Emma The Helpful Lab

Okay. Here’s what we know about Emma. Emma has Papillary Squamous Cell Carcinoma, this is a locally aggressive type of cancer but it doesn’t metastasize.

It could be cured with surgery but after seeing the CT that is not the best option for us. Her cancer is in her nose and most of her upper jaw. So to get the cancer we’d have to remove all of her nose and upper jaw. That’s not fair for a dog that scent focused and carries something in her mouth most of the day.

Radiation is an option but it’s a lot of time away from Emma and a lot of side effects for very little extra time with her. So this isn’t the right choice for our family. We have decided to keep Emma comfortable.

We’ve discussed this with our regular vet here in Johnson City and with the Oncologist, and both agree that we are making the right choice for Emma.

Right now Emma isn’t acting like anything is wrong and you wouldn’t know she has cancer if you didn’t notice her nose. We have a plan in place for when we need it to manage her symptoms and pain.

However right now this cancer isn’t effecting her at all. All the vets we’ve seen have said that it’s in Emma’s best interest to let her work until she doesn’t want to anymore. So we are letting her choose when she retires. Emma is a very expressive dog so I know that she’ll tell us when she’s ready to retire.

Emma’s current prognosis is that she has months left with us. We’re not sure if this will be 2 months or 12 months but we’re soaking in every moment we have with her.

Thank you everyone for your support during this time!

Emma has cancer. We got the news yesterday morning and we’ve informed everyone in our close circles. There are a handful of things up in the air still. However, we do know that we are facing an aggressive form of cancer. There is a good chance that this could be cured with surgery. We are working closely with her care team to know what’s best for Emma, and what her future as a service dog looks like. No matter what, we will always make the decision that is in the best interest of Emma.

Happy LABor day weekend everyone!!

If chaos was a dog, it would be this dog.

We’ve been busy this month but this girl is a pro a tackling whatever life throws our way.

It’s hot outside which means it’s dog boots season!