Northwest Veterinary Specialists Oncology Department

08/08/2024

🥰Everyone meet AJ 🥰

😔AJ became lame on his right hind leg in early April this year. He had no history of an injury or overexerting himself.😔

☢️His vets took some xrays of both of his hind legs, so they could compare the normal left leg to his lame right leg, and his pelvis.☢️

🦴The xray showed some bone changes to the right femur and AJ was sore when the leg was palpated.🦴

🎗The vets were concerned that AJ had a bone tumour.🎗

🧐AJ was then refered to team oncology for further investigation.🧐

☢️AJ had a CT scan of his hind legs, thorax and abdomen. This was to allow us to assess the right leg, plus check for any evidence of tumour spread to the lungs and abdominal organs (this is called metastasis).☢️

🦴The CT showed an aggressive bony lesion on the distal part of the right femur.🦴

✂️Amputation of the right hind leg was advised. ✂️

😷The limb ampuation surgery was carried out by one of our soft tissue surgeons and AJ recovered well.😷

💉Once the wound had healed AJ started with a course of carboplatin chemotherapy.💉

💉AJ recieved four treatments of an injectable chemotherapy agent called carboplatin and he tolerated the treatment like a champ 🥰

🥰Here is AJ showing off his certificate and bandana - we are so proud of him! 🥰

🙌Well done AJ 🙌

💖Team Onc love you lots💖

04/04/2024

🤩 Everyone meet Kayla 👑

🧬Kayla first came to us early February 2024 following a diagnosis of lymphoma🧬

💉We started Kayla on the 25-week multi chemotherapy drug protocol right away.💊

💊The dose and frequency of chemotherapy medications administerd to our cat and dog patients is much much lower than used in human oncology.💉

💜Quality of life for these guys is so so important💜

💊Kayla is still recieving chemotherapy - we just administered her 7th treatment which is week 8 out of 25. 💉

🔥Kayla is doing great!🔥

✴️Things Kayla has been up to DURING her chemotherapy protocol....✴️

✅️Enjoying icecream🍦
✅️Running around forests🌲
✅️Laying in streams/swimming in swamps🙈
✅️Sitting in patches of flowers - looking as pretty as the flowers🪻
✅️Wondering where her next treat is coming from while on a walk up a hill🍪
✅️Demanding to be the center of attention - both at home and in the hospital (she has the most perfect little woooof, just to gently remind you she is there)👑👑👑👑👑

🤩Team Onc love you Kayla!🤩

15/03/2024

💖Everyone meet Pippa💖

🧬Pippa first came to visit Team Onco in November 2022 and a diagnosis of lymphoma was made.🧬

💉We started Pippa on the 25 week CHOP chemotherapy protocol - this incorporates three different medications given over 16 treatments over the course of 25 weeks.💊

🌟Pip completed the protocol in May 2023! Whoop Whoop!🌟

Sadly, in September 2023, Pippa relapsed her lymphoma so we immediatly restarted the chemo protocol again!

🔥Pip has rocked her chemo protocol from the very beginning!🔥

😠We did have a very small inconvenient bit of lameness that tried to throw a spanner in the works - it tried! 💪

🌟🌟Pippa completed her SECOND chemo protocol last week - which is fantastic!🌟🌟

🏞And we are so pleased she been able to continue her amazing hiking all over the hills and mountains of England and Scotland during her treatment!🏕

😇😇Pip is a sweet perfect angel... even when she's shouting at us for more treats and to voice her displeasure at being in a kennel! 😇😇

🥰We love you Pip!! 🥰

We look forward to seeing Pippa for her check.ups which we schedule every 4 weeks

07/06/2023

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/northwest-veterinary-specialistss-giving-page

Team Oncology is joining up with Cancer Research UK and participating in June's challenge!

The challenge is .........

100 skips per day!

