Meet Mattox!

Hello Everyone,

Meet Mattox! Mattox was diagnosed with Lymphoma and after several months of chemotherapy, he's finally ready to make his way to the CURE at North Carolina state University! Mattox is currently in complete remission and he's scheduled to check into NC State on Wednesday January 26, 2011 where he'll receive a life-saving canine bone marrow transplant!

Mattox's Mom wrote a bio about Mattox's family, friends and interests, and it's our pleasure to share it with you. We are excited for you to meet this handsome boy, because once you do you'll love him as much as we do :)

We promise to keep you updated on Mattox's progress as he makes his way to the cure!

Mattox

What breed of dog is Mattox?

Mattox is a buff colored Cocker Spaniel.

How old is Mattox?

Mattox is 3 years old. His birthday is January 31, 2007.

How big is he? How much does he weigh?  

He is 32 pounds. He put on a couple of pounds the first couple of months of chemo when he was on Prednisone but has dropped back down to his usual weight now. While on chemo he has eaten pretty well. The first day or so after a treatment he isn't very interested in food but after that... he eats just fine, especially if it's people food. He has been on multi vitamins and fish oil supplements. After his dinner his breath smells like a fishery...LOL.

When did Mattox join your family?

My husband brought Mattox home on Good Friday of Easter 2007. I came home from work with my children and there he was in the laundry room waiting for me. Boy was I surprised! He spent the first weekend with us meeting the family and going to an Easter parade. It didn't take long for him to wiggle his way into our hearts... and also our bed!

What was Mattox like as a puppy?

He easily adapted to our family and also our other dog Roxie. He was fairly easy to potty train and didn't chew up a lot of things that he shouldn't have... except there was a pair of my brand new- still in the box- shoes... He use to fall asleep in the strangest positions. Many times it would be upside down on the sofa. He would sleep with his tongue sticking out too- and he still does! The trips that we took in the car were usually short (unless it was for vacation) as he would tend to get sick from the ride. Thankfully, he has gotten much better with this over the past couple of years.

What activities does Mattox enjoy?

Mattox loves to be outside playing with my two girls. He is especially excited when they go next door and play with the neighbor boys. If they leave the house and he doesn't get out the door in time he whines at the door until he is let out and then goes running as fast as he can to catch up. He just loves to be "one of the kids". He loves the water and likes to swim and jump rocks at the river. He was named after the Appomattox River where our family goes for swimming/fishing/tubing and camping. He has been there many times and loves it. He has also been to the ocean and the mountains and loves them both. He likes to play catch and tug-of-war. He has a toy basket at home and will root through it to find "just the right toy" to play with. He does have a few favorites and not only plays with them but snuggles up to take naps with them too.

Tell us about Mattox's 4 legged family members.

Roxie is Mattox's big sister. She is a miniature Wirehaired Dachshund. They get along great- even kiss each other when they wake up in the mornings.. no kidding! We also have two rescue kitties. Lilly is a Tuxedo stray that my husband JR found and Lucie is a orange medium haired tabby from the shelter. Lucie will snuggle up with Mattox at night on our bed but Lilly tends to sleep with the girls. We have a small fish pond in the backyard with 7 fish and 2 frogs. Mattox goes out every night with me to feed the fish- he knows exactly where to head to when I say "want to go feed the fish?" He stands over the fish pond as I feed them and will even take a drink when the fish are coming up to the top to feed. They don't seem fazed by the fact that a long tongue is inches away from them!

Mattox has two 2 legged sisters also. Kendall is 10 years old and Rachel is 8. They love Mattox and shower him with hugs and kisses everyday. They love playing with him and race off the school bus to see him when they get home. They have dressed him up in their clothes and made him the star of their fashion show, had tea parties with him and perfected his tricks with lots of treats. I think a couple of his pounds are due to them sneaking treats for him out of the pantry and also off their plates at dinner.

Tell us about some of Mattox's funny or endearing personality traits.

He sleeps with his tongue sticking out. He has a long tongue. My husband says it rivals Gene Simmons. The oncologist and her assistant laugh when he does it. They told me that he was sleeping in his cage on one of his treatment days and someone at the center asked them if they had sedated him because of it sticking out so far...LOL.  Mattox looks forward to getting a saucer of milk each night. When he is drinking his milk his tail wags non-stop. And speaking of drinking... he has been caught more times than can be counted sneaking a drink of Gatorade from my husbands cup!

