The machines are used in conjunction with drug therapy to harvest stem cells that have left the patient’s bone marrow and entered the bloodstream. The harvested cancer-free cells are then reintroduced into the patient after total body radiation has been used to kill residual cancer cells left in the
body.The har- vesting procedure takes six hours,and Lucy would remain in the hospital for two weeks following the painless procedure. But, Lucy was a very sick girl. In early May, 2011, after
returning from Raleigh, North Carolina where they had left Lucy to begin radiation and the BMT, Dorisann received a call from Dr. Jennifer Wilcox at NCSU. They would need to remove Lucy’s uterus, which was very infected. Her bone marrow would be harvested, then frozen until Lucy was healthy enough for the transplant. Lucy remained in ICU for five days after the sur- gery to remove her uterus. The Warygas brought her home later that month, under strict doctors’ orders for lots of bed rest in order to get her strong enough for radiation treatments and the BMT. On May 31, Lucy returned to North Carolina State
University for the procedure. Again, the Warygas, weary from the trip, were understandably concerned about leaving Lucy behind.“She did not understand why we were leaving her,” said
Dorisann.As heartbreaking as it was, it just was not feasible for them to remain in Raleigh over a two-week period. On June 1, Dorisann received a call from Dr.Wilcox. Lucy,
she said,was doing fine following the BMT procedure, and was now awake, looking for something to eat.“That’s our girl,” said Dorisann to the doctor. She said they all laughed with relief, and joked with one another that if Lucy didn’t come home soon, they would all gain weight.“It was the first time since Lucy had come to live with us that we were able to eat a whole meal without her around, staring us down for tidbits,” said Dorisann. They returned to Raleigh the week of June 14 to pick up
Lucy.Thanks to Lucy’s own body, her recovery from the BMT was exactly what the doctors were looking for. Remaining in semi-isolation for about two weeks, her immune system recov- ered and the stem cells began to
regenerate.She was cancer-free, but that did not mean the recovery process was complete. Lucy suffered from fur loss and was highly fatigued. It was important, once she was home, that she receive plenty of rest to regain her strength. To understand why BMT is so useful in cancer treatment, it is helpful to understand how chemotherapy and radiation therapy work. As explained by the National Cancer Institute, “Chemotherapy and radiation therapy generally affect cells that divide rapidly. Cancer cells divide more often than most healthy cells.However, because bone marrow cells also divide frequent- ly, high-dose treatments can severely damage or destroy the patient’s bone marrow. Without healthy bone marrow, the patient may not be able to make the blood cells needed to carry
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oxygen, fight infection, and prevent bleeding.” To qualify for a BMT, dogs must be diagnosed with either
B-cell or T-cell lymphoma. Dogs who have serious pre-existing conditions such as Cushing’s Disease, kidney or heart disease are not good
candidates.The BMT process would most likely put undue stress on their system, creating an unacceptably high risk. It wasn’t too long ago that a dog diagnosed with lymphoma had little hope for survival. Chemotherapy protocols offered lit- tle promise of long term treat- ment success, with rates of less than two percent, and remission times lasting on average just over 12 months. But bone marrow transplant is hopefully changing those odds. Almost 17 months after Lucy had her BMT, she is doing
fine.There was a scare last December when she was diag- nosed with kidney failure. But through utter determination by the Warygas, with careful atten- tion to diet, Lucy’s health improved. She recently had her annual check up, and everything
checked out just fine. “Lucy is a cancer survivor,and we’ll all be wearing our pink ribbons in November during the dog show,” said Dorisann. U
No doubt, the cost of a bone marrow transplant for dogs is expen- sive, between $16,000 and $25,000. For humans, the cost for a BMT is between $100,000 and $250,000, requiring up to six months of hospitalization and care. While the goal is to reduce treatment costs for dogs to under $10,000, that still rep- resents a lot of money for most families, even if pet insurance covers a portion of it. Angel, a Carolina Yellow Dog, was the 15th recipient of a
Y
bone marrow transplant at NCSU. Coming up with that kind of money in just a few months was a daunting task for Kristie and Johnny Sullens. To help raise money for Angel's treatment, the Sullens set up a website called
Save-An-Angel.org, and worked tirelessly to raise the $16,000 needed for her transplant. Motivated by the many dedicated pet owners facing similar situ- ations they encountered along the way, the Sullens decided to turn Save-An-Angel into a full-fledged non-profit organization. Today, the foundation helps educate and provide financial assis- tance to those whose dog might benefit from a bone marrow transplant. Dorisann communicated with the foundation via Facebook during the course of Lucy's treatment. For more infor- mation, visit
www.Save-An-Angel.org Frankie's Friends Charitable Pet Foundation, named in honor of the DeBartolo family's cherished Greyhound, was organized in part, to financially assist families whose pets need to receive life- saving treatments. For more information, visit
www.FrankiesFriends.com of call
888.465.PETS. Rescue: Central Florida Pon Fanciers Club also rescues,
fosters and re-homes PONS. Contact Rescue Chairperson, Bill Gilchrist at
president@floridaponfanciers.org
THE NEW BARKER 63
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