My Jazz….waiting to find out the outcome of the biopsy for a mass found in Jazz’s mouth during a routine dental cleaning was extremely hard or so I thought. The hardest part was hearing the word vocalized by my veterinarian- malignancy. Cancer. The word reverberated in my head as I tried to tune into what my vet was telling me.
As I sat in my car and listened to her explain to me what was to happen next, I couldn’t help but “lose it.” Not my Jazz! I can’t lose another dog so soon. The day she gave me the news was one day prior to the third month anniversary of Shadow’s death. This can’t be happening! Why? Don’t you understand the tough year I’ve been experiencing? My dad died. My husband was seriously ill and Shadow died. Not once did I utter a word to say it was a mistake because I knew in my heart it was the truth.
My next step was to see a veterinary oncologist. I set up the appointment immediately for last Thursday at 9 AM. It was important to find out the staging of the cancer and the treatment course.
To say I was a wreck is a miscalculation. I held onto Jazz for dear life and prayed that he could be helped. As we sat in the waiting room surrounded by photos of other dogs plastered on the receptionist’s windows, I wondered how many of them have survived. We spoke to a gentleman who was there with his 10 yr. old Weimarener who had cancer of the spleen. It has been two years since his diagnosis and is still going strong. I felt hope as I clung to a trembling Jazz.
Canine Oral Melanoma is the most common malignant tumor found in a dog’s mouth. It is highly aggressive that frequently spreads throughout the body quickly if not caught early. Stage II and III oral melanoma have reported survival times of less than five to six months when treated with surgery alone.
Jazz was taken to the x-ray room to take images of his body to see if there was cancer in the rest of his body.
Good news- the cancer has not mestastisized in any other areas of his body.
Bad news- Jazz still has cancer cells in his mouth. Cells remained despite the removal of the mass. Jazz has Stage I, oral melanoma.
Options- surgically remove part of his jaw along with a lymph node. I had no problem with this if it would save Jazz’s life. The oncologist felt the better option was radiation therapy. Six weeks of it. Jazz will have to undergo being anesthetized to undergo 45 minutes of radiation every week.
Because of the early staging of the melanoma, the radiation should kill all of the cancer cells that remain and erradicate any potential microscopic disease in the lymph nodes. Jazz’s lymph node is not enlarged and shows no sign of cancer. This is all good.
What I didn’t realize is there are few veterinarian oncologists and fewer radiation centers for animals. We are fortunate.
Jazz will also be treated with a new vaccine that was created through Sloan-Kettering Memorial Cancer Center in New York. Ironically, I had called this place for my sister in 2002 to see if they could do anything to stop her colon cancer from getting worse. Sadly, they couldn’t.
They helped to create a vaccine specifically for canine oral melanoma- ONCEPT. It is produced “with a human gene for tryosinase inserted into a small ring of DNA”. “Human tyrosinase is different from canine tyrosinase but similar enough that the immune response is directed against the protein on canine melanoma cells”.
Bottomline- when ONCEPT is used in conjunction with surgery and/or radiation, it has been proven to significantly prolong the survival times for dogs with advanced stages of melanoma.
Better news for Jazz- since he is in Stage I, our oncologist feels Jazz’s survival time is good. He can live for years barring any future growths or masses. We must be diligent and have him constantly checked.
While I am relieved at this good news, I am still cautious. We begin the radiation tomorrow. Until I know all of the cancer cells have been destroyed, I will be relieved.
What I’ve learned is that dental cleanings are so important for our canine buddies for several reasons. What occurs in your dog’s mouth can cause serious consequences in their bodies. I knew periodontal disease can lead to heart and kidney problems. But I never thought of a mass in my dog’s mouth.
I always check for lumps on the outside of my dog’s bodies. I check their ears, eyes, butt ( my one dog, Buddy, had cancer of the rectum which was not fatal) and teeth BUT not the inside of their gums. I don’t know why but I didn’t. Now I will!
I know how lucky we are. Normally canine melanoma isn’t found until it is in Stage II or worse. The timing is ironic. I wanted to have Jazz’s teeth cleaned earlier but delayed it because of my circumstances. Looking back, if Jazz would have had his teeth cleaned months ago, the mass may not have been there and would have been found next year for his dental cleaning and the outcome would have been different.
Yes, we are lucky. But in the same breath, I wish this on no one. Dealing with cancer is serious and deadly.
One out of three dogs get cancer. One of out four dogs dies from cancer. Do the right thing and don’t neglect veterinarian check-ups for your pets. It can literally can mean the difference between life and death.
So my journey with Jazz begins. That which does not kill us will make us stronger! I will not cave to this insidious disease and neither will Jazz!