My sister's dog, a sweet Norwegian Elkhound, was recently diagnosed with sarcoma in her mouth. It is growing in the roof of her mouth. After the local vet did a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis, he referred her to a clinic that does radiation therapy for animals. My sister had to drive 3 hours to a clinic outside of Boston for a consultation to see what options are available (radiation therapy).
She was given two options, daily radiation or weekly. The daily one cost approx. $4,000 and meant leaving the dog there. The weekly one was approx. $1,000 and would involve driving back and forth every week. Neither was a walk in the park.
My sister (who works in a surgical practice) shared her story with one of the physisians. He recommended that she call a researcher (a friend of his) who runs an animal facility and is also a vet.
Ironically, I work at a Cancer Center where this researcher has his lab!
My sister called him up (and I e-mailed him). Miraculously, it turns out that he was looking for one more dog to treat with a very promising new procedure. . . . . contrast is injected into the cancerous cells and a beam of light (like laser) is used to burn the cells (not radiation therapy). He was reluctant to "advertise" this with local vets in fear that it would open a flood gate.
Two other dogs that were treated did very well. This is through a NIH study (national) that will most likely be done on people in the future.
Cinder is scheduled to have this done on Tuesday! My sister only has to pay for the anesthesia!
We are all so excited! Not only is there a good chance that she will benefit from the treatment. . . . but she is a pioneer in cancer research!
Prayers & good vibes for Cinder!!!
She was given two options, daily radiation or weekly. The daily one cost approx. $4,000 and meant leaving the dog there. The weekly one was approx. $1,000 and would involve driving back and forth every week. Neither was a walk in the park.
My sister (who works in a surgical practice) shared her story with one of the physisians. He recommended that she call a researcher (a friend of his) who runs an animal facility and is also a vet.
Ironically, I work at a Cancer Center where this researcher has his lab!
My sister called him up (and I e-mailed him). Miraculously, it turns out that he was looking for one more dog to treat with a very promising new procedure. . . . . contrast is injected into the cancerous cells and a beam of light (like laser) is used to burn the cells (not radiation therapy). He was reluctant to "advertise" this with local vets in fear that it would open a flood gate.
Two other dogs that were treated did very well. This is through a NIH study (national) that will most likely be done on people in the future.
Cinder is scheduled to have this done on Tuesday! My sister only has to pay for the anesthesia!
We are all so excited! Not only is there a good chance that she will benefit from the treatment. . . . but she is a pioneer in cancer research!
Prayers & good vibes for Cinder!!!