Zali's Story
by Andrea
Zali went to the vet in October 2011, after being off her food and lethargic for 2 days. At this time she was 8 years 9 months old, and her only issues had been dental.
During the examination a lump was felt in her abdomen. An ultrasound was performed that day, showing numerous enlarged lymph nodes and a large splenic mass. A FNA of her spleen was unsuccessful. The following morning Zali underwent surgery to remove her spleen, and a lymph node biopsy was performed.
Initial pathology results had a diagnosis of possible histiocytic sarcoma. The vets consulted with an oncologist, then had further testing done, and a definite diagnosis of T-cell rich B-cell lymphoma was made.
It took close to a month before we got the final diagnosis, and by this time it was confirmed that her disease was spreading. She started on a 22 week OPP-AC chemo protocol. After 4 weeks of treatment she was still very sick, and once again the vets could feel her lymph nodes. This was not encouraging, however we did continue the chemo with the hope she would start to respond. About 7 weeks into treatment she seemed to start improving, and a repeat ultrasound at 10 weeks showed no sign of disease.
Zali completed her chemo in mid May, it is now the end of December. We never thought she would make it to last christmas, let alone this one. She is in excellent condition, eating well and maintaining a good weight. 
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Zali
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