The Schwarzman Animal Medical Center’s annual Living Legends highlights some of the incredible work that goes on at our hospital every day while celebrating the unbreakable bond that exists between people and their pets. Each year we honor companion animals who survived seemingly insurmountable health challenges because of their owners’ love and dedication, along with the exceptional care and innovative treatment they received from our specialty veterinarians.
--
Spice, a 14-year-old cat, is a familiar face at AMC’s Cancer Institute. She was first treated in 2017 for a malignant tumor on her tail. Our Surgical Oncology team removed the mass, and Spice received radiation and chemotherapy, which put her into remission. Then, in 2019, she developed a new mass on her tail. This time, AMC clinicians amputated the tail and administered another round of chemotherapy, which again put the cancer into remission. However, when Spice returned for a regular checkup the next year, the doctors identified lameness in her back leg, which an MRI revealed to be a second cancer - large cell lymphoma - requiring further radiation and chemotherapy. After an abscess developed, the leg was also amputated. Spice is once again in remission, six years after her initial cancer diagnosis, thanks to the collaboration of our Medical, Radiation, and Surgical Oncology Services, and she is pain-free thanks to acupuncture from our Tina Santi Flaherty Rehabilitation and Fitness Service.