When was Mattox diagnosed?

We noticed Mattox was resting more than usual and took him to his vet, Dr. Atkins. She did some blood work that all came back normal. Four days later when I was giving him his usual dose of morning hugs and kisses I noticed his lymph nodes were very enlarged. He went back to Dr. Atkins that day and she did a biopsy of one of his lymph nodes. She put him on some antibiotics and the lymph nodes went down over the next couple of days. I was hopeful that perhaps it was just an infection that didn't show up on his lab work. Unfortunately, the results came back on Monday Sept. 13th showing lymphoma. We immediately set up an appointment to see the oncologist Dr. Fulmer at the Veterinary Emergency Center. Three days later we were in her office hearing the options and prognosis.     

What was the diagnosis? 

Lymphoma. It was never differentiated B or T cell. Dr. Fulmer told us that the chemo treatment that she would give him would be the same for either.

When did Mattox start chemo?

Mattox started chemo the same day as our initial consult appointment with Dr. Fulmer. He has been on the Madison Wisconsin Protocol since Sept. 16th, 2010.

When does chemo end?

He received a triple dose of chemo last week in preparation for his BMT.  Hopefully, all of the chemo has now been completed.

When did you decide to admit Mattox into the bone marrow transplant unit at NC State, and when does she check in?

Dr. Fulmer told us about the BMT option at NC State at our initial consult appointment. We were pretty overwhelmed at that point as it had been less than a week since he was diagnosed and he was immediately starting chemo treatments. After a couple of weeks of absorbing the initial shock of it all and praying for direction, we knew that there was no other option for us but to give Mattox his only hope for a cure.

Mattox will check into NC State on January 26th, 2011 for his life saving BMT.

Tell us about Mattox in your own words – what do you want people to know?

Mattox is so young and so full of life. The poor prognosis of Lymphoma, even with chemo is so devastating. When he was first diagnosed I was overwhelmed with sadness. Not only for me and my family, but mostly for Mattox. To know how much love, joy and fun he could experience in the years to come and to think that he could be robbed of it- well, is just heart breaking. Over the past months of chemo I pushed those thoughts away as best I could. He tolerated the chemo like a champ. I felt a reprive with my fears and sadness for a while. However, knowing the statistics of relapse upon completion of chemo, my fears grew again as his 4 month protocol end grew closer. I am now looking forward to his trip to NC State for his cure so that we can put this chapter of his life behind us. 

Most Sincerely,

Beth 
Mattox's Mom

Thursday March 8, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mattox had his 1 year anniversary for his BMT on Jan. 31st. That day just happens to be his birthday too so boy did we celebrate BIG!!! He had steak dinner and his own birthday cake from the doggie bakery here in town. Roxie, our miniature wirehaired dachshund, was happy to get to share in the celebration and eat all the goodies too.

He got stuffed animals and chew bones for presents. It was a joyful day. We are thrilled to have him here with us, happy and healthy. I keep thinking back a year ago and how much he had to go through, not only with the chemo and the BMT, but the recovery time after he was home. He fought so hard to win the battle. He is doing remarkable now. We are very grateful and blessed.

I took him back to see his oncologist Dr. Fulmer and her assistant Charlene at the VEC for a social visit. His tail was wagging from the minute he walked in the door.He got so excited when he saw the two of them he peed on the floor...lol... It had been a year since they had seen him. He showered them with lots of kisses and they exchanged lots of hugs. I gave them a Save-an-angel calendar that has two pics of Mattox in it to hang at the center. They took wonderful care of him last year and we are so thankful for them.

Right now Mattox is enjoying life to it's fullest. He runs outside and plays with the girls every chance he gets. He enjoyed the snow a couple of days ago but I think he is ready for Spring to be here so he can go back to the river and the beach. He is just happy being with us and we are beyond thrilled to have him with us. Many blessing to all!

Beth 
Mattox's Mom

 

Wednesday November 2, 2011

Mattox went for his monthly check up today and he had a great report. His blood counts are perfect and he does not need to go back again for 6 months! Whoohoo!!! :0)
Mattox at the end of summer.  He was swimming in the Appomattox River in Virginia. He was named after this river. He loves to get dirty and swim. As you can see, he was mighty happy that day!

