It was a Sunday morning, very early in September 2008, I was rubbing my fingers in a twirling motion on Sputters chest, and there it was, a lump. It was weird I had just given her a bath the day before and never felt anything.
The next day I took Sputters over to Sunridge Animal Hospital, a great place, filled with lots of love, Dr. Randy Ceballos and his staff have been taking care of my girls since they were babies. I had convinced myself that it was just a swollen gland, that she just had an infection, they would just give her some antibiotics and she would be all better in a week or two.
We walked into Sunridge, I know I make it sound like it’s just a stroll in the park, NOT! It’s anything but that! It’s a big production! First we have to get out of the vehicle! Sputters has already jumped out of her car seat before I have even undone my seat belt! She is chomping at the bit to run, run, run, to drag mommy on the leash, OMG the rocks mom, the rocks, the rocks to PEE, I have to PEE, maybe even POOP, I have to mark my territory, awwwwhhh the relief! And believe me, the staff and management thanks me. Because GUESS WHAT, if she didn’t do outside, she is gonna do it inside! Mark my words (territory) Holla!
The girls at the front desk greet me in the usual way “Hey Mrs. Leonard! How Are You Today, why are you here today”? Sputters has a lump, (down play). I don’t know why but it just seemed like they all swallowed hard, “my mind is saying, oh my god, they are all scared she has a lump”. “Ok we’ll have a room ready for you in a minute”.
Now we are in the examine room, she is like ok Mom why are we here, why isn’t Wrinkles here! She is panting and trying to hide behind my back, I keep saying “it’s ok”, she’s like, “Ya right you say that every time, and they are going to cut my TOE NAILS”! Sputters is SCREAMING INSIDE! The longer we wait the more nervous she gets. But don’t get me wrong it’s not like the regular doctor, they come in pretty quick at Sunridge.
In walks Dr. Carlos Varela (I like to call him Dr. Carlos), I don’t know this because (Sputters: OMG WHITE COAT) has knocked off my glasses with her jumping around, trying to hide behind my back.
Dr. Varela greets me with the professional hand shake and introduction, but I’m not listening, because in my mind I am saying Sputters has a SWOLLEN GLAND! I am just blah, blah, blah. He starts feeling the lump, and then it happens, blah, blah, blah, giving my diagnosis to him, “she just has a swollen gland”, and then … THE GASP… on his face! I see it and say “WHAT”! He is shocked that I saw the GASP on his face. “WHAT”, I say again! He can’t believe that I saw the gasp on his face! We both take a BIG GULP! He says “her lymph nodes are enlarged”, again I start with the blah, blah, blah, out loud I say to him, “I know she just has an infection” (Dr. Leonard has already called it, it’s final, she has a SWOLLEN GLAND, just an infection).
He proceeds to comfort (humor) me by saying, “yes, it could be an infection or it might be cancer.” My mind is whirling (NO, it’s not CANCER, I reassure him, it’s just an infection). He takes her to the back room to do a biopsy.
When they come back, he explains that it will take a couple of days to a week to get the results back. He explains to me that if in fact she does have (the C word), lymphoma, (cancer of the Lymph nodes) it is the most treatable type of cancer for dogs (my child) with great results. The other good news is, she is a dog (not human), that dogs do not think like humans, they don’t go “OH MY GOD I HAVE CANCER, I’M GOING TO DIE!
So I am driving back home, I am crying the sobbing, gut wrenching, body shaking UGLY CRY! Trying not to scream out loud and get Sputters upset. PLEASE GOD, PLEASE GOD, PLEASE GOD, DON’T LET MY BABY GIRL DIE! And just like magic, (I have only felt this once before in my life), the most beautiful sense of calm, sense of peace, came over my entire body, as if I could actually hear words, SHE WILL BE ALRIGHT, Sputters is going to be alright. SHE IS NOT GOING TO DIE! At first I thought your just feeling that because you had that magnificent feeling when your dad had a stoke and you begged God not to let your father die, so that’s what you want to feel. But then I said to myself, NO the feeling is just to magnificent, it is real, God has told me she is going to be alright.
The next couple of days seemed like they took FOREVER! During that waiting period the cancer had spread, so fast. I could not believe how fast it was spreading. The one lump had now grown into a double row of 6 to 8 lumps up her throat, it felt like a six pack of abdominal muscles only mushy.
The VERDICT! SHE HAS CANCER! Oh my god my baby girl has cancer! Dr. Varela explains that she will undergo 25 weeks of chemo therapy treatment. That every week for four weeks he will give her a different type of chemo so that the cancer can’t build up a resistance to the chemo. On the fifth week he will do blood work to check the progress.