If you would like to sponsor us with all funds going towards Cancer Research UK please click on the link.

and what would be even better is if you would like to join us - you can sign up by clicking on this link - they'll even send you a skipping rope if you need one https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/get-involved/find-an-event/skipping-challenge?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social_organic&utm_campaign=clayton_organic&fbclid=IwAR2g-FMY8uWDzpNoTH26LAmosjmLVMK6yUQnLfmFeW2jJhdkViYUrbTuVBs

Dogs and cats are welcome to also participate 🐱🐶 and yes we do want to see videos🤩

Find support and motivation throughout the month, alongside skipping top tips and fundraising inspiration in our Skipping Facebook group.

05/05/2023

🥰Everyone meet Archie!🥰

🧐Archie was referred to Team Onc in November 2022 following a diagnosis of lymphoma by his primary care vet.🧐

🩸At his first appointment we performed some blood tests and took further samples from his lymphnodes to determine which type of lymphoma we were dealing with. 🧬

🧬Knowing if the lympgoma is B or T cell helps us plan treatments.🔬

💊We also started the 25 week CHOP chemotherapy protocol while we waited for the results.💊

💉Archie recieved 16 chemotherapy treatments over the course of 25 weeks.💊

😎Archie kicked butt during his treatments and he is such a sweet boy.🥰

🥳He completwd his protocol in April 2023!🥳

🤠As you can see from his first picture, Archie is a very handsome Bichon Frise - with his treadmark beautiful bichon hair.😎

😳But chemotherapy can cause some changes with the coat - texture change and slow regrowth, and even some colour changes!🤔

🤩Can you see that gorgeous Archie is now tan and white! Yep - I promise he's the same dog!🥰

❤️Now Archie has finished his treatment we are looking forward to seeing if his coat changes back.❤️

🥰We still think he's super handsome!🥰

🥳Here he is with his owners showing off his certificate!🥳

🎊Well done Archie🎊

21/04/2023

Everyone.....

🤩This is RONNIE🤩

🧬Ronnie was diagnosed with lymphoma by his primary vets in October 2022.🩻

💉He was then referred to team oncology to start chemotherapy.💊

💉We started Ronnie with the 25 week CHOP protocol.💉

This protocol involves:
🌟16 treatments spaced out over 25 weeks.
⭐️There are 3 different medications used on a rotating basis
🌟Napping reeeeeaally well during treatments!

😴Yep, Ronnie would be super chilled with us, especially during the longer infusions of chemotherapy, and he would fall asleep😴.... and yes there was some snoring but it's ok as it was really cute.😴

😎Ronnie rocked the protocol!😎

🥳And he completed his treatment just 2 weeks ago!🥳

🎨Now, some dogs and cats do have coat changes over the course of the protocol due to the chemotherapy. ✨️

🧐As you can see Ronnie is black and white, his black fluff remained pretty much unchanged, where as his white fluff was affected! We expect his white fur to grow back to normal now the chemotherapy has stopped.🥸

🤩We look forward to seeing this gorgeous boy soon for his check up!🤩

19/04/2023

Here she is!

🌞Here's SKYE!🌞

👑Skye is oncology royalty as she has been through not one, not two but THREE chemotherapy protocols! 👑

💃And clearly she had aced it!💃

🧬Skye was diagnosed with lymphoma in Ocober 2021 and we immediatly started the 25 week CHOP protocol🧬

🩸We also performed a MDR1 genetic test as Skye is a border collie. Dogs that have this gene mutation can be really sensitive to some medications, including some chemotherapy agents. For dog who are positive, medication doses have to be altered to avoid conplications.🧬

💊Thankfully Skye was negative and we could proceed as normal with the protocol.💉

🥳She completed CHOP protocol #1 in March 2022.🥳

😐Skye relapsed in June 2022 and we started the 25 week protocol again! Which she completed in November 2022!🥳

😐Unfortunatly Skye relapsed again in December 2022.
As she relaped so close to finishing the previous protocol we needed a change of tactic.🧐

💊We opted to start Skye on Tanovea which is single agent protocol and administered every 3 weeks.💉

✈️Tanovea is not easy to get hold of, so we have to import it from America! ✈️

💉Skye had five treatments with Tanovea and completed the protocol in March 2023! 💉

🥳Here she is looking amazing and showing off her certificate!🥳

💖 You're such a good girl Skye 💖

19/04/2023

18/04/2023

Everyone meet TJ

💖TJ is the sweetest boy🥰

🩺He was first referred to Team Oncology in March 2021 following a diagnosis of lymphoma by his primary vet.🧬

