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View Full Version : Dog's Tumor has Shrunk a Little!



sste
05-05-2009, 11:14 AM
After all my complaining on this board, some good news. A follow-up to my previous sad posts about our dog being diagnosed with a very aggressive tumor. We have been taking him to an academic vet hospital three hours away where, in an unbelievable stroke of luck, the leading oncologist/researcher on his type of canine cancer works. Our goal, and I guess I feel like my responsibility, is to try to get our dog as close to his full life span as possible.

His treatment is not only holding his tumor steady but has shrunk it a little. Only a very small minority of dogs respond like this! Even better, he is not on chemo at this point, he is only on an essentially super-concentrated form of advil with next to nothing in side effects (in fact he is more agile and active on it). So, I am really hoping for 2-3 more years for Lawrence!

For the record, I want to go to this vet hospital if I have a serious health problem - - amazing staff and residents, we have never waited more than a few minutes, treatment team coordinator for our dog, oncologist who presents and lectures worldwide, availability of clinical trials, and our visit each six weeks is only around $300. Something has gone wrong with human health care . . .

JMS
05-05-2009, 11:32 AM
That awesome, not only for your dog but for medical advancement. There are many vets out there who I would happily have as my own doctor :)

ha98ed14
05-05-2009, 11:33 AM
That's great! I'm happy to hear your happy news. I've been complaining a lot myself lately. What kind of dog is Lawrence and how old is he now? Best wishes for continued sucess in his treatment.

sste
05-05-2009, 11:36 AM
Lawrence is a corgi and he just turned 9 this March - - diagnosed in January with this cancer at age 8. Normal corgi lifespan is usually in the 12-14 range at least. Untreated this cancer will end a dog's life in a matter of months if not sooner -- even treated you may only get a year or two. I will be thrilled with 2-3 more years with a high quality of life.