Caninecancer.org.au

In May of last year, my Bichon Pearl Leigh was diagnosed with a malignant mast cell tumor.

Last April, I took Pearl on a vacation to Florida. The salty, warm air aggravated her breathing, which prompted me to look into what was causing the problem. That's when I noticed a large lump inside her mouth just under her nose. Pearl’s nose had started to run frequently, and her breathing got very heavy. As soon as we got back into our hometown, I took Pearl to her local vet for a biopsy.

So many people, including the dog trainer I was dating at the time and Pearl’s vet, assured me that oral tumors are common and are rarely malignant. Her vet said it would likely need to be removed to help keep her airway clear, but that it probably wasn’t a long-term problem. I should’ve felt some relief by these reassurances, but I never did. When I got the call from her vet 3 days after the biopsy, I knew it was bad news. I remember I had just pulled into the parking lot at work, and I spent about ten minutes crying in the car before I decided it was a good idea for me to take a sick day.

I didn’t waste any time, though. We set up our consultation appointment with a highly-recommended oncologist in our area. Before I knew it, we had a plan and we put it into action. Pearl was put on a steroid to shrink the tumor and a chemo pill with the hopes of stopping the spread of disease.

On June 3rd, my mom and I arrived around 7am at the veterinary clinic. When the surgeon came in to see Pearl, he told me he wasn’t going to do the surgery. He said it wouldn’t be any use because there was absolutely no way to get the entire tumor without doing a nosectomy (removing her entire muzzle), which is only about a 30% survival rate with life-changing consequences. I tried to remain calm and insisted he call the Oncologist. Once she arrived in the office around 9:30am, she told the surgeon it was imperative we remove the bulk of the tumor so that Pearl could breathe normally and so most of the malignant cells would be gone before radiation and chemo. Finally, the surgeon agreed to perform the surgery.

That was one of the longest nights of my life. I’m pretty sure I called the clinic around 12 times. Fortunately, Pearl made it through the tough part, and we continued on with our plan. Next up was radiation.

We elected to do a 5-day radiation treatment. The Oncologist wanted to do a 16-day treatment, but due to budget constraints, we decided to go for the 5-day. Pearl was a real trooper. Unfortunately, we had a hard time keeping her blood cell counts in the acceptable range, but we did complete the 5-day radiation without incident. This issue ended up pushing the implementation of chemotherapy back about a week, so it was really very good that we didn’t go for the 16-day plan.

At this point, the doctor prepared me for the worst. She told me somewhere around the 10-day mark, Pearl would get extremely sick. She said she probably would stop eating and I would have to force-feed her. I’ve never been so glad that she was wrong. Pearl never lost her appetite or her energy. Around the 12-day mark, she was moderately sick to her stomach, but after giving her the nausea medication prescribed, she was back to normal the next day.

By October, we really thought we had it beat, but in January of this year, I noticed another spot growing rapidly on the outside of Pearl's nose. Again, I took her straight to the Oncologist. Unfortunately, we got the worst news yet again and this time there wasn't much we could do for my sweet Pearl.

Since then, several new tumors have developed in the area. We continue to do a mild chemotherapy and steroid treatment, but Pearl will eventually succumb to cancer.

In the past year, Pearl has been through so much, but remained so positive. She has truly inspired me beyond words. I know there are many others out there going through this with their pets. The one thing I can say is this: No matter what the outcome, it's important to know that, while it is a long and difficult process, it’s worth it to know that you've done everything you can to help your fur-baby.

Pearl will fight to the end and I will give her every opportunity I can to let her live the best life possible. To keep up with Pearl and her adventures, follow her on Twitter with the handle @BichonPearl and on facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/BichonPearl

A moving story Pearl Leigh is fortunate to have you to care for her

Thanks for sharing your story and for letting us use Pearl Leigh for next weeks Dog of the Week. I am sure Twitter will go crazy with all her supporters once I announce it is up Smile

You made a really important point which we both share. Like you I was told by the vet it was not cancerous. I was asked if I wanted the tumour to go to the lab for testing and fortunately I said yes. Most people once their regular vet were told that would probably take the vet as being the expert and say no it doesnt matter. I didnt think any more of it until I got the phone call a few days later to say it was cancer and then life was turned upside down.

I hope that people read stories like ours and ALWAYS no matter what the vet tells you ask that the tumour be sent for pathology. That is the one piece of advice I would give everyone who has a dog with a tumour. Frodo would have died if I had taken the advice of the local vet when he said it wasnt cancerous.

Good luck to you both and I hope Pearl Leigh stays in good health for a long time to come. I am sure you will give her the best that you can and will give her a good quality of life for as long as possible. Using an oncologist will always give you the best results that can be achieved. They are up on the latest treatment options and have years of training in just cancer.

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1. Sending tumours to the lab saves lives
2. Pet insurance allows you to give your dog the best treatments available
3. Using an oncologist gives your dog the best chance of survival.