Beth 
Mattox's Mom

Thursday August 18, 2011

Just wanted to give you an update on how Mattox is doing. He had his 5 month post-transplant check up a couple of weeks ago and everything looked great. He just got back from vacationing in Duck, NC where he spent a week running on the beach, crabbing off the pier and lounging by the pool. Needless to say, he was very happy! I had several people stop and pet him on the beach and many of them thought he was a puppy with all his energy! Thanks again for all your support during Mattox quest for the cure! Most Sincerely, Beth Mattox's Mom
Check out the NC State Tent!

Wednesday May 5, 2011

Mattox went for his monthly check up today and all is great! He is cancer free and his counts were excellent- platelets 243. Way to go Mattox!!! He is back to his normal weight of 30lbs, running around and playing with the girls like before all of this began 8 months ago. I am so happy for him (and us too!). 

We took Mattox and Roxie last weekend to a mile long dog walk to benefit a program at the hospital where I work called "Dogs on Call". They have volunteer dogs who go around and visit people in the hospital, especially the cancer patients. I am actually thinking of having Roxie volunteer as she is very gentle and would be great at it. It was so good to be able to take Mattox out so he could mingle with other pupsters. He had lots of fun and I got to show him off!

Beth 
Mattox's Mom

Wednesday March 28, 2011

Mattox went in 2 weeks ago for one of his weekly check ups and his platelet count had gone down...:0(.... it went from 41,000 the week prior, to 29,000. He did not have any signs of bleeding but we were a bit worried so I spoke with Dr. Suter and he told us that the levels tend to fluctuate at times. We were anxiously waiting for his appointment last week and thankfully, we got great news that his count was up to 77,000!  :0) 

On Saturday morning we had to take him in for an unexpected visit as he woke up with a terrible rash on the inside of his legs. The vet thought that it was an allergic reaction to something (we don't know what). It is slowly looking better now. I can't wait for this weeks appointment on Thursday, praying that his count is above 100,000 so that he can get off all the restrictions and get to go play at the neighbors with the girls (he looks so sad at the door looking out as they leave to go play). He also will get to have rawhides again as that has been a restriction too. His fur is coming in nicely and he no longer has a "bald rump" (they shaved it due to the diarrhea he had, but of course he was still handsome!) His weight is now back to 29 pounds so no more ribs showing! :0) Please continue to keep Mattox in your prayers,  xx  Beth

Beth 
Mattox's Mom

Wednesday March 9, 2011

Mattox went for his check up and blood work again today. There were no node felt on his check up :0) His platelet count is now 41,000. That is up from last week's 39,000. It is going up but very slow. I have not been seeing any signs of bleeding (thankfully). His energy is sooo much better. He wants to play most of the time now. Because of his low counts we have to try and keep him as calm as possible. His appetite is great now. He wants to eat all the time. He has gained 3 1/2 pounds since he has been home so he is filling out nicely. Please keep praying for him as we need his platelet count much higher. xx Beth

Beth 
Mattox's Mom

Wednesday February 23, 2011

Well, my boy is finally home! :0) . It was soooo wonderful to see him when we picked him up at NCSU. The whole family was there including Roxie out miniature wirehaired dachshund. When they brought him in his tail was wagging and he proceeded to give out lots of kisses. He wasn't jumping up as he was still very weak. During his stay for the BMT he lost 7 pounds. That is 24% of his body weight. I was a bit taken back at how thin he was, even knowing that he hadn't eaten much of anything for over a week and a half. That night at home, and also the following day, he had very frequent urination and excessive drinking. He was passing his urine several times every hour. Dr. Suter told us that they see the side effect in 50-60% of the transplant patients and they don't know what causes it. It started to get much better on the third day home. On Sunday he had an episode of crying out like he was in pain. We took him the the emergency vet and they did some blood work that came back okay (his platelet count was 46,000). He was running a temperature so they put him on an antibiotic but they really didn't think he had an infection. Dr. Suter thinks that it was a reaction of the cytokines post transplant. He had two more episodes of what appeared to be great discomfort over the next couple of days. They do not know what could be causing the pain. He is on some medication for pain now. He was also started on medicine for diarrhea as that had started back again.

