When cancer hit Piper, we could not believe our misfortune as Piper was our second Scottie to develop cancer. Because we were aware of the known hazards --things like pesticides and cigarette smoke – Piper had no exposure to these hazards. He got lots of vitamins and lots of exercise. We more were rigorous than the average Scottie owner, because we were informed.

Lymphoma is the most responsive of canine tumors to chemotherapy, although treatment usually results in a longer lifespan of one year to eighteen months, rather than a cure.  This was not made clear to us at all, when we agreed to chemotherapy after doing what research we could, and having to make critical decisions about Piper’s health, our health and our finances, while in a state of shock.

We treated Piper with the Wisconsin Protocol, the most expensive treatment with the highest “success rate”, which is defined as living up to another two years. The diagnosis and treatment with Wisconsin Protocol cost $7,605.79.

Piper lived for 11 months once the treatment started. This was 9 months more than he would have had without treatment. The final 11 months were poignant and beautiful, but those final months took too much out of Piper and too much out of us. The chances of a normal lifespan for Piper after he got lymphoma were always extremely remote, one in several thousand, even with chemotherapy.

It would have taken more guts than we had to let Piper die without trying to help him. Our veterinarian recommended that we go for the “very best” treatment for Piper. “The very best” was in fact the most expensive treatment administered by the best doctors, but the main beneficiary of the treatment was the doctor’s research database. The vets’ stated goal was quality of life.

Piper received the Wisconsin Protocol treatment at the Animal Critical Care Unit in Burnaby, BC, that does all of the cancer treatment for animals in the Greater Vancouver area. When he got cancer, we originally had the impression on talking to the doctors, that we had a one-in-four chance of remission; this is in the notes I took during the visit.

We didn’t know that remission does not mean the possibility of a normal lifespan, as it does in human cancer treatment. What it means is that we had a one-in-four chance of adding up to two years onto Piper’s life; without treatment they said we had at most two months.
The vets fully informed us, and re-informed us in writing, but obviously they are not going to recommend against a treatment that funds their research databases and is in fact their livelihood.

The vets told us that Scotties have a genetic predisposition to cancer, and that mixed breed dogs are the healthiest dogs due to the large gene pool that produces them. Breeders contributing to this site admit that the Scottie gene pool is very small, due to the show breeding practices which concentrate both desirable Scottie characteristics and predisposition to diseases.

A solution to be considered would be to divert some of the funds presently going to research, to a very labour-intensive breeding program to expand the Scottie gene pool. A breeding program could achieve more positive results in the short term, while research continues to be done.

Prednizone only is the most humane treatment for dogs at this stage in the evolution of cancer treatment in dogs. Prednizone is very inexpensive, relieves pain, and lets the dog die naturally.

Chemotherapy is a very serious poison which the doctors say is necessary because “cancer is an aggressive disease requiring an aggressive treatment”.

While chemotherapy has worked miracles for people, in canine therapy it can actually speed up the death of the dog, which is traumatized and re-traumatized with the treatment. This is particularly true of Scottish Terriers who are very sensitive and intelligent dogs.

Although Piper was treated with great caring and love, only a miracle would have saved him. We would not treat a dog with chemotherapy again, even the best chemotherapy administered by the best doctors, which Piper had.

Piper was a very happy dog all of his life; having to watch him suffer was very hard on us. I do, however, think Piper would have chosen to live the extra time that we bought him, as he was a great lover of life, and took an avid interest right to the end, in people and events.

On his final day, Piper woke me early, and we did yoga together on the carpet, me doing back exercises and him rolling on his back and rubbing up against me. Then my husband let him walk free down Eagle Harbour creek to the ocean. Then we went to the vet, and I held his front paws as we all told him what a good dog he was, and said goodbye for now.

Although he was very frightened until sedated while hoovering liver treats, he went very peacefully in the end. Based on this experience, I would suggest Prednizone only, and simply having the vet come to the house when the time comes to say goodbye. By the time he was ready to leave us, Piper had developed a horror of vet’s offices, and I don’t blame him.

I think Piper would be happy knowing that his short life may help some other Scotties along the way.

Pet owners, please do not try to buy hope for yourself by spending many thousands of dollars on the “best treatment administered by the best doctors”, which our vet recommended. You will lose a lot of money, as well as losing your beloved pet. Losing your pet is bad enough.

These 3 Scotties ran into each other in 2000 in Richmond, BC. Piper is the one on the right

I later ran into the owner of the other 2 Scotties in the picture, in the Animal Critical Care Unit that does all of the cancer treatment for dogs in Vancouver, BC. Both of the other 2 Scotties had by this time also contracted cancer. Thus all 3 Scotties, one meeting the other two randomly on the street, contracted cancer. The owner of the other 2 on the left gave me permission to use this picture.