Canine Prostate Cancer Warriors

“Andy” Burkhart

#livelikeandy

I have been sharing this hashtag back and forth with Kathy Burkhart for over three years. I “met” Kathy through our shared support for the National Canine Cancer Foundation in 2017, shortly after she had lost her best friend and co-adventurer, “Andy,” to canine prostate cancer. We shared a similar intensity of love for our canine cancer warriors and a passion for sharing with others that pets can truly live life to the fullest despite having cancer.

The hashtag #livelikeandy reflects the intensity in which Andy lived his entire life, before and during his battle with cancer. A champion dock-diving dog from California, Andy loved to compete, and he loved going on wilderness adventures with his mom.

In February of 2016, Kathy took Andy to see his regular veterinarian because he was having explosive diarrhea and taking longer to urinate than normal. Just 5 months earlier, 9-year-old Andy had had a clean bill of health at his bi-annual senior wellness checkup.

Andy was prescribed antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories for his urinary tract infection, but his veterinarian was concerned about his abnormally-shaped prostate. Kathy’s brain didn’t allow her to register the word “cancer” from her conversation with Andy’s veterinarian until later that evening. Cancer was one possible cause of Andy’s current symptoms and physical exam findings.

Approximately 1 week later, Andy started urinating blood after competing in 2 dock-diving competitions. He was scheduled the following week for an abdominal ultrasound and prostatic biopsy, the results of which indicated prostatic adenocarcinoma . . . prostate cancer.

Andy was referred to a veterinary oncologist at California Veterinary Specialists for an MRI to determine if and where the cancer had already spread. Luckily, Andy’s cancer had not yet spread! He was placed on a supplement called DHA and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory called Piroxicam (known for it's anti-cancer properties), and he was scheduled for palliative radiation therapy for the following week. Kathy drove Andy a total of 300 miles every day for 5 consecutive days so that he could receive radiation therapy. Despite the exhausting amount of travel, Andy seemed to take it all in stride. He was lethargic after his treatments, and he had both urinary and colonic bleeding for a short period of time, both of which he recovered from just fine.

After finishing radiation therapy, Andy started chemotherapy with Carboplatin. He received 6 rounds of Carboplatin approximately 1 month apart from each other. When he finished chemotherapy in August of 2016, he was presented with a celebratory meat “cake”!

Andy had a follow-up with his veterinary oncologist in October, and 3-view chest x-rays, an abdominal ultrasound, and blood work were performed. Everything came back clear at that time.

Towards the end of November, Andy began experiencing some urinary incontinence. Nothing abnormal was found on the tests that were run, and he was prescribed phenylpropanolamine for his incontinence. However, in mid-December, he began having difficulty urinating and was very uncomfortable. A CT-scan of his chest and abdomen luckily did not show spread/progression of his cancer, but it didn’t provide Kathy with any answers as to what was going on, either. Medications to control the difficulty in urination were prescribed, and a urinary catheter was placed, as Kathy was having a difficult time expressing his bladder at home.

Over the next couple of months, Andy had several appointments in which the urinary catheter had to be replaced. A “permanent” port to the urinary bladder was discussed, but the risks of aftercare were too great and would have likely resulted in Andy not being able to do all of the things he loved to do, including dock-diving. Kathy decided against this option, as her main focus had always been allowing Andy to live his life to the absolute fullest.

Kathy chose to continue palliative care with Andy for as long as his quality of life was good. In February of 2017, he participated in the Paws Fur Pink 5K Cancer Walk, and he raised over $1,200 for canine cancer research! In early March of 2017, he was really struggling. Despite changing his protocol to include a steroid in the hopes that it would reduce inflammation better than the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, Andy didn’t respond favorably.

On March 9th, 2017, Kathy helped her beloved 10 1/2 year old Andy on his journey to the Rainbow Bridge, a special place that she had told him all about the evening before. Her canine cancer warrior, her adventurous sidekick, and her best friend lived 370 days with prostate cancer. She had been told that most dogs, by the time they are diagnosed, live for approximately 30 days.

No amount of time on this earth with our beloved best friends is ever enough. But, what’s important to remember is that the time Kathy did share with Andy was filled with beautiful, living-life-to-the-fullest moments. Andy truly lived his life, despite having cancer. Cancer did not define him. He handled his cancer so well that many people believed that he had been cured.

Andy competed in 9 dock-diving competitions while undergoing cancer treatment and placed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in all but one of them. He and Kathy took several hiking and camping trips, the most memorable of which was their annual week-long trip to Mammoth Lakes. This place was Andy’s “Heaven on Earth,” according to Kathy. The mountain lakes and woodland creatures had been created specifically for him, in Andy’s eyes.

And, in Kathy’s eyes, Andy had been created specifically for her . . .