Dog owners who have spent a long time with their favorite furry pets know how cancer in dogs is one of the most frightening things for them to worry about. For the uninitiated, cancer is a fairly common problem that 1 in 4 dogs can experience, and half of the dogs over the age of 10 will develop cancer. However, it’s not all doom and gloom for these dogs. There have been many developments in technology, veterinary medicine, and chemotherapy. Many dogs throughout the years have overcome cancer; these are their stories. Here are the heartwarming and touching stories of dogs that beat cancer.
1. Molly
To say Molly lived a tumultuous life may be an understatement. This Labrador had developed weight problems and serious medical issues throughout the years — health issues that her owners had neglected. When rescuers found her, they could immediately tell that her infections, lesions, inflammations, and bald patches had been around for a very long time. It took months for her to recover.
However, Molly would begin to face another challenge. Soon after her recovery, the shelter owners noticed lumps on her body, and they knew it was cancer. Fortunately, she was sent into remission as fast as possible, and after much trials and tribulations, Molly would soon overcome her cancer. She became healthy again, came back to a healthy weight, and lived a peaceful life in her new forever home. But the story doesn’t end here.
After surviving years of neglect and beating cancer, Molly would find her calling as a therapy dog for human cancer patients. She now helps people heal through cancer, like how people helped her through hers. Molly’s story is not only a touching story but an inspirational one as well.
2. Blizzard
Blizzard was, at the time, a 12-year-old Samoyed mix, often seen smiling happily and running around energetically throughout their home. Blizzard’s jovial personality, friendly disposition, and supplements kept him so springy and active that he was often mistaken for a younger dog. However, he and his owners would face a new challenge. One day his owners noticed how he would rub his bum against almost anything.
Concerned with what was happening they would soon take Blizzard to see a vet where doctors would confirm that Blizzard had a small mass in his anal gland, a mass they believed was cancerous. After receiving surgery to remove the tumor, analysis confirmed it as anal gland adenocarcinoma, a rather aggressive cancer. After meeting with specialist Blizzard’s owners was faced with a difficult question.
“What would you be willing to do for two more years with Blizzard?”
Galvanized with the desire to extend his life, the owners did everything to provide Blizzard with the best treatment possible. It was a long and arduous process as Blizzard would go into the hospital for their treatment. The owners became anxious about his overall health due to the different treatments he had to go through. But after completing the treatment Blizzard would continue living as if nothing happened.
Blizzard died two years and seven months later due to age-related health conditions. But because of the swift decision to have him go through the surgery and treatment, Blizzard was able to live out his golden years happy and full of life.
3. Elmer
Elmer was a bright, loving, and energetic Doberman Pinscher puppy. His owner loved Elmer very dearly. But in August of 2011, both of their lives would change forever, just before the owner went into veterinary school. Doctors had diagnosed Elmer with nasal carcinoma with brain involvement and a peripheral nerve sheath tumor at 7.5 years old in 2019.
The diagnosis caught the owners off guard as Elmer didn’t develop any typical symptoms aside from sneezing. Nasal carcinoma that extends into the brain has an average survival time of six months, even with radiation therapy. The survival is three months without treatment. Elmer lived for 16 more months.
Elmer underwent a combination treatment of radiation therapy protocol and alternating carboplatin and doxorubicin chemotherapy. The treatment extended Elmer’s life expectancy drastically. By January 2020, he had beat the cancer thanks to advancements in biomedical research. Although Elmer would pass away soon after, he lived a full life for 16 wonderful months.
4. Oscar
This 10-year-old Bichon Frise was dubbed the “miracle dog” by Dr. Bauer and his team for the dog’s miraculous response to the treatment. At the time, Oscar was afflicted with a rather aggressive form of cancer called anal sac adenocarcinoma. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy not only failed to treat Oscar but also left him unable to walk. Doctors believed that Oscar had three months left to live.
Bauer and colleagues gave him a cancer-killing drug called nitrosylcobalamin (NO-Cbl). An innovative treatment at the time. Within two weeks, Oscar was back on his feet, and his condition had significantly improved.
With no toxic side effects from the treatment, the doctors were able to get the miracle they were looking for through Oscar. Soon two more dogs would yield promising results from the NO-Cbl treatment without negative effects. Ultrasound and MRI imaging showed a reduction in tumor sizes across all the dogs, including Oscar. These two dogs would show amazing improvements that would not have happened if it wasn’t for Dr. Bauer, his team, and Oscar.
5. Josie
A terrier mix named Josie was diagnosed with cancer in December of 2017. She had developed cancer in the lining of her blood vessels called hemangiosarcoma, one of the deadliest cancers for pets. Doctors told Josie’s owners that without surgery she would only have 2 days to live. Should the surgery prove successful Josie could have up to a month, but there was a catch. There was an 80% chance that she would not survive the surgery. The owners opted to do the surgery. Doctors found and removed as many tumors as they could and found ping pong ball-sized tumors in her spleen.
After Josie survived the surgery, she continued her fight against cancer and underwent therapy. Doctors who oversaw her treatment at the Johns Hopkins Hospital mentioned that only Josie was able to survive treatment for her aggressive form of cancer. Josie continued being a fighter and returned to a normal life while going under chemotherapy.
Owners noted how energetic and happy Josie was throughout the treatment. Josie would live up to 12-years-old and pass away in June of 2018. Owners were glad they chose to go through the surgery as it gave them six more months with Josie, four more months beyond her life expectancy.
We hope the heart-touching stories of these dogs will give you the encouragement you need to get through similar situations. You can read about LEAH Labs’ work on cancer treatment for dogs.
