Sally is a beautiful and much loved Cocker Spaniel who’s affectionately known by the team for her flowing head hair which is always so neatly tied in a bow by her pet parent. In May, she became unwell and was diagnosed with stage IV lymphoma (affects the liver and/or spleen).
Following consultation with the specialist oncologist, Dr Genevieve formulated a treatment plan for Sally, involving chemotherapy treatments every two-three weeks. Following close to three months of regular treatments which were coordinated by veterinary director Dr Daniel, and supported by our wonderful nursing team, Sally is now in remission. Sally was extremely brave during her treatments and has been enjoying life at home with her pet parent throughout the process, quickly returning to her normal playful self after commencing the chemotherapy.
The term chemotherapy often brings fear into pet parent’s minds, given the sometimes severe adverse effects which are experienced in humans during chemotherapy. This often means owners elect not to proceed with treatment due to these negative connotations. However, chemotherapy in dogs and cats is often very well tolerated. Mild and easily manageable nausea is the most common side-effect. The hair loss usually experienced in people infrequently occurs in dogs. In fact, Sally powered through her chemotherapy with essentially no side-effects. In the beginning, Sally’s mum was also anxious about the possible side-effects of the treatment but as time went on and the improvement was obvious, these fears started to allay.
Lymphoma is a cancer which responds well to chemotherapy in most cases, with >85% of cases entering remisson with treatment. Average survival time following treatment varies from 9-15 months depending on the chemotherapy protocol used, providing precious time with your fur baby to continue making life-long memories.
Sally was an extremely sweet patient and was very brave during her treatments. We thank Sally’s owner for entrusting us with her care and hope that many more treasured memories are made over the coming months.
