Animal Survivor
ACVIM Animal Survivors are animals who beat the odds. With the help of their owners and an ACVIM Board-certified Specialist, these animals overcame life-threatening illnesses. Each animal has a unique story of survival made possible by specialty veterinary internal medicine.
Meet the 2009 ACVIM Animal Survivors!
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"Nanook"
"Nanook" is a 10-year-old female spayed Samoyed belonging to Douglas and Pamela Hamblin. "Nanook" was diagnosed with an intrathoracic histiocytic sarcoma (a very aggressive cancer) in late April of 2008. At that time, she had a large mass in her left thorax and lots of fluid in the chest, so much so that the veterinary staff was removing 1.8 liters of fluid from her chest twice weekly. "Nanook" was having a poor quality of life and had difficulty breathing. Combination chemotherapy was started on "Nanook", and her tumor responded really well. She is still alive and well as of now, more than a year after the initial diagnosis. The prognosis for survival with this condition is normally 2-3 months with therapy.
Louis-Philippe de Lorimier, DMV, ACVIM Board-certified Veterinary Specialist in Oncology, is an Oncologist at Hôpital Vétérinaire Rive-Sud in Brossard, Québec, Canada.
"Pistache"
"Pistache" is an 18-year-old female spayed domestic shorthair cat belonging to Sylvie Bermingham. "Pistache" was diagnosed with an inoperable oral squamous cell carcinoma (aggressive oral cancer) in late May of 2008. The tumor responded very well to combination chemotherapy to the point of a complete clinical disappearance. She ate better, gained weight, and is still doing well a year after diagnosis. This condition normally has a 1 to 3 month prognosis for survival when inoperable.
Louis-Philippe de Lorimier, DMV, ACVIM Board-certified Veterinary Specialist in Oncology, is an Oncologist at Hôpital Vétérinaire Rive-Sud in Brossard, Québec, Canada
"Sam"
"Sam" is a 1 ½ year-old female Great Dane belonging to Sylvain Gadoua. "Sam" first presented to the neurology service at the University of Montréal in September 2008 for neck pain and an abnormal gait (ataxia). Based upon radiographs, diskospondylitis was diagnosed at C6-C7. "Sam" stayed in the hospital for supportive care and antibiotic treatment for 8 days before discharge. "Sam" has made an impressive recovery as she was almost unable to walk and had a poor quality of life when she first was diagnosed. "Sam" is now active and comfortable despite a mildly "wobbly" gait.
Dr. Andrea Finnen is an ACVIM Neurology Candidate at the University of Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada.
"Dixie"
"Dixie" is a 4 ½ year-old spayed female Rottweiler who was originally presented to the emergency service of the Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, University of Montreal, for signs of retching, regurgitation, weight loss, and bloating of the stomach.
She was ultimately diagnosed with two esophageal strictures, as well as gastric dilation and volvulus. The esophageal strictures developed secondary to an esophagitis which occurred following an episode of regurgitation during general anesthesia while undergoing a surgical procedure a few weeks previously.
"Dixie" underwent a surgery called gastropexy where a gastric (stomach) tube was placed in order to feed "Dixie". Balloon dilation of the esophagus was attempted on six occasions, however, the affected areas would restricture within a week of each procedure despite feeding her a liquid diet and administering numerous medications. Two biodegradable esophageal stents (prosthetic device) were placed in an attempt to keep the esophagus open and prevent it from retricturing, however, these failed as well. A permanent esophageal stent was placed in the Fall 2008 and "Dixie" has been doing well since. She is now able to eat kibble and she is bright and alert and extremely active. Although she will likely require certain medications for the remainder of her life, "Dixie" and Mrs. Desjardins’ have regained an excellent quality of life.
Lisa Carioto, DVM, DVSc, is a Small Animal Internist at the University of Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada.
"Forrest Gumpy"
"Gumpy" was first fostered by the McDougall family in June 2007 and the moment they got him they knew he was a special dog. Although "Gumpy" had his issues, they knew that with love and hard work he would be great- it was just finding the right outlet for him to show who he really was and give him the extra confidence and trust he needed with people. In August of 2007 they decided that they would adopt him and give him his forever home.
They quickly discovered that he was happiest when he was around water. It was as many would call an addiction- they decided to enter him into DockDogs® diving events. The drive and determination that "Gumpy" had lead him to compete with some of the top dogs in the world, diving more than 20 feet. His love for Sarah-Simone McDougall, his then 13 year-old handler and owner, and the ability to fly like he could, brought him to the forefront.
Just when they found his love for Dock diving, "Gumpy" was struck suddenly with stage IV lymphoma- but it didn’t stop him.
Although his fight with lymphoma had him going through many rounds of chemotherapy, and he relapsed three times, he remained happy and had a wonderful quality of life. In fact, "Gumpy" earned many titles doing what he loved to even though he was sick. He won 6 National Diving Championships and was ranked Top Lap dog World Wide with three organizations while undergoing treatment for lymphoma.
In August of 2008, Sarah-Simone and "Gumpy" were given the chance to appear on The Late Show with David Letterman. He jumped 23 feet, 6 inches and showed the world what a little rescue dog with cancer could do.
Right to the end, "Gumpy" showed his determination and drive. Unfortunately, his battle with cancer ended on February 22, 2009.
Sarah-Simone and the DockDog® community continue to raise awareness of canine cancer and the treatment options available through their involvement in the ACVIM Foundation's Chase Away K9 Cancer campaign. For more information, please visit www.chaseawayk9cancer.org.
