Success stories

“After the treatment, she was miserable for a few days, but within a week, she bounced back to normal, doing big walks and going running”, explained Katja. “Lou’s just had her eighth birthday. Without treatment, she wouldn’t have survived or enjoyed such an active life.”

“We intend to share many more years together,” said Katja, “so I don’t hesitate to continue with treatment when necessary.”

Debra couldn’t be happier with the results of Sally’s treatment. “I’ve continued down this path because it’s not invasive,” explained Debra.

There’s always some initial discomfort, but as Debra explained, “they dry up really quickly within a couple of days and heal over.” Today, Sally is happy and as full of energy as an 11-year-old can be and Debra said Sally is still keen for walks and play. “If I pick up her lead, she’s all over me and ready to go.”

Dennis recalled how quiet Mariah became after diagnosis, “she knew things weren’t right”. But after the treatment, it didn’t take long for Mariah to get her energy back. “She was down for the first week and didn’t want to do anything. But then she perked up and, within a month, she got more energy. Now she’s bouncing all over the place and keeps up with our other dog perfectly,” said Dennis.

He also commented on the healing of the tumour site, noting “gradually the skin grew back again and now it’s completely gone. Not even a mark, a dent – nothing. Completely gone.”

Alison explained how each tumour affected Lizzie differently. “The one on her foot we noticed because she was licking it, and the one on her stomach looked different to the others but didn’t bother her much. The one on her face caused her the most discomfort because she would scratch it with her paw.”

When it came to treatment, “each one reacted a little differently, one oozed fluid, another became swollen – but each settled down quickly”, added Alison. “She’s happy, sociable and excitable again. We’re really happy with the outcome – it’s prolonged her life and improved the quality of it.”

Robyn noted how they found a lump on Ivy that grew to the size of a 50-cent piece. “While it wasn’t bothering her, it grew quickly so we had the vet take a look.” The thing Robyn recalls most is how quickly the treatment shrunk the tumor. “It looked a little bit sore and she wasn’t herself for a few days, but it shrunk so much that within a few weeks there was nothing there and she was back to her usual affectionate self. We were all amazed it healed so quickly.”

Barney’s tumour was on his bottom – a tricky place to treat surgically. Wendy explained why the veterinarian’s recommended treatment was an easy choice for them. “They could have tried surgery but may not have got all the tumour because it was so close to the bowel. Plus, as an older dog, there’s always the risks with anesthetics”, explained Wendy.

“The vet gave Barney the first injection, but a few weeks later, he had to have a second one to get the last few spots around the edge,” said Wendy.

Today, Barney is doing well, and Wendy is happy with the result. “You wouldn’t know he had cancer a month ago.”

Piper was facing amputation to remove an MCT on her hind leg.

“That would have been devastating for Piper, who is such a high-energy dog,” explained Tammy. “Through treatment she was a bit more sleepy than usual, but within two weeks, she was back to her usual bouncy, bubbly self again.”

Tammy’s advice to fellow dog owners was simple. “I’d recommend it to anyone.”

Sammi was concerned Ruby would have to be put down after her vet confirmed there wasn’t enough skin on Ruby’s leg, where the MCT was detected, to be cut out. But after a local treatment injected into the tumour, it was an easy decision to treat another MCT that appeared just months afterwards.

“It was amazing to watch because within a day it turned black and the tumour died. All we did was leave it, and it was amazing,” said Sammi. The second MCT took longer to heal, but Sammi noted “at first, it was a deep hole, but now it’s just a shiny scar about the size of a 20-cent piece. I really believe that this was a great option for Ruby. Within days, she was recovering and up again. She did not even need anaesthetics.”

Daisy’s tumour was a lump that looked like a wart on her right leg.

Brigette explained she looked after the wound that formed after treatment. “Within a couple of hours, it started to go black and looked inflamed.”

“There was a bit of a smell, but not so bad that it bothered us,” explained Brigette. “It looked like a scab on top that started to fall away and left a clean crater.”

Today, you can hardly notice the tiny scar and Brigitte happily reported that “there’s no stopping Daisy now. The vet recommended this treatment because the alternative was limb amputation and I can’t imagine her quality of life, so this has been amazing. It’s prevented her from losing her leg.”

Steve described how the wound where Shirley’s tumour used to be didn’t stop her from getting back to normal.

“Within a week of treatment, the lump became swollen and burst,” said Steve. “It smelt at first but within a week, she started coming good – even though the wound was there. It was amazing. Her recovery was incredible. She is now back to being a typical Staffy bullet – she’s nuts!”. Steve added that given the choice again, “we would definitely do this.”

Boston had a lump on his side that grew so quickly. Jacqui took him to the vet to investigate it.

Jacqui said it was reassuring to be able to talk to her vet as the tumour site went through the stages of healing. “It went gloopy at first, but the vet reassured us that was meant to happen. Boston licked the open wound and even tore it a little bit. Again, our vet explained this was part of the healing process. Now a month and a half later, it’s just a small scar that you can hardly see and Boston’s like a new dog. He’d come up and say Hi, wag his tail and put his head in your lap. He gets excited and chases his ball and runs along the beach like his normal happy self.”