In most cases, a soft tissue sarcoma—one of the most common forms of skin cancer in dogs—is often treatable with removal followed by radiation therapy.
But for a three-legged dog like Oakley, when a cancerous mass was found on his right and left front leg, it was life threatening.
Fortunately, Oakley and his owner, Rachel Schneider, a fourth-year veterinary student at Washington State University, had access to one of just two facilities in the Pacific Northwest capable of providing radiation treatment to animals – WSU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
As part of #CougsGive, WSU’s annual celebration of philanthropy and donor impact, oncologists at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital are hoping to raise enough money to purchase a new linear accelerator, or LINAC, which will allow for even more accurate and safer treatments for animal patients with cancer.
It’s among many WSU projects and programs hoping for donor support in this year’s effort.
The WSU community is encouraged to visit the #CougsGive website on April 13 to learn about this year’s featured areas of support and make gifts to the colleges, departments, and programs that matter to them.
At the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, for instance, a new linear accelerators would enable radiation treatments to be better directed to tumors while protecting surrounding healthy tissues, and because the dose rate can be better moderated, it will reduce treatment time for pets like Oakley.
“I’m so thankful for all the different specialty services at WSU working together to make sure Oakley received the care he needed,” Schneider said. “I still don’t know what I would have done without them.”
Read Oakley’s full story on the College of Veterinary Medicine news website.