🧐He had some xrays 🩻 taken and an ultrasound was performed to allow us to obtain the samples we needed.🔬

💊We then started him on a 25 week CHOP Chemotherapy protocol which he completed in August 2021.🥳

😅TJ did amazing! He had over 1 year off treatment/chemotherapy following the protocol completion. 🥳

🧬His lymphoma relapsed in September 2022 and as he had done so well with the first CHOP protocol we started all over again!🧬

🤺And TJ rocked it! He kicked lymphoma's butt for another 25 week protocol!🤺

🍪He is such a sweet boy who does love a biscuit... or two... which is allowed as its part of the protocol 😉🍪

He then completed his second protocol in March 2023

🥳Here he is with his dad celebrating!🥳

🥰TJ we love you and we look forward to seeing you fpr check ups!🥰

09/04/2023

🐰Team Oncology wish you all a very happy Easter.🍫

🐶 Remember to keep your pets away from the sweet treats, such as hot cross buns and chocolate for dogs, and flowers, especially lillies for cats.🐱

We're here for emergency cases referred over the Easter holiday weekend, and our Client Care team will be on hand during the following:
📆 Easter Sunday: 10am - 2pm
📆 Easter Monday: 9am -1pm

Happy Easter to all of our team, referring vets and clients! 🍫 🐣

With chocolate and Easter egg hunts taking place, we wanted to remind pet owners to keep their pets away from these sweet treats!

We hope you all have a very happy and relaxing weekend.

31/03/2023

🤩Everyone meet Flo!!🥰

🥰🥰Flo is the sweetest girl who came to see team oncology in November 2022 following her diagnosis of a mast cell tumor.🧬

🔬Flo had an ultrasound and some samples taken so we can get a full picture of what was going on.🩺

✂️She then had surgery which was performed by super surgeon Rachel.✂️

💉We then started a course of chemotherapy with Flo - and this involved eight treatments of vinblastine over 12 weeks💊

🥳And yesterday Flo completed her chemotherapy!! 🥳 Yay Flo! 🥳

We will be seeing Flo again in a month to perform another ultrasound and sampling. We cant wait to see Flo

🥳Here are some pictures of Flo with her certificate - which she proudly displayed as she strutted down the hospital corridors!🥳

🎁And a few pictures of her with her brother Bob, today is Bobs birthday so they have double the reason to celebrate and wear spectacular hats!🎉

🎉We look forward to seeing you soon Flo🎉

24/12/2022

🎄Happy Christmas Eve Everyone🎄

✨️We have wonderful news✨️

🩺Dr. Lori Teller, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) recently flew to the North Pole to examine Santa's reindeer and they all passed their health checks🩺

✨️Meaning they are fit to fly/travel TONIGHT! ✨️

🧐For more information on the health checks please visit https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/yourvet/even-santas-reindeer-need-veterinarian🩺

🎅There is even a Santa tracker!🎅

🎄✨️Team Northwest Veterinary Specialists are here during the festive period for your lovely pets, and Santa's reindeers!, should you need us ✨️🎄

Being AVMA President has its perks, including the title of Santa's Official Veterinarian. This includes ensuring the reindeer are fit to fly around the world.

04/11/2022

The wonderful Classic FM are playing some soothing music tonight.and tomorrow night

This Friday and Saturday, join Charlotte Hawkins for Pet Classics and an evening of soothing classical music for all pets and animals who might feel anxious and scared with loud noises of Bonfire Night.

31/10/2022

Tonight is Halloween! While it can be a fun night for us, it can also pose a risk to our pets.

🍫 Sweets and chocolates can be harmful and poisonous for pets
👗 Dressing up your pet can be stressful and dangerous for your pet
🕷️ Halloween decorations can be chewed and swallowed easily
✨ The liquid in the glow sticks can make pets poorly

If you have any questions or concerns, visit or call your usual vet – they are your best resource to ensure the health and well-being of your pets.