Last night he did much better. He even started barking when he heard something outside (my boy protecting his family!). Today is has done very well. I took him out for a couple of walks and he had some pep to his step. He has been eating fairly well... as long as it is steak, hamburger, hot dogs, etc. I bet we have a heck of a time ever getting him off of people food! I gave him a bath and used the hair dryer to blow his fur dry and it seemed to make him feel better. Right now he is sleeping quietly, making those platelet cells. He has him next vet appointment on Friday so we will see what his cell count is at that time. I can't wait for him to be off of all the activity restrictions. I am so thankful that he is feeling better. I pray that he continues to get stronger every day and can quickly get back to his energetic, playful self. Many, many thanks to all for the prayers and support! xx Beth

Beth 
Mattox's Mom

Thursday February 17, 2011

Whoohoo! We get to pick up Mattox tomorrow!!! I have the biggest smile on my face right now  :0). This has been the longest 3 weeks! I talked with Dr. Willcox this morning and again this afternoon and Mattox is doing great. His platelet count this morning was 28,000 and his neutrophil count was 3,300. I am so proud of him. He is eating more (not back to normal yet) and is now in the general hospital and out of intermediate care. His IV is out and he is off all but one of his meds. I can't wait to get him tomorrow! I am going to put a roast in the crock pot for him in the morning so it will be ready when we get home. I am going to fatten him up in no time! ;0) I will take some pictures when we pick him up and post them for everyone to see. xx Beth

Beth 
Mattox's Mom

Wednesday February 16, 2011

Great news! Mattox has a platelet count now of 21,000! Yeah Mattox!!! I am thrilled that it jumped 15,000 in one day. His neutrophil count is at 2400 which is also great. He is eating more- not normal yet though. No vomiting or diarrhea. They are trying to wean him off several of his medications now. He is still in intermediate care but if all goes well, they will have him in general care tomorrow. We are still on schedule to pick him up on Friday! We can't wait!  :0) 

Beth 
Mattox's Mom

Tuesday February 15, 2011

I am getting sooo antsy to have Mattox back home! I know it is only a few more days but it feels like a lifetime! We got good news this morning from Dr. Willcox. His platelet count this morning was unchanged at 6,000 so he is holding steady. He is not having any signs of bleeding so they moved him out of the ICU into intermediate care. Yeah! :0) His neutrophil count was up to 2,400. That is good news too. Kristen said that he wagged his tail all day today so he must be feeling a lot better. He is eating a little bit more- not back to normal but better. The diarrhea is getting much better too. They will probably switch his pain medicine to something not so strong today as his backside is almost healed. All of this is great news! We appreciate all the good wishes and prayers. Please keep them coming as I know they have made a huge difference! xx

Beth 
Mattox's Mom

Monday February 14, 2011

Happy Valentines Day! We got to Skype Mattox today (thank you again Kristen!). It was great to see him as he was much more animated today. He lifted his head several times and seemed to look at the screen too. We sent a Valentines care package to him and he ate a couple of the treats for us while we were skyping. That was great as he has only been taking a few bites here and there of roast beef. They said he played a bit with his new toy Mr. Monkey when they first gave it to him. I wonder how long before he is driving them crazy with the sqeeker.....

Mattox platelet count held steady at 6,000 this morning and no signs of bleeding. His neutrophil count dropped a bit to 2,000 but Dr. Willcox is not worried as she said that the counts tend to fluctuate. He is still in ICU but if he continues to show no signs of bleeding and his platelet count is up in the morning he will be moved to intermediate care. His diarrhea is continuing to get better so his backside is more comfortable.

They are taking Mattox outside for walks 4 times a day. He is loving it, especially today as the weather was wonderful. Kristen said that he wagged his tail for a long time this morning when she first saw him. That is a sure sign that he is feeling better! Can't wait to see my boy and bring him home! We miss him sooo much! xx

Beth 
Mattox's Mom

Sunday February 13, 2011

Got the call from Dr. Willcox this afternoon with the update on Mattox. His neutrophil count is now up to 2400. That is great as it is almost within normal range now. His platelet count was 6,000. It was up from yesterday as he had the 1/2 a unit of blood yesterday. She said that tomorrow will tell us more with his numbers as to whether his body is making new platelets.

