 Isabelle, an eight-week old Golden Retriever, came into our lives during a difficult period of time. She gave us much joy and quickly became a special member of our family. She especially loved going to the beach and digging deep holes in the sand and fetching tennis balls in the ocean. We shared many special times with her and enjoyed her companionship.
At the age of seven, Isabelle was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma – bone cancer – one of the most deadly and painful forms of cancer in animals, or humans. We are fortunate because, coincidentally, my company specializes in providing medical research to people diagnosed with serious illnesses, like cancer.
The day after receiving this diagnosis, I assembled one of our research teams, consisting of an oncologist, medical researcher and support staff member. I told them my wife and I needed to know everything about Osteosarcoma in dogs – what it is, the prognosis, the treatment options available, their effectiveness rates, and the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. I also wanted a good set of questions that we could ask our veterinarian. We wanted to do everything in our power to help Isabelle and we knew we needed to make some very important treatment decisions quickly.
Forty-eight hours later my team delivered to me a comprehensive, organized set of medical articles and materials on osteosarcoma in dogs. After reading all of it over several days it became clear from the information that the only way to save Isabelle was to have the diseased leg amputated. This was a very difficult decision for us but it was clear from the data that this was necessary to slow or stop the progression of the cancer and eliminate the extreme pain she was enduring from the tumor that was destroying her leg. We also learned that 90% of dogs can walk and run on three legs within a week after surgery.
I then asked our oncologist about what kind of specialist should do the surgery. After he explained to me the advantages of using a surgical oncologist, I then found a directory of the best veterinary surgeons in the country. When I contacted the top veterinary hospital locally, I was told that it would be three weeks before we could get an appointment. It was clear from the data we had that we couldn't wait that long. This cancer can spread so quickly and become so painful that it might be too advanced if we waited several weeks.
One of the other leading surgeons we identified was Dr. Nicole Ehrhart, a surgical oncologist at the Animal Cancer Center at Colorado State University (CSU). I contacted Dr. Ehrhart the next day and asked if she would help us. She said she could do the surgery in two days if we could get Isabelle to Colorado.
My wife took Isabelle to CSU and Dr. Ehrhart performed the surgery. The surgery went extremely well and the staff at the Animal Cancer Center was exceptional. We were amazed at their professionalism and the care and concern they had for Isabelle and our family. In addition, we used Dr. Ehrhart's recommended chemotherapy protocol which had the best results of any treatment available at that time. In addition, she included a newer, experimental drug that was showing some effectiveness in shrinking tumors with no adverse side effects. Though we were well aware of the seriousness of the situation and the aggressiveness of this form of cancer we felt good that we were doing our best to help Isabelle and taking our best shot at defeating this disease.
Over then next few months Dr. Ehrhart worked closely with our veterinarian locally to get Isabelle the best care possible. She and our local vet were remarkable in their concern, responsiveness and effort they put towards our dog.
Isabelle lived eight more months but eventually lost her fight against this cancer. Though ultimately the treatment didn't save her life, we are convinced the efforts of Dr. Ehrhart, our local veterinarian and some of the alternative and dietary therapies we implemented extended it and gave her additional time with good quality, minimal pain and time for us to say good-bye properly.
Many people face the same situation we did. We feel it is important to pass on what we learned to other people who have pets facing cancer. Like our situation, pets are important family members and it is critical to know that options are available to you. You do have choices. Like with human medicine, the quality of veterinary care varies across the country and with good information you can have an impact on the prognosis and quality of life your pet has, too, while going through this process. There's also comfort in knowing you are doing everything in your power to help your pet and making good, informed decisions along the way. In addition, because your pet can't speak for themselves you are their only advocate.
We recognize that not every family can travel to the Animal Cancer Center at CSU nor has access to the informational resources we had. In addition, a lot of medical information on the Internet is inaccurate, outdated and confusing. What we have researched and developed, in partnership with Dr. Ehrhart, is an extremely comprehensive set of current and reliable materials to help you if your pet gets cancer. This information will be updated over time. The goal is to provide pet owners with everything you need to know to help you navigate this difficult process more effectively. We do not make any money on this service. The nominal fee we charge covers only the copyright, publishing and administrative costs associated with distributing this information to you and other pet owners across the country.
We hope this information is helpful to you and makes this process a little easier and better for you and your pet. We also have developed this product in memory of Isabelle – the best dog we could have ever imagined. We believe it is fitting to give back in some way to others because she gave so much to us.
Sincerely,
David Hines
President
Consumer's Medical Resource
More Information
Dogs with Cancer >>
Cats with Cancer >>
|
These 10 pieces of advice
compiles by Dr. Nicole
Ehrhart are to keep you
informed so you can make
better decisions if
your pet gets cancer.
Learn more >> |
|
