Letter to the editor: Cody’s story
I just finished reading your March 2019 article about canine cancer after reading many others about various canine cancers and treatments, and I just had to tell my Cody’s story. He was a 10 1/2 year old male Keeshond who had been treated for Cushing disease since December 2017.
In February of this year, he had surgery for the removal of a spindle cell sarcoma on his chest. Previously, he had had an ultrasound to check for metastasis. None was found; it did, however, show nodules in the bladder that turned out to be transitional cell cancer. He was started on Piroxicam. The sarcoma surgery was postponed at first due to a drop in his platelets for unknown reasons. The blood counts improved enough, so surgery was done. What followed was two months of massive diarrhea, poor appetite, some weight loss, and progressively worsening blood counts. Red blood cells, platelets, etc. were so low. Another ultrasound, aspirations of the spleen and liver, and removal of all medications except those for appetite and pain. No reason was found for the apparent blood loss. A diagnosis was possibly histiocytic sarcoma, a horrible and aggressive type of soft tissue cancer. Up to this point he would still be up and barking, wagging his tail and so happy to see someone come over and when I came home from an errand.
Two days ago he suddenly went downhill. He was hospitalized with a temp of 103, given blood transfusions and other meds to try to stabilize him. Monday, yesterday I was called about his poor prognosis, went to the hospital and saw the results of three different cancers in my beautiful, loving, and innocent best friend. He was fighting to hard to breathe and his temp was up to 105.1. I had to let him go. And stop his misery. The hardest thing I’ve ever done was say goodbye and hold him while the doctor put him to sleep.
So if this letter is ever read by anyone who has gone through this devastating loss, know that another understands. I’ve never found any information about a dog suffering from three different godawful cancers!
Cathy Johnson
Folsom, California
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