Anal Sac Adenocarcinoma
Treatment- Radiation and Chemotherapy
Arrow changed my world. I was 24 and new in Seattle after a bad breakup and decided to adopt a dog for some unwavering support. Arrow, a Houston native, popped up on the Petfinder.com screen and sooner than I could wrap my head around what was going on, I was picking up my new pup from Sea-Tac airport.
We walked to work together every day. We shared a bed. We went to dinner parties together and made new friends. We were rebuilding our lives together. We went on backpacking trips, skiing, mountain biking, climbing and boat trips any chance we could. We were new to the Northwest and we wanted to do it all.
People would often ask about Arrow’s life before me. All I knew was that a woman in Houston found him days before he was to be euthanized in a high kill shelter, had him microchipped and found a family for him in Texas. Shortly after he was rehomed, she received a call from another shelter saying that he had been dropped off again. When I dove a little deeper into his adoption records, the reason for his drop off said “Escapes.”
In his early years, Arrow was an Escape Artist. When I first got him, he would strategically run out the door when my roommates’ hands were full. He learned how to hop fences, unclip his leash and take himself for joy rides. One time I found him underneath a highway, collar removed, barking at a homeless man. Another time my landlord called to tell me Arrow had walked himself home from work when I was getting lunch. He has never liked being left alone, which works out well for me because I always want him by my side. He was escaping, yes, but he was escaping to find me every time.
Now Arrow is now almost seven, and we live in Austin, Texas. Arrow has a dad now, who shares a bite of every meal with Arrow and rearranges his schedule for Arrow’s wellbeing. He also makes us great scrambled eggs. Johnny and I found out just before Thanksgiving 2019 that Arrow had an anal sac adenocarcinoma. We took him in because he was licking his rear a lot, which we thought was just because of a food change. The tumor was in too sensitive an area for surgical removal, so our options were limited to Chemotherapy and Radiation to stop the growth of the tumor and the spread of cancer to his other organs.
Because these treatments are very expensive, we set up a go fund me for Arrow’s community, our people and friends of Arrow to help us raise money to save Arrow’s life. Our goal is to significantly increase the length of time Arrow can enjoy his life, adventure, and snuggle with us. I found the Zeus Oncology Fund on Instagram through one of their posts, and we applied, and we received a grant to significantly offset Arrows radiation treatment! It was truly an act of kindness and generosity and we are so so grateful. We gave him palliative Chemotherapy, and Radiation, and this has shrunk the tumor. We also have him on Baileys blend, an anti inflammatory blend of herbs in his food, stasis breaker, probiotics and Turkey Tail Mushroom. We believe these supplements have truly helped extend his quality of life. Arrow appears completely healthy, his eating and energy levels are normal, and while we are living with a heightened cancer awareness, life with Arrow is happy and every day is a joy.
Thank you to Zeus Oncology Fund for helping us make this transition so much easier, and for understanding the value these amazing pups bring to our lives.
-Lesley A., 2020