Canine Cancer Foundation

Name: Patricia Klappa

Pet Name: Jed

Story or Memory:

Jed was my first golden retriever. Jed was my Novice A obedience dog. He and I travelled far and wide together going to different obedience trials. We always had a great time enjoying each others company and meeting a lot of new friends. Jed eventually earned his utility dog title. Then, we started going to Rally. Jed earned his Rally Advanced Excellent title and then retired. Even after he retired, whenever I picked up a leash, he was ready and willing to go. When he was 13, we found a lump that turned out to be cancer. My beautiful golden boy died June 29, 2008.  

Story:

I would like to be able to say that I chose Cain, but truth be told he chose me. I can still remember when my son brought him home that summer of 1999. He was the funniest looking little puppy, with pink saggy skin and the most homely expression you've ever seen. We all laughed at this funny little guy, while my son made remarks about his eyes and the fact they were two different colors, one blue eye and one eye brown. Cain lived with my son for the first year and half of his life, went off to college with him and soon went "missing in action" for 2 months. For reasons I can't explain, I felt a strong connection to Cain. After several weeks, everyone else was ready to give up on finding him and as a last ditch effort, I took out a large ad in the paper and a woman called to say she had him. It was shortly after that when Cain came to live with me. Cain was an American Bulldog, and was often the recipient of wary looks. The worst thing Cain could do was greet you with a great big bully smile and wipe slimy slobber across your leg. He loved everyone he met and didn't care about the prejudices that surround the bully breeds. A lesson we can all learn from. Cain's life was plagued with problems. From an early age he suffered with choking and swallowing issues, which generally resulted in aspiration pneumonia. I was always on guard, getting periodic x-rays, which usually were followed by antibiotics. It was a preventive x-ray in April 2008 that found a mass in Cain's lung and prompted a trip to Colorado State University Animal Cancer Center. Cain had been a patient years earlier, and they have an excellent reputation; I knew he would be in great hands. Further tests were done, and the diagnosis of a primary lung tumor became another chapter in our lives. Without knowing anything about cancer, I remember being relieved that his cancer had not started somewhere else in his body, only to find out later the complexities of lung tumors. I've written a blog about the ups and downs of my experience at http://www.wishcuit.com/cain. I made the decision to have the lung lobe removed, and our lives returned to normal, for the most part, until October 2008 when a new tumor was found in a neighboring lung lobe. This time surgery was not an option and chemotherapy treatments proved futile. I lost Cain on November 12, 2009. On the last day of his life, we took a slow walk along a favorite trail in the sunshine. It was bittersweet and like all of our time together, a moment I'll cherish forever. He was my favorite teacher, teaching the most important subject of all...the meaning of a moment. We lived life to the fullest. He was my best friend, truly remarkable and my one in a million dog. I will be forever grateful to the CSU Animal Cancer Center for the extra time I was given with Cain. He had much more to teach me in the extra time I was given, and I miss him more than I can say. Hopefully I'll make him proud from wherever he is watching now. He really did have the most beautiful blue eye...love you buddy. k (An excerpt from a story I wrote that is featured on the CSU Animal Cancer Center website).

Story:

Our nine and half year old Yellow Lab died of cancer today. He showed no signs of being sick then all of the sudden he was having trouble breathing and it went down hill from there. For two short months, while on Prednizone and a cancer drug, Sysco fought for his life. He showed signs of improvement, yet the tumors continued to grow. Sysco found it extremely hard to breathe on the last day of his life. Ending the pain for him but not for his family, he was put to sleep. He will be missed so much and up to the minute of his death, he was happy dog, full of life and not a mean vein corsing through him. We love you Sysco! In the photo is Sysco's nine year birthday party spent with his family. My daughter, Emma Collins is standing with Sysco; this dog was her pride and joy, and her best friend. 

Name: Tracey Burrows

Pet Name: Wylie

Story or Memory:

My husband Carl and I lost our beloved Wylie on 11/04/09, a 9 year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi. He was riddled with cancer, his liver, spleen and lungs, it happened so quick , one day he was running around and it seemed like the next day we had to make the extremely difficult decision to let him go. He was our little furry angel. He will never be forgotten, mommy and daddy love you so! 

Story:

I lost my little half pint to a brain tumor in oct of 2009, he was not even a year old yet.I noticed him holding his head to one side and thought he might have an ear infection.Our vet started him on antibotics and we thought he would be fine in a few days,but he stopped eating and drinking.He was very dizzy and had to be helped when going outside to potty.The vet sent us home with an Iv in my baby's leg,we learned how to give him fluids twice a day and hand fed him soft food.The vet changed antibotics 3 times and each time it seemed that he would respond then he would go down hill again.I held him, prayed for him, told him how much he meant to me and he tried so hard to get better but he just could not fight it, I took him to the blessing on the animals at church and he tried really hard to sit up and get his cookie for being such a good puppy.Finally on the last vet visit we decided that the fight was over and we prayed and told him we loved him for the last time, everyone in the office had tears in their eyes,even our vet,for half pint had won everyones hearts...I love you and miss you,mommies little baby half pint. 

