Feb
2009
Lance Armstrong
Chubby is one of those rare cases in many ways. Chubby was found abandoned, rummaging through the garbage in rural Tennessee by Robyn. He had two giant tumors and was in dire need of help. Robyn finally coaxed him to go with her and she then sought the help of a friend who does rescue work in the area, Hollie.
Robyn and Hollie brought Chubby to Dr. Barry Fly of the Nolensville Veterinary Hospital in Nolensville, TN. Dr. Fly performed the critical surgery two remove the two tumors: one on his back weighed 4 pounds and was invasive while the other tumor weighed 6 pounds. Robyn then took Chubby home, renamed him Lance Armstrong because of his strong will and began nursing him back to health in anticipation of chemotherapy.
Initial tests to determine the type of cancer were inconclusive, so Dr. Fly enlisted the help of the University of Tennessee Veterinary Teaching Hospital who did more detailed analysis of the tumors. They found that the tumors were a rare, sexually transmitted form of cancer called round cell, transmissible venereal tumor. Despite their huge size, canine round cell tumors are good candidates for chemotherapy and given Chubby’s estimated age of 3 years, we’ve got our fingers and paws crossed for a quick recovery.
On day three, we had our appointment with Dr. Barry Fly, Hollie said he is the only vet she would ever trust to handle a situation like this. Hollie prepared me, though, she said there was very good chance that Dr. Fly would say the best thing for him would be to put him to sleep. I had 2 days to think about it, and at least if that was the outcome he wouldn’t be suffering on the streets anymore and for at least two nights he knew love and comfort. We decided to call him Lance after Lance “Chubby” Armstrong. Dr. Fly was quite surprised, this was a first for him. No one had ever seen a tumor so massive in the location before. He wanted to run some tests, to see if it was cancer and to see if any of his organs had been effected. To everyones amazement, his organs were fine. Dr. Fly guessed his age to be about 3 yrs, and he felt confident that he could remove the tumor, additionally he pointed out a 2nd tumor on his side that seemed to be a different type of mass that should be removed as well.
When the pathology report came back, Dr. Fly informed us, that it was operable, and possible treatable depending on the type of cancer. He would not know until the biopsy came back. Then the really bad news came, the surgery was going to cost thousands of dollars. I was devastated, how was I going to pay for that, we began racking our brains. Then one day, I was my friends boarding facility, they were telling me about the Zuke’s brand dog food, so we looked it up online. We found a link to the DOG & CAT CANCER FUND, I called Hollie, I said lets contact them. We sent out a plea on Craigslist as well. The donations started coming in. After 3 weeks, we raised enough to pay for at least half of the surgery, so Dr. Fly graciously agreed to due the surgery while we continued to raise funds. The Surgery complete, “Chubby” no we waited to see if he was a candidate for chemo and radiation, and he was a perfect candidate for chemo.
Chris Meiering @DCCF kept in touch with us throughout the entire process, when we got the news, that chemo was a possibility, DCCF stepped up to help cover the cost. With the chemo, we were looking at another $1000.00, I was devastated, but DCCF put my mind at ease, because we could start chemo and their donation bought us time to raise the rest of the funds.
“Chubby’s” first round of chemo did not go very well, got extremely ill. He stopped eating, he lost 10 lbs. in one week. We had to postpone any further treatments until he regained his strength. I was freaking out. Chris was extremely reassuring, that once “Chubby’s” strength was back, he would be okay to start chemo again. After an extremely long recovery, we once again began chemo in November 2008. “Chubby” did great, every Monday for 5 weeks we would drive over an hour each way to & from therapy. DCCF was there the entire time, helping to keep the bill paid so the the treatments could continue.
Lance “Chubby” Johnson, is now a pillar of health. He acts as if he had never met a stranger. He is such a house dog, he prefers the safety of the house, outside reminds him of his life on the street. He goes out long enough to do h is business and take a sunbathe, but for the most part, he prefers to be by my side. He is famous in East Nashville, everyone knows his story, neighbors & donors often stop by to check on him. He always greets everyone with a wagging tail and a big huge smile.
