ACVIM Animal Survivor Hall of Fame

Angie

Angie is a 7-year-old Boxer belonging to Marilynn & James Ross. Angie had several dermal mast cell tumors that were removed surgically and completed her chemotherapy treatments in 2004 with flying colors. In August 2006, Angie collapsed due to heart disease and is currently being treated for cardiomyopathy, a disease in which the heart muscle becomes inflamed and doesn’t work as well as it should.

“Bailey

Bailey is now a 10-year-old spayed female Labrador Retriever. Dr. Kristin Jacob at the Veterinary Medical Center of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine first saw Bailey in April 2001 when Bailey began having fainting episodes. Dr. Jacob diagnosed Bailey with a severe cardiac arrhythmia called 3rd degree atrioventricular block. In 4/01, Bailey had a dual-chambered pacemaker placed to overcome the arrhythmia. Bailey is such an active, happy dog, that she displaced one of the pacemaker’s and had to have it replaced in 5/01. She was kept confined until the leads were firmly in place and has been leading a normal and happy life since that time.

Bella

Bella is a teacup Maltese belonging to Carla & Keith Holland. Bella had a heart murmur (probably since birth) that indicated a congenital problem called Patent Ductus Arteriosis (PDA). PDA is the most common congenital heart disease in dogs and occurs more frequently in females than in males. In PDA, there is an abnormal circulation of blood between two of the major arteries near the heart. Usually, this is a fairly simple defect to correct, but Bella also had pulmonary hypertension (high pressure in the lungs) which was making the problem complicated and the surgery risky. She was started on Sildenafil (Viagra) for the pulmonary hypertension prior to surgery. She recovered well from the surgery and her heart size is returning to normal. Bella is still on the Sildenafil, but her doctors hope to wean her off that medication as well.

Calvin is an 11-month-old miniature poodle belonging to Michiel and Janet Espach of San Antonio, Texas. During a routine puppy visit, Calvin’s general veterinary practitioner identified a loud heart murmur that indicated a congenital problem called Patent Ductus Arteriosis (PDA). PDA is the most common congenital heart disease in dogs, but occurs more frequently in females than in males. In PDA, there is an abnormal circulation of blood between two of the major arteries near the heart. Calvin was then referred to Dr. Ashley Saunders, a Board-certified Veterinary Cardiologist at Texas A&M University, for a closure of the PDA using a minimally invasive procedure. Dr. Saunders placed a Canine Duct Occluder, one of the first devices made exclusively for dogs, through Calvin’s femoral artery and completely closed the PDA. Today, Calvin’s family reports he is doing very well and is a happy, playful puppy.

Genie

Genie was diagnosed with a heart murmur as a kitten. In September 2003, Genie sustained some type of trauma (probably hit by car). Genie was diagnosed with a fractured pelvis and enlarged heart. In February 2004, Genie began coughing and having difficulty breathing. Genie’s regular veterinarian recommended referral to the cardiologist, Dr. Luis Braz-Ruivo. Genie was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Further evaluation by Dr Braz-Ruivo revealed that Genie had an A-V (arteriovenous) fistula in her abdomen. She had developed fluid in her chest and needed to have her chest tapped . When the frequency of the chest taps increased to every other day, Dr. Braz-Ruivo performed surgery on Genie (September 2004). Genie is out six months now and doing great!

Mani

In 2004, Mani was a 13-year-old spayed female Brittany Spaniel. She was a rescue dog who found her way into the home of Bonnie and Jim D’Aquila. They were supposed to foster her until they could find her a new home, but they decided to keep her in their family, even though they knew she had a heart problem. In January of 2001, Mani developed congestive heart failure, which was treated with multiple medications. She was first treated by Dr. Kristin Jacob at the Veterinary Medical Center of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Jacob told the D’Aquila’s that the best thing for Mani would be a mitral valve replacement. So, in June of 2001, they took Mani to the Veterinary School at CSU, where she had open heart surgery and had her mitral valve repaired. Since then, she has been doing very well and is only on one medication (enalapril). Bonnie and Jim report that immediately after her surgery, Mani had more energy and vitality and has never looked back.

Bear

Bear is an 11-year-old Rottweiler-Shepherd mix belonging to Susan Brandt. Bear was first seen in December 1999 for decreased appetite and diarrhea. He was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease and is under treatment, which includes special diet and medication. In July 2005, he developed a tumor on his left mandible which was treated with a partial mandibulectomy. In April 2006, the tumor recurred and Bear underwent palliative radiation therapy at Washington State University. Today, Bear is doing well and charming many with his new smile.

