FIGHTING CANCER
cats who came into our lives. They cared for Drew so lovingly until he passed away; I’m glad that he was able to stay with us in the time he did.
AND INCREASING LONGEVITY IN DOGS Recently, our clinic began a relationship with a company that is working on creating anti-cancer vaccines for pets; these are called autologous vaccines. The goal is to use the body’s natural immune system to kill off tumor cells. If the vaccine is effective that should improve longevity and may actually cure the cancer. Similar research technology is on the horizon toward saving human lives using vaccines.
Though we lost a member of the family, we did gain many others. The first who arrived after me was Star. Star is younger than me, but she’s the second eldest of the house. Like me, Star was a rescue when Leslie and Bob found her in the middle of nowhere, as though someone had abandoned her. It breaks my heart just thinking about it. That might be why Star is a little standoffish at times, especially with the other cats. She’s pretty fierce when it comes to downstairs and doesn’t like it when the rest of our family comes downstairs, even for a short time. The younger cats were all mothered by Fuzzy, the brindle calico. She’s been around for a few years and, at first, she didn’t really like Leslie or Bob. Eventually though, she warmed up, and now they’re good friends. Over the years, Fuzzy has had three litters, and most of her kittens are those who I share a house with today.
The research put behind these vaccines is similar to the successful canine melanoma vaccine, which has been available for the past 20 years or so. That vaccine is only available through oncologists, but it has worked for the specific strain of melanoma it targets: canine oral melanoma. This new vaccine technology, though, is available to us! In mid-February, we sent them the first tissue sample for them to work on. We are very excited, as this is just the first step toward creating the anti-cancer vaccine. In order for them to determine the cancer type the tissue is processed through pathology. They then use the tissue sample to create the antibodies specifically for that tumor. Their theory is that, by using a patient’s cells, the body won’t reject or react to it. Once in the system, the body will multiply these antibodies and ideally attack the tumor over 3 vaccinations. This process is relatively new but their research data is very promising. The type of research and effort involved has come a long way in the past several years and we hope that it will only expand from here. This may be a critical step toward increasing the longevity of our pets and humans alike. If successful, it will lead to a better, cancer-free future.
From her first litter, Leslie and Bob adopted Peach, an orange prince of cats and Taxi, who is an orange and white mix. Then came orange Marmalade and his tabby little sister, Tiny Cat. The last three were Mini- Me (who looks exactly like her mother), tuxedo cat “Dapper” Dan, and Sweetie (who’s a furry white and black cat). Last but not least is Shadow, who, like Fuzzy, prefers to spend his time outside and doesn’t necessarily like coming inside. He’s still unsure about Leslie and Bob sometimes, but he likes it when they pet him, and he never misses his breakfast and dinner meals. Even with all of our differences, the 11 of us live a happy life together, especially with Leslie, Bob, Dr. Clark, and his team taking care of us.
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Directions
1. In a large Dutch oven, add water, turkey, and rice. Stir until everything is evenly mixed.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.
3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Stir in the frozen vegetables and cook for an additional 5 minutes. 5. Allow the food to cool before serving and refrigerate between feedings.
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