Lana Meier (Co-Founder of Dogvocates) Bio

Lana Meier was born in Palo Alto, California and moved to Los Angeles to attend Long Beach State University.

As a young child, her home was always filled with animals and she learned her compassion towards all animals from her parents. Her dad once brought home two baby ducks that he found walking down the street and that is where it began.

Lana has been involved in animal welfare for the past 20 years and works with several rescue organizations in Los Angeles. In 2014, Home Dog LA was created at the North Central Shelter as a non- profit shelter intervention program that helps keep pets with their owners. Lana serves as both the Secretary of the program as well as an Intervention Counselor.

Lana realized the need for Dogvocates through her own personal experiences with pets with cancer. She has had four dogs and one cat with varying types of cancer and found so many people reaching out to her for guidance.  She realized that once people heard the word “cancer” with their pet, they felt lost not knowing what to do and who to turn to. With so many options for treatment, she found that friends that came to her were often so confused as to what they should do.

Through her dog Callie’s battle with anal gland adenocarcinoma, she met Spike, who was Callie’s chemo technician. When Lana’s dog Lila was subsequently diagnosed with cancer at a very young age, they realized the need for an animal advocacy group to guide and educate pet parents as they navigate through a cancer diagnosis.

Spike Vainshtein Brings 18 Years of Experience in Veterinary Medicine to Dogvocates

Spike Vainshtein is a Registered Veterinary Technician with 18 years of experience in the veterinary medicine field.

Born in Lvov, Ukraine in 1973, Spike and family relocated to Rome, Italy in 1977 and eventually settled in Los Angeles in 1978.

Evidence of Spikes love and adoration for animals started very early in life and ultimately led her into the world of veterinary medicine in September 2000.

After 5 years in general practice, she transferred into a Specialty hospital where she spent 13 years immersed in a dynamic environment and actively worked until September 2018.

During that time, Spike was a Technical Surgery Supervisor working directly with multiple Board Certified Veterinary Surgeons and managing a team of anesthesia technicians. While working as a Surgery Tech Supervisor  transitioned into the Oncology department and worked with the head Oncologist for 9 years. She also was a founding member of a companion animal Bone Marrow Transplant team based out of West Los Angeles. Spikes experience also includes anesthesia, radiation oncology, internal medicine, MRI, CT, radiology and emergency medicine.

When not working in the Veterinary world, Spike is a multimedia artist, lighting designer/ fabricator and most importantly a geriatric chihuahua wrangler.

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Testimonial

“My family and I met Spike when she was working in the Oncology department, where unfortunately our dog Buddy had a rare type of nasal cancer. She took such amazing care of our Buddy and we always felt comfortable when she was over seeing his care. Meeting Spike proved to be a long-lasting friendship and we have come to her over the years for advice and questions about our other dogs. In fact, when we went to the vet with another dog, Spike came out to talk to us because she saw his chart was in the back. It was extremely sweet and no one has ever done that for us before. Her helpfulness and sincerity has been a gift to our family, especially our dogs.

In more detail, Spike always spent time to calm our dog and talk to us about how a procedure will go. If I had any questions after, I always called Spike and she would consult the vet or impute her knowledge to me. Spike always kept me in the loop, which, for a nervous dog parent, was the best thing I could ask for. It is clear to see Spike is very involved, interested, and supportive of us - she answered every question we had. We are grateful we had Spike on our path. We always, 100% felt comfortable to leave our sweet Buddy with Spike, because we knew she would take care of him like he was her own dog.
”

— Tiffany Gudkova Founder, Buddy's Angels Rescue

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Do you have a dog or cat recently diagnosed with cancer? Don’t navigate alone, we’re here to help. Click here to email us.