Name: Ricci

Pet Name: Casey Sundae

Story or Memory:

This story is one of a sweet precious pup that was supposed to be gift for Christmas for my 2 children who were 5 and 11 years old. In 2001 I walked into the city pound and with every intention of "just looking around" I saw this precious little angel sitting in this huge kennel on the hard cold concrete floor all by herself. She was no bigger than a pound of coffee and had little tiny short legs. I asked if I could just hold her for a minute. One touch and that was all it took. She stole my heart from that very moment and never left my side for the next 8 years. In November of 2005 I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, breast cancer. As a single Mom I had no one to lean on, no one to hold my hand. But amazingly in the midst of all of the turmoil and fear I had, the pain of surgery, chemo and radiation there was one angel who always comforted me, lay beside me, loved me when I felt unloveable and let me cry on her more times than I could count. Without Casey I don't know how I would have survived. She saved my life from cancer. On Sunday October 26, 2009 Casey acted as though she didn't feel well and had gone to bed with my fiancee' who grew to love her as much as I had. I got her up to go out once more before bedtime and she collapsed. I rushed her to the ER along with my son and after waiting and waiting they came into the room with ultrasound in hand to show me that Casey had hemangiocarcomas on her liver and she was bleeding internally. The Dr's had given her fluids and she had perked up a little, but was still very critical. He explained the cancer was extremely advanced and that she could not survive surgery if even through the night. I stayed there in the room with her for 4 hours, played with her, loved and kissed on her and gave her a final birthday party. See, her birthday we imagined was on Halloween so every year she got a cupcake on her special day. We sang and celebrated right there in the ER, cupcakes and all. Oh how she enjoyed that and it did my heart good to give her that moment. Soon thereafter I said goodbye to my sweet angel as the Dr. gave her a sedative before humanely euthanizing her. I held her and kissed her until her last breath was gone. My heart aches and I am angry that the one who helped me survive was taken by this horrible disease. She is my love, my child, my best friend and she will be missed more than words can express. I love you my sweet Casey. Mommy 

Story:

Violet was a sweet little black Lab pup. She was timid about going up and down stairs and jumping into the back of our car, but she learned. She was a beautiful girl. At only 13 mos. of age, we had to say goodbye to her. She was diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer. She was having so much trouble breathing because of the location of the tumor. We miss her terribly. We'll never forget the year we spent together. Wait for us at the Rainbow Bridge, "co-pilot"... 

Name: Rob and Kathy

Pet Name: Katy

Story or Memory:

Our beloved Katy was diagnosed with oral melanoma in September 2008. We opted not to do chemo as she was already 14 years old. We took an alternative approach and gave her Essiac tea until she would no longer drink it. It became a struggle to get her to eat so we finally made the very difficult decision to put her down and give her peace. Our beloved baby girl left us on August 8, 2009. You will be greatly missed. We will love you forever. 

Name: Kristi Pohly

Pet Name: Kali and Kaiya

Story or Memory:

I wanted to share my story of the loss of my two best friends, Kali and Kaiya. Kali and Kaiya were the best 2 golden retrievers a girl could ever ask for. Kali and Kaiya were sisters from the same parents, just different litters. Kali was a present to my sister when she was in college, however I soon adopted Kali as my own when my sister moved away to California. Right before inheriting Kali, I called Kali's breeder and they had another litter. My baby, Kaiya was the crazy one of the litter with the spunkiest personality. Her personality mirrored mine, so I knew she would be perfect. Kali and Kaiya were the best of friends to one another and my two best friends through many difficult obstacles in life. They were my consistent everyday "good things". For eight years we walked religiously at Wash Park all together, as I was known at the park as the girl with the two goldens. Kali and Kaiya were my hiking buddies, my running buddies, my car ride buddies, and most of all, my best buddies. Devastating news came in October 2008 when Kali was diagnosed with a primary lung tumor. Surgery was too expensive with no guarantee, so we gave Kali the best life possible for a month until she passed to the beautiful heavens above on November 8, 2008. Life was hard for Kaiya and I after Kali's passing, but we managed to be one another's support. Kaiya was truly spoiled being an "only child", as we did two walks a day in memory of Kali. Kaiya ate like a queen too, as I continued to cook steak and chicken meals for the two of them as I had when Kali got sick. Kaiya and I lived everyday in memory of Kali. Kaiya seemed to have the spirit of two dogs inside of her. Much to my disbelief, on June 6, 2009, Kaiya collapsed in my backyard and had convulsions. An urgent trip to our normal vet determined that her heart was enlarged, so we transferred Kaiya to an emergency vet facility. Once again I heard the horrible word cancer and immediately melted. Kaiya was diagnosed with aggressive Haemangiosarcoma. They drained the fluids from around her heart twice that day. They recommended putting her down put I could not. I spent five blessed days with Kaiya until she passed in my arms on June 10, 2009. The memory of my two babies lives on in my heart forever. I know they are little angels looking over me each and every day. It is now my mission to support and raise awareness for canine cancer in loving memory of Kali and Kaiya. I know our hearts will all come together again someday up at the Rainbow Bridge. Your mommy loves you Kal and Ky.

