Shamrock's Cancer by Peter McGahan

Shamrock was a high energy, warm, loving Golden Retriever that touched everyone that met him. At then end of July 2003, I almost lost Shamrock. The lymph nodes in his neck and legs swelled up to the size of softballs. He could barely walk and was extremely lethargic (which was highly unusual for this 4 year old Golden). His temperature was over 105 degrees and his white blood count was higher than the Veterinarian had ever seen. I was told that he needed to be taken into the Animal Hospital and that he may not make it through the day. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. With the help of antibiotics his temperature came down and his white blood count came partially down. After a week in the Hospital, Shamrock was sent home with plenty of medication. It was at this point, I started to get nervous about the vet, as he did not seem to have any idea what was wrong with Shamrock.

Unfortunately, the lymph nodes were not getting smaller after he got home, and was on medication for a few days. Since the Vet had no idea what else to do, he gave me the name of a specialist in Westbury, LI. This was the Hospital for Specialized Veterinary Care. It recently opened in early 2003 and is a state of the art facility that has numerous veterinarians who specialize in various areas, such as Oncology. On August 14, 2003 (yes, the day of the East Coast Blackout!!) Shamrock, was diagnosed with Lymphoma. What I was told was that Lymphoma is a treatable type of Cancer and they have had good success with treating and getting the animals into remission. At that point they can lead a comfortable and sometimes normal life for the rest of their lives. Which unfortunately, can range from a few months to a few years. The higher percentages tend to lean closer to the lower number. The Doctors were very upfront, yet comforting. I think I was in a bit of shock that my 4 year old was so sick.

I was told Shamrock needed to see the Oncologist (Dr. Post) and be put on Chemotherapy immediately. If not, Shamrock would probably die within 4-6 weeks. Talk about heartwrenching! And to add misery, nobody knew what caused the blackout and I had to leave Shamrock at the Hospital. Not only did I have to worry about him, but what was happening in the world. The 20 minute ride home became a 2 hour venture of weaving through towns to avoid traffic. Then arriving at home and not being able to call anyone to talk about it!

At first, Shamrock was on chemo weekly. The plan was to put him on weekly chemo for 3 months and then every other week for 3 more months. Shamrock responded very well to the treatments, with a few minor problems. His life, for the most part, was pretty normal and he never seemed to be in any discomfort and pain. We made lots of friends at the Hospital. It was an amazing place. Everyone loved him so much and treated him like a king!

Unfortunately, near the end of 6 months, Shamrock seemed to be gagging and his bark had changed. Dr. Post checked his tonsils, and they appeared to be very large. Dr. Post felt that they should be biospsied to see if the cancer had gotten into the tonsils. The result was positive and Shamrock had 3 treatments of radiation over a period of a week and started back on the protocol again.

Unfortunately, Shamrock became very ill at the end of March 2004. His neck swelled up to the point where he could barely breathe. The quality of his life reached a point where it didn't seem fair to put him through so much pain and discomfort. He deserved better. There were options, but the chances of any quality of life seemed too remote to put him through any more.

He fought hard, but he lost his battle 3 days after his 5th Birthday, April 6, 2004. I was lucky to have been there with Shamrock when he passed away. He was so peaceful and at ease. I was the last thing he saw when he went. That means so much to me. My partner Joe, Dr. Post, and some of the wonderful staff that helped us through that last horrible day were there. I don't know how we would have dealt with everything without the staff at the Center for Specialized Veterinary Care. Words will never express how much I appreciated all of their help. I was so lucky to have gotten 7 wonderful months with Shamrock after he was diagnosed. For almost the entire time, he had a normal, happy life. At times, I needed to remind myself that his time was limited, so we made sure to enjoy every minute he was here.

Until this happened I had no idea of cancer in animals and how much research is going on in this area. In doing my own research on the topic, I found that a lot of this research was not only being used for animal cancer, but for human cancer. When I was first told of Shamrock's lymphoma, I had a hard decision to make. The chemotherapy treatments are very expensive, it takes up time each week, there is potential for reactions to the chemo and the fact that the survival rate was low. I would not have done it if I didn't think that he would have a normal and enjoyable rest of his life. What made the final decision easier was knowing that this would be part of Dr. Post's research that could potentially help other animals and possibly humans.

Until I got Shamrock, I never realized how many people in the world have pets, how easy it is to make them part of the family, and how many wonderful people there are out there that are willing to help animals.

The unfortunate part is that not many people are aware of the number of pets that die from cancer. Since they become an important part of our family, we need to make sure they stay healthy and happy.