New Hope for Squamous Cell Carcinoma

First off, hello St. Louis. I was born and raised in Florissant.

My oldest pug, Dexter, was diagnosed last Christmas (2006) with Squamous Cell Carcinoma. At the time, Dexter was 7 years old. From what I have gathered, this is rare for pugs. We can only surmise that there was something lurking in his genetic makeup. Prior to the diagnosis, we noticed in November, 2006, a swelling inside his mouth, just under his tongue. It was a tumor. Our vet and oncologist were both grim at the prospects. Surgery was not an option here - they would have to remove all of his jaw - and there were no guarantees the cancer would be gone. They gave us until the end of January 2007.

For his comfort, the oncologist prescribed Piroxicam - a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to decrease inflammation and pain. We have this drug specially compounded at a pharmacy here in Overland Park, KS. We began noticing some changes in Dexter in just a month's time. By the end of January, he was looking and feeling better. By March, we could no longer see the tumor. The oncologist was amazed. She ran tests and confirmed that Dexter is in remission. While this is not a cure, it has given us hope and more time with Dexter. It's been a year since this diagnosis and Dexter is fantastic! He is at a good weight, is eating well, and is playing and romping with his three brothers.

We are grateful and wanted to pass this information on.