Name: Aimee Wagner

Pet Name: Pepper

Story or Memory:

Pepper was our first child. We got her before we were married when we were still in college. She was 11 1/2. Suddenly on April 7th when we got home she wasn't well. She had thrown up twice in the house which isn't too unusual for her because she would eat anything but she wouldn't eat her dinner. She went into the backyard and laid down and wouldn't come in. She came up to the back door when I got home and she was struggling to stand there. I felt her belly and it wasn't right. My husband put her in the van and took her to the Vet ER. When they got there her gums were pale (like white) and they took her blood and she was anemic. They did an ultrasound and found a tumor on her spleen and she was bleeding internally. They suspect it was cancer and it had already spread. They offered emergency surgery to give her 2-4 more months with Chemo. But we couldn't do that to her. At this point she was struggling to breathe. He called me and someone watched the kids so I could go say goodbye. She came in the room and laid on the blanket and licked our faces and told us she was ready. It breaks our heart to be without her. 

Story:

Brandi, our 10-year-old German Shepherd, taught us to really persevere through life’s challenges. On Monday, May 12, 2008 she was diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer. She had a very large tumor in a lymph node in her abdomen that pressed on her bowel, two anal sac gland tumors the size of baseballs and metastasis in her chest. The oncologist told us she might live for 2 weeks with the help of prednisone. That night I asked my Dad, who has Alzheimer’s, if she should have surgery. He told me, “No. People with tumors need to change the way they feel about others.” That’s just what Brandi did. The next morning the vet student called and told me that Brandi got into a bit of trouble at the vet hospital. She kept escaping from her cage and removing her catheter and IV. She showed her fighting spirit and that she was still full of life and the oncologist offered to try radiation and chemo to give her a few more months. She also visited a holistic vet who recommended a change in diet. He too thought she might live a few more months. Six months later the anal tumors were the size of golfballs. The oncology team called her The Wonderdog. On April 28, 2009, just two weeks shy of a year after diagnosis, Brandi crossed the Rainbow Bridge and was greeted by her myspace buddies who preceded her. Brandi, who lived a full life, having starred in a TV commercial and having both a children’s book and screenplay written about her, chased rabbits just days before the cancer paralyzed her legs. Her story is available on her myspace blog. www.myspace.com/brandisurfstheweb

Name: Robin Nugent

Pet Name: Pebbles

Story or Memory:

I have struggled over the last three months trying to save my faithful friend pebbles, I thought progress was being made with budwig programme her bone tumour seemed to be responding showing no more pain, now tonight I find she cannot stand, I have dilemma as they say with cancer after such treatments things get worse before they get better, so I will see how things develop. I do realise at times like these its good to have contact with others whom have gone through such sadness as I am going through at the moment. God Bless you all. 

Name: Julie Sutton

Pet Name: CH Marquees Sir Lancelot (Lance)

Story or Memory:

As I write this Lance is in the late stages of his recurrence. He had finished his championship and was waiting for me to finish my graduate degree and we were going to do field and obedience work. I felt the dreaded nodes in his neck and after a biopsy, found a very aggressive lymphosarcoma. He underwent Adraimycin and L spar with great success and was a clinic well known patient. Lance has always owned everything he ever saw, so his remission was no surpeise. That was in 2004. It is now 2009, and he fathered a litter of puppies through a crate of the #2 weimaraner in the country at the time! What a surprise as I had been told he would be sterile. Several are having successful show, field, and agility careers and the rest are beloved rascals with their father's brains and are full blown stinkers just like their dad. He has a vocabulary of approximately 4 words, home-mom-food- and out. I am going to miss him so much and he is truly a once in a lifetime friend. I will have his pups to comfort me a little bit, altough Lance would say "Get over it" and then go hike his leg on something. 

