4 minute read
Sadie’s Story
An Australian shepherd endures and surprises during an unexpected oncology diagnosis.
Story and photos by Audrey Hambright
Just like humans, each animal’s health journey is a little different.
Even with all the variables at play, there are still controlled elements — standard procedures so to speak — used to determine the best approach for treatment depending on the diagnosis. It’s methodical, logical and practical. And then there’s Sadie.
Sadie is a 14-year-old Australian shepherd who has been living her best ranch dog life. A very playful dog for her age, Sadie is often dubbed “Nurse Sadie” or “Sadie Nightingale” due to her desire to clean wounds, whether it’s on a horse or a human.
Unexpected discovery
In 2017, when Sadie was 8 years old, her owner Dr. Marty Vanier, DVM class of 1981, noticed some swollen lymph nodes on Sadie and took her to a local clinic. She was referred to the Veterinary Health Center for further examination and testing with the oncology section.
Sadie’s diagnosis was T-zone lymphoma, which is typically an indolent type of lymphoma and very slow progressing. At this point Marty says Sadie didn’t know anything was wrong nor was she exhibiting other signs of illness apart from some large lymph nodes.
“After lots of conversations with the oncology section and angst on my part, I decided not to treat,” Marty says. “I made the decision by comparing the threat to Sadie’s life against the quality of her life at that time. The team and I agreed to a level of lymphocytes at which we would begin treatment regardless of how Sadie was feeling and would certainly begin to treat her if she showed signs of illness.”
Marty brought Sadie in to the VHC for regular checkups. She and the team watched the lymphocyte count go up and hit a peak, then eventually it started to come back down.
The crash
Sadie went five years without any treatment. Then one day, Marty came home over lunch and found that Sadie had crashed.
She quickly brought Sadie into the VHC where the oncology team started to work on her. According to Marty, it took several ultrasounds, X-rays and tapping of her belly before they found anything definitive. Eventually they found a small amount of fluid which had leaked from her intestine due to a perforation in Sadie’s gut. Once this was discovered, she was quickly taken to surgery.
The surgery team removed the perforated section of the gut, which allowed Sadie to improve. The section of gut that was removed was sent to pathology for analysis. The pathology report determined that the edges of the perforation were an aggressive form of T-cell lymphoma.
Once again, there were more conversations and more angst on Marty’s part, but knowing there was lymphoma in the gut that could cause another perforation, she agreed to chemotherapy.
Sadie endured the standard 19-week chemotherapy protocol. The team also sent sections of the gut to be typed and learned that it was genetically distinct from the indolent T-zone lymphoma from Sadie’s original diagnosis. This information told them that Sadie had two distinct types of T-cell lymphoma: one a low-grade type and the other a highgrade type.
Dr. Mary Lynn Higginbotham, professor in oncology and lead clinician on Sadie’s case, says it’s crucial for pet owners to monitor for any changes in their pets, whether that’s appetite or general demeanor.
“There was a big change with Sadie, and Marty didn’t ignore her,” Dr. Higginbotham says. “She could’ve died from that perforation quickly.”
Dr. Higginbotham adds that Sadie was a very good teaching case because as a profession and specialty service, they are still learning about what to expect in terms of the natural progression of the more recently identified types of lymphoma in dogs, such as T-zone lymphoma.
A healthy pup
In September, Sadie celebrated her one-year anniversary of the end of chemotherapy.
Now, Marty says, Sadie’s perfectly normal and just experiencing all the things a 14-year-old dog experiences.
“We still do a check every two-to-three months where they’ll do bloodwork and probably ultrasounds,” she says. “When Sadie gets to the VHC, she knows the drill.”
Marty knows she and Sadie are very lucky and that not everyone’s experience will end as well as this.
“I do not want dog owners to immediately give up hope,” Marty says. “There are advances being made in treating all manner of cancers in dogs. Talk with your veterinarian or find an oncologist to explore treatments. Much of the decision should be based on what’s best for your dog and gives them the best quality of life.”
