Chronic Lymphocytic

Leukemia Warriors

“CABELA” LOONAN

Cabela was a sweet and beautiful Yellow Labrador Retriever who found her way into Jennifer’s heart and home at Christmastime in 2006. She fit into her family’s lifestyle quite well - camping, hiking, swimming, 4-wheeling - she loved it all equally! She thought nothing of racing through mud puddles, chasing squirrels, playing fetch, and just overall enjoying the outdoors. If you were lucky, you may have caught a glimpse of her riding in the passenger seat of her mom’s convertible during the summertime! She was not above being content napping on the couch, however! That was one of her favorite indoor recreational activities!

Cabela was no stranger to the veterinary office. She battled significant orthopedic disease throughout her lifetime and had multiple knee surgeries to re-strengthen her back legs. She also received monthly injections (Adequan) for the remainder of her life to help strengthen the cartilage in her joints. At 6 years of age, she also developed epilepsy. Luckily, her seizures were well-controlled with daily medication. Despite these issues, she continued adventuring all over the place with her family. These problems never slowed her down!

In February of 2017, Jennifer brought Cabela to her veterinarian for her annual examination and vaccines. She also had routine blood work performed, which had been the standard of Cabela’s care for a number of years already. At that time, her CBC showed an elevated white blood cell count, specifically with the lymphocyte cell line. The CBC was repeated 2 months later for monitoring purposes, and there was a drastic increase in the lymphocyte count since February. During this entire time, Cabela was acting completely normal. Several other tests were performed in order to assist in diagnosing Cabela’s problem. She was negative for tick-borne illnesses, her urine was normal, chest and abdominal x-rays were normal, and her blood chemistry profile was normal. A special blood test (flow cytometry) was performed, which came back “suspicious for a lymphoproliferative disorder, such as B-cell leukemia or lymphoma.”

Cabela was referred to a veterinary oncologist to determine the exact cause of her elevated lymphocyte count and to form a potential treatment plan. Bone marrow and lymph node aspirates were obtained, and it was determined that she had low-grade, B-cell leukemia. Because her circulating lymphocytes were not extremely high, it was decided that no treatment would be initiated quite yet. By May of 2017, Cabela’s lymphocyte count had reached a number high enough to warrant treatment, and chemotherapy with Cytoxan, L-Asparaginase, and Prednisone was initiated.

Cabela had several appointments her veterinary oncologist over the next several months. Luckily, with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the remainder of her chemotherapy regimen included the use of oral drugs (Prednisone and Chlorambucil). In March of 2018 (almost 1 year later), Cabela had some cancer restaging performed - her bone marrow was in good shape, and she was doing well.

Unfortunately, in August of 2018, Cabela relapsed - her lymphocyte count had quadrupled in just one month’s time. Changes were also being noted in her peripheral lymph nodes. The CHOP chemotherapy protocol - the gold standard treatment option for canine lymphoma - was initiated, which helped to stabilize her disease. This new protocol kept her cancer at bay for almost 4 months.

In late November of 2018, Cabela stopped responding to her chemotherapy treatments, and there were unfortunately no other treatment options available to keep her cancer at bay. Her family had to make the incredibly painful decision to say goodbye to her at the age of 13. Cabela let them know in her own way that it was okay for her to go. Before saying goodbye, her family took her on a quiet walk through the woods and gave her ice cream, chicken nuggets, and Munchkin donuts.

Looking back on that period of time, Jennifer remembers a canine cancer warrior who continued to run, swim, and play outside. Cabela didn’t know that she had cancer. She lived every moment to the absolute fullest. Her last family trip was to the Smokey Mountains, where she celebrated her 13th birthday. She received multiple birthday cakes, ate Munchkin donuts during the road trip, and ventured to the Cabela’s store.

If Jennifer could share one thing about this experience, it would be to make sure pet owners bring their pets to the veterinarian routinely and to have routine blood work done. Cabela’s cancer was caught early because Jennifer was diligent about routine veterinary care for her best friend.

Cabela’s quiet nature and love for all things outdoors will forever be remembered. She was such a sweetheart and is an ambassador for canine cancer warriors everywhere. She never let cancer slow her down, not even a little bit.