Mattox ate a couple of bites of roast beef lunch meat. Yeah!!! This is the first thing he has eaten in over a week. He is still getting the liquid syringe feedings. He has not had any vomiting in several days now. His diarrhea was a bit better today but he is still on the pain medicine for his back side (sore from all the diarrhea). She said he seemed comfortable. He is brighter today and going outside a few times which makes him happy. He is still in ICU for the low platelet count but hopefully that won't be much longer.  We are exciting about Skyping him tomorrow for Valentines Day. Can't wait to see him feeling better. Thank for all the support and prayers!  xx 

Beth 
Mattox's Mom

Saturday February 12, 2011

I got the update from Dr. Willcox today that Mattox would be getting another 1/2 a unit of blood today. His platelet count had dropped from yesterdays 10,000 to 4,000 today. The reason it was up yesterday was from the 1/2 a unit of blood he received on Thursday. He will remain in ICU while his platelet counts are still low. He is still not eating.  :(   They are feeding him liquid nourishment with a syringe. Thankfully, he is tolerating it.

Mattox is still having some diarrhea but it had slowed down a bit this morning. On the brighter side- his neutrophil count was up to 2,000!  :0) That number is better than when he was on chemo. He is out of isolation now. He also has not had any vomiting for several days. Nurse Kristen is off this weekend so no pictures to post. She will be back on Monday and we are going to Skype him for Valentines Day. We can't wait! Please keep the prayers coming, I know they are helping! xx  

Beth 
Mattox's Mom

Thursday February 10, 2011

Thursday Feb. 10, 2011: Good news! Mattox had the packed red blood cells last  night and a 1/2 unit of whole blood this morning and he is doing well. His neutrophil count is 734 now! He was able to go outside today with Kristen and take a walk! :0) He is out of isolation but still in ICU due to his platelet count this morning of 2,000. That number should be up now though since he got the transfusion. We are praying that he will be back home with us in another week. :0)

Mattox is walking on Sunshine! :)

Beth 
Mattox's Mom

Wednesday February 9, 2011

Just got off Skype with Kristen! (thank you Kristen!!!) It was sooo great to see Mattox!!! :0) He opened his eyes a couple of times when he heard our voices and also when he heard my husband whistle. We miss him sooooo much! He was breathing a little faster than usual but nurse Kristen said that he was breathing normal just before he heard our voices so she thought that he was just a bit excited. His neutrophil count was up to 100 today! Whoohoo!!! His transplant has definitely taken! We are so thankful for this wonderful news. His platelet count dropped to 5,000 this morning. His red blood cells also dropped this afternoon so they are going to give him some packed red blood cells tonight.

They may need to give him some whole blood in the morning depending on his platelet count and any signs of bleeding at that time. He was still not eating this morning so this afternoon they started him on syringe feedings. He was able to tolerate some of it okay. Hopefully with his neutrophil count going up, his appetite will follow. He has not vomited in the past 36 hours but is still having some diarrhea. Poor thing had to be started on pain medicine for his back side that is now excoriated from the diarrhea. They also started him on a different cream to help it heal. There is usually a good response to it for this problem I'm told. He is now in the ICU in isolation but he has a large glass door that he can look through and see all the activity. They tell me that he really likes that part. It makes me feel better too knowing that he is not so isolated. Thanks again for all the well wishes and prayers. I know they are helping!  :0)  

Beth 
Mattox's Mom

Tuesday February 8, 2011

 

The GREAT news is that Mattox's neutrophil count this morning was 7! That means that his count is going up so he is engrafting and the transplant has taken!!! Go Mattox!!! His platlet count has dropped from 90,000 yesterday to 32,000 today. That is quite a bit drop. Because he is getting very low now they plan to put him in ICU either this afternoon or first thing in the morning. They will be watching him very closely for signs of bleeding. If he starts showing any signs of bleeding he will need a transfusion. Dr. Willcox said that now is the critical time for him. He  is still not eating. They have been trying to entice him with chicken, beef, bacon and cat food but no luck. If he is still not eating by tomorrow they will put a nutrition consult in for him.

He is drinking water and still has the IV in place hydrating him. He has not had any more vomiting but still has a bit of diarrhea. When Dr. Willcox came in to see him this morning he got up and walked over to her. That is an improvement from yesterday when he only wagged his tail. She said that now that his neutrophil counts are going up he should start feeling much better. He did have a slight temperature last night but it was down to normal this morning. They do not think that he has an infection but rather that it is a response from the body that happens when the cytokins are activated with the making of new cells. You make those cells Mattox!!! xx

 

Beth 
Mattox's Mom

Monday February 7, 2011

Dr. Willcox called and stated that Mattox was feeling a bit better today.  :0)  I am so happy to hear that! He has not had any vomiting for the past 24 hours. He is still having some diarrhea but it has slowed down a little bit. His neutrophil count today was 3. She is not sure if it is actually on the way up or not- will have to wait until tomorrow's blood work results to be able to tell. His platlets this morning were 109,000. He apparently started at 180,000 so he has definitely started dropping. He will drop much more still though.

