Treatment

Treatment

The Guide taught me more than I ever wanted to know about cancer in dogs. I learned new terminology that would help me ask the right questions and select the right treatment for Bailey.

In mid-January Bailey had a biopsy to determine the root of the cancer. While I hated the idea of sedating him, the biopsy was because knowing exactly what we were up against would determine the appropriate course of action. After the procedure, Bailey looked like he had been on a bender on St. Patrick’s Day at an Irish pub. He was wobbly and unsure of himself. I began to second-guess myself. Should I have put him through this? Was fighting the right option? But the next day, Bailey was back to being Bailey. It was as if the day before never happened. There would be no more second-guessing. We would continue to press on.

Unfortunately surgery was not an option and neither was radiation. Neither had proven to be successful in treating Bailey’s type of cancer. The only option was chemotherapy. Chemo brought both good news and bad. The good news was that chemo is administered to dogs in much lower doses than for humans. As a result, the chemo would not be painful and would at worst, cause some nausea and vomiting. The bad news was that chemo was not a cure. In many cases, chemo could extend the quality and quantity of life for another three months. The oncologist at the Veterinary Emergency Clinic provided even more hope when he said that Bailey could even have a year or more.

Despite all this information, I was not done asking questions. I needed a second opinion. A few months earlier, the Board of the Ontario SPCA retained former University of Guelph Vet School Dean Alan Meek to conduct an investigation of the ringworm outbreak at its Newmarket shelter. I reached out to Dr. Meek to see if he could introduce me to the chief veterinary oncologist at the University of Guelph. A few days later, Bailey and I drove to Guelph to meet Dr. Paul Woods.

Dr. Woods and a team of three other vets greeted us with open arms. They examined Bailey and spent almost two hours answering questions about possible treatments. They were warm, caring and compassionate—and for that I am eternally grateful. I realize that we probably received special treatment because of my role with the Ontario SPCA but if it weren’t for Bailey I would have never volunteered my time to the cause of animal welfare.

I left Guelph with the confidence that chemo was the right route to go. Although I would have been willing to drive to Guelph for Bailey’s chemo treatments every three weeks, Dr. Woods gave his full endorsement to Dr. Kevin Finora at the Veterinary Emergency Clinic in Toronto.

On January 26, 2011 Bailey went for his first chemo treatment. Unlike the biopsy a week earlier, Bailey responded to chemo with flying colors. There were no adverse side effects—no nausea, no vomiting, nothing. Even when Bailey went for a follow up visit ten days later, Dr. Finora was impressed with how well Bailey was doing.

I was more hopeful than I had been in weeks. Bailey was going to fight for every moment and for every day. I knew there was no cure, but at least we had some time…or so I thought.