Tell Me About Your Dog’s Experience With Palladia
By now you have likely read about Rosie’s positive experience with Palladia. If not, please read the other posts first. If you have read comments on my site or on the Dog Cancer Blog Site or other sites, you will see both positive and negative experiences with Palladia. I thought it would be interesting to summarize others’ experiences.
If your dog is also being treated with Palladia, feel free to participate in this unscientific poll. Only complete the survey IF your dog is either currently taking Palladia or has taken Palladia in the past.
This is a completely UNscientific, unauthorized, un-everything else poll. Only the information of those who choose to participate is collected. I am not associated with Pfizer. These results are NOT representative of actual studies of Palladia.
I’m just one dog owner who is curious about the experiences of other dog owners in my similar situation, and thought this would be the quickest method to summarize the information.
Explore posts in the same categories: Other Dog's Experiences with Palladia, Palladia, Polls / SurveysTags: animals, blog, cancer, Cancer Research, Canine Cancer, chemo, chemotherapy, dog, dogs, Grade II, Mast Cell, Mast Cell Tumor (MCT), MCT, Palladia, pets, poll, polls, story, survey, surveys, treatment, Tumor, vet
You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.
Rosie's Road 
November 3, 2009 at 7:52 am
My Harry was on Palladia, though not for Mast Cell. He had tonsil squamous cell carcinoma. We were about out of treatment options for Harry, and suddenly Palladia was approved by the FDA. The tumor on the side of his neck had gotten to the point of impeding his breathing and we tried prednisone to get the inflammation down, though this helped a bit, it was still threatening. After a week on Palladia, there was a bit of marked decrease in the tumor, and 3 weeks later, just slightly. Then on week 4, I found some blood in his stool, and we stopped for a week. The tumor came right back. After 2 more weeks, the blood was back and again we stopped the Palladia. The next go round we used Pepcid and he stayed on Flagyl to help with the poop issue. About this time he was diagnosed with lung mets, but we continued the Palladia and added a chemo drug called carboplatin to the mixture, purely experimental, and there was a marked decrease, but he had neck pain after 2 weeks. We stopped all the drugs again. I have to say though that during this period the tumor got very small. The problems I have found with Palladia is that when you stop the drug, the tumor returns with surprising speed, at least in Harry’s case it did. Towards the end, we stopped the chemo as his white cell count dropped and he got pneumonia, but continued the Palladia. Also we think that after so many times of starting and stopping Palladia the body builds up an immunity to it. I have the highest regards for Palladia, it did give my Harry some months of time that he would not have had. Hope this helps. I would advise anyone considering using Palladia to watch their dog carefully for any signs of blood in the poop, vomiting, lethargic, etc. It should be monitored, and to insist on a prescription for Flagyl, and use Pepcid. These two drugs really helped.
November 8, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Thanks for sharing Harry’s experience LaDonna. You are a wealth of information. I’m glad you had extra time with Harry.
November 8, 2009 at 10:11 am
My Golden Retriever,Cagney had a small lump on her right elbow that was discovered in late July. Her vet thought that it was an infection and treated with antibiotics but my gut told me otherwise and we insisted on a needle biopsy at the same time. The biopsy came back with Mast Cell grade 2 and it was recommended that we see an oncologist. We are fortunate to live very close to OSU Veterinary Medical center and were able to get an appt rather quickly. The vet at OSU ran even more tests which showed that what we were dealing with was actually Grade 3 with metastis to her lymph node. Further tests showed that her spleen and lungs were clean. They started her on daily doses of benedryl,Prilosec and Prendisone and a 6 week course of the chemo drug Vinblastine. She did well on the chemo, no side effects and the tumor /lymph node reduced in size. Because of this, they also recommended that she get 4 weekly radiation treatments to her elbow and affected lymph node. She had her first radiation treatment this past week and started her Palladia as well. As of this morning, she has had 2 doses of Palladia without any side effects as of yet. Her vet started her on 90 mgs to try and avoid any side effects in advance. The main vet that is treating Cagney was very involved in working with Pfizer to bring Palladia to the market and so consequently, they have a great deal of experience working with Palladia. In their onw words, they have learned much in the past few months about how to ease dogs into Palladia treatment, how to treat side effects, and how to manage our beloved animals quality of life. For that reason alone, this is a wonderful place to work with in this horrific battle.
I’ve asked them about changing her food and they were definitely against any major changes too quickly because of potential gastric upset and also so they can monitor whether any side effects are due to the Palladia or dietary changes.
I will keep you posted on her progress…every piece of information will help any one of us and maybe help others to come.
November 8, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Mary,
Thanks for writing. It is good to hear that your oncologist has lots of experience with Palladia and cares about the dog’s quality of life. I’ve heard from people who appear to not have that type of oncologist. I’m lucky too to have a great oncologist. This is the first I have heard about them starting a large dog on 90 mg. Most have been higher dosage, but they may be adjusting the dosage based on the experience they are gaining. How much does Cagney weigh? It is good to hear from you.
