Oh My Shih Tzu

Small Athletes Breaking Stereotypes

Beating Canine Cancer, One Shih Tzu at a Time

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So a couple of weeks ago I wrote Cancer in Dogs: 8 Signs it Can Happen to You. I wrote this because in November I lost my first dog (as an adult) Kyra to cancer. There were some signs that something might be wrong, but I missed them. I never realized what an impact writing that post would have on me. It actually sucked the life and passion I have with my wonderful little blog right out of me. In fact, I haven’t really been on any social media channels since writing that post. And to all our fans and followers I have to say I am sorry. I am not a blogger who plans out her posts weeks in advance, everything comes from my heart of what I am feeling at the moment.

So since that day, Katie has had surgery to remove 2 melanocytes on her little body. One was located on her flank, and the other on her knee.

Beating Canine CancerI can tell you one thing, I was a mess after picking her up from the surgery. The waiting to find out if those little growths were malignant was horrible. I started planning for the worst and looking into different options of dealing with the cancer such as radiation treatments… but then the phone rang one afternoon, “Christine, we have the results back from the lab for the two specimens that were sent.” I was driving and had to pull over. “The results have come back negative for both” Tears of joy began running down my face. I can not tell you the relief I felt.

My sweet little girl at home, who was in our little “flower” cone of shame, was going to be okay. My first foster failure, my first Shih Tzu, was going to be okay.

Beating Canine CancerWhy is she doing so great? Because I took steps in knowing the signs. With a routine monthly skin examination, I was able to find a new spot on her knee, and notice that a previous spot that was known about had grown in size. I also sought out my vet immediately for his opinion.  I am happy to report a couple of weeks after her surgery, Katie is back to her old self.

But we our not out of the woods here at OhMyShihTzu. Next week we will head back to the vets for another fight.  This time our little girl Trixie is facing a battle against possible mammary cancer. So stay tuned.

We are so happy to be joining Monday Mischief hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog & My Brown Newfies!

Monday Mischief

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Tzu Mom says

      Ohhh… I am so sorry about Rosie. Thank you. Kyra was such a good dog and lead a good long life, though I did want it to be at least 4 years longer. She gave me so much joy that it still fills my heart.

  8. Kama says

    I can’t imagine the pain of losing your dog to cancer. I’ve had dog mom friends go through this, but I have been fortunate enough to not have this experience so far. Thanks for sharing your personal experience. Maybe it’ll help someone else catch their pet’s cancer in an earlier stage.
    Kama recently posted…Not ALL Dogs Like to Say “Hi”My Profile

    • Tzu Mom says

      Thanks! I also have to be diligent with checking cow spots to make sure there aren’t any growing there. 🙂

  15. kim says

    Good Job Katie! And good on you for checking her out every month for new or existing spots. Rolo gets daily body massages for his arthritis so I check at the same time as well to see if I can find any lumps.
    kim recently posted…Rolo’s RetirementMy Profile

    • Tzu Mom says

      That’s awesome… they also get massages, but I’m just to lazy at times to go through all the fur. But I can feel any weird lumps if they did turn up 🙂

    • Tzu Mom says

      I went so very long without every having to deal with it… guess my luck has run out a bit… I’m thinking it just needed a little jumpstart. Now that I know the signs I am hoping we will be better off. 🙂

  17. Heather Lynn says

    My Chuleta has cancer. She’s been lucky, thus far, as we completely reconstructed her diet and exercise, so now she is gaining weight and keeping it. Unfortunately, she cannot have an operation to remove the cancer because of her breathing issues, but she is doing really well, right now, which is nothing to scoff at. I’m so happy that Katie is okay!

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