Newman: A Frenchie Without a Scapula

"Pet Mic Monday" is a new Dogvocates series based on an "open mic concept" where pet parents take over our blog to raise cancer awareness by discussing their pets diagnosis, treatment, and outcome with a worldwide community. This week, we are proud to feature Newman: A French Bulldog who has been living a cancer stricken life without a scapula for the past 256+ days. [Follow Dogvocates on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter]

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Name: Newman @newmangusfrenchies
Nicknames: Bug, Buggie, Newmie
Breed: French Bulldog
Gender: Male
Born: 4/8/08
Gotcha Day: June 2008
Location: Boston, MA (Southie to the locals)
Diagnosis: Osteosarcoma of the right scapula (shoulder blade)
Treatment: Surgery to remove his right scapula (shoulder blade), 6 chemotherapy treatments, 4 immunotherapy treatments (& counting), and immunotherapy vaccine booster
Treatment Facilities: Dr. Matt Cleveland (surgery) [Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners ] & Dr. Kim Cronin [New England Veterinary Oncology Group (N.E.V.O.G.)]

Newman was born on April 8, 2008 in a puppy mill. He was underweight and his ears weren’t standing up.  The pet stores didn’t want him so to auction he went. Furkidsrus (rescue operating under the 501C of OBTRS) stepped in to remove him from the cycle.  I found Newman on Petfinder and adopted him in June 2008.  He was sweet from the start.

Right before New Year’s Eve 2017, Newman was in a lot of pain. Our regular vet was unable to diagnose the problem since Newman is so stoic.  There was never any whining or wincing from his exams. After two visits and some medication without improvement, we were told to go and see an orthopedist.  We went to Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners on Jan. 8, 2018. I remember this day with tears as we received news that no one ever wants to hear - cancer.  I broke down and Dr. Cleveland, the man whom I just met not even an hour ago, was comforting me as I sobbed uncontrollably. Newman had a tumor in his right scapula and it was osteosarcoma, aka a death sentence.  Not only was this an aggressive cancer, but it was rare in French Bulldogs and the location was even more rare.  Almost all osteosarcomas occur in limbs of bigger breed dogs. 

Preparing for Surgery

Recovering After Surgery

Icing After Surgery at Home

Stroller Rides After Surgery

Newman went in for surgery on Jan. 15, 2018.  Dr. Cleveland told me that right after he removed the tumor from Newman all of his vitals increased.  That was how much pain that tumor caused him and how much stress his body was under.  I was surprised how his body healed.  It took him a few weeks before he started using his leg again. 

Original prognosis was maybe 286 days if he had surgery and chemo.  Newman had his first chemo treatment on Jan. 31, 2018 and the countdown in my head began.  I wanted to enjoy the time I had with him, but in my head every day I had with him was one day closer to day 286.  It was explained to me that 6 treatments is what they do because more is not necessarily better and in this case, 6 is optimal due to how it affects the bone marrow.  Before the 3rd chemo treatment, chest X-rays are needed to see if the cancer has spread.  Osteosarcoma is microscopic so it is spreading unseen which is what the chemo is supposed to combat.

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Newman at his last chemo treatment

Before the 3rd treatment, I couldn’t sleep and feared the worst.  With my heart in my throat, I waited to hear the results that I prayed for - that the scans were clean and that we could continue on with treatment.  And that is how every treatment went after that.  Heart in my throat followed by the news I prayed for.  At the 5th treatment visit, I asked Dr. Cronin about Opdivo and said that I couldn’t be done after the 6th treatment.  I was exhilarated to hear that Dr. Cronin wanted to talk to me about an immunotherapy vaccine that was being safety trialed.  She gave me the clinical cancer research paper on an immunotherapy vaccine trial in canine osteosarcoma and said she was going to see if he qualified.  Now I waited with my heart in my throat again waiting to hear. 

“This time, we had a bit of a curve ball.”

— Newman's Human Mom

Although Newman did not qualify for the trial since he was not a limb amputee, Dr. Cronin petitioned on behalf of compassionate care and was able to receive the vaccine to administer to Newman. Jubilation!  We weren’t done!  We could continue the fight!  Newman had 3 immunotherapy vaccines and then just recently had the immunotherapy vaccine booster.  We believe that this was the game changer. 

“We surpassed the original prognosis of 286 days!  Every day is a gift with Newman.  He is our sunshine.”

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Fun Fact: Years ago, we forgot to latch his crate shut when we left for work. I opened the door to find one of his blankets in the sun patch and the other one in front of our other do, Gracie’s crate. I imagine he tried to bust her out which is why her crate was askew. When he couldn’t get her out, he put one of his blankets in front of her crate so he could lay by her and the other one in the sun so he could catch some rays. Priorities!