Dr. Wilcox said that some dogs get all the way to 0 and others only go down to around 20,000. His low count should be in the next few days. Nurse Kristen sent some pictures and said that Mattox must be feeling better because on Saturday he wasn't even lifting his head to see her and today he wagged his tail when she came in.  Yeah Mattox! Thank you to all the team at NCSU and thank you to everyone for the good wishes and prayers. xx

Beth 
Mattox's Mom

Sunday February 6, 2011

Mattox's neutrophil count this morning was 2. They expect that it will be 0 sometime today. He is still having some diarrhea and they are medicating him for it. He vomited once this morning and is getting medicine for that also. He is still not interested in food. They increased his IV fluids to keep him hydrated. He remains in isolation.Please keep praying as this is the critical time for him. Can't wait to see those numbers on the up swing!

Beth 
Mattox's Mom

Saturday February 5, 2011

We got to Skype Mattox! :0) It was great to see him but he was not feeling very well. He looked tired. He did lift his head up a couple of times and we were able to snap a few pics of him. Nurse Kristen said that this is the low point and it should last 4-5 days. His neutrophil count this morning was 1000. It shouldn't be too long before he is at 0. He is in isolation right now. He will stay there until his counts are above 1000. He is still not eating and vomited once. He also had a small amount of diarrhea. They are medicating him for both. I hope this low point goes by fast. I want my sweet boy feeling good again! Keep the prayers coming please!

Beth 
Mattox's Mom

Friday February 4, 2011

Dr. Willcox called and said that Mattox was not very interested in food today. They are giving him some medication for his stomach to try and help. His neutrophil count is 1400. They are going to put in isolation this afternoon as they feel that it will down around 1000 at that time. We were not able to Skype him today as they had to do an emergency blood transfusion on another dog and didn't have the time. It is now set up for Saturday. We can't wait!!!

Beth 
Mattox's Mom

Thursday February 3, 2011

	Mattox is doing well today. No vomiting or diarrhea. He didn't want to eat this morning so they gave him some medication for his stomach. It must have helped as he did eat a small amount of food for nurse Kristen this afternoon. As of this mornings his counts had not dropped- still within normal range. They will check them again tomorrow morning and expect that they will have dropped by then.
It is anticipated that he will be in isolation some time over the weekend. Oh well, no Super Bowl parties for him this year... One of the pics is of Mattox looking up at the laminated picture of our whole family. It really looks like he misses us! Boy do we miss him too. We are sooo excited about seeing him on Skype tomorrow!!!

Most Sincerely,

Mattox's Mom
Beth 

Wednesday February 2, 2011

I got a call from Dr. Willcox around 1pm today saying Mattox had completed his 3rd and final round of radiation and had immediately gotten the transplant infusion of his stem cells. He was starting to wake up from his final anesthesia and was doing well. He is now done with all the technical procedures! :0) Yeah!!! Now we just wait for his counts to drop and then rise again. He will probably be in isolation sometime between Friday and Sunday, depending on how fast his counts drop. Hopefully, he won't be there long. We know he is in good hands and we are very thankful for all the great care he is receiving at NCSU from the BMT team! We are now 1/3 the way through this long separation. We miss him sooo much. He is such a big part of our family and there is a big void here without him. We are counting the days down until he is back home filling us with joy again. In the mean time,we are very excited about this Friday as nurse Kristen has set up for us to Skype him so we will get to see him! Thanks to everyone for all the prayers and good wishes for our special boy Mattox! xx

Most Sincerely,

Mattox's Mom
Beth 

Tuesday February 1, 2011

Mattox got 2 of the total body radiation treatments today- one in the morning and one in the afternoon. He was under anesthesia for both. Kristen took some pics of him when he was just trying to wake up after the second one. He looked pretty groggy. Dr. Willcox called after both treatments and said that everything was going well. He has one more treatment tomorrow and then the transplant. Keep praying! :0)

Most Sincerely,

Mattox's Mom

Beth 

Monday January 31, 2011

Oh, what a stressful day! Mattox did great though. He celebrated his birthday getting his cure! We got the call from Dr. Willcox telling us that everything went well and they got way over the number of stem cells that they need for the transplant. Way to go Mattox!!! Kristen his nurse e-mailed us some pictures and said he wagged his tail a few times during the procedure when they said his name! :0) Pictured Left: This picture was taken on Mattox 4th birthday while his stem cells were harvested in preparation for his canine bone marrow transplant at North Carolina State University!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET HEART!

