The Dog Blog

From the Vet

FROM THE TRENCHES | What Would YOU Do?

by Dr. Eileen Savier CVA, CVCH

Jul 15, 2021

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From the Trenches

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What Would YOU Do?

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At least once a day, I am asked, “What would you do?”. I have written before about what an impossible question this is to answer; so instead of revisiting that topic, I will tell you how I diagnosed my dog with cancer and what I did. My dog, like everyone else’s, gets sick occasionally. I am managing his high cholesterol and some ongoing gall bladder issues, but when he started not wanting to eat and vomiting, I packed him up in the car and took him to work. His physical exam wasn’t very exciting – no fever, a little dehydrated, and some chronic pain conditions that we were monitoring. The next step was lab work and x-rays! His lab work showed that he was struggling with his gallbladder values more than usual but again, nothing too serious. The x-rays of his abdomen were pretty normal but there was something unusual in the bottom portion of the lungs so I took another set of x-rays to see his lungs. Well, shoot!!!! One, possibly two, masses were present.

What now? I feel that same sinking in my stomach and sense of hopelessness that everyone else feel at that news.

I talked things over with my family and a board certified veterinary surgeon (secretly hoping that they, too, could tell me what to do). We decided to remove the mass so we could send them to the pathologist and find out exactly what we were confronting. (And yes, even to a vet, lung surgery on a pup you love sounds down right terrifying!)

The surgeon told us that because of the location of the tumors he could cut the muscle in-between the ribs and remove the tumors that way. The first few days after surgery were hard! He is an older dog with other chronic diseases that we manage and for about 2 days after the surgery, I really questioned my choices. But by day 3, my boy started to feel better, took his medication well, and was eating unassisted. It took about ten days to get the pathology report back and it was Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma.

Well, shoot…again! It was cancer.

My family discussed the new situation, packed the dog back up in the car, and took him to the board certified veterinary oncologist. The recommended treatment was four weekly treatment of chemotherapy follow by four more treatments every other week. For three months, we were taking our old boy to the specialist for treatments. He was never once sick from his treatment and did amazing. We are currently one month post-chemotherapy and I’m so glad we did it! His fur has all grown back from surgery and if I had not been through this experience with him each step of the way, I wouldn’t even know he had cancer. We are still treating his gallbladder and chronic pain problems, giving heartworm/ flea preventions, and vaccinating him as usual and grateful that we get to have more time with him.

“Once you have had a wonderful dog, a life without one, is a life diminished.” – Dean Koontz

[/vc_column_text][/trx_section][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1533135180690{margin-top: 40px !important;}”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1533134942241{background-color: #d9ae4c !important;}”][trx_title type=”2″ align=”left” color=”#f6f2e4″ left=”20″ right=”20″]About Dr. Eileen Savier[/trx_title][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1533135315368{padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 30px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”]Dr. Eileen SavierBarks & Recreation is proud to feature Dr. Eileen Savier CVA, CVCH as our Veterinary Blogger in our “From the Vet” Series. Currently part of the team of doctors at Keystone Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Savier is a 2012 Graduate of the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, She completed her clinical experience at The Ohio State University and after veterinary school she pursued further education and certification in Veterinary Acupuncture, Chinese Herbal Medicine, and Fear Free veterinary visits. Dr. Savier has a special interest in integrative medicine, animal behavior, and internal medicine and is committed to improving animal health care by integrating Eastern and Western philosophies. She enjoys working with fearful & aggressive dogs and cats and she has had additional training in low stress handling techniques and encourages positive reinforcement during exams and procedures. Her clinical interests include pain management, animal behavior, geriatric patient care, and internal medicine. Dr. Savier is a member of the following associations:

Dr. Savier shares her home with two (soon to be three) dogs, two cats, and a toddler. She lovingly refers to her two dogs as Coconut Retrievers as they were rescue dogs she brought home from the island of St. Kitts. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, going to the beach, and planning her next Disney vacation.

Join us every month for Dr. Savier’s “From the Vet” series to get more information related to the health and welfare of your furry family members![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

About Dr. Eileen Savier

Barks & Recreation is proud to feature Dr. Eileen Savier CVA, CVCH as our Veterinary Blogger in our “From the Vet” Series — offering information related to the health and welfare of your furry family members! Currently part of the team of doctors at Keystone Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Savier is a 2012 Graduate of the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, She completed her clinical experience at The Ohio State University and after veterinary school she pursued further education and certification in Veterinary Acupuncture, Chinese Herbal Medicine, and Fear Free veterinary visits. Dr. Savier has a special interest in integrative medicine, animal behavior, and internal medicine and is committed to improving animal health care by integrating Eastern and Western philosophies. She enjoys working with fearful & aggressive dogs and cats and she has had additional training in low stress handling techniques and encourages positive reinforcement during exams and procedures. Her clinical interests include pain management, animal behavior, geriatric patient care, and internal medicine.

Dr. Savier is a member of the following associations:

Dr. Savier shares her home with two (soon to be three) dogs, two cats, and a toddler. She lovingly refers to her two dogs as Coconut Retrievers as they were rescue dogs she brought home from the island of St. Kitts. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, going to the beach, and planning her next Disney vacation.