• Hobbies:  Sunbathing, sleeping, cuddling 

• Favorite Pastimes: Car rides & going on walks

• Favorite Foods: Cheese, pizza crust, hot dogs                                                          

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DO YOU HAVE A DOG OR CAT RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER? DON’T NAVIGATE ALONE, DOGVOCATES IS HERE TO HELP. CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED.

Chestnut: A Dogs Life Well Lived

"Pet Mic Monday" is a new Dogvocates series based on an "open mic concept" where pet parents take over our blog to raise cancer awareness by discussing their pets diagnosis, treatment, and outcome with a worldwide community. This week, we are proud to feature Chestnut : A Corgi-mix rescue who recently lost his life to abdominal Lymphoma. During his last months of life, Chestnut’s parent started his life motto - “no regrets!” and boy did they live up to it! [Follow Dogvocates on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter]

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Breed: Mutt. We guess Corgi / Pomeranian / Chihuahua
Gender: Male
Gotcha Day: 12/17/16
Death: 11/28/18
Diagnosis: Lymphoma. He showed no outwards signs, but his abdominal lymph nodes were enlarged. He was briefly in remission as a result of treatment, but the cancer eventually metastasized to his liver.
Treatment: CHOP protocol except using mitoxantrone instead of doxurobucine - 2 rounds of CHOP on a weekly interval, then the 3rd (and last) round of CHOP he received was biweekly. He was supposed to have 1 more biweekly but he passed away before he could start it.
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Chestnut lived a life of no regrets. He was a special dog. I’m sure every dog owner is biased and believes that about their dog, but Chestnut was special because of the many obstacles we had to overcome. We actually almost couldn’t keep him at one point. Especially after he was diagnosed with cancer, we wondered if we made the right decision to keep him when we had valid reasons to give him up before, but the lessons he taught us through his life and death lead me to believe that he was meant to be a part of our lives, just as much as we were meant to save his.

I wish we wanted a rescue dog out of the goodness of our hearts, but the truth is we wanted an adult corgi (my favorite breed) that was already housebroken. Chestnut looked like a mix and that was good enough for me. They said they found him as a stray and he was listed as 2 years old with no health or behavioral issues. He seemed great! We contacted the rescue, informed them we had no backyard and both worked full-time, and asked if Chestnut would be a good fit for us given that lifestyle. They said yes and told us to check him out. We saw him and instantly connected. The rescue said that we seemed like good people so they would bypass the home check. That sure was an ego boost. We took him home that day and our world was rocked upside down. The different vets we took him to gave us varying age ranges of 2-7 years old (we settled on 5). It was also clear that Chestnut had been an outdoor dog all his life, so becoming an indoor dog was a huge adjustment, especially because he had so much energy. A few weeks later, we found out he had severe epilepsy, which we believe is information that was withheld from us. A few months later, he began to have behavioral issues, including aggression towards us. We thought we were at the end of how much we could take.

We called Queen’s Best Stumpy Dog Rescue to ask if they could accept him because even though we loved him, we didn’t think we could care for him anymore, and we didn’t want him to end up back at the original rescue or the pound. QBSDR’s founder convinced us to give him one more chance. She promised she would help us through this, and she kept her word. She and the organization’s volunteers showed us so much patience and kindness when we took him on hikes or left him with the rescue when we went on vacation. We are forever grateful for their love, care, and generosity as Chestnut might not have been able to have a home without them. It took about a year of living with us for Chestnut to feel comfortable and for us to really enjoy having a dog rather than feeling drained by him. He finally understood that this was home and that we were family.

About 6 months later, our usually-always-hungry guy started eating less, until one day he wouldn’t eat at all and was throwing up constantly. We rushed him to the ER, where they recommended we get an ultrasound. It was more expensive than the standard blood work and x-rays, but I was glad we did it. The blood work and x-rays showed nothing concerning, but the ultrasound showed his abdominal lymph nodes were enlarged. A biopsy confirmed it was cancer. The oncologist believed that since it didn’t manifest externally, the cancer was quite severe and he’d only have 1-4 months to live, even on treatment.