January 20, 2014 at 1:48 am
My dog started polladia a month ago. She was diagnosed with melanoma August 2012. It was in her mouth. They removed what they could but to get all of it they would have to remove her jaw. I didn’t want to put her through that so chose to do radiation and the new melanoma vaccinations. By that December she finished treatments and was fine till this past December 2013 when they found it went to the nearby lymph node. That’s when the vet suggested palladia. The vet also suggested a mushroom supplement that Swanson sells to build her immune system. Coincidently I had melanoma before she got it and before the vet told me about the mushroom supplement pills I had heard about them to use for myself as a preventative against cancer to help prevent it from coming back. I ordered the swanson for her and she has been on it a week. I am a believer in homeopathy and I believe using it along with conventional treatment is very important. For prevention of nausea or digestive problems Iv been giving her Slippery Elm Bark powder that I order online. I have used it for myself for acid reflux and heartburn ect regularly for few years and it works better than Prilosec or others like it and its natural and cheaper! Its safe for dogs and the vet knew about this old remedy and was fine with me giving it to her. I put a half or 1/4 teaspoon mixed with her food every day and believe that has kept her from getting any stomach gastro side effects from palladia. On the days she gets the palladia I give it again to her mixed in food after the palladia for extra protection. On her last check up the vet felt the lymph node it had gone to had stayed same or may have slightly shrunk. She is a 12yr dog but seems to be doing ok with no effects. I wish I could ask her how she feels but… Because she had started to aquire arthritis type lameness a while before the palladia, Im not sure if the palladia is causing it to seem to be getting worse or if its the arthritis. The hardest of it all is if it does keep helping her, how I will be able to keep affording it. I hope anything ive said may help you and your doggie and all others going through this looking for answers. We all need Hope, Help, Knowledge, and Faith.
May 30, 2014 at 6:38 pm
Hello Mary,
Thanks for writing about something that was difficult for you to deal with. I was wondering if there is any good news and if you know how to find a good vet — since, yours seems like a very good one.
November 9, 2009 at 2:25 am
Thank you for maintaining this blog. We have an 11-year old Ridgeback who has been battling stage III/IV mast cell cancer for almost 4 years. He has undergone 4 surgeries to remove tumors and 3 rounds of chemo (vinblastine) during this time. For nearly a year, he has been holding steady on prednisilone and Denamarin for liver support. We give him Pepcid and Benadryl intermittently. He’s been in great spirits most of the time, swimming, running, playing and eating like a pig. In the last 2-3 weeks, more tumors have popped up–new ones and old ones that are active again. I know we have been so lucky to have managed through this for all this time, buying Nelson more time. But, I’m sick about it. I will call our oncologist tomorrow to see if Palladin is an option or what we should do now. After all I’ve read about Palladin, I will be honest that it makes me a little nervous. I completely trust our oncologist, but since I’m in Oregon I may call OSU for a 2nd opinion.
One question for everyone: I have heard there is another mast cell drug that has been used successfully for quite some time in Europe. It’s called Masivet. It’s not yet available here however. My relatives in Italy may be able to get it for us, but we don’t know much about it. Our vet doesn’t either. Has anyone heard about it?
Thank you.
November 9, 2009 at 11:10 am
Erin,
Good luck. Ask your oncolocologist about both Palladia and Masivet. I don’t have any info on Masivet but others on the Yahoo Cancer Support have had positive experiences with it. I bet they can tell you where it is available, probably in clinical trials. Also, ask about a test to run on your dog to see if he would be sensitive to Palladia. It tests for a mutation that has an 80% response rate instead of 60% response rate with Palladia. If it is negative, my oncologist said Palladia can still be effective. Rosie did not have that test, but Palladia worked for her. As for side effects, every dog appears to be different. Rosie’s side effects have been mild. However, her oncologist prescribes several other meds with it and adjusted her dosage to prevent side effects. I should probably add a question to the poll about the severity of the side effects. My oncologist made a comment that her bigger dogs seems to tolerate it better than the smaller dogs. However, that was early on so I don’t know if that still holds true. Also, I think they are adjusting dosages. It is certainly worth discussing with your oncologist. Good Luck. I’m glad you have access to excellent resources. It is not surprises that regular vets would not be familiar with either treatment. I wish you the best.
June 21, 2010 at 12:20 pm
check with the vets at Coral Springs Animal Hospital in Florida.
December 3, 2009 at 4:42 am
I’m from Europe and my dog was treated with Masivet in september/october without side effects. But after 6 weeks is was obvious that the tumors had shrunk just a little. My shar-pei (age unkwown) has had several vinblastine chemo’s but no effect at all, the tumor is still growing.
We are now hoping to get into a trial for Palladia, but I am also afraid because of all the side effects I am reading about……….