17/10/2022

🥰Everyone! It's TIMO!🥰

🌞You may remember Timo from last year?🌞

🔬Timo was first diagnosed with Lymphoma in May 2021!🧬

💊And we started the 25 CHOP chemotherapy protocol - which he aced! And completed in November 2021💉

🧬Unfortunatly, Timo relapsed in March 2022😕

💉We opted to restart the 25 Week protocol, which we did straight away.💊

😎Timo also aced this course! And he completed his 🎉SECOND 25 WEEK PROTOCOL🎉 on 13th September 2022.🌞

😍We saw Timo this week for his check up and he is in remission and doing great! 😍

💞Timo is such a sweet good boy! With a tail that never stops wagging!💞

💗Here he is looking all smart with his certificate!💗

15/10/2022

🐰Everyone meet Bunni!🐰

🥰Sweet Bunni first came to see us in March this year after her own vets had diagnosed her with lymphoma.🧬

💊We started Bunni on the 25 week CHOP protocol as soon as we could💉

🥰Now Bunni is the sweetest little girl ever and 100% made us work for her affection!🥰

🍪Obviously biscuits were involved🍪 they are part of the protocol 🙈

🍪We like to think she loves us.... and not just the multiple snacks she has with us!😘

🎉Bunni completed her chemotherapy protocol on 13th September🎉

🔬And on 11th October Bunni had an ultrasound which showed all was normal as she remains in remission!🧐

🎉Way to go Bunni!🎉

Here she is looking thrilled by her completion certificate!

13/10/2022

🤩Everyone meet Nellie!🤩

🔬Nellie first came to us in February this year following her vets diagnosing her with lymphoma.🧬

💊We started Nellie on a 25 week CHOP chemotherapy protocol.💉

🎉Nellie was fantastic for us during all of her treatments.😎

🍪She is such a cheeky girl who LOVES her biscuits🍪🍪... even if they were still attched to someones fingers! 🙈

🎉We are super excited to say that Nellie completed her chemo protocol on 26th August🎉

🌞And at her recent recheck she was still in remission!!🌞

🤩Here is Nellie showing us her best side eye.... obviously wondering where the biscuits are😍

30/09/2022

🥰Everyone meet Taran!🥰

Taran first came to visit Team Onc in April 2022 after his own vets had diagnosed him with multicentric lymphoma.

☢️Taran had a CT scan of his chest and abdomen along with samples from his liver, spleen, lymphnodes and his lung.☢️

🧬We also performed an MDR1 gene mutation test. This is a gene mutation common in collies and can cause dogs to be sensitive to certain medications - including some chemotherapy agents. Thankfully Taran was negative so all medications could be used.💊

🔬Following all the tests Tara was diagnosed with B-Cell Lymphoma and chemotherapy was recommended.📚

💊So we started the 25 week CHOP protocol, which involves 16 treatments over the course of 25 weeks and Taran rocked it!💉

🍪He was always such a happy boy to come and visit us and very enthusiastic to get in to the reception and consult room, and especially our chemo room... where he knows the biscuit jar is.....🍪🍪🍪

🏅Taran completed his protocol on 27th September🏅

🎉Here he is with his certificate and his end of treatment bell. 🎉

😳Taran was not a fan of the bell being rung and got out of there sharpish!😑

🥰🥰We look forward to seeing Taran for his check ups soon! 🥰🥰

26/04/2022

🌟Congratulations to our two of our awesome nurses🌟

🤓Esther and Hannah have both passed their emergency and critical care certificate🤓

🌺well done ladies - very well deserved after all your hard work🌺

We're delighted to share the news that our RVNs, Esther Montrose and Hannah Ryan, have both passed their veterinary nursing certificate in emergency and critical care! 🎉🙌

Congratulations from everyone here at Northwest Veterinary Specialists.

