Nellie is a beautiful 13
year old Bishon Frise who doesn’t look a day over five. Her clinical signs were
subtle during the summer of 2012 when she began clearing her throat. The throat clearing progressed to upper
airway noise (loud breathing) and a change in her bark by January of 2013.
Nellie presented to Dr. Eileen
Snakard at VCA Veterinary Referral Associates for evaluation. Her physical
examination revealed a large neck mass displacing her trachea to the left. No
other abnormalities were identified. A
laryngeal examination (looking down her throat) revealed the mass extended
above her left dorsal nasopharynx (top of her throat). A small biopsy was attempted, but the
vascularity of the mass would not allow. A CT scan of the neck was recommended to
identify the parameters of the mass and its association with the trachea,
larynx, esophagus and spinal cord. Essentially, the CT scan would determine if
surgical resection was feasible.
Nellie returned for the scan with
Dr. Katherine Skelly and Willie Laney, our imaging team. Sadly, the results
painted a poor prognosis for her. The CT clarified surgical removal was not
possible. Although definitive therapy was not an option, palliative radiation
therapy was offered with the hope of either reducing the size of the mass or
slowing its growth. Nellie’s family and
I were optimistic.
Nellie received four palliative
radiation treatments at VCA Veterinary Referral Associates. The final
treatments brought with them the spectrum of radiation therapy side effects,
but her large neck mass was no longer palpable!
Nellie handled the side effects with grace and a tail wag. The only semi-long standing side effect was
the rectangle of hair loss at her radiation site which she wore like a badge of
honor. She is now nine months beyond her
last radiation treatment, her badge of honor is covered with fur and we still
cannot locate her tumor on palpation. Thank goodness no one shared the poor
prognosis with Nellie J.
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