Hi.  My name is Little Bit and I am a patient at the Animal Care Clinic.  Back in December of 2004, Dr. Hathorn told me that I have lymphoma, a type of cancer.  Since that time, Dr. Hathorn in consultation with a veterinary oncologist, has been doing her best to keep me healthy and feeling well. 

You may have noticed in my picture that I have a beautiful coat of fur and in no way resemble a Chinese Crested.   Well, I’m pleased to report that chemotherapy doesn’t actually make a dog go bald.  In fact, after trying more than a half dozen different chemotherapy agents, I can report that the side effects have generally been very mild and with the exception of a few days, I’ve felt really good through it all.

Now you may be wondering how it was that I came to have lymphoma.  Well, I don’t know the answer to that, but I can tell you about my experience and how I was diagnosed.  As the doctors recommend here, I had just been in for my semi-annual physical back in October of that year and I had been given a clean bill of health.  Fast forward a month or so when my people noticed that I started to have these little bumps on my neck.  After watching them for a couple of days hoping that they would go away by themselves, they finally called and made an appointment for me to get them checked out.  Drs. Schroyer and Hathorn told us that it could be cancer and they recommended chest x-rays and a needle biopsy.  Fortunately for me, the x-rays did not indicate that I had tumors in my chest cavity but the needle biopsy came back suggesting cancer.  Since the results were not completely clear, I was then scheduled to have a larger section tested and for this they sedated me.  The results for the biopsy confirmed our fears that I did indeed have lymphoma.

Well, cancer is a word that no one ever wants to hear and I was not the exception.  By the time I had an official diagnosis, it was the week before Christmas and I went in to start my treatment.  As nervous as I was starting out, I was so relieved that in just a few days the bumps were completely gone and I was back to my normal, happy, energetic self. 

Since that time, I’ve had a couple of relapses but Dr. Hathorn and my oncologist have always been working hard to keep the lymphoma at bay.  Lymphoma is a disease that without treatment can kill in a matter of weeks.  I am so grateful for everyone at the Animal Care Clinic and all of their hard work to keep me healthy.  I sincerely hope that none of you will ever have to hear that your loved one has cancer, but if you do, you can feel confident that Dr. Hathorn and everyone at the Animal Care Clinic will work hard to keep you around for a long time to come.

Peace out,
Little Bit