Name: denise

Pet Name: molly

Story or Memory:

my molly died 8 years old took her to get her teeth cleaned they found a tumar 3 days later we had to put her to sleep this dog did not eat anything but liver and chicken breast in sauce never ate any dog bones was taken for all her shots had heartwarm pills never walked into the vet my husband carried her in had a closed in yard closed in porch she had everything she is a scotty pure breed so tell me why she died i cannot understand this i am havig a hard time with this i loved her so much i miss her so tell me why the vet said that scotties terriers are known to have cancer i dont know if i could handle this olease tell me why gaspump44@verizon.net 

Story:

Beau was diagnosed with lymphoma only 1 week after his 4th birthday. He put up a great fight, for 5 months he was cancer free and dealt very well with the chemo treatments. After the 5 months, we tried everything CCNU, MOPP, DMAC, then the first week of January we got Beau up to NCSU for a BMT (bone marrow transplant), they harvested his blood, but determined that he was infested with cancer cells (72%), my 7 month and $9,000.00 journey had ended. I had to put Beau down on 1/8/09. My little Angel is no longer in pain and in a better place than I am right now. 

Story:

I have made a donation to the Canine Cancer Campaign, in memory of Magnus. I cannot think of a better cause or tribute than to help find a cure for this devastating disease. Magnus fought his cancer with strength and dignity - unfortunately passing away October 6, 2008. I was both honored and privileged to be a part of his remarkable life. Magnus introduced me to his extraordinary guardians, Melissa and Jon, and they are now among my closest friends. A day does not pass by that the Urban Dog Market does not miss his presence. Magnus was truly a gentle giant, a wonderful friend, a perfect co-worker and an unforgettable soul. In his honor, I support and hope for a cure for cancer. 

Story:

Logan was lost one year ago to Hemangiosarcoma. He died within 30 days of his diagnosis. Hemangiosarcoma is a blood borne, rapidly advancing form of cancer. Please support any organization that works to figure out how to avoid or eradicate this awful disease. 

Story:

Murphy was diagnosed with lymphoma after I noticed him behaving strangely, and I could tell something was wrong. The vet and our family tried everything but it was too late, God how I wish I would have known sooner maybe I could have done more. Now I just miss him being around. At least the CCC is trying to cure this disease to save other dogs, thank you for that. 

Story:

Oh, how i wish I had found this website and these research studies 6 months ago. My Irish Wolfhound, Becca, began holding her right hind leg up while she was eating, in mid November, 2007. The vet x-rayed her hip, and checked for ACL damage, gave me a Rx for Prevacox. It made her sick, so we switched to Rimadyl. She seemed to improve somewhat, but in early January she was holding the leg up even with the Rimadyl. Back to the vet, who found osteosarcoma just above the hock joint. He advised against amputation, because of her size, and because he said in his 20+ years of practice only one dog had survived past one year from diagnosis - due to metastasis. We added Tramadol to the Rimadyl, and she seemed to be happy, although not using that back leg. In March, the cancer ate through the bone all the way, and I sent her to the Rainbow Bridge. My heart aches every day. 

Name: Lauren

Pet Name: Jorja

Story or Memory:

My dog jorja had cancer she got the first little lump removed they said we would have to wait and see if they got it before it spread a few months later she developed a huge lump about the size of your fist on her neck we though she had just popped her shoulder out so we took her to the vet a week later and they said thats cancer and its too big we will have to get her put down :( so they did ive been depresed ever since :( im only 11 why did they have to take her from me :( 

Story:

Pepper (also known as my furry little daughter) was 13 years old Dec 2007. She is now almost 13 1/2 years old. In Feb of 2008 she started developing a rapid growing tumor on her left side towards the back. She\'s always been a very proud dog so when she was starting to become unable to get around because of it, it changed her entire mood. We took her to the Vet full-well knowing what the answer would be. Sure enough she had developed K9 Breast cancer. And given her advanced age, and also the fact that she had a pre-existing heart condition it made the prognosis very grim. We were informed that this is common in female dogs who have not been spade. (So if you\'re reading this and you have a female do which you do not plan to breed anymore, PLEASE have her spade if for no other reason than to prevent problems in her later years). Well at that point we were faced with a decision, we were told what would happen if we did nothing (which was not very nice, for us or for my poor pepper), and were also informed that she would only have a 20% chance of making it through the anesthesia because of her age and heart problems. And also were informed of the cost. Well, cost was not a factor. As you all undoubtably know, when a member of the family is sick you do what you must do to give them every chance of pulling through with a decent quality of life. Well we wasted no time and decided to move forward with the operation even with the odds. I figured 20% chance of surviving and feeling better, is better than a 0% chance of a painless future. We all spent the last 24 hours before the operation with her, praying for the best but knowing the ods. We wanted to make sure that whatever the outcome, she would feel loved. Well the day of the operation was one of the most nerve-wrecking days of my life. We all waited for the phone to ring, partially afraid of the sound of the bell, but also hoping and praying for the best. Four hours after it started, the phone rang. She had made it through the operation, was awake, and they had gotten all of the detectable traces of the tumor. Removing the affected area, including two ovarian cysts. They determined nothing had spread to the lungs, and that she should make a complete recovery. She has since become an inspiration to all of us, and she is as I am, a Cancer Survivor! She beat the ods, and her love and inspiration has become a guiding light for many others now. 

