I am a Survivor!!
By Tracy Frost
DiMaggio the day he
completed his Chemo Last Treatment
This sweet little boy is
Silverdale's Joe DogMaggio (Magi), a 13.5 year old very loving and active
Havanese. He loves to go for long walks, play soccer and fetch. His owners, Tom
and Gretchen say, “He's a playful, good-natured little guy whom we adore. He's
the smartest dog I've ever known.”
Magi is always a very enthusiastic
eater, so when he didn’t want to eat, no matter what his owners fed him, they
began to worry. They even tried his favorites; chicken, hamburger and
rice, but it still didn’t do the trick. Magi was also starting to struggle with
walking far distances, and would lie down shortly after they started. His
loving owners were frightened over his behavior, and knew something was
seriously wrong.
Magi, was immediately taken to CKVC
to see Dr. Weakley, where he informed Tom and Gretchen that Magi's symptoms
were consistent with cancer. With heavy
hearts, they listened as Dr. Weakley explained about the two possible types of
lymphoma--the good and the bad, in layman's terms.
After a Needle aspirate was
taken, Magi was given a steroid injection to kick his appetite into gear, along
with prednisone tablets. Gretchen said, “Magi began to eat immediately,
the first step toward feeling better.”
Unfortunately, the cytology was inconclusive,
so Magi had to undergo a biopsy, which confirmed that he indeed had lymphoma
, but it was the "good" kind.
, but it was the "good" kind.
Prior to this diagnosis, his owners
had done dozens of internet searches on canine lymphoma, which was very frightening.
“Dr. Weakley had warned us about all the information that was out there, but we
were trying to get a grasp of the situation. In the end, we promised each
other that we would not look at all the conflicting, and often sensational
accounts that were out there.”
When Dr. Weakley called to confirm
his diagnoses, Magi’s owners had already decided they would go through with the
chemo treatment.
Chemotherapy is simply the
administration of drugs designed to kill cancer cells, but such therapy often
affects normal cells as well. However; therapies are currently being developed
and evaluated that selectively target cancer cells while not harming normal
cells.
Dr. Weakley provided a document
called “The Wisconsin Protocol” that listed the treatments according to a
timeline, and discussed the costs of each treatment. The owner’s couldn’t
believe how cheap the Chemo treatments would be. “We liked having the timeline
that explained the scope and details.” The owner’s said.
The “Wisconsin Protocol” is a 25
week combination therapy, combining 3 chemotherapy drugs traditionally used for
Canine Lymphoma care, plus Prednisone for a portion of the treatment cycle. It
is considered the “gold standard” of current conventional Canine lymphoma Care,
and is by far the most commonly recommended conventional treatment for Canine
Lymphoma care.
Like many owners, Tom and Gretchen were
worried about the side effects of the chemo, but Magi handled his treatments
like the strong, brave little dog he is. Gretchen said, “Until the last two
infusions of doxorubincin, there were absolutely none. Nada. We were so
thankful. The last two infusions did make him lose his appetite, but it
lasted only two or three days. That’s the only other side effect that we
have noticed, other than that, he is now back to his joyful, active, life, is
that his fur has changed texture.”
The ability of Magi and other dogs
to live with cancer is becoming less and less unusual. In many cases, cancer in
dogs is no longer a death sentence.
“We are so happy that we did the
chemo. We have our sweet boy back and we are so grateful to Dr. Weakley
and the staff at CKVC. Their medical expertise and many kindnesses will
never be forgotten. Thank you so much!”
-Tom and Gretchen
-Tom and Gretchen
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