Toby, Chief of the Deck
I met Toby when he came in for a routine check up in May of 2006. He was a gorgeous ultra friendly Golden Retriever. He is the type of dog you instantly fall in love with. Just pet me, and I will do anything, just pet me. He was full of life and vitality. His coat was full and shiny indicating the picture of health. He pranced when he moved. His every motion showed stage presence. He always needed to have Paul's hat or the end of his leash in his mouth. Paul and Rebecca were intensely in love with him. They became close friends to all on our veterinary team. This is an example of pets breaking down people barriers. A tail wag and a smile are very strong points to connect with people and pets. There is something magical about dogs going through the greeting ritual. They are so open and honest. You either are in their "pack" or are a foe. There is no middle ground. Toby was a dog that loved everybody. Humans can learn a lot from animals, being friendly is a great way to get and keep friends. I like to remember him for the way he lived.
Toby was a little over a year old when I first met him. Young and adolescent dogs put things in their mouths that end up in the stomach or intestines. He got into Halloween candy one fall. Oral fixations and or a chewer have events happen. He had a few episodes of vomiting and diarrhea that were microbe based. Gastroenteritis is common in dogs. They pick up bugs because they think all things are delectable and edible. Toby had a weakness for metal cookie cutters. He came in one day with gray metal stains on his upper premolars (cheek teeth) and was vomiting. Paul said they found cookie cutter molds all chewed up. They were on the kitchen counter. Radiographs did not show any metal fragments in stomach or intestines. I sent them home with medicine to coat the stomach and instructions that severe vomiting would be reason for an exploratory. They came in with a hand full of metal fragments the next day. Due to having a large volume of food in the stomach, the metal did not show. Toby went on without further problems. He dodged an aluminum bullet that time. January of 2009 he chewed up and swallowed an ink pen. He vomited it up and escaped surgery again. Toby had a chronic skin fungal infection that never went away.
In May of last year Toby came in vomiting again. You are thinking foreign body and that is a good choice. We did radiographs and an exploratory and I found no radiolucent foreign bodies, no linear foreign bodies. I did find a huge spleen. I did a splenectomy. I shipped tissue samples to Dr Barb Powers at Colorado State University. Dr Powers is the best oncology pathologist I have found. She found B cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. I got the report and I could not phone the results. I drove to Paul and Rebecca's home. Bad news needs to be delivered face to face.
They were willing to pursue treatment so I set up an oncology referral at Michigan State University Veterinary Clinical Center. They went through the current chemo protocol for lymphoma. He went in to remission after sixteen weeks. We checked blood counts and examined peripheral blood smears for any neoplastic lymphocytes. I never found any suspicious cells. His last CBC was on Jan 15, 2010, in range and looking good.
Paul took Toby for a long Sunday ride 1/24/2010 cruising country roads, listening to classical music and even stopped for a hamburger. Paul had noticed swelling in the neck region with a little drooling. Monday morning he called Toby's neck had swollen to the size of a football, drooling and a temperature of 104. 6 F. Definitely not a healthy report. Toby went to MSU in case it was just a nasty bacterial infection. Alas, it was lymphoma back with a vengeance. Paul and Rebecca had decided they did not wish to pursue any second round heroics. They wished quality of life over quantity of life. This decision point is good to have in mind when you start cancer treatment. I have traveled this road with my dog Clover. Each case is different and the right decision is made when needed.
I called Paul this morning and asked if I could write about Toby. He also has an incredible photograph of Toby on the Willis S Boyer, a Great Lakes Freighter Museum Ship in Toledo, OH. Paul said it better than I can.
"Attached is my favorite photo in the world. Months ago, I titled it happiness as it is written all over our sweet boy's face and makes me happier than anything when I look at it. You would never think that you were looking at a dog with lymphoma, multiple weeks into chemo treatment when it was taken. Thus, if anyone ever asks if the treatment is the right thing to do the answer is "yes" for as long as your pet keeps smiling. Toby's favorite thing in the world was to go aboard the "freighter boat" and he would perk up anytime he heard those words. He was the ship's mascot, a friend to the entire crew, and above all the best companion in the world. He was my "son. " After going through cancer myself and the prospect of kids becoming more slim, this was never more evident. I always joked with Rebecca that God had worked magic between us and he was my true "blood son. " It was amazing to get your call this morning as I was planning to have this photo framed for your office. Your friendship is priceless and you all have been one of the biggest blessings in our lives. We look forward to seeing you soon and again cannot thank you enough for everything. All the best and God Bless-Paul"
For more information about a specific case, consult your veterinarian.
The outside of a pet is good for the inside of a human.