On Masivet there were no problems, I suppose that it is a less agressive medicine?
I wish all of you long quality time with your dogs!
Esther
December 3, 2009 at 9:44 am
Esther,
I’m sorry you have a need for this but I’m glad you visited. I don’t have a lot of information about Masivet but had heard of at least two dogs go into remission. We did not try vinblastine because I didn’t like the statistics I had read. We started with Palladia as the first and only treatment.
Rosie has done very well on Palladia with minimal side effects. Side effects seem to vary from dog to dog.
Overall, most people that answered our survey said they would recommend to a friend that they look into Palladia for their dog.
Rosie experienced only a little diarrhea early on but that could have been because I was also changing her food at the same time. I recommend talking to an oncologist about Palladia.
Do you know when they will start clinical trials over there for Palladia? I’m sure that is something a number of people would be interested in learning. Good luck to you.
December 15, 2009 at 10:02 am
Hi,
Palladia will probably be available in the netherlands in Januari or februari.
However I had to let my Shar-Pei go last Thursday (dec 10th)
For us this medicine came to late……..
After 3,5 months of fighting against cancer we lost this alst battle.
I wish all of you a better result and a long healty time with your dogs.
Esther
Yuki r.i.p.
December 15, 2009 at 10:15 am
Esther,
I’m so sorry for your loss. Yuki was very lucky to have you and your love and care. Sending prayers of comfort and peace to you during this difficult time.
Michele
March 30, 2010 at 11:07 pm
I have a 12 year old lab who was treated 3 years ago for a Mast Cell tumor. After chemo and radiation the tumor has not returned. But, she developed another in an unrelated spot and I took her in for surgery. Before surgery they took an xray, as a precaution since she was 12 years old. Unfortunately, they found a quarter-sized tumor on one of her lungs. This is unrelated to the mast cell tumors. Lucky me — this cancer (primary) is rare in dogs. SO, I am trying Palladia. There doesn’t seem to be any proof that it works on lung issues but I am hoping the mast cell tumor she has now is treated. (I opted to NOT put her through the surgery for the Mast Cell tumor when the lung cancer would probably take her first.) The vet said she may have 6 – 9 months but I am hoping that Palladia helps stop the spread of the lung tumor. So far she is not symptomatic of any lung issues and after two rounds of Palladia, she’s handling it OK.
I have a few questions for anyone reading:
1. Has anybody heard of Palladia being used for tumors not related to mast Cells? And,
2. If she is going to experience any side effects, when would they be starting? So far so good, but it’s only been 2 doses. She’s on 110mg each time, since she’s a heavy dog. I also have her on an anti-nausea pill.
Please keep us in your prayers. She is my baby — I would be lost without her.
Thanks,
Scott 🙂
October 1, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Scott,
First of all, prayers to you and your lab. I have a 12 year old female miniature shnauzer who was diagnosed with a soft tissue cancer: hemangiopericytoma back in August 2009. We tried surgery, but the fluid filled mass returned in about 2 months. We were referred to Cornell University Animal Hospital by our local vet for radiation treatments. She received 2 weeks of radiation (5 days a week). That worked for about 3 weeks, but she was very weak and her radiation burns were bad. The university hospital sent us home with no hope for surgery or chemo or further radiation treatments. We went online and read about Palladia and a clinical trial was being done right there at Cornell!!!! They accepted our Roxie as a patient and she came on late in the study. She has responded very well to the Palladia, but now has developed Polyarthritis. Very lame and lethargic. She has been on Palladia 10 mg every other day since 01/10/10. We have been told to stop the Palladia until they can determine what caused this polyarthritic condition. (They have a phone call in to the doctor who developed Palladia, to see what her studies have determined re: polyarthritis).
In my opinion Palladia has given us more time and the quality of life for Roxie has been improved. Good luck to you and your dog.
October 1, 2010 at 3:34 pm
Thanks so much for your good thoughts and prayers. While Palladia did not work well for my lab, I have heard that her reactions are not the norm. Most dogs handle it well and from the reports here I can see that’s probably true.
Here’s the kicker as far as me and my dog are concerned. After being diagnosed with a lung tumor and taking her off Palladia and back onto a drug called Leukeran to treat the Mast Cell tumor, it seems as if the vet may have misdaignosed the lung cancer. It is now 7 months after her diagnosis, and further tests and xrays indicate that while there is a spot showing up on the xray, the “experts” have back-tracked and said that the spot could be “behind” the lung or in her skin tissue. It could be nothing at all. Since it’s 7 months later, I have to think that this is the case. She is a healthy (almost 13 year old) dog and handles the Leukeran well. I guess this is the perfect reason why you ask for a second opinion (I did not) even if the place you are taking your pet to is a specialty place.
I am SO glad I did not follow the oncologist’s suggestion that I put her through the surgery. I would have gutted my dog and there would have been nothing wrong with her lung. SCARY!