Name: maddie

Pet Name: gator dunn

Story or Memory:

Gator was diognosed with cancer 2 years ago . My family thought that he would die that very week.So we decided to spoil him as much as possible.Personally i prayed for him.I Guess it worked he now can clear five steps just to get a squirel 

Story:

Tifanny was dx w/Lymphoma at the age of seven. Her ophthalmologist 'saw' it through her eyes...so to speak. Over-vaccination, I truly believe, was the cause. Chemotherapy, holistic therapies, dietary changes, and love all helped to put the cancer into remission for nine months; long enough for T to celebrate her 8th birthday (and we'd thought she had 'licked' the bugger!). Unfortunately, it came back with a vengeance and we saw it again, in her eyes. The eyes truly show so much...The friends we've made as a result of the year Tifanny lived with the cancer (she LIVED, believe me! there was no stopping her) has brought this atrocity to the attention of many fur-parents. What I learned helped that year helped with my husband was dx with cancer-we knew what to do to fight it. Let's band together to learn more and help everyone! 

Name: Shelley Delaland

Pet Name: Take a Chance

Story or Memory:

We bred Chance and he was sold but the sale fell through so you could say we took a chance on keeping take a chance (pet name chance). As a puppy he wasn't all that stunning, but his breed takes about 2 years to mature. He did very well in the show ring and took to Millie his kennel mate very well. He slept on my bed most nights with his other house mates. At 1 year old he had his a nice coat and started doing very well on a breed level. April we had a big show and he was 2 and looking stunning with coments being made such as " he will win the royal this year on a breed level, and he is looking really good." At our breed championship show he won Runner up Best In Show which is very good. Dad said if he won he would transfer ownership to me. At the end of July we had a small local show and he was out of sorts with a slight runny nose, had lost weight (we put it down to Millie being away from him because of seasons) we took him to the vet on Wednesday and he said the blood cell count was wrong. I knew what this ment as we had started studying blood results at tafe. It took 3 weeks to come to the conclusion it was Myloid Cancer (in the bone marrow) during this time his condition worsened with him not eating and not being able to stand he would hit the floor as he would not sit or lay down. For these 3 weeks I slept on the floor in the loungeroom with arms out in front of me with Chance between them so if he did fall he didn't hurt himself. With the diagnosed finalized the vet gave him 6 weeks. We put him to sleep 3 days after the diagnoses. He now lays at the front gate of the property with an Angel statue on top of him with his only children who also didn't survive buried around him. And on August the 16th the sun hits the angel and it lights up. To this day I still talk to him and will continue to do so until the day I die and rejoin him.  

Story:

I found Candy at an animal shelter. She was the only one that was not barking. She sat at the back just shaking from being so scared. The minute I put my hand to her cage she walked up and licked my hand, ever so gently. I took her into my family that day. Since then we have been hiking, biking, horseback riding together, you name it. This little girl was unstoppable. I have had so many physical problems in my own life and all the while, my little girl never left my side. I can't tell you how much hope and inspiration she always gave me without saying a word. Of course she was never left alone, my father would babysit during the day and he too is sooooo in love with her. She is 13 now and has been diagnosed with lymphoma cancer. I have tried to do this the naturalpathic way because she had starting having seizures a couple of years ago and did not want to put her through the conventional approach. I have always fed her the best food I could find, I thought I did everything right. So why does she have to leave me. I may only have her for a few more days or a few more weeks at this point. But what I do know is that I owe it to her to what is best for her. I don't know how to be strong right now, because I have cried solid for the last 2 months. God, how I pray she knows how much I love her and how I will miss her every day until we are together again. Because I will not have lost an animal, I will have lost my baby. 

Story:

Tony is a beautiful Beagle mix. He has been diagnosed with lymphoma. For the first thirty years of my life I never understood how or why people loved their dogs so much, but after we rescued Tony this past summer, I now completely and totally understand that love. He's simply the best friend that a person could have. Even more than that, Tony has taught me more about living life than I ever thought possible. From him, I've learned how important it is to be loyal, to enjoy a simple walk in the fresh air and to play every day, no matter what else may be going on. I'm so very sad that my friend is most likely going to go away soon, but I'm very happy that I got to have him in my life, even though our time was too short. 