What does it mean to live? What does it mean to have one more chance at life? He hadn’t made so much progress in his health and behavior for nothing.

“This is when we started our motto for Chestnut’s life – no regrets.”

— Chestnut's Human Parents

The odds were slim, but we didn’t want to give up without giving him a chance, so we decided to pursue treatment with the goal always being to make sure he had a comfortable life. If at any point the treatment was harming him, we were ready to stop. Along with that, we didn’t think treatment was going to be worth it unless we made the most of his life. We were determined to go on adventures and make every last memory count.

In his last months, Chestnut lived life with so much fulfillment and meaning, probably better than some humans do. We had a family photoshoot, went out for beers together, took a boat tour, swam, hiked, went to a doggy art exhibit, visited the Staples Center, took a road trip to the Bay Area, visited UC Berkeley, went wine tasting at Jack London Square, and visited Google. During that time, he was able to eat cupcakes, strawberries, blueberries, salmon, broccoli, In-N-Out, McDonald’s ice cream, Starbucks puppuccino, pumpkin pie, bacon, prosciutto, and his absolute favorite- tacos. Others helped us give him a great life too by joining us on adventures, sending us care packages, letting him sit in a police car, and even drawing a caricature of him. Our favorite bucket list memory of him was when we went paddle boarding. He didn’t like that we were all drifting apart so he kept jumping off the board to swim to each of us! He even tried to keep the boards together with his front legs on one and back legs on the other. He ended up looking like slinky dog and falling into the water. It was funny and endearing. We believe love is what saved him. He outlived his prognosis and was in remission for a short time. He always had a smile on his face and he never seemed to be in pain, until he was.

The week before his death, we got word that his cancer had metastasized to his liver and he had an 8.5 x 10 cm tumor. Chestnut was only 18 lbs, so we imagine that the tumor on his liver must’ve been bigger than his actual liver. The fact that he was living with that large of a tumor was incredible and heartbreaking. He rarely showed signs of pain. Always smiling and happy. He lived with such a positive attitude because he loved us so much he didn’t want us to worry. That’s why when it was time, we really knew it was time. We made plans that we would wait until the late evening to put him to sleep because we wanted one last best day ever with him. We both took the day off work and had to think about what was left on his bucket list to accomplish. We realized there was nothing left- Chestnut had lived a full and complete life. We took him around his favorite park one last time, spent the day driving around to see people and dogs that he loved (human “cousin” pictured below), gave him his favorite tacos for one last meal, then we had to say goodbye to him.

I knew this day would come but I never imagined how incredibly hard and painful it would be. I miss him so much and I still cry when I think about living life without him, and that’s okay. How blessed were we that saying goodbye has been this hard? The pain of losing Chestnut is the worst thing I’ve ever felt, but I wouldn’t have it any other way because it shows what a meaningful impact he’s made on our lives.

Looking back, I’ve learned to take Chestnut’s cancer diagnosis as a blessing. I would never ever wish anyone the pain of having to live with knowing their dog has a terminal illness, nor do I want to do that again, however my best memories of Chestnut were made in his last 4.5 months.

“Life gave us lemons and we didn’t just make lemonade with it – we made lemon drops and lemon meringue pie, too.”

— AShley, Chestnuts Human Mom

Some of #chestnutsbucketlist adventures would have never happened without this urgency to live. There are no guarantees in life so we knew we had to make every day count. We really lived everyday like it was his last.

It’s ironic to look back on the beginning and to how it all played out. Chestnut should have never been allowed to be our dog. I can’t even rationalize it because it was so irresponsible, but at the same time, this is the way it was supposed to be. Chestnut was meant to come into our lives just as much as we were meant to be in his. No regrets. That’s how we made sure he lived his life, and now, we must take this and the other lessons he’s taught us into our new lives without him. #chestnutslifeofnoregrets

Fun Fact: Chestnut was featured on the news in promotion of SoCal Corgi Beach Day and participated in a pie eating contest. He lost. (Click here to watch the pie eating contest - 2nd video)

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DO YOU HAVE A DOG OR CAT RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER? DON’T NAVIGATE ALONE, DOGVOCATES IS HERE TO HELP. CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED.