23/04/2022

🤩 Everyone Meet Bella 🤩

🦋Bella first came to see our oncology team in February 2020 where it was noted that she had a mass within her abdomen. 🦠

🧐She had an ultrasound to identify exactly where the mass was.🔭

✂️Following this she paid a visit to our awesome surgery team who removed the mass, and she was diagnosed with gastrointestinal lymohoma🔬

💉Bella recovered really well following the surgery and went on to have multiple chemotherapy treatments to try to keep her disease at bay. 💉

🌼She comes to see us regularly for her check ups and she's always such a sweetie, with a side of sass for good measure. 🌼

🎊🎊Bella recently celebrated her 15th birthday!! 🎊🎊

🎈🎈Here she is posing for birthday pictures🎈🎈

11/03/2022

🥰Everyone meet Olive!🥰

🧐Olive first came to see our Oncology Team in August 2021.🧐

🤕She had gone to see here own vets as she had a mass on her hind leg. The mass was sampled and the results showed that it was a mast cell tumour.🤕

🧬When Olive first came to us she had some blood tests and an ultrasound. The ultrasound allowed us to obtain some samples of her liver and spleen, and the regional (local) lymph nodes so we could check if the tumour had metastasised.🧬

⚔Olive then had surgery with our awesome soft tissue team to remove the mass.⚔

🥳Thankfully the mass was completly excised🥳, but one of the lymph nodes had shown evidence of metastasis.😠

💪So, a follow up chemotherapy plan was created for Olive and she started an eight treatment course of vinblastine. 💪

💉Vinblastine is administered directly into a vein once a week for four weeks, then every other week for another four treatments.💉

💊Olive had an anti nausea medication administered before each treatment to prevent any vomitin or nausea after the treatment💊

🙌Olive rocked her treatment! And we are so thankful she completed her course in February 2022! 🙌

🎉🎉🎉Here she is after having a celebratory swim after her last treatment and then showing off her certificate!🎉🎉🎉

🥰We look forward to seeing this sassy little madam next week for her follow up ultrasound🥰

08/01/2022

🥰Everyone meet Timo! 🥰

🧐Timo first came to see us in May 2021 after his own vets were suspicious of lymphoma. 🧐

🧬Timo had an abdominal ultrasound performed which allowed us to get samples of his liver, spleen and re**um. 🧬

💉Samples of his lymph nodes were also taken. 💉

🔬The results showed that Timo had high grade B cell lymphoma with involvement of the spleen and re**um, and early infiltration of the liver. 🔬

💊Chemotherapy was one option offered to his mum and dad, and they opted to start treatment right away. 💊

🩺Timo received 16 chemotherapy treatments over the 25 week CHOP protocol. 🩺

🥰🥰And of course he was the bestest, sweetest boy for all of his visits to see us, with his constantly waggy tail 🥰🥰

🎊Timo completed his chemotherapy protocol on 17th November, and then came to see us for a check up on 14th December - this revealed that Timo was still in complete remission from the lymphoma!🎊

🎈We look forward to seeing Timo very soon for his check up🎈

31/12/2021

😎Everyone meet Watson😎

🩺Watson first come to us in August 2021 after his own vets diagnosed him with a renal adenocarcinoma (kidney tumor).🧬

🧐He initially had a CT scan of his thorax and abdomen, and then an ultrasound. This showed a mass within his left kidney. But, thankfully🎉 there was no evidence of tumor spread (metastasis) to his lungs or other organs.🎉

✂️So in September Watson had his left kidney removed by one of our awesome soft tissue surgeons.✂️

💊Due to the type of tumor Watson had it was recommened that we followed the surgery with a course of four chemotherapy treatments with carboplatin.💊

🧐Before we started the chemotherapy we had to perform some blood tests to make sure Watsons remaining right kidney was functioning normally - which it was!!💉

💉Watson had four treatments of carboplatin which was administered as an infusion directly into his vein.💉

🎉🎉Today was Watsons final treatment🥳🥳 and we think he quite enjoyed his last treatment as it came with a can of tasty food and multiple biscuits! He also made himself at home and sat on one of our chairs! 🎉🎉

😍Here he is with his mum showing off his certificate. 😍

24/12/2021

💖Everyone meet beautiful Saffy!💖

💊Saffy came in today to start her chemotherapy protocol for her recently diagnosed lymphoma💉

💫And she was a superstar💫

🎈And of course there were biscuits involved in todays visit.... well.... it is Christmas Eve!🤩

🥰Here is the lovely Saffy with our super nurse Jodie having a post chemo cuddle!🥰

