For such a long year, it sure did go by fast! This was my leg before we even knew what that big lumpy spot was. Turns out, it was a very aggressive type of cancer from a vaccine reaction… VAS… vaccine associated sarcoma. The best chance to beat this thing was by undergoing a radical amputation… mine took part of the pelvis and abdominal wall. The pathology report came back with clean margins, but our vet remained “cautiously optimistic”. All the statistics said I probably wouldn’t live 9 months.
I’m here to say that you can’t go by statistics. June 25th was my one year ampuversary and I celebrated with a clean bill of health by my vet. We had more great news at my vet’s office. We found out that my vet has done research and has changed the way vaccinations are approached in that practice. GONE are the posters advertising the canine and feline “annual” special… that included several vaccines at a discounted price (which could lead to over-vaccination in some animals). He vaccinates on a case by case basis AND he has replaced many of the vaccines with adjuvant (preservative) FREE vaccines… especially the rabies vaccine that is a yearly state requirement here. We are so proud of our small town vet! Hopefully, because of what I had to go through, maybe these changes will help others avoid this cancer.
You may be curious to know how I spent my big day. Well… I lounged around the house, but I had to share the couch with the kittens. You remember? The poor little orphan balls of fluff that Mom brought home? Yeah, these guys…
Ok, so they’re not THAT bad. Actually, they’re pretty fun to watch. Especially when they get woke up by Mom’s flash. lol Evil eye on the left here is Puff… she’s the runt of the litter, but she poofs up every time we turn around. The orange tabby is Little Dude, named after me… he’s my shadow. The cold shoulder on the right is Sweet Kitty… that’s Dad’s baby girl. Don’t let her name fool you… she gets into the most trouble. (She ended up splashing in the toilet twice in one day AND she keeps running up Mom’s leg!) Poor Nova. She’s still coming to terms with not being the baby anymore.
Guess I’ll be spending the next year showing the kittens who’s boss and helping my vet spread the word about VAS to other vets in the area. We’re still trying to place the kittens, but if they don’t find another home… they’ll be here to stay.
Have a safe 4th of July everyone! And remember to keep your pets inside if there’s a chance they may hear loud fireworks that could scare them and make them run and hide.