Today’s update is a tale of two parks. While most people think of NYC as being skyscrapers and subways, we live in Inwood, the northernmost neighborhood of Manhattan, which is very residential and has a lot of green space. Griffin has lived here his whole life and I’ve been a resident since 1994.
Sitting pretty among the cherry blossom petals!
This morning we went to our local vet for a blood test to check Griffin’s complete blood count (CBC) 2 weeks after chemo to ensure his red/white blood cells and blood platelets levels have not dropped (they were fine when checked last week but can change in week 2 after chemo). It was raining lightly when we left and then it poured during our 5 block walk to the clinic. The technician was super fast with Griffin and we were out within 5 minutes! It had stopped raining while we were in the clinic and a few minutes after heading back home, the skies opened up again. Since we were already wet, we took a detour on the way home through Inwood Hill Park. In the video below, you can see Griffin navigating in the rain. Listen until the end – Griffin is totally the boy who would make rude noises in class to make his friends laugh and get away with it because he is so cute!
This afternoon, we headed to Fort Tryon Park. It was pretty windy and Griffin didn’t seem too interested in walking/exploring. He did pose under a cherry blossom tree where the rain/wind created a carpet of petals. He also practiced walking down stairs. He walks down the 4 steps in our lobby pretty easily and can walk up a full flight of stairs, but until today, he had not walked down a full flight of stairs. While we were at the park, Griffin practiced on two different sets of stairs which were deeper than the ones in my apartment building, leaving more room for his back legs to step down while his front leg is still on the stair. The video below shows an enormous flight of steps up to the Cloisters – Griffin only practiced on the last section. Clearly I was more excited than he was!
xoxo Stacy
Griffin’s smile belies his annoyance with me for asking him to lay down under the cherry blossom tree!
I’ve spent the last few days trying to figure out the best course of treatment for Griffin. The standard approach for canine chemotherapy is 4-6 rounds, usually with Carboplatin. Griffin’s oncologist originally recommended 11 rounds of chemo, alternating Carboplatin with Doxorubicin, based on anecdotal information that more chemo resulted in better outcomes. However, there is no published data supporting that approach and at a cost of $1,300/round of Doxo and $1,700/round of Carbo, the five extra rounds are an expensive unknown. Additionally, I want to enroll Griffin in the Yale clinical trial for a canine cancer vaccine, which cannot be administered until 3 weeks after Griffin finishes all rounds of chemo.
So, after much consideration and quite a few email exchanges with his oncologist, I have decided that Griffin will complete 6 rounds of chemo with Carboplatin, provided that he does not experience significant side effects. Griffin had his first round of Carbo on April 17th, which he tolerated very well as evidenced by his behavior/eating habits and the first of 2 blood tests. The second CBC (complete blood cell) test is tomorrow and will be done by our regular vet to avoid a car trip (our vet is walking distance from our house) and to save money ($70 vs $250 at the Animal Medical Center as they automatically charge for an exam visit, too). The plan is for him to have 5 additional rounds of Carbo, which are administered every 4 weeks. That will bring us to the beginning of September, and at the end of that month, Griffin and I will go to the Veterinary Care Center in Norwalk, CT for the first dose of the canine cancer vaccine. The second dose will be administered 3 weeks after that, with re-checks/blood tests one week and 4 weeks after the second dose. The vaccine could be mailed to my vet at a cost of $1,000, but by going in person (it’s only a 45-minute drive), I’ll only have to pay for 2 exam fees – the vaccine and the blood tests are free. Along the way, Griffin will have chest x-rays every 3-4 months to ensure the cancer does not metastasize to his lungs. The oncologist and I will decide at the end of the year if it makes sense to restart chemo, which would work well financially since his insurance plan would renew in January, giving us a lot of flexibility for next year.
Griffin and I decided to explore a bit of Inwood Hill Park today. The park is very hilly, giving Griffin a good workout without us going too far. In the video below, Griffin is showing off his ability to navigate uneven terrain, but the best part is the very end when he is able to lift his back left leg to pee – we’ve been working on that for a few weeks now!
Prior to his surgery, Griffin and I would easily walk a 2-mile route from our house to the furthest point at Dyckman Fields in Upper Manhattan, and back again. Griffin is not yet up to making the 2-mile trip on his own (he can do about 1.5 miles in the morning, less in the late afternoon), so I loaded him into the wagon this evening, hauled him to the park, and then let him meander for a while. He almost made it to the point, but did not complain when I gave him a ride for the last little bit and most of the way home. About 2 blocks from home, he stood up in the wagon as I was pulling it – yikes! I swear he was determined not to let our neighbors see him riding in the wagon – LOL!
That’s the Hudson River, with New Jersey on the left and the Bronx (Riverdale) on the right.
Today is a glorious, sunshiny day in NYC and Griffin and I made the most of it! Enjoy today’s photos and videos!
xoxo Stacy
I have resumed using Griffin’s old harnesses (SENSE-ation) for ease of movement. He is not accustomed to wearing a bulky harness like the Web Master (which fits him well and seems comfortable), although we will still use it when having a handle might be needed.
We walked quite a bit today and stopped to rest on the return home. This was the view from the park bench where we rested for over 20 minutes just enjoying the sunshine, breeze, and calming view of the Hudson River and the Palisades on the New Jersey shore.
Griffin has learned that the faster he walks, the more his momentum will carry him forward. His default motion lately has been trotting more than walking.
Griffin was at AMC today for blood work following his first round of chemo last week and for a few rehab sessions. His oncologist said his blood test results were great – solid white blood cell/platelet counts and no issues with his liver. She said he seems to be sailing through chemo – fingers crossed that it lasts! He was cleared for acupuncture and hydrotherapy (see videos below). It is a raw, rainy day in NYC, so it was nice for Griffin to get in some exercise time in the pool today! I threw in a bonus video of Griffin swimming a few years ago – I can’t wait to get him back in the pool this summer!
He had acupuncture today but I did not receive a report from the vet afterwards. We spoke beforehand as I had asked him to check out Griffin’s back left leg which seems to be moving forward in an arc rather than a straight line. I sent Dr. Cherno videos earlier in the week so today he let me know that he examined Griffin and didn’t find any sensitivity or structural issues with his leg. He thinks it is just Griffin’s new gait as he adjusts to being a tripawd.
I would say that he was neutral with the water therapy today. I don’t think he particularly enjoyed the swimming as he is a great swimmer (see video below from 2017) and probably didn’t understand why he was being held. I think he was ok with the treadmill – his face looks like he was thinking, “I’m not sure why you have me in a pool where the ground is moving, but if it makes you happy, I’ll stay here“. I don’t think the water therapy is worth the cost/time, so we are just going to stick with acupuncture for now and see how he does.
This video is from 2017 at my dad’s house – we will be spending lots of time there this summer!
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