Siwa was first diagnosed with canine melanoma in early 2008. I first wrote about her deteriorating health in this blog post, when we took her in to the vet to have her teeth cleaned. A google search for canine melanoma takes one to several websites that do not leave one with much hope after reading the information. One site states:
Melanoma is the most malignant of all the skin cancers and therefore has the poorest prognosis. If found in the mouth, the prognosis is even more grim. Approximately 25% of dogs diagnosed with oral melanoma will survive for one year; 75% will not survive even this long.
Siwa at 13.5 YO, image taken June 2009
Fortunately, my vet referred me to the Bay Area Veterinary Specialists, where they recommended an experimental (at the time) treatment. The USDA has apparently given the Canine Melanoma Vaccine a conditional ok.
I’m here to state that for anyone considering this treatmet for their dog with canine melanoma, DO IT! It is not the cheapest treatment in the world, but neither is radiation and chemo, and those treatments often leave the dog with a not so good quality of life. She was diagnosed in January of 2008. It’s been a year and 6 months and she shows no outward signs of illness from cancer.
Siwa continues to behave like a normal, arthritic, 13.5 year-old dog who continues to love her walks, her treats, her naps – life in general. She continues to hike with me and Sam everyday (though we’ve had to slow down our hikes for her).
Her age is certainly showing – more white in her fur, and her muzzle is practically all silver now. But I would rather she pass away from old age than from cancer.
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Tags: Bay Area Veterinary Specialists, canine melanoma vaccine, Siwa
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What a beautiful girl you Siwa is!
My 14.5-year-old black-&-gray male Border Collie (about the same size & fuzziness as Siwa) developed his first suspected Malignant Oral Melanoma growth in December of `08, and had 3 recurrences of increasingly-aggressive cells (the last a full 11 weeks after the last of the primary 4 MOM vaccinations). That one was removed surgically (fortunately no bone removal considered necessary) – followed by 6 rounds of localized radiation to the left 60% of the muzzle. We are now 8 weeks past the last of the radiation, and awaiting results of an antibody `titer’ test to gauge his body’s response to the vaccinations; trying to decide whether the 5th will actually add effectiveness (nearly $600 per shot).
He had some nasty radiation `burns’ and is just now regrowing his snout-fur (all coming in silver-gray).
Joey is more agile & active than I could hope for such a grand old age.
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Wow! Sounds like Joey is doing well despite the additional radiation. He sounds like he’s still enjoying life! I’m hoping that Siwa will get to see 14 1/2. She’s due for her 6-month booster vaccination in September.
Good luck with Joey. He’s putting up a good fight!
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melissa Reply:
April 17th, 2010 at 7:54 am
@trish, did you have the tumor removed sergically or did you just use the vaccine alone?
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trish Reply:
April 17th, 2010 at 9:36 am
@melissa, Yes, when the tumors were initially found, the vet removed them from Siwa’s mouth. Fortunately, they found the tumors fairly early so they were able to get a clean cut. We began her on the vaccine immediately after the surgery. Canine melanoma is pretty aggressive so we felt fortunate that she responded so well. Siwa passed away last November, almost 2 years after her diagnosis. That was a godsend considering most dogs with melanoma who receive conventional treatment are only given an additional 6 months (to a year if lucky).
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Just ran across this today. My Jake, an 8.5 y.o. black lab was diagnosed with oral melanoma in late May of this year. We were told that it was very deadly. He had a partial jaw removal in early June and started on the vaccine. The Oncologist said they got good clean margins and there was no evidence of spread. Jake will be going for his 3 month checkup next week, at which time he will have more chest x-rays. So far, so good. He appears healthy and normal and has even gained a bit of weight which kind of makes him tubby at 107 lbs. but his regular Vet was thrilled about it. We always fed what we considered to be good food (mostly Wellness), but switched to Evo, no grain, high protein, shortly after diagnosis. Our Holistic Vet said that carbs. feed cancers. This food was supplimented with boiled hamburger, yogurt and a bunch of different supplements. It is so encouraging to read accounts such as yours. It renews the hope that there is the possibility for survival, good quality of life and maybe even remission after a cancer diagnosis. Thanks. Linda
p.s. I think one of the hardest things is to not panic at every little thing such as a sneeze or unusual behavior.
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trish Reply:
October 2nd, 2009 at 3:20 pm
@Linda, Good luck with Jake! He’s still such a young pup at 8.5-YO. About a month or so after I wrote this entry, Siwa’s cancer returned. Now, I can’t be too upset considering she is almost 14 and she fought off the cancer for 1.5 years. She is now on chemo & painkillers and it will really be only a matter of time. I am now focusing on making sure her quality of life is still good and that she is comfortable. Best of luck to you & Jake!
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Linda Reply:
October 2nd, 2009 at 6:56 pm
@trish,
Thanks for the update. Sorry things are not going well. Did Siwa get the booster shots after the initial series? Did her cancer return in the same area? My regular Vet said that is usually the case. Best wishes for comfort for both you and your baby. Linda
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trish Reply:
October 2nd, 2009 at 11:32 pm
@Linda, Yes, Siwa got one booster shot & was due for her second but the cancer returned in the same spot where it started. The vaccine did give her 1.5 years & the chemo is at least giving her several more months. Until her tail stops wagging & she stops eating, she will still be here. Thank you for the best wishes.