Story:

Chaser sometimes shuffled along like an old lady dog, but mention 'the C word' (cookie) and she magically transformed into a spry puppy. Of course, you'd have to holler "cookie" or she wouldn't hear you. Her hearing wasn't so great. Still, for a 14-year old Brittany, the old girl was more than holding her own. A few days before my scheduled vet visit, I noticed a growth on Chaser's back end. I had a bad feeling about this, which our veterinarian Dr. Sheldon Rubin confirmed, identifying the growth as mast cell cancer. Of all the words in the dictionary – cancer may be the one we least want to hear. Rubin, renowned for his skills as a surgeon, assured me, "We caught this early, and that could save your dog's life." Still, I couldn't help but picture what all pet owners do at these times. Can you believe, I thought about all of this while Rubin simply added, "I'll do the surgery in a few days." He did. Due to the location of the tumor (which was removed and further analyzed), and Chaser's advanced age, there was no advantage of continued treatment (such as chemotherapy or radiation). Veterinary oncologist Dr. Barbara Kitchell at Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, East Lansing said, "If Chaser can make it a year (without recurrence after surgery), you'll probably be in the clear." By golly she did. You can beat cancer. Sure, she did have a few bad days immediately following the surgery, but it didn't take long for her to bounce back. And if you hollered that 'C word' (cookie) loud enough, a year plus after the surgery, she'd still compete in the run down the hallway to the cookie jar. Rubin said that if I had waited more than six more months (for her annual check up, as opposed to going in for a bi-annual exam) - the cancer would have been too wide spread for a surgical option or the tumor would have grown in size too large to be operable. Kitchell was blunt: "You simply wouldn't have Chaser anymore if you hadn't made that six month appointment." Approximately a year and a half after the surgery, I woke up one morning, and Chaser just didn't seem right. She also had some difficulty breathing. After X-Raying her lungs, Rubin suggested she had bronchitis, and prescribed a bronchodilator and antibiotic. She improved. But about two weeks later, Chaser spontaneously turned down a meal. When that happened, we new something was very wrong. This time, the X-Ray showed her lungs were filled with cancer. This cancer, not likely in any way related to her earlier mast cell cancer. We euthanized her less than 24 hours later, as her condition quickly declined. A piece of my heart will always be missing. For a dog Chaser's size, one canine year for us is about as equivalent to six or eight "dog years."  She lived for more than a year after the surgery – not bad. We're grateful for every moment we had with Chaser. And, to be honest, I suppose we took too many of those moments for granted. It's likely in just the time it's taken to reader this story, another dog has just died of cancer. We can't allow all these deaths to be in vain. To honor all these dogs – each with a stories of their own…How can we possibly not do everything in our power to support the Morris Animal Foundation initiative to Cure Canine Cancer? How great it would be if Lucy (our other dog), who is now 12 and Ethel, our puppy, are never diagnosed with that C word. It's possible – and we can help make it happen. 

Story:

Our loving dog bizzy was diagnosed with cancer about two years ago, he was nine years old. At first, we did not know what was wrong with him because be kept on peeing on himself. He never wanted to go outside or play with his ballie. We took him to the vet and the vet told us that we should get him neutered. So about a week later we took him to a place that does free neutering, which in my eyes was a huge mistake. When we got to the place it was already crowded, our name was about the tenth on the list. They told us to leave the dog and we would pick him up later. When we got there later that day out dog looked like he was the last one to be operated on, he could barely walk and on his paper it had "warning, or aggressive" something like that, I can't remember. So we got home and he was doing fine. About a month later his condition worsened. All he did was slept he did nothing else, he greeted you at the door and went back to bed, he no longer barked. Anytime he attempted to pee outside he was straining to pee. He strained so hard to pee that he would pass gas. A couple of months later he did not even want to go outside so my parents decided to take him back to the vet. The vet said that he would open him up to see what was wrong with him.. My parents took him early in the morning and they told me that Bizzy went willingly with the doctor. The doctor said that he would call immediately when he knew what was wrong with the dog. At around my mom said the vet called and told her that there was nothing he could do because the cancer had spread to his bladder. At around 1 o'clock i got a call from mom saying that I should come home. When I got my parents and sister was sitting on the sofa. My sister just got in from work and she was crying so I knew this had to be bad. My mother then told me that Bizzy had cancer and that they were going to put him to sleep because there was nothing that the doctor could do. I broke down and started weeping. i could not believe it that my precious Bizzy would not ever be coming home. I asked them what time we were going to leave the house to go to the vet's office they said that we would leave at five. I cried the whole time. I cried all the way to the vets office. When we went into the office to say our final goodbye. Bizzy was so happy his tail was wagging. My entire family was crying. We took out other dogs Tiny and Lucy so that they too would say goodbye. When Tiny went to Bizzy it looked as if Bizzy told tiny something as if to say you are now in charge. We stayed with him for about twenty minutes. we did not stay for his last breath because it would be too hard. We decided to het him cremated. Everyone in my family was so heart broken. there was nothing else we could do, if we kept him alive the vet said that he would suffer and punish and would die in a couple of months so we made the best possible decision. this decision was made because no one in my family wanted to have to find his body when we woke up or came from work or school. i cried that entire night, i could not go to sleep. I had to go to sleep in my parents room. When I woke up the next moring I looked on the side of the bed a place where Bizzy always slept and did not find him and I started crying again. I cried everyday for about two months I missed that dog so much and still do. I wish that he was still here so that he could have met my niece, but know that he is here in spirit. We will never find another dog like Bizzy. I think Tiny misses him too because on occasion we call his name (Bizzy) and Tiny gets up to find his Bizzy but he is no where to be found. Just tying this story brings me to tears. it's been two years since he passed but his memory is fresh in my head. I can't remember how he barked, or how he smelled or things that he liked i just remember how much i loved and still love him. He will never be forgotten never.

