Sofie's dog cancer story and radiation pictures were submitted to us by Christina, Sofie's owner.

Christina was generous enough to share Sofie's story with us in an effort to help other dog owners who find themselves considering radiation treatments for their best friend.

Christina takes you through each phase of Sofie's radiation treatments along with her recovery.

About Sofie

Christina says Sofie is her 11 year old dog aka 55 pound houndish mutt!

In June 2011, "Sofer" as Christina likes to call her, was diagnosed with a abdominal mass as well as a nasal tumor. The oncologist indicated that the abdominal mass was old and mineralized and most likely benign, but he still recommended removing it.

Sofie's doctor recommended "debulking" the cancerous nasal tumor. "Debulk" is a term that means "to remove a section of a cancerous tumor in order to reach the entire affected area and improve the effectiveness of radiation or chemo therapy. Without treatment, Sofie's doctor gave her 3 months to live.

Christina was heartbroken after receiving the diagnosis. Although Sofie was 11 years old at the time; this old dog was still quite active. Sofie's internal organs were all healthy as well and despite her age, these factors made her a strong candidate for both surgeries. Christina decided to go ahead with the surgeries and radiation treatment.

Dog Cancer Radiation Treatment | Sofie Post Radiation September 2011

"Hey Janie, I wanted to send you a couple pictures of Sofie post radiation. In the event you ever have a visitor asking about radiation treatment for their old dog - feel free to let them know about Sofie if that is of any help or comfort to them.

The last week of the radiation treatments Sofie did have some mouth burning, ulceration and drooling. She had to be switched to very soft food but she ate and drank through the whole thing. 3-4 days after the radiation was over, the symptoms went away. The oncologist said that was one of the more severe cases he had seen of burns....and looking back on it, it was not as bad as it seemed at the time (I was just worried for her!) She was uncomfortable but not in pain.

This was perhaps the worst thing I think she experienced throughout the treatment. A lot of people ask about fur loss and skin burns too. They said Sofie was about the average case. Apparently some of the hypoallergenic dogs may not regain their hair/fur...and Sofie actually hasn't had any regrowth yet, but the burns for the most part have healed.

And even if her fur doesn't come back - although the vet is confident it will - I can live with her bald face!

Here's a couple pics:

This picture is about one week after the radiation stopped. The burns were noticable on her muzzle and cheeks. Her fur started basically peeling off.

She had to wear the cone pretty much constantly at this point. She was trying hard to scratch at it. That worst part only lasted 4 or 5 days.

This picture is 3 days later when most of the large patches had come off. I know the coat is kind of goofy. Sofers will actually shiver in 50 degree weather without it though! Softy, lol!
Here's a picture from the camping trip: By the time we left for our trip about 3 weeks later, most of the skin burns has scabbed over. Most of the scabs had fallen off as well. And the skin had started turning back to its natural color.

From the far away shot, you can see how her bald face and head look smaller than the rest of her body! But she doesn't scratch at it anymore and it doesn't bother her at all.

Like I said Janie, if you get any questions about dog cancer radiation treatments which is a pretty common protocol for the face and head...feel free to share Sofie's story. I went crazy googling for pictures of radiation dogs just to see how bad it would get.

I've told a couple people who have asked me (I'm not sure if its the same for a chemo protocol) that there comes a time towards the end when you wonder how you could have done this to your best friend.

When her mouth and face burns were at their worst, I did get this feeling. Thankfully it only lasted about 36 hours and she started turning the corner and healing very quickly. We just had to put our heads down and keep going!

Hopefully this helps brings comfort to someone else facing this awful disease! Thanks again for all your information on your website. Christina"

Sofie Update October 2011

"Hi Janie: Here we are 10 weeks post radiation. I'm attaching a picture of Sofers who looks and feels amazing! (I woke her up, so shes giving me the evil eye a bit. Lol. Her fur has grown back, but its mostly grey (with a little black fur mixed in.) Its still short and fuzzy. And there is still a totally bald spot at the end of her muzzle - but for the most part, its growing back!

I'm really glad we treated her agressively. She's such a great dog and she's doing so good. I know other people are agonizing over what to do - for us its been great and we've grown an even deeper bond through all this.

Thanks for all you do for the old faithful friends out there! Christina

THANK YOU Christina for taking the time to share this valuable information with us.

There is no doubt that it will be very beneficial to others in the future. It's stories like yours that provide hope and encouragement in times of despair.

We are very grateful.