Capone "aka Big Bear" the Chocolate Lab

"Pet Mic Monday" is a new Dogvocates series based on an "open mic concept" where pet parents take over our blog to raise cancer awareness by discussing their pets diagnosis, treatment, and outcome with a worldwide community. This week, we are proud to feature Capone Riccaldo, the gentle English Chocolate Labrador Retriever who lost his battle to cancer (Sarcoma) just shy of his 10th birthday. HIs memory lives on in Capone’s Crew! [Follow Dogvocates’ Pet Mic Monday series on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter]

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Name: Capone Riccaldo
Nicknames: Bone & Big Bear
Breed: English Chocolate Labrador Retriever
Born: November 14, 2008 in Mapleton Maine. USA 
Lost His Life: December 4 , 2018
Lived In: Florida & New York USA

Like most dogs, Capone was loyal and a good friend to the end. He was very strong, but yet so gentle. He loved to wrestle and play rough, but was also a big baby. Swimming, running, and SOCKS we’re some of his favorite past times.

On November 6, 2018, shortly before Capone’s 10th birthday, his human daddy, Bryan, noticed Capone limping on his left front paw. Limping wasn’t out of the norm, per se, as Capone and Bryan would run and walk 3-5 miles daily, and limping had occurred in the past. The very next day, however, Bryan noticed the limping was getting worse so off to Capone’s vet the went. During this appointment the vet took x-rays and mentioned Capone may have a chipped bone. Capone received an injection for the pain and was sent home.

Capone (center) with Dad Brian Sr. (left) and Human Brother Brian Jr. (right)

Five days later, November 12th, the limping was still not getting better, so off to the vet they went…again. Capone was given another set of x-rays with the same outcome, “bone chip.” Another injection for the pain and off they went. The very next day, November 13th, Bryan noticed a bump on Capone’s left shoulder. This time Bryan made a house call to a different vet who arrived to examine Capone in the comfort of his own home, as he was concerned at how quickly the bump grew - basically overnight. This time the vet directed Bryan to take Capone to a Specialist. Capone received yet another injection (Tramadol) for the pain.

Three days later, November 16th, Capone visited the Specialist where he was seen by three doctors, including an Oncologist and a Surgeon. An ultra sound, CT scan, and a biopsy was performed. Capone and Bryan headed home with a prescription of Tramadol and Gabapentin as they waited for the test results. The very next day, Capone was up for an afternoon walk when Bryan noticed Capone was urinating blood. They immediately rushed to the Specialist Hospital as an emergency patient. Capone was kept overnight for more tests. On November 18th, Bryan spent all day at the hospital waiting for results. He spent only 1.5 hours away as he had to pick up Capone’s human brother from the airport. Upon returning, the doctors informed them Capone had a VERY aggressive Sarcoma tumor that was “invading his chest”. The tumor was growing at a fast rate of speed! Surgery was not an option due to the location of the tumor. Radiation was an option but would only prolong the pain. Doctors informed Bryan to take Capone home and make him as comfortable as possible.

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A Few Memories of Capone

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November 19th was “PURE HELL” as five prescribed medications were not helping Capone’s pain management. Lack of sleep set in as Capone would cry in pain most nights. Bryan insisted on sleeping with him on the floor to keep him as comfortable as possible.

Day and night, Bryan was there with Capone. They continued going for walks which made Capone so happy! They would sit outside for hours in the middle of the night, as Bryan believed the stillness, wind, and smells kept Capone from feeling the pain. Hand feeding came into play, around-the-clock medicine, and peanut butter too.

Bryan watched as his strong-as-a-bull pup fell apart in front of him as he had to make the tough decision to put Capone down on December 4th at 9am.

Capone and his human brother, Brian Jr, just hours before Capone’s last breath. This is love.

You already know Capone went out on top! The night before his euthanasia, December 3rd, Capone had a dinner party with Bryan and his human brother. The last supper consisted of meatballs, calzone, peanut butter, ice cream, and for the first time in his life Capone had a small piece of chocolate. At 9:51am, in his favorite bed, in the arms of Bryan and his human brother, Capone took his last breath. That last breath didn’t come without tons of licks (aka kisses) to Bryan’s face. Capone was put in the car and off to his private cremation.