My very best to everyone here, including Rosie’s Mom. My prayers are with all of you. My dog is my whole world (and seeing as how I am not working right now, her presence is such a comfort).
May 26, 2010 at 8:17 am
My 8 year old Shar pei was diagnosed in September of 2009 and received surgery for removal of the mass on his lower leg. He recovered well and the mass did not return but a month later we noticed multiple tiny masses popping out higher on the same leg. Biopsy indicated our worst fears and the masses were multiplying. We were refered to an oncologist and started him on chemo treatments. After thousands of $$$ they continued to change the chemo drug because he was not responding and the masses were huge now. One even ulcerated. Now on antibiotics, anti-inflamitories and a few other drugs to counteract the effects of Palladia, I see today if two weeks of the drug has made a difference. My opinion is no. The masses don’t look any smaller to me but I will go in for the specialist to measure them and see what she has to say. Unfortunately, our funds havae been exhausted. To date we have spent at least $10000.00 and we have no visible improvement. However the specialist calls it a partial response. The hardest thing is moneywise we can not do any more. I honestly think they think money is no option. They wanted to send our dog to Cornel University, or away for radiation foe 3 months or amputate his leg. I have documented our journey thus far with many many photos of the progression of the disease if any one is interested. I will repost when I return from the vet later on today.
May 26, 2010 at 6:48 pm
Wendy, I am so sorry to hear about the problems you are having. I found, after 2 weeks of giving my lab Palladia, that the side effects started and were horrible for her. I truly thought I had killed my dog by giving it to her. For over a week, she was lethargic, would not eat, had projectile diarrhea, spent an overnight at the vet for dehydration, etc. I spent 2 nights sleeping next to her on the floor. For me and my dog, who has always handled medications without any problems, it was my worst nightmare, with the exception of possibly losing her. As soon as I took her off the medication, she rebounded in a few days and after a week she was her old self again. We are now trying a different drug therapy.
I hear what you are saying regarding the bills. I am unemployed and face the same issues. But, since I am single and probably don’t have the extra bills having a family causes, the fear of losing her overrides my good sense when it comes to the credit cards, I suppose.
One thing you may want to ask you vet about is the combination of a drug called Leukeran with Prednisone. My lab is on those now and she is handling them very well. There is a generic for Leukeran, so the costs aren’t as bad. I know this drug therapy is used for Mast Cell Tumors, so who knows — it may help you prolong your dog’s quality of life. Right now, my lab’s lung tumor hasn’t progressed and her other issues seem to be OK too. I don’t know if that’s because of the drugs or if we are just lucky so far.
How has your dog been acting otherwise? The great thing about animals is even though they may be sick, sometimes they don’t know it or feel it. So their quality of life isn’t impacted as much as we may think it is.
Scott 🙂
May 26, 2010 at 7:53 pm
Just came back from the vet. Intended on telling her our funds were depleted and she told me that the Palladia seemed to have a response on my dog. The tumors seem to be a little more hollow looking, not as plump. He was only on Palladia for two weeks. What luck that the drug is not available in Canada yet which means we get a 3 week trial free. We’ll see how it goes. The vet said there should be a significant difference in 3 weeks if he is responding. I’ll keep you posted.
May 26, 2010 at 8:04 pm
That’s wonderful! My vet gave me free trial samples too. Just keep watchful eye on your dog, as side effects from Palladia can happen as long as two weeks from the first dose. My experience, from what I was told, was the most severe that my dog’s oncologist has seen so far. Good luck. 🙂
May 28, 2010 at 5:59 am
Wendy, I’m so glad your dog had a positive response to the Palladia. I hope the Palladia continues to work without the side effects. FYI, sometimes the free trial of Palladia lasts longer than you expect. I thought we would have to start paying for the Palladia back in January but so far our oncologist still had enough of the free stock to give us. That is good for us. However, that means our oncologist is not dispensing as much Palladia to others as they originally thought due to many dogs experiencing bad side effects. However, Rosie has been on it for 9 months so far with no problems. Every dog seems to handle the drug differently.
June 1, 2010 at 10:59 am
Hi again,
It’s so great to be able to talk to someone about this, who knows what you’re going though. I was just wondering if there was an visible result on Rosie? Has the mass shrunk?
The vet actually tested Jabba for rare forms because she couldn’t understand his masses. Sent all the results away to a special oncologist team in Colorado but the results came back negative to rare forms.
Jabba has completed his 3rd week of Palladia and I am happy to say still so side effects. He is eating well and frisky as ever. I am careful not to give him any different foods to disrupt his diet. The vet is quite suprised how well he is doing on this drug. She is aware of all the common side effects. Jabba is also on pepsid, immodium and an antiimflamitory and an antibiotic. Maybe the combination is heling counteracting the side effects. I have been dressing his tumors in manuka honey because of it’s natural anti-inflamitory qualities.
