Our world changed on Halloween 2015. I took Bella for her grooming appointment and when she was back home enjoying the sunshine on our bed I noticed a lump on her left paw. The lump was just behind her paw pad. I immediately called our vet and he did a needle biopsy which showed spindle cells. Bella had knee surgery three years ago at Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center. I loved her surgeon Dr. Compton and wanted her to remove the tumor. Luckily she had a cancellation and was able to see us within a few days. She was not happy with what she saw and was pretty sure it was a cancerous tumor. I could feel all the air rush out of my lungs! She did surgery that day to remove the tumor. Going in to this we knew she wouldn’t be able to get a clean margin there isn’t enough skin in that area. All she could do is remove the tumor and send it out for biopsy.
Round two biopsy results. Since we didn’t receive a phone call with the results and had to go in for the follow up appointment I had a bad feeling. My intuition was correct the biopsy came back as hemangiosarcoma. Dr. Compton said it’s not good news but there were some positives in the report. The tumor was subcutaneous and totally encapsulated. It was low grade and the reproduction rate was the lowest it could be. At the time I had no idea what all this meant. Then I started my research and oh boy it felt like someone punched me in my gut!
Round three Oncology consultation. Dr. Urie is the sweetest and most compassionate Doctor. Her only treatment recommendation was amputation and chemotherapy. Gut punch number two! Thank heavens she told us about the Tripawd website. While they were doing testing and ultrasounds to see if she would be eligible for surgery we went to the Tripawd site. We read blogs and watched videos of three legged dogs hiking, running, swimming and running agility courses. This site helped us to decide that amputation was our best option to save Bella’s life. Three legged dogs can have a great quality of life! Amputation surgery went well with clean margins and lymph nodes clear!
Round four chemotherapy. Five rounds of doxorubicin which she tolerated wonderfully. She didn’t have any side effects. Bella Boo was Dr. Urie’s cancer fighting little nugget!
Round five two month follow up post chemotherapy. I am thankful to say that her blood work, chest X-rays and abdominal ultrasound were all clear! We know this is a journey and enjoy everyday we have with her. I am hopeful that going forward all her follow ups will continue to be clear. 🙏🏻🐾❤️
Hally