The good news about chemo is that it does not affect dogs the same way that if affects humans. She will not lose her hair, that if it does affect her she might experience problems in the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract) and maybe have some diarrhea or vomiting, but they have medications for that. Dr. Varela said that she should be in remission within 5 weeks.
Dr. Varela had offered the name of an oncologist, but also said he could treat her there. I just knew from the moment I met him that he was the one to take care of her. I could just feel his warmth and love for animals. You could feel and see how much he cared. His kindness towards Sputters was so moving.
On September 11, 2008, I took my little girl to get her first chemo treatment along with her blanket and froggy. She would be there about two hours. It was hard, I was so scared. But then when Dr. Carlos picked her up I knew she would be ok, she was in the right hands. When I picked her up she was sporting a hot pink bandage type wrap on her leg where they had to insert the IV. She was very happy and had a bounce in her step, wanting to go outside to the rocks.
During the next 25 weeks Sputters had good weeks and bad weeks. The lumps had gone down almost as fast as they had grown. She did get sick a couple of times with vomiting after the chemo, it would last for a couple of days. She wouldn’t eat and just when I thought she wasn’t going to get any better she would start eating and be back to normal. I would feel so bad that I did not know if I could take her back for the next treatment, but I did. Near the end of the 25 weeks she would have chemo for two weeks in a row and then blood work.
If there is one thing I can recommend is that you purchase pet insurance. When we brought our girls to their new home in 2001, a friend of mine had just lost his dog to a different type of cancer and had spent $5000.00. I decided to purchase pet insurance and was very glad I did. Although there are many different companies that offer pet insurance, I chose VPI Pet Insurance they paid 80-90% of Sputters treatment. They were so fast in getting a check back to me after submitting a claim.
Sputters is a very happy little girl. She goes to see Dr. Carlos once a month to get checked out and make sure everything is good. She has been kicking cancer in the butt for a year now. I’m believing, and thanking God that she is cancer FREE!
Here is Ms. Sputters in August 2009 racing around the pool, whining & whimpering, she gets worried when the kids splash, then she runs to check on them.
Even while she relaxes in the chair her eyes are on the kids.
I am sad to report that Sputters has come out of remission. Yap, that Lymphoma has reared it’s ugly head again. As you probably know I was devastated, to say the least. It actually has taken me 3 weeks to even begin to be able to talk about it. However, I am now looking at the challenge positively. I need to do whatever I can to help her fight this disease. Fortunately, dogs do respond well to many types of cancer treatment, so there is hope, and faith to keep me going.
When Sputters was first diagnosed in September of 2008 I didn’t do any research on the internet because frankly I was just afraid. I was afraid of reading a lot of sad stories that would maybe make me feel defeated before we had even began. I listened to what Dr. Varela told me and followed his advice. She finished her treatments in March of 2008 and has been in remission until October of 2009. You would never know that she has cancer by watching her, she is happy and very playful. We just kept a watch on her lymph nodes.
I am still listening to Dr. Varela (because I trust him and I know he loves Sputters), but this time I went in open minded and my research has taught me a lot about building up the immune system. I found so much information at K-9 Immunity . I am also feeding all of my dogs a grain free diet and giving 1000mg of fish oil per day (per 20 pounds).
She has gone through her 3rd week of chemotherapy treatments with great response. Dr. Varela is giving her a shot to keep her from getting nauseous and it seems to be working great. The last time she had a few times when she would get sick and not want to eat, so far this time it has been good.
The program is a 25 week schedule, I know huh, that’s like a half of year! Whew! Basically she has 4 weeks of different types of chemo drugs, along with Prednisone (only the first four weeks) a steroid that will shrink the lymph nodes. Then a week of blood work only, then back on chemo for another 4 weeks and so on. It really works out to about 16 weeks of chemo. She will be back in remission by week 5.
Dr. Varela has just received a promotion and will now be managing his own clinic, Camino Al Norte Animal Hospital . We are so happy for him and I will still take Sputters to him because he is so great and Sputters loves him. Sunridge Animal Hospital is about a mile from my house so we are just going to make a fun day out of the drive which is about 26 miles from my house. Her treatment usually takes about 2 hours so we (me, Sputters, Caiden & maybe Riley, whom ever happens to be at my house on Tuesdays) will do lunch or what ever it takes.
I will keep you posted on Sputters progress, she is a fighter and I know she will be alright.
These pictures were taking this morning playing with one of her many froggy’s, she just had a treatment last night.
Sunday, October 2, 2011 
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