Post-Radiation
Sadie's last day of radiation was on August 7th, and I knew that much like a sunburn, it would get worse before it got better. I took these pictures so I could get a better sense of the progress.
Sadie's last day of radiation was on August 7th, and I knew that much like a sunburn, it would get worse before it got better. I took these pictures so I could get a better sense of the progress.
8/13 (6 days after her last treatment): whitish flesh (mucositis) inside her lip...
... and sloughing later the same day.
8/16 (9 days later): fat lip is still a little cracked, but healing.
8/17 (10 days later): pink & looking more supple.
8/25 (18 days later): inside her cheek returning to normal...
... and a little fur missing from her cheek.
9/4 (28 days later): smooth & healed inside cheek...
... and more obvious fur loss on her muzzle.
Babies enjoy homemade applesauce & peanut butter frozen yogurt on a hot day.
Happy girl allowed to swim in the local pond once again!
Followup December 7, 2017: Sadie's last chemo visit was today, so she has 14 more pills and then she's done. We'll keep monitoring, but for now, her chest x-ray and abdominal ultrasounds showed no signs of spreading cancer. Fingers crossed! Here she is relaxing on her small couch, showing off the patch of white fur that grew back in at the radiation site. I call it her Angell Kiss.
Angell Animal Medical Center, Boston
Leaving at 5 am to battle traffic into Boston is well worth it for the chance to keep my little girl healthy.
This my morning commute for the next few weeks.
Angell is located in Jamaica Plain, Boston... about an hour from my house if there's no traffic. Which means I leave at 5:15 am to get there at 6:30, or face the hoards of people heading south during rush hour.
They are a FANTASTIC facility with state-of-the-art technology and amazingly talented staff. After our initial visit with her radiation oncologist Dr. Kubicek, Sadie was tended to by a number of oncology personnel, especially Stacey (client care coordinator), Cheryl (radiation therapist), Kayla (radiation assistant), Amy (radiation anesthesiologist), and Jillian who greets patients at the front door.
This hospital has been pioneers of veterinary medicine since the early 1900s, and frequently makes headlines with their groundbreaking advancements. I feel very lucky to have such an incredible facility nearby.
Sadie sports her tie-dye #CancerChamp bandana, while Maddox offers solidarity with luck-of-the-Boston-Irish green.
Pirate Sadie
Minus one eyeball. Plus lots of adorable character.
I noticed some redness in Sadie's eyes, which is typical of allergy season. I tried the typical tricks (eye rinse, Benadryl), but only one eye reduced in redness. With a closer look, I noticed a small discoloration to her iris. With one stop at our regular vet, and a second at the veterinary ophthalmologist, I learned that she had a tumor inside her eyeball.
The choice was simple: it's a quick surgery to remove her eyeball, which was likely to have contained the cancer (which biopsy revealed to be melanoma). My poor girl... although she doesn't seem to have noticed. Distortion of the lens meant that she was already blind in that eye, and its removal likely eased some discomfort. In hindsight, I recall her rubbing her eye with her paw, and being startled by my outstretched hand reaching to pet her... like she didn't see it coming.
Post-op, minus one tumor-filled eyeball. Her face is shaved, bruised, and swollen.
She seems to be getting around okay.
Sadie must be feeling better- she's bossy for treats again.
Too soon for the costume?