Indiana’s Story of Courage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In June 2006, Indiana was vomiting on and off for a few weeks.  I didn't really think a lot of it at the time, as dogs just throw up sometimes.  One day, we saw that her stools were black and tarry, and we immediately took her to the vet.  They said she probably had a gastrointestinal bug, gave her a steroid shot, and sent her home with some medicines.  She felt great the next day, but the day after that, she was much worse, and her gums were very pale.  We rushed her back to the vet, and they suspected kidney failure.  We ultimately found out that Indiana was severely anemic and would need several blood transplants.  They did an ultrasound and found a mass in her stomach, which they immediately recognized as the culprit.  It was bleeding and killing her.  The morning after a risky surgery to remove the tumor, she was already doing much better!  She looked awful, with half of her beautiful, long, black hair shaved off and tubes coming out of just about everywhere, but she was alive!

 Indiana's histopathology came back and revealed that the mass was indeed cancerous.  Her cancer was called leiomyosarcoma, a very rare cancer of the smooth tissues.  Little is known about this type of cancer, and few studies have been done.  It is thought that leiomyosarcoma can be "cured" if clear margins are achieved during surgery, which they were for Indiana.  There is a small chance of metastasis though, so on the advice of the head oncologist, we opted for a round of adriamcyin.  She had four doses overall and handled them very well.  At our very first echocardiogram to check the strength of her heart, they found a mass in her right atrium.  This was completely unexpected.  The oncologists suspected hemangiosarcoma, and we were devastated all over again.  The vets didn't recommend a biopsy, as it could stop her heart, and the results wouldn't change how we were treating her.  So, to this day we still don't know 100% what it is.  It has not grown in 10 months, although it does change shape slightly.  Our vet is starting to feel comfortable saying it's not hemangiosarcoma now, since hemangiosarcoma grows very quickly.  They can't rule it out yet, but they think there is a small mass, and the change is from a blood clot that has formed on top of it.  She has no ill effects from it, and the vets say she could have had it her whole life.  They are more willing to say now that she could live a normal length of life. 

Indiana turned nine in April, and she is healthier than she has ever been her whole life.  Her hair is finally almost grown back from the surgery and her undercoat, which she lost to chemo, is coming back in as well.  We continue to see our holistic vet and oncologists regularly, but her tests always come back perfect and clear of any other masses.  We are so blessed.  The vets and students who treated her last summer cannot believe she is still with us.  They say she is a miracle, and we agree.  Everyone expected her to die that first day, and no one thought she would still be here 10 months later, healthier than ever.  So, take that, cancer! 

In honor of Indiana’s brave spirit, her family recently established a foundation to help other dogs with cancer, called the Great Good Heart Foundation.  Their primary mission is to provide education, primarily to the Kankakee County and southern Will County, IL areas, on the treatment and prevention of animal cancer.  This includes hosting monthly support group meetings. If you live in this area, please contact the Great Good Heart Foundation.