Last Thursday, my vet called to discuss the dental specialist veterinarian she had recommended and finally spoke with about Monty. She informed me that the specialist wants to do surgery as soon as possible to try to eradicate the cancer and avoid issue with Monty’s jaw in the future. It seems the main concern is that due to the cancer’s location (close to the middle joint of his lower jaw bone) that when the tumor comes back, it could break his jaw by messing with the joint. The surgery, from our initial conversation, sounds like it would involve taking some of Monty’s jaw bone and surrounding tissue to take out the entire area the tumor was in in the hopes to completely remove it. There may be some “wiring” involved as well, but I was assured his canine teeth should be able to remain. .
On Monday, we had our appointment with Colorado State University’s Animal Cancer Center. I was nervous going into the appointment, mainly because I was worried they would either contradict what my normal vet and the dental specialist recommended OR that they would want to do the surgery themselves and I would have to choose who would be doing the procedure. Honestly, in all of this, my greatest fear is that I will make a poor choice for Monty. This road is not clear cut, it’s not “to achieve A, do B” and I’m truly terrified I will make a bad decision and it will affect Monty’s quality of life or length of life.
We arrived at 10am for our appointment and met with the vet, and then the oncology surgeon to discuss Monty and their recommendations. The CSU team is very optimistic we can get Monty to total remission, and have his length and quality of life not altered in any way once the tumor is completely removed. They would like to do a CT scan to get a better idea of where the tumor remains, and then use those images to plan out the second surgery that they agree needs to be done. This surgeon believes Monty will most likely have to lose his bottom canines to ensure we have removed the entire area of the cancer cells. We won’t know for sure, though, until his CT scan. The scan is scheduled for this Wednesday (March 8) and Monty will have to spend the day at the hospital, and they will have to put him under. I believe, after talking with both vets, that I will go with CSU’s surgery team for this second surgery. Send positive vibes, as I always hate when they are knocked out…
I also reached out to my vet from back home in Wisconsin, as she is a specialist of sorts for alternative medicine options. I truly want to make sure I am doing everything I can at home to assist Monty in his battle with his cancer. I’m all for combining modern medicine with alternative medicine. So, we shall see if she recommends any supplements or diet changes or anything else to support his immune system and help Monty heal.
Please keep Monty in your thoughts/prayers/send him your positive energy/good juju as we move ahead towards our goal of remission!
Jenna Riedi 
Hi Jenna,
I just wanted to send my prayers to you and to Monty. Good vibes, ju-ju, everything. The main thing is that they are able to get ALL of the cancer cells removed. I can totally understand what you are going through as I lost my beloved Rylee (just turned 8) to prostate cancer on May 1, 2012. He was diagnosed in late January of 2012.
I wanted you to know about an awesome website run by Rochelle Lesser called Land of PureGold. They give grants to service dogs with cancer. Rylee was a therapy dog and made many visits to nursing homes, assisted living places, and Hoover Elementary. He received a grant from the foundation, which helped with my ever-increasing bills. I would do it all over again. Although you would not be able to get a grant from there, the website is helpful and has much information for people who have dogs fighting cancer. (Unfortunately I just looked and many of the pages are under construction right now.)
I spoke with Rochelle a few times and she was so very helpful and inspirational. I’m sure she would talk to you if you’d call there. She may be familiar with Monty’s type of cancer. Although I had only a few months with Rylee at the end, I would have spent that money all over again. You can read about Rylee’s treatment at:
http://landofpuregold.com/home.html
In the column on the left, go to Cancer Grants. Then go to the bottom of the page and in the left column toward the bottom, you can click on Rylee, standard poodle. His story is there.
Again, hang in there. Blessings to you both.
Joan Richter