Week One October Navy Protocol

It's been 6 days since we started Princess on Navy Protocol.  I decided to write this blog today October 24th so I've got some catching up to do.  These are the events and at times my random thoughts for the period of October 18th-21st.

This is now my real time log of each day


Tuesday October 18th Day 1 Dose #1

Yesterday was the day that we got the diagnosis about Princesses cancer. Our next activities involve getting our primary vet on-board.   We faxed him the Navy Protocol Research paper and were waiting for him to review it. A vet has to supervise and prescribe the medications.

Hopefully we'll start the Navy Protocol today. I'm desperate for progress. K faxed everything to Dr C this morning. It's been all day and no word yet. I call the vet and plead with the receptionist to give  Dr. C the paper and have him call me. I break down and cry as I try to give her my number. (Turns out, Doctor C had reviewed the entire paper and called my wife back. He's not heard of Navy Protocol but after reviewing the paper, agreed to give it a try. ) 

Princess had a nice day overall. She sat in the sun for hours peacefully. I'm carrying her up and down steps to go out. She walks the levels hopping on her left leg and holding the right one up. She's not interested in playing. Her appetite for cheese is good so we have a cheese party on the deck. This evening K came home with the medication from the CVS. and Dr. C.  I'm so hopefull!  I mix 3 Doxycycline, one celebrex and a crushed half tablet of Tamoxifen onto a plate and mixed it with a can of Purina One Beef flavor.  

THIS IS THE DOSE FOR AN 85+ POUND DOG. MAKE SURE THAT YOUR VET SUPERVISES THIS AND THAT YOU USE IT CORRECTLY

We're on our way! Dose one down the hatch. This evening her right leg hangs uselessly and is evidently painful. Still, she wagged her small tail and seemed very pleased when K and the kids came home. She's getting a lot of attention. One day at a time.

Wednesday October 19th Day 2 Doses 2 and 3

Princess is less mobile today. She's alert and seems to be in less pain. I gave her dose 2 this morning mixed in a batch of scrambled eggs. After K and the kids left, she was zonked for about an hour. I lifted her onto the bed at around 10:30am. She's staying put - not following me around at all. Now its 12:46pm and she's panting heavily. Hang in there girl. I asked her if she wanted to go for a car ride. She seems interested but not moving. I don't want to stress her leg. Dr C says it could break because the cancer weakened the bone. Gene's research says that we should see some improvement at about 14 days. I can't tell you how grateful we are for Gene's help in this. It's 3:08 pm and JJ coming home from school. Princess got up and brought JJ a ball then went and then got a big drink. It's a small thing but until this time she's been quiet all day. She's in good spirits this evening. Her leg is hanging mostly useless. Took dose 3 with some left overs.


Thursday October 20th Day 3 Doses 4 and 5


Princey woke up in good spirits today. Wolfed down dose 5 with 2/3 can of Purina One. She loves that stuff! (We didn't feed Princess canned food until this week. Up until now we've fed her Buffalo Blue dry food for large breed. The canned food is a treat for her and easy to mix the doses.) The daily dosing is stressful for me. If she stops eating, its over. Good start today. Princess shredded my empty cereal box as usual. What a strong girl. I went out for about a half and hour and she had climbed the stairs to the landing. All this is very positive no matter what the eventual outcome. I know that Princess and all of us are enjoying our time together after learning this horrible news. Princess is much more active today. She is very hungry and interested in eating. Her leg hangs uselessly. I think that her starting to use it again will be a key sign of progress. Told two of my Kids Lins and KK about Princess. They love Princess like a sister. It was hard. After reading up on the NP, they are hopeful as we are. Dose 5 at 7pm no problem. One day at a time.

Friday October 21, 2011 Day 4 Doses 6 and 7 


We've been giving her the medications twice a day 7am and 7pm each time mixed with a can of dog food. Unless something changes, I'll leave it out of the blog

I'm thinking of getting a tattoo of Princess. Her courage is inspiring, broken families, SPCA, private kennels, a dog attack that left her severely wounded. She's fought back from them all. One family adopted Princess and returned her because she licked their carpets(she still does that). Who sends a great dog back to a kennel for that? What the @#$% is wrong with people? She deserves to be on a tattoo. She's sat through hours of me ranting and raving as I work from home, and hours of musical practice and rehearsals. Never a mean word.

Today Princess woke in good spirits but rested quietly most of the day. Gene says that the Celebrex is probably easing her pain and we need to be cautious about her stressing her weakened leg bone. She still does not put any weight on it. Princey seems tired of not being 100%.

I'll cover Friday and Saturday tomorrow. We've had some great developments over the weekend.