Canine Melanoma Warriors

“Jenga” Kelley

“Jenga” came into Donna’s life as a 3-month-old “wild and mangy” puppy while she was working as an Animal Control Officer. Originally planning to foster him until he was ready for adoption, Donna quickly realized that Jenga had extreme anxiety and was terrified of everything . . . so, she decided to adopt him herself! She taught him how to love life, and he in turn gave her unconditional love.

Jenga was a handsome boy who loved tennis balls probably more than anything else! And, he went on many grand adventures with his mom.

Then, in August of 2019, prior to his 10th birthday, he was diagnosed with oral melanoma. The tumor was located in a difficult spot in his mouth, and it was impossible for his veterinarian to remove it with “clean” margins. So, with the help of a veterinary oncologist, Jenga received radiation therapy and immunotherapy (Oncept® Canine Melanoma Vaccine) to reduce the rate of re-growth of the tumor and to reduce the rate of metastatic spread. A year later, Jenga was still doing well and living his tennis-ball-loving life.

Unfortunately, in late September of 2020, Donna noticed a black mass on Jenga’s tongue. A biopsy confirmed that it was indeed melanoma. Donna elected to have it surgically removed, and Jenga continued to do amazing through the new year. In February of 2021, a recheck screening of Jenga’s chest revealed a cancerous spot in his lung. Because he was still acting like his normal self, Donna chose to start Jenga on chemotherapy, and he continued to live life to the fullest, despite the cancer returning to his tongue.

In early August of 2021, Jenga developed more cancerous spots in his chest, and shortly thereafter, he began having neurological episodes. It was presumed that the cancer had spread to his brain.

Donna decided to take time off from work to spend as much time with her best buddy as she possibly could. On August 26, 2021, she said goodbye to her sweet boy as he gained his angel wings.

I was lucky enough to “meet” Donna when she joined the virtual “Making A Mark On K9 Cancer” dog walk in 2021 to benefit Paws4Potter. She is a truly special lady and had a bond with her Jenga much like I did with my Potter. I would like to think that they have met at the Rainbow Bridge by now . . . enjoying tennis balls and running around.

Donna has created a legacy for Jenga in her educational work with Canine Cancer Bites, which is an organization that raises awareness for canine cancer and raises money for families in need of financial support for their pets’ cancer treatment.

#CanineCancerBites

#WeFightTogether

“Roxie” Covell

2/27/2008 - 1/11/19

In February of 2013, the Covell family adopted “Roxie” from the National Brittany Rescue & Adoption Network. They were looking for an energetic travelling and adventuring companion, and they picked the perfect girl to fill that canine role! Roxie had a lot of dental and orthopedic issues when her family adopted her, but that didn’t stop her from living an amazing life! She had a great deal of dental work done shortly after she was adopted so that her mouth could be more comfortable.

In August of 2017, I saw Roxie for a <1cm brown mass located in the inside corner of her lower left eyelid. It had been there for about 6 months, and her family had been keeping a close eye on it for any growth. It was in a difficult location to do a fine needle aspirate (FNA) to determine what it was, so we elected to remove it under general anesthesia and send it out for histopathology.

Unfortunately, the report revealed a high-grade malignant melanoma, and it was extending to the margins of the tissue that was removed. Roxie was referred to a veterinary oncologist in late September of 2017. She was staged with 3-view chest x-rays to ensure that no metastasis to the lungs had occurred. Her chest x-rays were clear, and she had a revision surgery by a veterinary surgeon to remove more tissue around her lower eyelid.

Roxie went on to have immunotherapy with the Oncept® Canine Melanoma Vaccine and was rechecked routinely by her veterinary oncologist.

Despite her cancer diagnosis, Roxie lived her life to the fullest with many adventures in the great outdoors with her family. She was the sweetest girl and loved everyone!

The Covell family unfortunately had to say goodbye to their beloved Roxie in January of 2019 while they were on vacation in Florida. She developed severe kidney failure, likely unrelated to her cancer. She will forever be remembered as an adventurous, pretty girl who loved treats and loved people.

“Sandy” Cochran

June 17, 2005 - July 29, 2017

Oh, my dear sweet “Sandy” girl. This beautiful Golden Retriever lit up the veterinary office every single time she came in to see me.

The Cochran family brought her home in August of 2005, and she quickly weaseled her way into their hearts and became a true member of the family in every sense of the word. She loved going out for coffee and doughnuts with her mom. Everyone around town loved her to pieces.

It was no different at our veterinary office. She had a routine of sitting on the floor right next to the bench where her mom would sit, and that spot also happened to be right by the exam room door. When I came in, she would immediately flop over on her side and beg me to rub her belly. Most of our exam was spent with Sandy upside down getting belly rubs (and treats).

In September of 2016, Sandy’s mom brought her in because she had found a fleshy mass on the inside of her left lower lip. She also had a small black mass on the inside of her left hock. Both of these turned out to be melanomas. The skin melanoma was determined by histopathology to be benign and low-grade, and it had been removed with clean margins. The lip melanoma turned out to be an amelanotic melanoma (since it didn’t contain pigment). While the margins were clean, the deep margin was narrow with only 1mm of “clean” tissue. We elected to do a revision surgery in mid-October of 2016. At that time, her regional lymph node was reactive but showed no evidence of metastatic disease. Chest x-rays at that time were also clear of metastatic disease.

Because of the low-grade nature of both of these tumors, Sandy’s family elected to monitor Sandy at home for further tumors and at the clinic every 6 months with chest x-rays. When I saw Sandy in May of 2017, her chest x-rays looked great.

Despite the diagnosis of melanoma, Sandy continued to have the time of her life with her family.

Then, only two months later in July of 2017, Sandy came in because she was weak and not wanting to walk around at home. I had never seen this beautiful dog so tired and forlorn in the exam room. There was no request for treats, no teasing for belly rubs. This wasn’t the Sandy that everyone knew.

Unfortunately, that fateful July morning, we found a bleeding tumor on Sandy’s spleen. This was most likely hemangiosarcoma, a completely different kind of cancer from melanoma. We had been so excited that she had done so well kicking melanoma’s butt and were so devastated at this new and monstrous diagnosis.

We unfortunately said goodbye to Sandy later that afternoon, when she could be surrounded by all of her family and her favorite toys. She was truly one of the best dog patients I have ever had, and her family is one of the most loving families I have ever known.

I am sure she is having doughnut holes and receiving belly rubs at the Rainbow Bridge every single day. RIP, sweet Sandy girl.