Thanks for your comments Scott. Jabba has been on several other drugs before the Palladia but theis is the first one that he is actually responding too. I am sorry to hear about your Lab. I love Labs too. We used to have a chocolate Lab named Hershey but we lost him to bloat when he was 7.
For me, the Palladia is giving us a little more hope and as long as he is not sick we are content with the medication.
Kindest regards to everyone and good luck as well!
June 1, 2010 at 11:07 pm
Hi Wendy,
I’m happy that Jabba is doing well on Palladia. Rosie had 2 surgeries to remove the tumors before starting Palladia. The only visible signs of the cancer was the lack of healing of the 2nd surgery incision. It was red, ulcerated and not healing. After a couple of weeks on Palladia it healed nicely. That was the only external visible change we could see that the Palladia was working.
Rosies Mom
June 11, 2010 at 9:49 am
Hi,
Just wanted to check in. Jabba has 2 more days left of the 3 week Palladia treatment. I thought it looked like it was working for a while but one of the masses has grown significantly.(some of the smaller masses have shrunk but a few of them have murged into one big mass) it doesn’t mean I’m giving up because Jabba still is not having any nasty side effects to Palladia.
I was just wondering if you used anything special on Rosie’s incicion when it wasn’t healing, to help it along? Did you air dry or keep it bandaged?
Regards,
Wendy
June 13, 2010 at 8:39 am
Hi Wendy,
No. We did nothing special for Rosie’s incision. It was air dried. We tried to put the “no bite” cone on her to prevent her from messing with the incision, but she looked so sad and pathetic with that on, I didn’t have the heart to leave it on. For the most part she left the incision alone. If she did try to lick the incision all I had to do was show her the cone and she stopped.
Often the palladia is only one tool in the toolbox for this. So maybe the oncologist will have something else to target that mass that is growing. Stay in touch.
Rosie’s Mom
June 24, 2010 at 6:44 pm
Our 9.5 year old Rottie started limping mid october 2009
she was diagnosed with a cancerous mass on her shoulder blade end of December. Biopsies were inconclusive but the last one gave a diagnosis of Chondrosarcoma. The CT scan showed quite a bit of bone destruction and 6 lung nodules. She started with radiation for the pain, then carbo/gemzar for two to three mo. When she wasn’t tolerating that and the nodules were growing in her lungs we switched to Adriamycin. She got really sick on that and after two rounds of that and continuous progression we also stopped that. Chondrosarcoma doesn’t respond to chemo as we found out. Now she is on Palladia. She is going on two weeks. She gets 130mg MWF with two pepsid Ac before dosing. I give the palladia to her at night before she goes to bed hoping that if she has nausea sleeping will help her get through it. So far her appetite is great activity normal The problems we are having is that she was cut back on her NSAID piroxicam getting it only on the days she is off the palladia. They said she could not take the two together. For six months She has been pain free with the radiation and daily NSAID. The other day she came up severely lame on her affected leg. Her hip that she has had dysplasia in was hurting too. She is a stoic Rottie so when she would cry out in pain, I knew it was severe. I was faced with having to give up the palladia because she needed the piroxicam so badly. Right now we are going ahead with the palladia and giving the daily dose of piroxicam. On the days she gets them both MWF I try to separate the two for as many hours as I can giving the palladia at night and the piroxicam in the Am. She has been back to normal activity and well controled pain level since we continued the NSAID I have hope for the palladia because it works to cut the Blood supply to the tumor. Hopefully since we have had no response with the cancer killing chemos, we will have some sort of a response with Palladia’s antiangiogenic TK inhibitor action.
Sadly at the rate the lung nodules are growing she has only 6 weeks left and it takes six weeks to see if the Palladia is making a difference so this is pretty much our last hope. She is doing well now that she is back on the NSAID. I did see a few streaks of blood in her stool but it was barely noticeable, so we are watching that closely.
Thanks for the support.
With this new drug we are in cutting edge territory and we all have hope that it will be the one to work.
August 1, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Just an update we took Kira off of the palladia according to the xrays we took at 4 weeks the tumors had not slowed a bit but in fact doubled in size and the side effects were taking their toll. She is currently on homeopathic and Chinese herbs doing quite well despite her rapidly growing lung met. She is doing so well I think she will surpass the prognosis of only six weeks since that will be a week from now. But we are taking it day by day and enjoying the time we have left with her. She Loves her small plastic wading pool and splashes in it daily. As long as she is still enjoying life each day is a gift. Thanks and God bless all of you in your efforts with Palladia.