🎉🎊🎄Team Oncology would like to to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, we hope everyone has a wonderful day 🎄🎊🎉

05/11/2021

🐱 The wonderful Classic FM are once again hosting two special programmes to help pets, and owners!, stay calm and relaxed during the fireworks 🐶

🎶They with be broadcast tonight, Friday 5th and tomorrow, Saturday 6th November between 6pm and 10pm🎶

🌟We hope everyone has a safe and calm bonfire night🌟

08/10/2021

Hey Everyone 🤩

Jess, one of our awesome oncologists is taking part in the Manchester Half Marathon on Sunday 10th October 🏃‍♀️

💖Jess is hoping to raise money for Vetlife 💖

Vetlife is an invaluable independent Charity that provides free and confidential support to anyone in the UK veterinary community who has emotional, health or financial problems.

The vet profession can be hugely varied, enjoyable, and extremely fulfilling, but it comes with a dark side. Vetlife works to ensure that those engaged in the veterinary community are aware of available assistance, and signposts them to sources of help should they, or a colleague, need support whether it be due to poor mental health, depression, burnout, or compassion fatigue.

We all know of colleagues and friends who have needed the help Vetlife can provide, and therefore we know how vital it is for the charity to receive continued support.

🥰Help us to support Jess and the wonderful work that Vetlife does for the entire veterinary community 🥰

🌟GOOD LUCK JESS!!🌟

🌟 We are super proud of you🌟

Help Jessica Colin raise money to support Vetlife

02/07/2021

🌟Everyone meet Bobby!🌟

🥰Bobby is such a sweetie and has been coming to us for treatment for his splenic haemangiosarcoma.🥰

🏨Bobby gave his mum and dad, and us a little scare at the beginning of the week and he spent the night in our hospital.🏨

🤩We are so very happy he went home the next day feeling much better🙌

🩺He came in today to start a new chemotherapy treatment. Epirubicin is an injectable treatment given over 20 to 30 minutes, so it means we get to sit and fuss him during it.🧬

🍪Clearly there were biscuits involved aswell🍪

🤩Here is Bobby with Debs,one of our nurses, after his treatment🤩

🤩I think he's looking for another snack 😉

25/06/2021

🥰Everyone meet Betty🥰

🧠Betty is under the care of Lucia, one of our neurology residents and she comes to Team Oncology for part of her treatment.🧠

🥳Betty is doing really well on her treatments and you can she shes feeling pretty good.🥳

💥And pretty sassy!! 💥

🍪Here she is shouting at Estel.la, our Oncology Resident, to be a bit quicker when handing over the biscuits.😳

🥰Watch until the end for Betty kisses 🥰

24/06/2021

🤩Our awesome Oncology Residents, Lavra and Estel.la are giving a talk on mast cell tumours🤩

Click the link to register
👉👉👉👉👉👉

https://www.nwspecialists.com/event/oncology-talk-and-qa/

In two weeks, our oncology specialists will be hosting a FREE CPD webinar discussing the basics of mast cell tumours, staging and a wide variety of treatment options available for this tumour type.

We hope you can join us!

📅 Thursday, July 8
⏰ 7pm
🗨️ Mast cell tumours
💻 Microsoft Teams

To sign up, visit 👉 https://bit.ly/3h17CQn

24/06/2021

🥰Everyone meet Neo🥰

🤩Neo came to us today to start his chemotherapy for his mast cell tumor💪

💉Today he had a blood test to check his blood cells were ok, especially the infecrion fighting white blood cells (neutrophils)🧬

🩺Then he was examined to make sure he was in good shape for his treatment🩺

💉And then an injection of the chemotherapy agent, vinblastine. This was given directly into his vein via an intravenous catheter.🩹

🤩And he was such a good boy!🤩

🌟And good boys get biscuits.🌟

🍪🍪Neo got lots of biscuits! 😳🍪🍪

🥰Here he is with Leanne having some love and some biscuits!🥰

🌟🌟🌟We work really hard at Northwest Vet Specialists to make it a nice experince, especially when pets are coming in regularly for chemotherapy, and most of the time biscuits help 😉 🌟🌟🌟