My Basset Hound, Odie Longfellow, died on December 28, 1999, after a yearlong battle with a cancer known as canine lymphoma. He was almost nine years old. This is our story, told so others can benefit from it.

A Devastating Discovery - I first noticed a lump on Odie's lower neck in mid-January 1999, several weeks shy of his eighth birthday. A few days later, we were at the University of Minnesota's Small Animal Hospital confirming my vet's initial diagnosis: canine lymphoma. The oncologist told me this type of cancer has no cure and left untreated, would quickly claim my dog's life.

I was devastated!

Difficult Choices - Fortunately, a number of therapy options exist that can postpone the inevitable outcome by forcing the cancer into remission. However, before I could decide on one, I needed to answer two questions: How much would it cost and how long would the remission last?

The first option was no treatment of any kind, instead relying on hope and a prayer. Because lymphoma is very aggressive, Odie would die within several months if left untreated. He meant too much to me to consider this option, so I quickly discarded it and moved on to the next one.

Prednisone was the next alternative, a low-cost drug that's given easily at home. Unfortunately, it only slows the rapid growth of lymphoma, extending my dog's life just three or four months. This was certainly better than doing nothing, but fell short of my hoped for goal of extending Odie's life at least a year (I wanted Odie to be around for his ninth birthday in January 2000).

The last option was to use chemotherapy. It is the most effective option, but also the costliest in terms of money, time, and effort. Nevertheless, it would significantly increase Odie's life expectancy, with average remission times of eleven months.

Chemotherapy for canine lymphoma consists of a 12-week, five drug cyclic protocol, or induction protocol for short, followed by maintenance drugs given every third week. The maintenance continues for one year or until the cancer reappears. Despite estimated expenses of $4000 a year and repeated visits to the vet hospital, I decided to go forward with it. Our first scheduled visit was January 21, 1999.

Next >>

Odie's Year with Cancer
Discovery | Remission | Recurrence | Farewell

Odie's Chemotherapy
12-Week Protocol | Side Effects

Resources
Other Stories | References

Please email me, John Arnold,
with your comments or questions.

Posted: May 29, 2000