Lucky

Lucky is now a 5 1/2-year-old Sheltie. Presented in March of 2004 for enlarged lymph nodes. Lucky was diagnosed with lymphosarcoma and was treated with chemotherapy for 36 weeks. At this time, Lucky is in remission and is being monitored for recurrence. While undergoing chemotherapy, Lucky continued to compete in agility trials; she is one of the top agility Shelties in the country.

Lulu

Lulu is a 9-year-old Beagle belonging to Chirag Shah, a human Oncologist, and Jennifer Reichel. Lulu was diagnosed with lymphoma and started chemotherapy mid-May 2006. Her last chemotherapy treatment was October 2006. Lulu also received half-body radiation therapy (two treatments, one to the front half of the body and one to the back) in October and November 2006. She has been off all treatment since November 2006 and is currently in remission.

“Mai’lee

Mai’lee” is a well-loved, 11-year-old female Shih Tzu. In August of 2002, Mai’lee’s veterinarian noticed a lump on her flank. The lump was removed and the biopsy report confirmed that the lump was cancerous. The pathologist called the tumor a soft tissue sarcoma, a type of cancer that invades into the tissues and can spread to other parts of the body. Mai’lee’s veterinarian referred Terri Damerel, Mai’lee’s owner to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center to learn about treatment options. At the U-MN VMC, Mai’lee was examined by Dr. Elizabeth McNiel. She had x-rays to evaluate for spread of the cancer, and blood tests. Additional surgery, short of amputation of Mai’lee’s leg was unlikely to help control the cancer, so radiation therapy was recommended as the best option. Mai’lee received 18 treatments over a 4-week period of time. She tolerated treatment very well with only mild redness and hairloss in the area for a few weeks after treatment. During her visits to the hospital for the radiation therapy, Mai’lee became known to the staff as “the little princess”. Mai’lee is still doing well nearly two years following initial diagnosis of her cancer with only a small chance of the cancer recurring.

Pagoda

Pagoda is a 7-year-old mixed breed dog belonging to Pam & John Smith. Pagoda was treated for a mast cell tumor on his left front leg and recently underwent surgery and radiation therapy at Washington State University. He is doing well and is now being monitored for recurrence.

Sam, an orange kitty belonging to Kim Butler of Seattle, Wash., was first seen by his veterinarian for lack of appetite. Because he wasn’t eating, he developed a liver condition called hepatic lipidosis. Hepatic lipidosis is a condition where cats metabolize their own body fat rather than energy from food. Sam was treated for the hepatic lipidosis with a feeding tube. Eventually it was discovered that Sam had stopped eating due to a brain tumor. Kim took Sam to Washington State University where the brain tumor was successfully irradiated.

Z.Z. is a 14-year-old mixed breed dog belonging to Darby Roberts. Z.Z. was diagnosed with carcinoma of the left salivary gland in January 2007. Z.Z.’s salivary gland carcinoma was removed for the first time on February 2, 2007, followed by four rounds of doxorubicin and two rounds of carboplatin, which are both widely used drugs in cancer chemotherapy. She then had surgical resection of a recurrence of the salivary gland carcinoma and removal of the left submandibular lymph node on August 29, 2007. Four rounds of gemcitabine (another chemotherapy drug) were then administered in September and October of 2007. Z.Z. tolerated chemotherapy well. In April 2008, she had no evidence of recurrent cancer and is being monitored on a routine basis.

Beau

Beau is a 3-year-old Rocky Mountain Horse owned by a Dr. Andree Berthiaume, a veterinarian from Canada now practicing small animal medicine in Kentucky. Beau arrived at the Hagyard Equine Institute on New Year’s Eve of 2005 because he was unable to stand up. The history of Beau being fed from a large round bale while the owners were out of town and Beau’s clinical signs supported botulism. He was treated with botulism anti-serum and over the next 16 days Beau received intensive nursing care and treatments for several secondary conditions which developed as a result of being unable to stand, eat, and swallow. There were times when the owner and Dr. Katherine MacGillivray, Beau’s ACVIM Specialist, were unsure they should continue with therapy, but Beau is well-loved and refused to give up. After 14 days, Beau regained his ability to swallow and was able to slowly eat soft feed. On January 16th, Beau stood with assistance, much to the joy of his owner and hospital staff, and five days later he walked slowly onto the horse trailer for his ride back to the farm.