July 18, 2010 at 9:47 am
Hi Everyone, Just thought I would post an update too because I find, any info is good info because there is little documented about this. Again, I just wanted to say, finding this site was a blessing for me. Thanks again 🙂
Jabba finished his last dose of Palladia on June 15th. Then the drug was no longer free. We made a choice to stop because we have reached our financial limit after many months of surgeries and different chemo drugs. The Palladia seemed to work for a while but the last two, rounds(two months) did’nt seem to be doing anything and the tumors were growing still. However, shocker for us was how fast they grew after we stopped. In one month his biggest, ulcerated mass, which was the size of a 25 cent piece, stayed the same and another tumor, along side of that one(half the size) has grown the size of an egg! I am confident to say now the Palladia was definitely slowing down the growth because this was a visibly daily growth. I soak the tumors, with his leg in a bucket of warm water and 1/2 cup of sea salt,twice a day to try an keep it clean and use a natural healing cream(recommended from the vet)called Calendula cream.
Jabba is still on anti-inflamatory meds and antibiotic meds daily. The good news is that he is still eating well, sleeping well and still has high energy and people can’t believe he is sick, other than the bandage and huge bulge on his leg. I know he is not in pain because I have herad him in pain before. When he wants to lick I give him 2 Benedryl caplets to alieviate that. We bought a soft colar for when we go out because he has managed to get his bandage off a couple of times and licked to make the tumors really sore and bleed. It scares me though, because I have kids.We are doing what we can for him but what if this tumor grows bigger and bigger? I just can’t dream of putting him down if he is not in pain or not physically sick.
I hope everyone has success with Palladia and bless your puppies.
August 3, 2010 at 3:02 pm
Hi everyone. What a relief to find this site. My dog Winston, a Flat-Coated Retriever, has MCT grade III and he only just turned 4. It was in his ear flap and also in his lymph node. We had surgery to remove ear flap and lymph node and that went well. Our vet is the top specialist in Orlando and they said Palladia was a last resort because so many of the dogs they gave it to had horrible side effects. So down the road of chemo we went with Vinblastine and CCNU every two weeks alternating the drugs. After 4 months, the tumors began to multiply like mad under the skin where the lymph node was removed. Next stop: Palladia. Winston has been on the drug for two weeks and all the bumps are gone. The vet started him on the lowest dose possible and so far…no side effects. The vet also requested Masivet for compassionate use from France. It arrives this week. My vet likes Masivet better because apparently less side effects and targets mast cells more specifically where Palladia targets mast cells AND other healthy cells and organs. I will give you an update once Winston starts on Masivet. Seems he will be an example to everyone as we will have tried almost everything available!
October 13, 2010 at 4:24 am
My english pointer was on 65 mg of Palladia (alternating with Prednisone every other day) for Grade II mast cell tumors. At first it seemed to be working and some of the tumors shrunk. After about 4 weeks into treatment she started vomiting and had blood in her urine, so we stopped the Palladia. After a week we started back up with the Palladia and when she went in for a check up the vet said there were no new tumors but a couple seemed to have grown. He decided to increase the dosage to 75mg to see if that made a difference. Right after increasing her dosage she collapsed and had what appeared to be a seizure (this happened twice). She literally lost consciousness and went limp for about 30 seconds. I rushed her to the vet and they ran a bunch of tests but everything came back normal. I decided to stop the Palladia and she seems to be doing better, which leads me to believe it was the drugs that caused the seizures. The vet said they’ve never heard of this happening on Palladia but it could be that she just had an unusual adverse reaction. Luckily I have a great veterinary oncologist who when he was at Cornell developed several experimental drug therapies that had excellent results treating different types of cancer. He recently developed a new vaccine for canine mast cell tumors and took a tissue sample from my dog and made her a vaccine. It’s still very new but I’m going to try it out and hope for the best.
January 25, 2011 at 8:23 pm
Sophie my nine year old golden had a mast cell tumor removed from her neck in September of 2010. The tumor turned out to be a grade 3 and she was given a poor prognosis. We were told that Palladia was her best shot so we put her on it for 10 weeks. She was fine for the first four weeks after the Palladia treatment but then the tumors returned with a vengeance. The Palladia was very expensive and rather hard on the dog. I don’t regret trying it but in our case this drug was of no value.
March 1, 2011 at 10:30 am
Great and helpful website!
My yellow Lab Kelly was diagnosed with cancer and has been treated with surgery and chemo. She started the palladia drug last night and we are praying for it to work.
Thanks,for your website.
March 3, 2011 at 10:02 am
Good morning everyone. I am in the midst of the making this difficult decision too. My 6.5 year old male golden retriever, Diesel, had a bump, which is now quite the lump, grow on his upper lip. It first appeared around Thanksgiving and has rapidly started to grow. There are no other lumps like this one on his body. His lymph nodes were swollen and I took him in to see the vet because I actually thought he had lymphoma which is very common for goldens. The needle aspiration of his lesion and his lymph node came back mast cell. He has had a sonogram and chest x-ray both are clear. The doctors are speaking with Pfizer to get him on the Palladia. Surgery is not an option. The most heartbreaking thing is that he looks perfectly healthy, is acting healthy and is so young….I will stay in touch with updates.
