Where has summer gone? Sorry for the long post; our last update has been a while. Kudo has been doing great and enjoying many adventures—hiking, bike rides, and more walks around town.
Kudo’s DNA results returned as a mixed breed: American Bulldog, Chow Chow, American Pit, Lab, German Shepherd, and Chinese Shar-Pei. His DNA health screen returned pretty clean, except for a gene that may affect Kudos ALT Levels. This means that Kudos baseline ALT level may be on the lower end of the scale; ALT levels are used as indicators for Liver health. With this gene, Kudo could have liver issues but be on the high end of the range for healthy. We told Kudo’s oncologist that he was a carrier of this gene defect.
Kudo has been doing well with Chemo with minimal side effects. He takes his cerina the morning prior and just before his following two meals to help ward off any nausea that the Chemo might cause. Kudo tends to be a scavenger and eats anything he gets close to; over the years, we have had many days of upset tummies… this summer has been one of Kudo’s healthiest summers. This may be due to his complete diet change or the intentive eyes on him at all times. Either way, we will take it as a win.
Each round of Chemo is four weeks, and Kudo’s blood cell count tends to drop on the fourth week each time. Kudos blood has been consistently low for this treatment; his oncologist has dropped the dosage to align with his current bloodwork. On September 8th, Kudo’s blood count was too low for the first time to receive his treatment. His oncologist reviewed everything we need to be on the lookout for in case of infection or additional drops in his count. We watched for fevers, lethargy, any out-of-the-ordinary or falling out of remission. While this was scary, we knew Kudo had a low count many times and rebounded quickly each time. Without the treatment, Kudo received an extra rest week, and Brad took the week off from work to stay with him. They both needed the extra cuddles and rest.
September 15th was Kudo’s follow-up; his blood count was perfect and right back to where it should be. His treatments were resumed. He received his final dose of Doxorubicin. This is a powerful drug, and the FDA puts a maximum lifetime dosage limit on this drug to limit the chances of permanent side effects, most notably damage to the heart when used longer than the standard six doses. Kudo has been very receptive to doxorubicin; most of his treatments with this drug were reduced due to his low blood count. This drug is known for maintaining more prolonged remission. During his next round, he will receive a brand new drug in the fourth week. While we are unsure how Kudo will react to this new drug, it will also be something his cancer has never experienced. We are hopeful for positive results.
After much research, I bought Kudo an at-home magic pad to help him with his overall health and wellness. Kudo is now the proud owner of a rainbow chakra mat. This mat has features to help with positive energy and overall health, including crystals for hot stone therapy, Far Infrared, Negative Ion, PEMF, Chakra Balancing, and photon lights. Over the last few days, Kudo has been spending plenty of time on this mat, enjoying total relaxation and falling asleep within minutes of landing. I must admit Brad and I have used this mat as well, and I woke up early this morning to spend a few minutes relaxing with coffee before heading off to work.
The level of PEMF is much lower than the professional level provided by Roman Bear LLC. Kudo will continue to have his treatment with Roman Bear. His home mat will be used daily to help maintain positive results between his visits.