Ashley was just a young girl when her parents took her to the Denver Dumb Friends League to pick out a kitten. She immediately pointed to a little black and white kitten wearing a pink collar. Ashley and the tiny furball were taken to the visiting room to get to know each other. The kitten climbed right up into Ashley’s lap and fell fast asleep – - she had found a home.
Named Twitch, for her energetic antics, the kitten became a beloved member of the family. Several years later, as Ashley was nearing graduation from high school, Twitch wouldn’t eat her food and tucked herself into a corner. Ashley’s mom, Roberta, knew something was wrong. She immediately called the family veterinarian, Dr. Brett Sargent at Front Range Veterinary Clinic, who asked her to bring Twitch in.
An x-ray clearly showed a large mass in Twitch’s intestines, which had all the signs of intestinal lymphoma. Dr. Sargent stayed late that evening to perform surgery to remove the mass and part of the intestines on each side. Twitch was then referred to an ACVIM Board-certified Oncologist, Robyn Elmslie, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology) at Veterinary Cancer Specialists.
Twitch soon began a 6 month chemotherapy protocol. An oral chemotherapy treatment would be given at home and she would be taken in for IV chemotherapy at Dr. Elmslie’s office. Twitch tolerated the treatment well. She never vomited, and kept some appetite, only losing a small bit of weight. She slept a lot in the beginning and lost her whiskers and eyelashes, but was as adorable as ever.
Roberta’s mother, Arloa (Ashley’s grandmother), had successfully overcome breast cancer 30 years previously, and the family felt her positive attitude helped tremendously. This tradition of positive words and attitude was continued for Twitch. Twitch was held, comforted, loved, and talked to during treatment.
Twitch’s treatment was 3 1/2 years ago and Twitch is still doing great! Ashley is now a young woman, off at college, and Twitch keeps Roberta company.
Here’s a great video of Twitch and Roberta playing fetch:
Twitch Playing Fetch
