Checking back on Jack and his incredible will to live
Posted: Thursday, October 18, 2007 4:30 PM by Jaclyn Levin
(From Jill Rappaport, TODAY Entertainment Correspondent)
What a miracle, what a blessing, what a BOY!
My Jack is truly a fighter, with an incredible desire to live. For those of you who followed and remember Jack’s amazing, yet terrifying story (and there were countless emails) 14 months ago, my beautiful, then 11 ½ year old, German Shepard started limping and my worst fear was confirmed—Jack was diagnosed with bone cancer. Again, just writing those words makes me sick to my stomach, but Jack’s story, to date, is inspirational and, hopefully, will ease fears you might have if your “fur angels” are given a devastating diagnosis. There is HOPE and, YES, there is a wonderful quality of life even after amputation, chemotherapy and recovery.
Jack is doing “great” on three legs. Yes, he tires a little more easily but that is to be expected since he lost his walk and trot gaits, and now canters or hops. You try hopping. It is exhausting to say the least. Let’s not forget he is now 12 ½, which is not young for a big dog on all fours, let alone three. But he leaps up to go for many walks a day, he is the first one at the refrigerator waiting for a snack and, recently, when I turned my back for one minute he took off after a deer!
Jack has been on a leash his whole life because of his deer obsession. After the amputation, I wanted to let Jack roam free on our property but never out of my sight just in case and never did I think he would have the drive and stamina to chase anything—let alone a deer. Well, one agonizing hour later after I organized a search party (for real), we found Jack almost a half a mile away still hopping after that deer. He was panting and exhausted but sooooooo happy and sooooooo tired that we had to carry him most of the way home. That was no easy task since he weighs 65 lbs!! That is just one example of his “quality of life” and he definitely has it.
Jack had a great summer—jumping on all our furniture, rolling in the grass and digging up our lawn. Yes, even with one front leg Jack did some serious damage and I loved it!!! He can take your finger off for some pizza (his favorite) and he gets a little promiscuous with my Lab, Buck, but that is a whole other story not meant for this website!!
Every three months we go back to The Center for Specialized Veterinary Care, the incredible place that saved his life, and his wonderful loving oncologist Dr. Post gets on his knees to give Jack a big smooch, which my pooch, adores! Every time the x-rays and blood work come back clean and normal, we all jump for joy! But just recently, not quite two weeks ago, Jack gave us a scare. He had been coughing and throwing up a couple times, but after he had been eating grass which he has done since he was a puppy with the same reaction. I was not too nervous until his coughing turned to gagging, like he had something stuck in his throat. I immediately called Dr. Post, who we were due see that week. I was shaking, wondering if his cancer had returned in his lungs.
Well, I always say the Internet can be a blessing and a curse. I went online immediately and, when I typed in Jacks symptoms, I kept getting articles on congenital heart failure. These are very scary words but treatable and, its funny how your mind and emotions work, as dangerous as this condition can be, I was relieved at the thought that it may be this condition and not cancer—anything but cancer! Just to be safe, I took Jack to my local vet, who is just around the corner rather than three hours of travel to and from Dr. Post. At first they thought it was a condition called Kennel Cough—very treatable with antibiotics. Something told me this was more serious, so I asked them to take a chest x-ray. The great news was they could not detect any cancer. Whew, I could breathe again for the moment! There was a serious issue with his heart, however. They e-mailed the x-ray to Dr. Diane Levitan, who runs The Center for Specialized Veterinary Care. She called me within seconds of seeing the x-ray and told me to meet her at the clinic as soon as possible. I was terrified to say the least but knew Jack would be in great hands with Dr. Levitan, who had to leave her son's birthday party on a Saturday night to treat Jack. We were very lucky she did.
Five hours later after extensive x-rays and an eco-cardiogram, Dr. Levitan was able to treat Jack successfully through the prescription of life-saving medications. He stopped that terrifying gagging immediately and is back to his old self. He is even getting frisky with Buck again. Bless you Dr. Levitan. You and your clinic saved my boy again!!! And YES, 14 months later, he is still cancer free.
And now, Jack has been bitten by the celebrity bug, having been chosen to be the poster boy, or as we call him the “ambassadog” of hope for pets with cancer and other life threatening conditions, for Tails of Hope Foundation and ACVIM Foundation—two wonderful organizations that make the public aware of the incredible new life saving options and medical advances for our pets. It’s called the “JACK AND JILL” campaign. Yes, I am riding on his “coatTAILS” no pun intended. Jack is truly a beacon of hope for all pets facing life-threatening challenges.
From the day I found this scared little shaking puppy abandoned on the street, he has not only given me such joy, love and comfort; but he has shown me how to overcome debilitating obstacles. Finally, he has taught me to believe in miracles of which he is proof on his three beautiful legs.
