be making his journey to the bridge, but I am comforted with the knowledge that I did have an extra year with him, and that he had the opportunity to touch the lives of many people.

Copper's Bug Eye

As I have mentioned before, Copper's left eye seems to be popping out of his head (it isn't). The cancer behind it is growing, putting pressure on the eye, making it big. It became red yesterday, and I was afraid that he had burst a blood vessel. My vet said that that probably didn't happen, she said it is probably just the pressure building behind the eye making it look that way. He cannot see out of the eye, and Mr. Wiggins takes advantage of that by sneaking up on him on Copper's left side. I've tried to tell Mr. Wiggins that it isn't a nice thing to do, but he ignores me. If you ever give Copper a treat, you must make sure he can see it by approaching him on his right side.

Copper's Vet Visit -- October 25, 2007

Copper went to see his oncologist today, and as I thought, the L-spar did not work. This means the only thing that can be done for him is to keep him on prednisone and hope that it keeps the cancer in check. Last night I noticed a lymphnode on his right side of his face had expanded, so that isn't a good sign that the prednisone is going to work for too long.

I do not regret anything that I have done for Copper, for it has given me a lot more time with him than I would have had if I had not done anything. I treasure that time, as I will treasure whatever time I have left with him.

Today during his visit, he was his silly old self, manipulating everyone in sight so that they'd give him treats or pet him. I could see that he touched their hearts as he has done mine.

Come On... I Know You Have A Treat!

Copper cannot continue CCNU

October 23, 2007
Last Friday (October 19th) it was confirmed that the lymphoma was back and as I wrote about in my previous post, the oncologists believe that the lymphoma is behind Copper's left eye. They found one of his lymph-nodes in his neck enlarged. Because of his low blood platelets, the oncologists took a sample of his bone marrow. Their goal was to see if he had enough blood platelets left to continue with the CCNU. The results came back and it was decided that he could not continue with that treatment. This has limited the options we have. The oncologist did try one drug that has worked in the past L-spar, but told me that if this drug does not work, the only option left was to keep him on prednisone and allow the cancer to run its course. We have another vet appointment October 25th to see how he is doing, and to discuss options.

Copper has a Bug Eye

October 13, 2007 - October 18, 2007
Copper's left eye has bulged out. At first the doctors did not understand why. They thought that perhaps he hurt it, and the area behind the eye filled up with fluid. However, after a week, when it didn't go down, they checked it again, and they now believe that the lymphoma has started to take up the space behind the eye, making it bulge. They also informed me that he cannot see out of the eye. Not seeing out of the eye does not seem to be bothering him. However sometimes he does seem to walk closer to me than before. He also seems to have a problem grabbing his treat. I think his depth perception is a little off.

Pictures taken 10/15/07

Picture taken 10/20

It has been a crazy month

Copper is still in remission. We are trying a combination of chemo and CCNU, and it seems to be working. However, that doesn't mean Copper has had it easy. He has had several medical issues during the month of September and October. He has come down with aspiration pneumonia three times, this last time has been pretty bad. I have pinpointed the cause to his seizures. He has had some small seizures over the last month, and after each time, he has gotten the pneumonia. I'm not sure how we can prevent this because it is impossible to determine if or when he will have a seizure. The best I can do is to keep an eye on him after the seizures and try to get him to the vet as early as possible. The good news is the fact that they've been able to eliminate the pneumonia very quickly each time.

Another issue that Copper has had is with his stomach. A few weeks ago he got really ill, and the vets thought it was pancreatitis, but it wasn't. They believe he has intestinal disease. They have not been able to confirm this 100% because the sample they took of his stomach did not show any sign of disease. However it did find a couple of 4 inch sticks in his tummy.... I wonder why he was eating sticks?

Anyway, they believe the disease is further in his intestines where they could not reach it with the scope. The reason they believe he has this disease is beause his protein level has been very low, a sign of the disease.

Throughout all of this, Copper has kept his spirits high! He loves going to visit his oncologists because they spoil him! He even smiles when he sees them! I'm really glad for it makes me feel a lot better knowing he is receiving extra special care at the hospital.

Copper and I have regrouped for this next battle

I was in a funk for a couple of days after learning that Copper was out of remission. I mostly think that I was in the funk because Copper's doctors and vet techs were so upset about his cancer coming back. This is very hard on them too because he has all of them wrapped around his paws. They take such good care of him and look forward to his antics. I think the pain magnified itself when I saw it in their eyes.
However, Copper is a huge fighter and has beaten the odds, so I owe it to him to continue to look for ways to help him through this, rather than wallow in what might be. When I started this process, I knew that the chances of him even surviving one year was low, and he has beaten those odds, so we are going to focus on him beating these next odds as well.
He is back on Prednisone, so he is super hungry again. He hasn't gone back to being a baby bird, but I bet he will soon!
Also, A friend whose dog has liver disease gave me the recipe for a liver friendly diet. When I speak with Copper's doctor I'll find out if it is something he can have. There are some vitamins in it that they specifically asked me to make sure were not in the milk thistle, so I need to see if they can be in his diet or if I should remove them before making it. I also have to make sure that this food can be made into meatballs for his mega E.
Once I have the diet down, I'll post a copy here.

Copper's Lymphoma is Back

Yesterday afternoon I noticed a lump underneath Copper's left eye, fearing the worst, I contacted his oncologist for a check-up. She confirmed that after 69 days in remission, his lymphoma has returned. This is very dis hearting news to say the least. I had hoped that he would stay in remission for a longer period of time.

The vet discussed the options with me today, and they are very limited. Since the current chemo drugs are not working we are turning towards the rescue treatment, using CCNU (lomustine) capsules. My biggest concern is that the treatment he is going on is hard on his liver, and since he is also taking anti-seizure medication, his liver will be taking a beating! To counteract this, he will be taking Denosyl and Milk Thistle. We will also be keeping a close watch on his liver for we do not want it to have problems.

We are also going to look into the cost of alternating the CCNU with the chemo drug adriamycin. The adriamycin helped get him in remission before, but he is at his limit with this drug becuase it affects the cardiac system. They have an antidote drug they can give him to counteract this, however it is expensive. They are going to give me an estimate when we go for our appointment on September 10th.

Our biggest concern is the amount of time he might have left. Dr. McDonald said that the rescue usually works between 60 and 80 days, and his liver issues are something we have to consider as we move forward.

Copper also has to contend with megaesophagus and low blood platelets. Hopefully neither of these two problems will progress as we work on the lymphoma.