Story:

I beagn my life with my Maggie only four short years before she was diagnosed with lymphoma. The vets at Auburn University School of Veteranary Science found her cancer. They treated her with love and compassion, and the hardest day of my life was the day I had to say goodbye to my sweet girl. Maggie was a registered Chihuahua- and was a most beloved dog- she was like my child and I still grieve for her. She passed away on October 28, 2006. In her photo you can see her swelled up lymph glands. 

Story:

In Loving Memory of our Cody Our Cody passed away August 25th, 2007. He was only 9 ½ years old. In May he had a low-grade malignant soft tissue sarcoma, hemangiopericytoma surgically removed from his neck and we were told that it was completely removed. We continued to check for any new topical tumors (photographed). The veterinarian would aspirate all the lipomas that we would find. In August we found another red mass behind his right ear and our Veterinarian removed it and said it did not look malignant. After the surgery, Cody was tired and just seemed sad. Cody developed a bacterial infection at the excision site and was not eating but would if hand fed. We were sent home with medications for a hot spot. Cody tried to go for walks and eat but had to be carried home. He would not leave us in the kitchen and we cooked his favorites. Cody looked at us with “Help me eyes” and then had a seizure and collapsed, returned in panic to the vet. This time x-rays and blood work showed us an enlarged heart, possible ruptured spleen and low anemia, we rushed to the Emergency Vet hospital. The Emergency vet said they tried to stabilize his heart and drain fluids, but he was not responding to CPR. Cody died due to pericardial effusion, ruptured neoplasia (hemangiosarcoma or chemodectoma). Our poor Cody, unknowing to us a tumor had spread into his heart. We requested cremation and left in tears. Shocked as parents there was nothing we could do. Cody loved walks with Cheetah, baths and lots of love. He gave years of service as a Pet Therapy Dog in nursing hospitals and a newspaper printed photos of him working. Cody loved to wiggle his butt when you called him “Boogedy-Boogedy”. This was the sweetest dog to everyone. Our family is deeply sorrowed and will miss him always!

http://www.geocities.com/peacedolls/hemaware.html  http://www.labbies.com/cancer_letters.htm#Hemangiosarcoma   

Story:

We lost our greyhound to cancer on May 30, 2007. She would have been 14 in November. It all happened in three weeks but felt like a lifetime. She went from having an exam, where blood and urine were taken (showing elevations) to having a chest xray and ultrasound done (which showed a mass on the kidneys). Because of her age and the fact we almost lost her previously while under anesthesia several years ago, we were hesitant to have the biopsy done. We made an appointment with a specialist only to cancel it a few days later. We never got the chance to find out for sure what was killing Foxy. Foxy\'s health was quickly deteriorating. Her kidneys were shutting down and she wasn\'t urinating at all. She couldn\'t eat yet was vomitting. She could barely stand, and when she did it took every bit of strength to do so. She would stumble and almost fall because she was so week. We were afraid she would break something if she fell. Though we both knew what the outcome would be, my husband left it to me. Foxy had always been \"my girl\" and I made the decision it was time to let go. It was the hardest thing I\'ve ever had to do but I loved her too much to see her suffer. I called the vet and made the arrangements. They told me I could bring Foxy right over. When I called Foxy she got up, as best she could, and ran into my bedroom. To this day I second guess my decision, that maybe she had some fight in her that I wasn\'t seeing. But when I put her leash on she came with me. At the vet I went into the room with her, told her I would be by her side, then and always, and sobbed, apologizing for not being able to do more, not wanting to let go.