Capone’s death via cancer left Bryan stunned, angry, and guilty as he felt he was not educated enough in the disease. He doesn’t understand how this happened as Capone was given the best food his entire life: eggs, chicken (protein), green vegetables, berries, etc and walked and ran miles each day. Capone was a strong and otherwise healthy dog.

Before signing off, we like to leave you with a FUn FACT and funny moment from the pets life. In this case, we leave you with two funny moments from Capone’s life:

Capone as a youngster in the snow

Capone loved to swim

Moment #1: Occurred when Capone was 2 or 3 years old. Capone was to meet with, and be interviewed by, the Director of the Children’s Cancer Unit to become a therapy dog at a Children’s Hospital in Florida.

Bryan and Capone are on their way to the hospital, as Bryan repeatedly talked to Capone telling him how, “important this was,” how he needed him to “be a good boy,” and he needed him to “stand up straight.”

As the duo entered the Children’s Hospital, they were asked to sit in the waiting. Capone laid at Brian’s feet with his leash wrapped tightly around Bryan’s hand just steps from the door. Fifteen minutes later that door opened rather quickly. Capone lunged, barked, and growled at the woman. Bryan stood up, shook the woman’s hand, and apologized for wasting her time. Needless to say, Capone got an earful on the car ride home and that was the end of Capone’s therapy dog career.

Moment #2: There was a dog park in Florida which was closed for a Veterans Hospital use. A veteran soldier in a wheelchair was a regular at the park. He didn’t have a dog, but loved them so much he would stay at the park all day to play with them. One Saturday Capone was in the park and became very curious of the wheelchair. What does Capone do next? Yep, urinated on the the soldier’s wheelchair with him sitting in it! Bryan was devastated and beyond embarrassed. Bryan immediately washed it down with a bottle of water. Luckily, the soldier found it amusing. So much so Bryan and the soldier laughed about it for hours.

Capone’s life lives on as Bryan has started Capone’s Crew to help raise Canine Cancer awareness! Follow them now on Instagram and Facebook.

DO YOU HAVE A DOG OR CAT RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER? DON’T NAVIGATE ALONE, DOGVOCATES IS HERE TO HELP. CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED.

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Indy, the Craft Beer-Loving, Golden Tripod

"Pet Mic Monday" is a new Dogvocates series based on an "open mic concept" where pet parents take over our blog to raise cancer awareness by discussing their pets diagnosis, treatment, and outcome with a worldwide community. This week, we are proud to feature Indiana Jones, the craft beer-loving Golden Retriever tripod, who lost a leg to Osteosarcoma and is still living strong nearly five years later!

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Name: Indiana Jones
Breed: Golden Retriever
D.O.B: May 16th, 2007
Gender: Male
Lives In: Upstate NY since he was nine weeks old
Diagnosis: Osteosarcoma July of 2014
Nickname: Indy

One day, shortly after Indy’s seventh birthday, he started limping. We took him to his vet, who took X-rays that were inconclusive. We figured it was soft tissue damage incurred from roughhousing with his sister Penny. The vet gave us an anti-inflammatory and sent us on our way.

He got better after a couple of days, and things seemed fine. About two weeks later, the limp returned, and it was obvious that the Big Guy was in pain. We went back to the vet, and a new x-ray showed what appeared to be shading. It was obviously something more than a roughhousing injury. Insert Osteosarcoma into Indy’s life.

We consulted with his  vet, Dr. Laurie Coger, and within a month we decided amputation of his right front leg was the best option. It’s amazing how quickly he adapted to having only three legs! It was only a few weeks before Indy was hopping back on the couch and playing with his fur sister again.

After the successful amputation, we decided to do more. We were referred to Dr. Impellizeri at Veterinary Oncology Services for further treatment — Carboplatin Chemotherapy — and were lucky enough to get him in an experimental electro-immunotherapy trial. We had to purchase the drug from Italy, and drive an hour and a half down to Dr. I’s office for treatment. Indy was in the trial for approximately 18 months. His treatments schedule started off at once every three weeks, then to once a month, and finally once every other month. The first couple of rounds were a little tough on Indy. During treatment we noticed a fatty cyst on his other front leg had grown, but we utilized marijuana tincture to help with pain and realized it must’ve helped with the the shrinkage of the cyst too! Indy persevered like a champ! He was one of the longest lasting dogs in the trial, and we only stopped because he had to be put under anesthesia each time for administration which was getting to be too much for him. A couple of years have passed since his last treatment and there have been zero sign of cancer.