March 17, 2011 at 9:16 pm
Our Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Scout was diagnosed with a MST under his chin in Feb. and had surgery on Feb. 21st to remove it. He had a very difficult time post surgery and spent 4 days in the hospital. His wound wouldn’t heal at first and he had a lot of drainage from it. It came back a grade II. We were referred to Purdue University oncology, and went there this past Tues. Tests confirmed that the lymph nodes are involved now, but not any other organs. Scout started Palladia yesterday, March 16th and takes Benadryl and Pepcid AC twice a day also. I am so worried about him as he is not even 3 yet. His birthday isn’t until April 30th. We were told that even with treatment his life expectancy is about 6 to 8 months, and without treatment 3-4 months at best. I hope he doesn’t have all the horrible side effects as I am second guessing our treatment choice after reading some of these posts. Scout is an extremely active dog, and I don’t want his quality of life to suffer. How long before the side effects begin, if they are going to happen?
March 18, 2011 at 3:52 am
Sherry,
I’m sorry you have a need for this web site. However, it does have some valuable information that can help you in this situation. Every dog is different. Rosie has done very well with Palladia. She went 10 months without any side effects and Palladia sent her cancer into remission. Currently, she is doing very well with Palladia. She was initially given 2-3 months to live and here she is cancer free at almost 21 months later. I will post an update when she goes back to the oncologist next week.
March 18, 2011 at 4:58 pm
Yes, I am so glad that I did stumble upon this website. It is so hard to knowingly give your trusted pet a drug that could either save them or cause them more pain. I am hoping that Scout has a wonderful outcome like your Rosie. Today was day 2 and nothing yet. I worry about him all day while I am at work, and I pray that we receive good results like you. Thank you, and I will be waiting to hear your good news after your visit!
May 16, 2011 at 7:49 am
Hello. I have a 12 year old dalmatian (dottie). About a year and a half ago she was diagnosed with Squamous-cell carcinoma. She had two surgeries to remove the masses before we were prescribed Palladia. Dottie took well to Palladia the first few months. Surgery was performed two weeks ago, we restarted Palladia three days post surgery and dot has been lethargic and not eating since. Her vet immediately took her off the drug three days ago, but still not acting like herself. She had been recovering well post surgery until we reintroduced the Palladia.
July 23, 2012 at 1:33 pm
I have two boys with bone cancer. Both had amputations – one a front leg and the other a back leg. Both went through regular rounds of chemo (different drugs). Bongo as OSA and Bailey has an undifferentiated type tumor – but it had eaten away an entire part of his leg. Neither had any signs of mets when diagnosed and they still do not. Both Bailey and Bongo started on Palladia a month or so ago – Bongo suffered additional lameness (he already has bilateral cruciate problems) and we stopped. Bailey is still on it. In Bailey’s case it is hard to measure the effectiveness since he has no other tumors. My vet has been coordinating with OSU and NC State. Right now he does not know how long we are supposed to give it to him. I cannot imagine taking him to the vet 3x per week for years!
September 14, 2012 at 3:32 pm
My dog was diagnosed with Mast Cell Grade 3. The original tumor was misdiagnosed at hemangiopericytoma and invaded his entire leg. After several debulking surgeries, the decision was made to amputate. 2 days post-op he developed tiny skin tumors everywhere….too many to count. Samples to another lab….Mast Cell Grade3. I started Palladia 4 days ago. I cannot afford chemo and surgery is out due to the number of tumors. The Palladia, benedryl, pred and a few supplements cost me under $100 a month (he is 12 pounds). So far no side effects, but no change. Keeping my fingers crossed.
January 11, 2013 at 5:07 pm
We have just started our 13 year old Bearded Collie on Palladia after he was diagnosed with nasal cancer. We would like to know if anyone has had success using Palladia to treat nasal cancer. We also would like to know if treating nasal cancer with radiation has helped to cure nasal cancer. Has anyone used both radiation and Palladia together to cure nasal cancer? Thanks for any suggestions you may have.
May 7, 2013 at 4:37 pm
I don’t know whether to take him off it after a year and a half. He’s started losing weight, curling, and having mini (top of his head and his mouth) seizures. There has been NO sign of the cancer since surgery. We immediately started Palladia and he is now 11 1/2. Are we being ridiculous keeping him on it? We aren’t sure if our Oncologists has his best interests in mind, or her pocketbook. It is $150 a month, she has never reduced the amount or frequency between visits. Is this normal? PLEASE PLEASE help with any insight or thoughts. Email anytime!!!!
May 7, 2013 at 5:05 pm
I’m redoing my comment because I did a bad job explaining on the first one.
My name is Carrin. I am so grateful for this forum I am near tears. This is terrifying and I’m sorry any owner and their beloved pet has to go through cancer.