After the procedure they sang Happy Birthday to him and helped him open his presents. They said he will have to wait a bit before he can enjoy the edible treats. He can snuggle up with his new squeaky toy though. We miss him soooo much but are so happy that our prayers are being answered and he is doing so well. I will update you again tomorrow.
Please consider donating to help Save Mattox today! His family is working hard to raise the money, and they still need your help. Any help you can offer is appreciated, even $1 can make a difference! 100% of the proceeds from SAA Calendars purchased in Mattox name will go directly to his family. Thank you! :)

Beth 
Mattox's Mom 

Saturday January 29, 2011

I just got a call from Jen telling me that everything is going great today. His WBC count is now up to 42,000 and his Mono count is 1200. All good!

Beth 
Mattox's Mom 

Friday January 28, 2011

I got home just a bit ago. I had planned to stay with Mattox until his 6pm injection but I got a call from Kristen that they wanted him there at 3 so that they could get some blood to put aside for Monday. Apparrently they want to use his own blood to "prime" the tubing on the Leukophoresis machine. So, I had to say goodbye to my boy sooner.... it was soooooo hard. Of course I was crying my eyes out. Kristen said they would take good care of him, and I know they will. I got a call a couple of hours later from Dr. Willcox telling me that both the blood and BM PARR tests came back NEGATIVE!!! Whooohooo!!! :0)

She said that that definately helps to stack the cards as we want them. She also said that he ate some for them and was resting in his cage. I hope he doesn't think I have abandoned him when he realizes that I am not coming to pick him up tonight....She also said he was the sweetest cocker....of course, we already knew that ! :0) He is always happy with his tail wagging and ready to give out the kisses.

When I got home our other dog Roxie was super happy to see me and I was glad to see her too. It's going to be a long 3 weeks without my boy but I will look forward to the daily updates, pictures and skype. I have all good thoughts and I can feel the angels around him taking great care of him. :0)

Beth 
Mattox's Mom 

Thursday January 27, 2011

Mattox has had a great day other than a bit of diarrhea. I happened to be at the hospital after meeting Lindsey so they gave him some medicine and it seems to have calmed down. They thought it was perhaps from the anesthesia yesterday. I will give him another dose tonight. We have to leave in a few minutes to go back for his 6 pm shot. I had planned to leave tomorrow but now that it is getting closer to that time.....well...... not sure how I can drive down that road back home without him. I know they will take good care of him, but not as good as his Momma!

Pictured above: Beth & Mattox outside of NC State University with Dolce & Lindsey. They had the opportunity to meet while our Dolce, our newest SURVIVOR, was checking out & Mattox was checking in! CONGRATS to both families!! xoxox

 

Beth 
Mattox's Mom 

Wednesday January 27, 2011

We are here in NC. Mattox is resting comfortably on the bed in the hotel. He did great today. They did his blood work and his Platelets and Neutrophils are both good. They do not need to put him on any more antibiotics right now. His Echocardiogram and Ultrasound both came back without any problems. They did his BM bx and of course, he has lots of his beautiful skin showing now where they shaved him but he's just as handsome as ever. We will have the results tomorrow but it will be Friday before the PARR test comes back. He only has his 2 Neupogen injections tomorrow so we will get to spend lots of time together.  :0)

Pictured above: Mattox riding shotgun on his way to the cure!! 1/26/11  Pictured Right: Mattox right after he had the BM bx and he was still drunk from anesthesia. Kristen was holding and rocking him in her arms. Mattox Mama asked  to take a tour of the facilities and NCSU complied. Jen Wilcox, the Resident, took Mattox Mama around to all the rooms. She even got to see Dolce!! She said that he looked great and was lying comfortably in his cage. :)

 

Beth 
Mattox's Mom

 

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