Canine Mammary Cancer Warriors

“Bailey” Bochette

Bailey, a sweet-natured Maltese/Shih Tzu, was born in northcentral Kentucky on September 30, 2009. This cutie-pie puppy was given to her (future) mom and dad, Cheire and Jim Bochette, as a Christmas present that year by a friend of theirs who was living in Kentucky at that time. The Bochette family had recently lost one dog (Babbs) to cancer, and their other dog (Bear) was epileptic and not in very good health at that time. Their friend was concerned that they would lose Bear suddenly and no longer have a furbaby in the house to love.

Bailey has been intensely loved and spoiled ever since she arrived to the Bochette home. She has always been styling in her fashionable and sparkly hairclips and her cute outfits. This little love doesn’t travel to the veterinary office in a typical carrier - she travels in an over-the-shoulder tote bag so that she can see everything going on around her!

In June of 2013, Bailey gave birth to 6 beautiful Maltese/Shih Tzu puppies. Cheire said that she would never breed Bailey again because it was too difficult parting with the puppies and making sure that they went to the best homes possible. The Bochettes did keep one of Bailey’s puppies, Blanca, and the two have been travelling around in the same tote bag together ever since.

In January of 2015, a 1.5cm diameter tumor was found in Bailey’s left caudal-most mammary gland. She was spayed and the mammary gland was removed in early February. The pathology report revealed that the mammary tumor was a mammary tubular and papillary adenocarcinoma. It had been removed with clear margins, and the associated lymph node that was also sampled was normal.

Bailey’s family elected to monitor her for further mammary tumors and other problems rather than have her see a veterinary oncologist. She had routine check-ups for the next 4 years, until a new mammary mass less than 1cm in diameter was found in April of 2019 just above where the previous tumor had been removed.

Chest x-rays were performed prior to surgery in June of 2019, and Bailey was considered clear of any metastatic disease to her lungs. After her tumor was removed, the pathology report revealed that the mammary tumor was a Grade II intraductular mammary carcinoma. Again, it had been removed with clear margins.

Since that time, Bailey has not developed any further mammary tumors, and there has been no evidence of metastatic spread of the cancer.

Bailey has unfortunately been battling congestive heart failure (CHF) since April of 2022, at which time she had been coughing quite a bit and had experienced a seizure-like episode. As of October of 2022, Bailey has been stable with her CHF, taking a combination of pimobendan, furosemide, and enalapril medications every single day. She is currently loving her family’s retired life, travelling around in their RV and spending time in the southern USA versus the cold north.

Cheire’s goals are to make Bailey’s last years as pleasant as possible and to love her unconditionally, just as Bailey loves her family. Keep on thriving, little warrior!