Canine Mast Cell Tumor Warriors
Photo of Lindsay Newtown with “Hef” and Marissa Wurtz with “Jack” at the “Making A Mark On K9 Cancer” Dog Walk (Watertown, NY) in 2016. Photo courtesy of Patrick Danforth Photography.
“Hef” Newtown (10/1/07 - 1/22/19)
“Hef” was a spunky, sweet, fun-loving Boston Terrier who swiftly won over his family’s hearts when he was adopted as a middle-aged dog. He was given a new lease on life when Lindsay and Rob Newtown adopted him, a slew of untreated medical problems following along with him. Luckily, he hit the jackpot with his new family, and their love and perseverance gave him five wonderful years that he never would have likely experienced otherwise.
Hef was diagnosed with mast cell cancer in the summer of 2016. Despite two major surgeries, it couldn’t be eradicated completely due to its location (near the scrotum). It returned approximately one year after the first surgery and again nine months after the second surgery.
Despite the aggressiveness of his cancer, Hef led a beautiful life for over two years. He received palliative care with prednisone, gabapentin, diphenhydramine, omeprazole, and anti-cancer supplements. He lived life to the absolute fullest, which, for him, meant chasing tennis balls and snuggling with his family. He was always tolerant of being dressed up, as long as he remained dignified.
If you attended any of the Paws4Potter dog walks between 2016 and 2019, you would have seen Hef there. His family always brought him to the event. He made a great “spokesdog” for living a great life despite having an incurable cancer.
“JacK” - The Copilot - Wurtz (2/1/08 - 1/17/20)
“Jack” was for all intent and purposes the posterchild Jack Russell Terrier. He was spunky by nature, had a insatiable appetite for all things food-related, and loved adventuring around northern NY with his mom, Marissa. He was forever her copilot on all of her travels.
In November of 2014, a subcutaneous (underneath the skin) mass was removed from the left side of his chest. It turned out to be a mast cell tumor rather than the fatty tumor that had been anticipated. Unfortunately, because the tumor had not been aspirated (FNA) prior to surgery, a wide excision of the tumor had not been performed. A revision surgery was performed a week later, and “clean” surgical margins were identified. A mast cell tumor prognostic panel for the tumor in question was ordered from Michigan State University, the results of which indicated that there were no mutations in c-KIT. In February of 2015, another fast-growing mast cell tumor was identified via FNA on the right side of his chest. Surgical removal of this mast cell tumor resulted in “clean” margins. In October of 2018, Marissa noticed thickened tissue and a fleshy mass located near Jack’s anus. A FNA revealed that the mass was another mast cell tumor. Due to its delicate location, a referral to a board-certified veterinary surgeon was recommended. Jack underwent surgery that November, and the biopsy revealed a low grade/grade II mast cell tumor. At that time, his abdominal ultrasound showed questionably enlarged abdominal lymph nodes, but they were too close to other delicate structures to safely aspirate. At the end of December, 2019, Jack began developing swelling (edema) in both back legs and around his rump. He was having ribbon-like stools, and the lymph nodes directly underneath his lumbar spine (sub-lumbar lymph nodes) were palpably enlarged. He was started on prednisone, gabapentin, diphenhydramine, and famotidine for palliation of care, which provided him with a little less than a month of comfort before the metastatic mast cell cancer was too much for him to handle.
Jack was a trooper despite his many ailments over the years - epileptic seizures, pancreatitis, ACL strains in both knees, and multiple mast cell tumors. Marissa made sure that he had the opportunity to live life to the absolute fullest despite everything that got thrown at him over the years. From travelling all over the north country in the front passenger seat of his mom’s car to giving the Hoover vacuum’s reputation a run for its money with his ability to pounce on anything edible (and non-edible) that hit the floor, Jack loved life and loved it with an intensity that no one will ever forget.
Jack, like Hef, was a true mast cell cancer warrior. He didn’t let cancer define him. He kept toodling along on his short, little legs and kept experiencing all that life had to offer him. He, too, attended all of the Paws4Potter walks with his mom, Marissa, between 2016 and 2019. He had the heart and soul of a big dog in a small dog’s body, and that is how he will always be remembered.