Soon after his diagnosis, we started Facebook and Instagram pages (@indylikesbeer) for him, and has developed quite a following. I, his human dad, am a big fan of craft beer, and had always used the dogs as a backdrop for pictures of what new craft beer I was drinking on my own Facebook account. So it seemed like a natural fit to switch the focus from the beer to the dog.

Indy continues to live a life of leisure with his siblings Penelope and Cheddar in the hills of upstate New York, USA. He is an inspiration to all who meet him.  He is my hero, and has taught me more about life and perseverance than anyone before him. He is my best friend forever. But in truth, I will always play second fiddle in his eyes to his Mommy, and I accept that. 

Indy gets ice cream!

Indy LOVES: Craft beer, of course. His (his human dad’s) top three are (1) Lou Pepe Framboise from Brasserie Cantillion, a Rasberry Lambic (2) Green from Tree House Brewing Co. (3) Arthur, a Farmhouse Saison from Hill Farmstead Brewery.

Fun Fact: The day Indy’s stitches came out, we stopped for ice cream on the way home. He walked right up, hopped up, putting his only front leg on the counter and demanded his ice cream. It was a beautiful moment, and it brought tears to my eyes.

DO YOU HAVE A DOG OR CAT RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER? DON’T NAVIGATE ALONE, DOGVOCATES IS HERE TO HELP. CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED.

Joey "The Good" Pit Bull

"Pet Mic Monday" is a new Dogvocates series based on an "open mic concept" where pet parents take over our blog to raise cancer awareness by discussing their pets diagnosis, treatment, and outcome with a worldwide community. This week, we are proud to feature Joey - a Pit Bull who found himself fighting for his life in a dog ring, and now fighting canine cancer.

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Name: Joey
Nickname:
Breed: Pit Bull
(Re)Born: January 18, 2013, he was 9 years old
Lives In: Undisclosed for the sake of Joey’s safety

Joey came to live with his human parents 5 years ago (2013). He was estimated to be 9 years old (estimated birth year 2004). Joey was the product of many dogs seized from a large dog fighting ring in NYS (Location cannot be disclosed for his safety). He grew up in a dogfighter’s yard, raised by a man who chained six week old puppies to barrels. He was raised without kindness or compassion; grew up learning cruelty and pain from humans.

After the legality of the ring was finalized and his life was spared, Joey had to learn how to relive.
He has shown nothing but forgiveness and has proven how inherently good the Pit Bull breed truly is.

Joey was reborn on January 8th 2013, the day he came home. I promised him on that day, that he would never have to fight again. Little did I know that on Oct 20, 2018 I would have to go back on my word. On that morning I felt a lump in his throat, not even that big. I could have blown it off until after work because he seemed 100% normal, but I knew. Somehow, I knew. Biopsies were done and the longest week of my life began; "the wait".

I was driving home from work when my vets number came up, I quickly pulled over before answering. Joey had lymphoma. I broke down and sobbed in that parking lot, for what seemed like hours. We immediately got in to see a team of oncologists (Oradell Animal Hospital) to diagnosis if it was B or T cell. 

I prayed for B cell, at least he'd have a chance. So, we waited again for results. 
5 agonizing days later I got the call, it was B cell!! 

That started a very long, emotional conversation with Dr. Bailey about our choices. We could keep him very comfortable for 4-6 more weeks on prednisone, or we could choose a course of chemo and "fight again.”

Joey had been with me for almost 5 years at the time, not nearly long enough. One moment, I’d think I should accept saying goodbye and try to feel some gratitude for the time we’d had together. The next moment, I’d fill up with a stubborn drive to fight back, no matter what it took. It was exhausting and heartbreaking. There’s just no way to prepare yourself to make that kind of decision.