Story:

As I read these stories, I am sick to see how many Greyhounds there are. I have had 3 Greyhounds with osteosarcoma. Ashley was 12, Lightning was 7 and Blue was 8. It is a horrible, horrible disease, and SO painful! I hope there is a cure quickly so that no more of any of these animals have to live through the pain of cancer. So many people think dogs don't feel pain - well - I am here to tell you they do! I am a Registered Veterinary Technician and I see dogs almost every day suffering with some form of cancer and it is so sad for them and their humans! Let's find a cure!!!

Story:

I lost my Aussie Jixxer on March 8, 2007 to Canine Lymphoma. From the time he showed symptoms (he had to pee every 2 hours) to when i had to put him down it was only 18 days and during that time he had surgery to try and remove a tennis ball sized tumor in his chest as well as some chemo treatments. I never knew dogs got cancer, now I do -- and am going to do everything I can to make sure that if a dog gets cancer, they can be treated and go on to live happy lives... I miss my Jixxer, the 6 years i had him were way too short...but he taught me unconditional love and to believe in myself... he will live on in my heart forever... 

Story:

I adopted Auggie Doggie from BROOD Rescue Group in 2000. He was three years old at the time. He\'s was a beautiful tri-color basset hound. Auggie had all the traits of a basset(stubborn, willful and ate anything on the ground(no matter what)). He was the bright spot in my life. I found out that he had oral melanoma in April of 2006. My vet said that this is one of the most aggressive forms of cancer and that he would have six months to a year. My vet and I decided that Auggie should see an oncologist. The oncologist said that if Auggie had six radiation treatments that he would live a normal live. Well, Auggie and I traveled sixty miles a week to have the treatments. It was hard for him but as every pet lover knows a piece of cake for me. I would do anything to make him better. He finished his treatments around the fourth of July and had a clean x-ray in September. In late November early December he started bleeding from the gums. The oncologist and vet thought he needed his teeth cleaned. Two weeks later his vet said that she thought the cancer was back and along with the oncologist recommended chemo. We started chemo one week before Christmas and my Auggie died December 28 2006. He tried so hard to live. I miss him everyday. His Christmas stocking still hangs on my wall at my computer and will remain there. He remains in my heart forever. 

Story:

Not a survivor. My beloved Pete (former racing greyhound) had a tumor in his belly and I had to have him put down. The organization I belong to has a jingle bell walk every Christmastime to raise money for canine cancer. This money was given to the Morris Foundation to fight cancer in greyhounds.

Name: Karen

Pet Name: Triton

Story or Memory:

Unfortunately, this is not a survivor story, but one to share. My German Shorthair Pointer lost his life to liver cancer a year ago now he was nine years old. He survived surgery to repair the disease bloat when he was five years old, but liver cancer overtook him quickly four years later. Liver cancer is not something that can be seen, the only "warning" signs I had was he kept following me around all day, stuck to my side, and that he slept a lot. After a few weeks of that and a diagnosis of separation anxiety, he lost his appetite and lost weight. I had to give him to God to take away his pain. He was a great family dog and a big part of my life. I miss him terribly. It's a shame that cancer goes so unnoticed in dogs. Hopefully with more cancer research, less families will lose their pets to canine cancer.

Story:

My dog Turbo had Canine Lymphoma and survived for about half a year before we had to put him down. We hope that in the future no dogs will have to be put down because of Canine Lymphoma or any Canine Cancer.
 

Story:

Cancer in dogs is much more of a problem than many dog owners know. We learned about the problem first hand when JoJo began to limp now and then. His limp came and went and very early on it didn't seem like much to be worried about. If it kept up we were going to take him to the vet. One day we threw his ball and as he ran back with it his front leg just snapped. It was horrible. In the vet emergency room the x-ray showed that a bone cancer tumor had completely cut through JoJo's leg. JoJo lost his leg, but after some intensive and highly advanced chemo, he is doing super. We were told if it was not for recent research advances JoJo would have died in 6 weeks or less. 

Story:

Not really a survivor story, my greyhound for many many years just died from bone cancer. He got it so quickly and it was over in no time. I did not know about all the treatments. I am getting another greyhound and I am going to make sure that I watch for all of the signs. The limp was really a terrible start to cancer. My vet diagnosis my dog with Arthritis at first, came back and told me to take doggie celebrex. A month later he had full blown bone cancer in his shoulder. It was a horrible thing for me to watch him pass on. We have to do something about this dreadful disease. I really miss my Jericho.

Story:

My first dog Henry died of bone cancer and I hope that my new dog does have to go through that. It was so hard on our family, lets find a cure and we won't ever have to worry about that.