Mount Pleasant Magazine Sept/Oct 2019

174 www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com | www.BestofMP.com “I ’m so sorry to have to tell you this, but it’s lymphoma.” It was May 17, 2018, when we received the phone call from Dr. B of Veterinary Specialty Care with news that would change the course of our lives. Our handsome, beloved Lab/bull terrier pup, Willow, was diagnosed with the worst possible cancer for a dog — stage 5, T-cell gastrointestinal canine lymphoma. With treatment, the prognosis was approximately six months. … And without it, two to four weeks. We adopted Willow from Wild Heir Lab Rescue when he was just 3 months old. With no two-legged kids, Willow was our child, our everything. He had the shiniest black coat, was the smartest dog you ever met and was always healthy — until lymphoma. Canine lymphoma is one of the most common forms of cancer in dogs. It’s an aggressive, incurable cancer, but it can be treated to extend quantity and quality of life. THERE’S NO ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL TREATMENT. The amount of information available on what works, what doesn’t, diets, etc., for lymphoma is overwhelming. BY CHRIST Y PUNCH Canine Lymphoma The Story ofWillow Photo by Jeanne Taylor Photography.