Osiris was diagnosed with Adenocarcinoma when he was exactly 10 years old. We immediately had surgery done to remove both anal glands (the left was cancerous). He started on Palladia immediately 25 mg. he has been checked every 6 weeks for a year and a half with no side effects. Until this last month. He is beginning to become lethargic, losing weight, his legs are getting weak, and he is having what looks like mini seizures on the top of his head and his jaws chatter. He was curling from the beginning, and I can’t remember if that was before the Palladia or not. We took him to the Oncologist today for his regular 6 week check. She wants to stop the Palladia for two weeks while his bladder infection clears and then restart him on it.
Every check since surgery, including today has shown no signs of the tumor. His labs have shown no signs of cancer since the surgery as well.
It is $320 every 6 weeks which seems high. We were never offered free samples. I’m beginning to wonder if our Oncologist has his best interests in mind or hers. She’s never tried to reduce the amount or increase the length between visits. I would hate to think that it is about money, it isn’t for us. I just want what’s best for him. Am I doing the right thing? I know no one can answer that for certain, but any advice or experience would be so appreciated. Our oncologist told us we are keeping him on it to prevent it from returning, but I’m not sure if it would have either way. Maybe it was all removed with the surgery a year and a half ago? Any advice?
Thank you Rosie’s mom!!!!!
May 7, 2013 at 5:19 pm
Carrin, thank you for contacting me. Rosie had no symptoms until after a year of taking Palladia. It really is up to you to monitor the symptoms and side effects because the oncologist will go by your feedback. The bottom line is it is your dog and your decision. I’m glad they are stopping the Palladia at least for two weeks. With Rosie her symptoms improved during that time. If there is another oncologist (not affiliated with your current one) then it might be wise to get a second opinion. Rosie’s blood pressure was very elevated when we stopped the Palladia (after 1-1/2 or 2 years of taking it). The blood pressure came down after that. She has been off the Palladia for about 2 years maybe and has been cancer free since then. Good luck to you whatever your decision.
May 8, 2013 at 10:20 am
Thank you so much! I have desperately needed to hear that there are other dogs out there that have survived and made it to the other side of cancer and then continued to survive after treatment is stopped. My biggest regret in all of this was not trusting my own instincts when our original vet told us that he was a psychogenic water drinker, no labs needed to be done, and to take his water away when he was drinking 3 bowls a day. I let the cancer get worse for 6 months, and put him through extreme thirst and discomfort because I didn’t trust myself that I knew my own dog. I won’t do that again. I believe in Palladia, I think it was a big part of his miraculous recovery and beating all the odds, but my heart tells me it’s time to stop it. It has done it’s job, and he needs a chance to recover from the side effects. I am going to find a second opinion after the two weeks are over, but I will still let Osiris guide me first and foremost.
I wouldn’t have had the courage to do that if I hadn’t found this forum. We are their voices and advocates. Bless you, Rosie, and all of the others here who have shared their experiences! Every story helps. I will continue to research and I will leave updates on Osi’s journey on and now discontinuing Palladia. He is already a Palladia success story, and I am hoping, like Rosie he will be a long term survivor. Thanks again!
Carrin
May 15, 2014 at 5:46 pm
Update-
One year off of Palladia and Osiris is cancer free and doing great. He is 12 now! He was only predicted to live 6 months even with treatment and it’s been almost 2 1/2 years. We feel SO blessed! I am praying the Palladia works as well for every other dog out there that needs it!
May 16, 2014 at 8:49 am
I’m so happy to hear stories with happy endings! Back in 2009, most did not have happy endings.
October 30, 2013 at 8:04 pm
My beloved Jack Russell Terrier Eddie recently underwent surgery for a grade III mast cell tumor on his prepuce. He is 14 years and 3 months old. I met with an oncologist yesterday and have ruled out further surgery or radiation. The options now are chemo or Palladia. I am absolutely devastated having to make the choice to take a gamble on medications that may or may not lengthen his time (but may have an adverse effect on his quality of life), or essentially doing nothing to treat him. I am so torn on what to do. I am kindly asking for opinions of what you would do with a dog of this age. We love him with all our hearts but his quality of life at this point is the most important factor to us.
Thanks,
Tracy
January 29, 2014 at 7:46 pm
Gave my first dose of palladia tonight. Extremely worried about how my dog will handle it. I have a 9 year old chesapeake bay retriever who was diagnosed with multiple neuro endocrine tumors in her liver. The cancer was something that none of the oncologists at cornell have seen before and they had no real treatment options for her because the cancer is so rare. They want to try palladia as a last resort and only option. I am hoping the side effects are not that bad. Good news is that the cancer is an extremely slow growing cancer and in the month since it was discovered she has shown no tumor growth and her liver function tests continue to come back with good results. We were already on flagyl due to irritable bowel syndrome. The nurtitionist at cornell has her on a simple diet of lamb and potatoes so she hoping the diet will help her gain some weight.
March 25, 2014 at 1:16 pm
started treatment on a 9 year old GSD with chondrosarcoma of the orbital bone. It looks like the cheek bone growing to the size of a tennis ball. palladia 130mg every other day for 3 weeks…