Attached are photos of “chubby” take last Sunday, doesn’t he look fantastic?
Thanks You so Much for your moral and financial support in helping save Lance “Chubby” Armstrong, the world is a much better place with him in it. I can not begin to thank the AMAZING Dr. Barry Fly and his staff for all they have done. Also, Luvie’s Legacy and the Dog & Cat Cancer Fund, plus the many other private donors that helped us get “Chubby” to where he is today.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all.
Robyn Jayne Guidara
Mushie is one tough cookie of a cat. Mushie was diagnosed with a very rare salivary gland adenocarcinoma. His owner, Haydee, is on fixed income and has made an extraordinary effort to get Mushie the treatment he needs. Haydee found Dr. Ned Williams who performed extensive surgery to remove the tumor and the lower half of Mushie’s jaw. Wow! The good news is that after the successful surgery and follow up tests showed that the cancer had not spread, Mushie has a good prognosis.
Cujo had surgery to remove his spleen. The surgeon found that Cujo’s cancer had spread and there were multiple masses throughout his body. With guidance from Dr. Evans and the wonderful medical staff at Hollywood Animal in Hollywood FL, Tiffany and her family chose to allow Cujo to go to the Rainbow Bridge without waking up from surgery.
Pinky is another dog that came to us from The Magic Bullet Fund. Pinky has a mast cell tumor on the inside of her leg that required surgery on September 19th. Pinky’s surgery was performed by Dr. Mueller at VCA in West Los Angeles. Because of your support the Dog and Cat Cancer Fund was able to donate $500.00 towards Pinky’s surgery. The good news is that follow up treatment isn’t likely to be necessary. Below is Pinky’s story from the MBF.
Sebastian is a 10 year old Italian Greyhound suffering from Lymphoma. Sebastian’s owner Sue is on a fixed income and found it increasingly difficult to cover his chemotherapy and related tests. Sue contacted The Magic Bullet Fund, who then contacted us to see if we could help. Our donors who have given in the past made it possible and we have allocated up too $500.00 towards his treatment. Fortunately, the DCCFund donation will likely cover his entire treatment. If you would like to help, please consider making a donation.
Journey is a 9-year old domestic short hair cat that was diagnosed in July 2008 with feline Small Cell Gastric Lymphoma. After surgery to remove the a portion of her intestine, the vets at South Towne Veterinary Hospital recommended oral chemotherapy. Journey’s owner Nicole did all she could to pay for the surgery, but the continued cost of chemotherapy and the related checkups was going to be a huge burden on her limited income. Due to the generous support of our donors we were able to donate $500.00 towards Journey’s chemotherapy.
Sofie is a 9-year old Australian Shepherd that was diagnosed with canine fibrosarcoma in June, 2008. After surgery to remove the majority of the tumor, the vets at Northern California Veterinary Specialists recommended radiation therapy to ensure the best prognosis. Sofie’s owner/guardian is on a fixed income and made every effort to pay for the cost of treatment, but the radiation costs became too much to bear on her limited income.
Romeo is 4 year old, 7 pound Chihuahua with a mast cell tumor on his nose. Romeo is being treated by Dr. Villalobos in Woodland Hills, CA with intralesional chemotherapy and is doing well. Because of your contributions we were able to help Romeo and Leona. If you would like to help more dogs in the future, please consider making a donation directly to the Dog and Cat Cancer Fund. You can also pledge towards Romeo’s continuing care at his MBF page.
Casey is a 6-year old Cocker Spaniel recently diagnosed with canine lymphoma. Casey is such a special dog that a veterinary assistant at Integrative Veterinary Oncology in Arizona was the the first to contact us about helping. Like many families these days, Casey’s family was having trouble keeping up with their financial obligations when Casey’s lymphoma was diagnosed.
