Boxer Dog with Brain Tumor Gets a Second Chance

When Peyton, a sweet 8-year-old Boxer, experienced two seizures in a day, her family rushed her to the vet, where she experienced dozens more 10-second seizures. The vet suggested that Peyton's human caretakers, Rob and Renee Henderson, take the dog to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Purdue University immediately, because "there was definitely something neurological going on."

At the hospital, Peyton was sedated while they performed an MRI. That was a Friday. The results came back on Monday, and the Hendersons drove back to the university to receive the news in person -- it was that bad. They were informed that Peyton was suffering from a brain tumor and had only a month to live. Even with surgery, there were no guarantees. The Hendersons were devastated.

Things looked grim for Peyton when she began experiencing seizures. Photo by Jon L. Hendricks for The Times.

The following day, however, the family received a phone call from Timothy Bentley, the veterinary neurosurgeon at Purdue who had seen Peyton. He wanted to know whether the Hendersons were willing to let Peyton participate in their canine brain-tumor clinical trials program. The procedure included using a sample of her glioma tumor as a vaccine against it. Additionally, the expensive surgery and subsequent chemotherapy would be free.

The Hendersons are happy to have Peyton in their lives still. Photo by Jon L. Hendricks for The Times.

Peyton's participation will help not only other dogs, but humans who are suffering from gliomas and other brain tumors as well. 

Following surgery, Peyton lost vision in her right eye, but is otherwise doing well. She is no longer experiencing seizures, and Dr. Bentley calls her progress a complete success.

While the trials have yet to reach conclusive results, Peyton is certainly benefiting from them, and will go down in the annals of medicine as a humble canine companion who has proved how much we need dogs in our lives.

Following surgery, Peyton has to relearn a lot of her motor skills, just like a human who has experienced a stroke. Photo by Jon L. Hendricks for The Times.

Via NWI.com

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Covering Global Pet Expo is different the second time

What a difference a year makes. As we wrap up coverage from this year’s Global Pet Expo, I can’t help but look back on where I was and how I was feeling a year ago.

While I was blogging last year, I couldn’t tell you at the time how intimidated I was by the whole scene. I mean, c’mon, I had scarcely been on the Pet Connection staff a few months.  Gina (the only one on the entire staff I already knew personally beforehand) was asking me to help cover the largest pet product show in the world, being held in a convention hall that seemed to be intentionally designed to get you lost in its cavernous expanse.  I barely knew who Ericka was until we met at breakfast before the first day — that breakfast staff meeting, an hour before hitting the show floor, was also when I met Dr. Becker for the first time.

After the first day, the only thought running through my head was how much my feet hurt. Somehow (and I have to admit, I don’t remember all the details), it all went ok. Better than ok, according to Dr. Becker and Gina. I learned some important lessons through the experience.

The big, glitzy, well-lit booths in the center of the hall have the cushiest carpeting and the best food for visitors (don’t be stupid – stop by there and look interested!), but for the cool stuff you have to walk to the perimeter areas. With the “little guys,” you won’t speak to paid representatives, but instead you get to chat with the president and founder of the company. They don’t just know the products, they built them themselves. That’s a whole different ballgame. Their passion for what they do is infectious.Pace yourself and take very good notes. One small corner of the hall can easily take two hours, and in short order you can walk by hundreds of items spanning 15 categories. It’s all a blur after ten minutes. Good notes are key, so was thankful for my journalism training from way back when dinosaurs still roamed their earth…I wonder what their trade shows looked like?Your experience isn’t everyone’s experience. In our meetings, one person (sometimes that person had a beard and was named David) would say “this was absolutely the dumbest product in the hall,” and two others would immediately point out why it was actually very creative and deserving of another look. Remember our motto “Question everything” that we repeat all the time? It applies in trade shows, too. Of course, then I’d have to walk another 489 miles to get back to that product I originally didn’t like, and those booths never have the good snacks.The big staff victory dinner the last night of the trip — worth all the work that preceded it.  Let’s just say there’s nothing like a great victory meal with friends.

