It has been almost a year since Anna’s last check in here on her blog. During that time, Anna has continued to work a full schedule while undergoing treatment for her lymphoma. She has had very few side effects and has felt great throughout most of the treatment. We are most grateful to her veterinary teams for their diligent and thoughtful care to help keep her safe and happy, doing what she loves to do.
In February, she celebrated her 10th birthday with a great party. So many of her work friends were able to join for cake, selfies, and lots of love. We, her humans, have often been asked how long she will work, and our answer has always been, until she or her body tell us it’s time to stop.
We are now entering a time where her spirit is still very much enjoying her work, but her body is telling us she needs to slow down. Her cancer has advanced, which means that the medications she has been taking have reached the end of how effective they can be. In addition, there are no further cancer-directed treatments available to treat her particular cancer. We can, however, continue to focus on treating some of the effects of her cancer, and treating any uncomfortable symptoms that might arise. Our goal, as always, continues to be helping her feel as well as possible for as long as possible.
If you’d like to learn about Anna’s symptoms and how we will make decisions about her work, please continue reading. If you’d prefer not to learn these details, please skip to the last paragraph to learn about how we will be celebrating Anna’s career at Michigan Medicine.
Anna’s cancer is a lymphoma that unfortunately impacts her skin. It is causing her to lose hair and have sores on her skin. You may notice visible wounds, you may notice her wearing “clothes” to cover up the wounds. They are not infected or contagious, nor are they causing her pain. She is taking medications and receiving careful skincare to assist with preventing infections and to lessen any pain or itching she might feel.
Her oncologist (Dr. Angela Kozicki at Blue Pearl Southfield), primary vet (Dr. Kristina Zhang at AAAH), and her whole care team (she has seen so many care team members throughout this journey) love her dearly and have worked hard to care for her. We remain so grateful for them. And yet, we expect these wounds will continue to worsen as her cancer progresses. At the same time, as we shared previously, we will be following Anna’s lead to help make decisions with and for her about what she wants to do with the energy she has. We expect that this will include how much she works. Anna is a very social dog and would be bored and miserable staying home all day, and yet she will not be doing as much “work” even if she is at the hospital. Our goal is to manage symptoms as best we can while also maintaining a good quality of life for her; think of it as palliative care for dogs!
While Anna’s health is changing, we expect her energy and level of engagement with her hospital community to change too. While she’s still feeling quite well, we would like to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to celebrate her and her 9 years of work at Michigan Medicine. With this in mind, we will be hosting a “Cheer to 9 Years” pre-retirement party. You may still see Anna in the hallways as she does still love to be in the hospital, and you are welcome to say hi. We will follow Anna’s lead about how much work she is able to do as we move towards a phased retirement. We don’t expect she will be able to do individual visits with patients any more, but you are welcome to request visits from her friends with Paws4Patients paws4patients@med.umich.edu or her friends through Therapaws (Volunteer Services). We will also be offering opportunities for you to share your favorite Anna stories and photos to help celebrate all the work she has done and joy and comfort she has shared with Michigan Medicine over the last 9 years. Anna sends all her love, and we are grateful for all the love you have given her!
-LJ, Christina, & Sarah
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