Pepsi was referred to the SASH hospital in North Ryde by the Abbotsbury Veterinary Clinic after they discovered a Mast Cell Tumour on the back of her right leg during a routine health check.
During the SASH consultation, a CT scan was recommended to check for any other incidental issues, which unfortunately revealed a small mass inside her bladder. After an ultrasound and biopsy was performed, Pepsi was diagnosed with a Transitional Cell Carcinoma, and we were immediately heart broke. The wonderful oncologists at SASH recommended a definitive radiation protocol whereby Pepsi would board at the hospital for 4 weeks and receive daily radiation fractions.
We initially decided not to pursue this option as we felt that it might be torturous to Pepsi’s quality of life, and thus pursued chemotherapy treatments instead. However we had the added challenge of managing her Mast Cell Tumour at the same time, for which the oncologists had prescribed Prednisone. Three months later and a follow-up CT scan revealed that unfortunately the TCC had grown and was beginning to encroach Pepsi’s Urethra and one of her Uretas. We thrn decided to pursue the radiation option and Pepsi spent all of October with SASH’s amazing oncology team.
We are so glad they convinced us that boarding would be akin to “doggy day-care”, because it was an incredibly reassuring experience for our family. The level of care and dedication we observed for our beloved Pepsi was nothing short of phenomenal and since coming home, Pepsi is a whole new dog. She is 2 weeks away from 15 years old, but she sprints on her walkies and plays around the house like she’s 5 years old again. We will continue to treat Pepsi’s TCC with chemo and anti-inflammatories, but we are so grateful of the oncology team for giving Pepsi a new lease on life!