Another important truth: as engaging as he is on television and in print, Dr. Becker is much more magnetic in person. There’s no other way to say it. You have to meet the man to really understand what I’m talking about, and I love watching people’s reactions when they realize ‘That is Dr. Marty Becker!’ After working with her for just two days, Ericka became a dear friend, and I couldn’t wait for March 2011 to roll around so we could all be together again.

During the rest of the year, my staff role evolved.  Now, I help Gina and Christie “keep the trains running” on the blog. When it came time to strategize for this year’s GPE, the circumstances were very different. I wasn’t the new guy anymore. I knew the drill. I knew how the floor was laid out, what went into the selection process, and how the blogging process needed to work. More importantly, Gina and Dr. Becker are now in the last minute stages of preparing for the Big Bus Tour, which is like figuring out the world’s biggest Rubik’s Cube. In a phone call a week or two ago about something else entirely, Gina said in an offhand way “Oh yeah, I want you to run the coverage for us. You know what you’re doing. It’ll be fine.”

My response to Gina, no matter what she’s ever asked, has always been “Ok, I’m on it.” Here was the latest challenge. Coordinating the coverage and selection process would have been terrifying if it hadn’t involved such a tremendous team. For me, this year involved at least double the work as last year, but it’s also been double the fun. The proudest moment for me was yesterday afternoon in the press room when, after our roundtable meeting (Dr. Becker, Gina, Ericka and myself), I knew we had our list and our winner. It was a team effort, and there’s no team better than Team Becker. The products are outstanding, and although there were a few choices that required some discussion, in a way they almost picked themselves.

My biggest regret? I have to wait another whole year to do it again.

Photo credit: Team Becker at Petmate’s GPE booth

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Gut feelings and second opinions

I am a regular at the local corner coffee shop, so much so that my drink is often ready for me before I’ve had a chance to order it.

Among the eclectic group of shmoozers gathered most mornings are the shmoozers’ dogs. This morning while waiting for my coffee, Molly, a massive Rottweiler mix, greeted me. As usual, her voice and body language told me in no uncertain terms that she expected me to toss her a cookie (a bin full of dog biscuits resides beneath the shelf holding Half-n-Half, sugar, and other coffee accoutrements). Today, I noticed that Molly’s demands were less vigorous than usual. My veterinarian antennae began to quiver and I paused for closer inspection. I was aghast to see one of Molly’s eyes almost closed and filled with pus; the other had a completely cloudy cornea. Molly’s mom, Jill observed my startled expression and explained that she had taken her darling dog to see the vet three times in the past couple of weeks. In spite of treatment with various ointments, her eye problem was clearly worsening.

I bit my tongue for approximately one millisecond before my concern for Molly forced me to question, “Have you considered getting a second opinion?” Jill responded that the thought had crossed her mind, but she had not acted on this impulse. She didn’t want to hurt her veterinarian’s feelings. After some serious coaching, such as “A second opinion results in a new diagnosis as often as 30 percent of the time,” “Veterinarians are used to people desiring second opinions,” “What’s more important, Molly’s health or your vet’s feelings?” Jill agreed that it was time to contact our local board certified ophthalmologist.

Is Jill’s story unusual? No, but I wish it was. When it comes to our own health issues or those of a beloved four-legged family member, it’s not uncommon that even when our gut tells us it’s time to consider a second opinion, we ignore the feeling. I believe that this gut feeling, experiential wisdom –whatever one chooses to call it — is a true gift. In fact it is one of the few things in life that actually seem to improve as we age. All we need to do is pay attention to this gift rather than ignore it. Second opinions are invaluable for our health and our peace of mind.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Molly and her eyes will be sparkling and bright the next time I see her. Have you ever had an impulse to get a second opinion? If so, did you act upon your impulse?

Photo credit: Susannah Kay, www.skphotography.micksluck.com

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