Bogart

Bogart is a nine-year-old male neutered chocolate Chesapeake Bay Retriever belonging to Cathy and Jimmy Hearld. He was successfully treated for colitis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease, and perianal fistulas, a very painful condition in which ulcerated tracts develop in the tissue around the anus. In late 2000, Bogart had not received any medications for at least a year when he became unable to keep food down. Radiographs of his chest showed an enlarged esophagus and Bogart was diagnosed with megaesophagus. Megaesophagus is a condition in which food fails to enter the stomach, and is eventually regurgitated. Management of Bogart’s condition required constant nursing care by his owners. The condition carries a relatively poor prognosis as patients often succumb to aspiration pneumonia secondary to the megaesophagus. Bogarts owners fed him meatballs of food and small amounts of water from an upright position so as to facilitate movement of food down his enlarged esophagus into his stomach. Because of the wonderful efforts of his owners and specialist, Bogart has lived an amazing five years beyond his diagnosis and enjoys being his owner’s favorite dog.

Casey

Casey is now a 10-year-old Rottie. Presented at age 7-8 for Addisonian crisis and DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis). Addison’s disease is a disease where the adrenal glands do not produce normal amounts of 2 important hormones – aldosterone and cortisol. Diabetes is a lack of insulin causing high blood sugar levels. If either of these disease are left untreated, life-threatening complications can ensue. Casey was treated aggressively in the hospital and sent home on appropriate medication. Since then has also had cataract surgery, several urinary tract infections, and arthritis. Currently doing well on medication for Addison’s disease and insulin.

Disco

Disco, a three-year-old mixed breed dog belonging to Diane Lauer, was first seen by Dr. Jonathan Fradkin, a Board-certified Small Animal Internal Medicine Specialist at San Antonio Veterinary Referral Specialists, in August 2005 for distemper. Disco managed to survive, which is uncommon, but was left with a muscle tremor called myoclonus. The myoclonus was so severe that Disco was unable to walk or function normally. After trying to alleviate the signs with more common medications, Dr. Fradkin treated Disco with BoTox injections. With repeated rounds of treatment, the myoclonus eventually resolved, and Disco is back to functioning as a happy and healthy dog.

Henna

Henna is a 9-year-old spayed female Chow Chow mix dog. She became a patient of Dr. Jane Armstrong at the Veterinary Medical Center of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in September 2001. Her initial signs of illness were lameness and a high fever. When she was evaluated, she was found to have two diseases: a bacterial infection in her bloodstream (sepsis) and immune-mediated polyarthritis, a condition in which the body attacks components of its own joints. Although Henna was very sick initially, requiring hospitalization in the intensive care unit for one week, she responded well to therapy with antibiotics (for the infection) and corticosteroids (for the immune-mediated joint disease). With very dedicated home care from her owners, she made a full recovery and continues to do very well on small doses of corticosteroids plus another immunosuppressive drug, azathioprine.

Kaiser

Kaiser is a six-year-old Boxer belonging to Sandra and James Beaven. Kaiser became blind in his right eye in the fall of 2003. He was diagnosed with Blastomycosis, a fungal infection common to the area. To provide pain relief and remove the persistent site of infection, his right eye was removed. Kaiser had also lost a considerable amount of weight and was referred to Dr. Catherine Daley, Small Animal Internal Medicine specialist, for treatment of Blastomycosis. Over the course of twelve months, Kaiser’s attitude improved and he gained 20 lbs. Today, Kaiser is doing well, and all clinical signs of his illness have disappeared.

Ozzy

Ozzy is a 13-year-old neutered male Himalayan cat belonging to Ms. Sandra DeCavitch. Ozzy was initially seen in 2004 for decreased appetite and significant weight loss. His routine laboratory tests were normal but biopsies from the stomach and intestines revealed inflammatory bowel disease. Vitamin supplementation, a dietary change to IVD Limited Ingredient Diet, and medications including prednisone, cyproheptadine to stimulate appetite, and potassium supplementation resulted in Ozzy regaining his appetite and weight gain. Ozzy is now at a healthy weight and continues on his diet, Vitamin B12, and cyproheptadine.

Sammy

Sammy, a nasal lymphoma survivor, is a “stout-hearted” kitty belonging to Kim Clifton. Sammy visited a Small Animal Internal Medicine Specialist after having nasal congestion, which was first thought to be a sinus infection. The nasal congestion was actually being caused by a tumor growing behind Sammy’s nostril. Sammy was diagnosed with nasal lymphosarcoma in June 2006 and started chemotherapy and radiation therapy shortly after. Three treatments of radiation therapy were given over 4 weeks. Throughout the treatment Sammy maintained his position as dominant, neutered tom-cat in a household with 11 other cats and five dogs.