Joey’s doctor was very patient with me, and helped me to weigh the options carefully. At one point, he gently suggested, “Another way to consider this is to ask yourself, what would you be willing to do for 2 more years with Joey?”

The answer? There was NOTHING I wouldn’t do to help him, and I certainly couldn’t put a price tag on it. That brought the perspective I needed. In fact, it was a gift to be able to do something at all to extend his life. I knew I would regret not taking action. I was ready for us to go forward with chemo. We started the next day. 

We are currently doing the CHOP protocol, which is a multidrug chemotherapy treatment for canine lymphoma. Joey will have 24 treatments. 1 treatment a week for 6 months. We currently just finished his 10th and he's doing incredibly. So great in fact, that we we will be switching to every other week, as the lymphoma is currently steadily in remission. 

Joey DESERVES to live a life of love. He is DETERMINED to cheat death yet again, and win this battle. I will do whatever it takes, to make sure that he gets what he deserves. 

A GoFund Me page has been set up to help Joey and his family with chemotherapy treatment costs: https://www.gofundme.com/b9qak-joey-strong

Before signing off, we like to leave you with a Fun Fact and/or funny moment from the pet’s life:

Joey LOVES: To sit in the sun and roll in the grass. His very favorite thing in the whole wide world is rides in the car.

Fun Fact: Joey is "The Mayor" when he goes for treatments. He must stop to greet every human and dog as he walks down the hallways. Some are taken aback by the "Scary Pit Bull" but he quickly  changes their minds with big, sloppy kisses!

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My Path Into Veterinary Oncology

In 1984, the word CANCER was inducted into my vocabulary for the first time and without warning. My dad, who was a beast of a man, a boxer in the former Soviet Union and the epitome of physical fitness, was now diagnosed with leukemia.  The oncologist immediately initiated an aggressive chemotherapy protocol.  Six months after starting treatment, despite losing half his body weight and his coveted semitic afro, my dad was in remission and was kicking cancer’s arse. With help and support from my mom, the traditional Chinese herbalist she found (years before the internet) and chemotherapy, my dad eventually defeated his leukemia. By that point at the age of 11, I had a healthy fear and comprehension of cancer and chemotherapy. I knew without a doubt that, without chemo and the adjunctive Chinese herbs, my dad would have died.  Ultimately he lived for another 12+ years cancer free.

When I began working in the veterinary field in 2002, I knew I found my career path. It wasn’t until 2007 when I transferred into the oncology department of a specialty hospital that I knew I found my “calling.” I had a tendency to gravitate towards the older or more fragile patients who needed more TLC so it was no surprise I ended up in oncology for 9 years. Many clients have asked me, “how can you work in the oncology?” My answer: it’s the hardest job I’ve ever loved and hated. I loved my patients and cherished the bonds we had.  I wanted all my patients to think they were at doggy day care not at the hospital getting treated for cancer. One of my favorite patients was a Boxer named Stella who was diagnosed with lymphoma. On her first visit, Stella was so nervous that she refused to leave the car. Eventually her dad got her out but she was still adamant about not coming into the hospital. When I went into the lobby to introduce myself, I saw a man standing at the reception counter with a full grown boxer dog in his arms and wrapped around his neck like a scarf. Stella’s reluctance was short lived, and every subsequent visit involved Stella running full speed towards the hospital entrance while her dad trailed behind a completely extended leash.

My approach with patients was to treat them as if they were my own while they were at the hospital. Like other pet parents, I want to know that my fur kids are well taken care of while they are not with me. Veterinary hospitals can be extremely scary for our pets and they pick up on things like smells and sounds that may not register to us humans.

The diagnosis of Cancer in our pets is devastating and overwhelming. There are many options available these days, and with the help of a veterinary oncologist, finding the right treatment plan may be easier than expected.

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Tune in next week as we kick off our new “Pet Mic Monday” series!

"Pet Mic Monday" is a new Dogvocates series based on an "open mic concept" where pet parents take over our blog to raise cancer awareness by discussing their pets diagnosis, treatment, and outcome with a worldwide pet community .

To learn more about how Dogvocates can help you and your fur baby during a cancer diagnosis, tap here. Please follow us on Facebook & Instagram!