Twenty-twenty-five is a year I’m glad to see go. It’s been a year of non-stop health care and transitions as Missy passes and Rocky presents with lung cancer. And my right kidney presents symptoms of urotheilum cancer.
Revisions
- 2025-12-19 Original
References
Missy left us
In late 2024, Missy started eating less than maintenance. In January 2025, she began fasting — not eating at all. She lost weight and was euthanized after being with us for over a decade. As a young lass, Missy was a feisty girl full of play. She liked nothing better than to play some fetch or to rip around the garden carrying one of her balls. She joined Lord Nick from Twin River in Rhode Island and lived on to teach Rocky his place in 2020.
Even as she was fading from the scene, she continued to do the things she loved. One was to watch the world go by from our porch. Another was to troll passers-by at the fence. Harley people and skater kids received special attention.
Rocky’s cough
A cough is just a cough. I first noticed it after Rocky had nicked a jar top from the work tops. He had to chew it up. Thinking he had a bit of it stuck, I took him into the vet. The vet took a listen and recommended an imaging study. The imagery found lung tumors. In January, Rocky went in for an oncology consult. A CAT scan that found tumors in all lobes of the lung followed. Rocky was not a candidate for surgery or chemotherapy because of the extent of his disease. Rocky was expected to live for 6 months following his diagnosis. Rocky is still with us a year after his initial diagnosis.
Rocky’s disease progression has featured increasing frequency of throat clearing, occasional coughing, and most recently, a change in eating habits from hovering all available food to picky eating and eating after me. He seems comfortable and is still engaged in greyhound things. Rabbit and squirrel chasing is down but he’s still a fence troll, especially of dogs and motor bikes. Strollers and bikes not so much now.
Rocky’s Diet
In December, Rocky started leaving food, being a picky eater, etc. He went to the vet for a check up. The fussy eating is a late in life thing. His vet recommended we give him people food. I tried chuck roast and pork roast. He habituated to both pretty quickly.
Knowing he liked to mooch pasta from me, I made up a batch of corkscrew pasta with Bolognese sauce. This he liked. Hypothesis is that tumors were impacting the bowel as stools were strange for a couple of weeks. Changing foods, the soft food was easily chewed and swallowed.
Care of the Racing and Retired Greyhound gives feeding guidance for greyhounds while they are racing. Most eat ground meat, pasta or rice, greens or diced tomatoes, and maybe some good quality commercial kibble. So I decided to give Rao’s Bolognese sauce a try as it was similar to things in his diet while he was “in the show” racing at Orange in Florida. And he started eating. Stool improved. And he’s more active. And weight is down to a proper pet weight — hip points and 3 ribs visible.
I’m not sure he’s eating maintenance so I’m giving a lot of treats, pet jerky and soft treats of one sort or another. The BilJak goobers are a favorite as is the Wellness Dental (chicken and mint). And Open Farm jerky. They’re pricy as is the Rao’s. The good thing about Rao’s is that it is part of my diet and I’ll eat any Rocky leaves in the pantry.
Dave Bladder Update
In 2019 I became increasingly urge incontinent. I mentioned this to my primary care. He booked me in with Urology of Virginia to see what was going on. Doctor Young performed an office cystoscopic examination of the bladder which found the original polyps. He removed these in outpatient surgery and began quarterly surveillance. and BCG immunotherapy for follow-up. The disease was managed in this manner for several years.
In 2025, two consecutive urine surveillance specimens were found to have malignant cells among those shed. So my snake doctor began looking for the source. In July, a biopsy of the bladder linings with lots of sampling. This procedure ‘s results were unremarkable. The next step is to do cystoscopic (fiber optic bendy thing) examination of the voids in the kidneys. The left was unremarkable but my kidney surgeon (Doctor John) spotted two lesions in the right kidney that he lasered in August.
In September and October, I received 6 weeks of BCG (tuberculosis) immunotherapy. In mid-December it was back to the OR for another cystoscopy exam. Doctor John found that the bladder was still inflamed but no new lesions were present in the kidneys. The pathology specimens taken up there were free of malignant cells.
Bladder Lining Cancer Thoughts
- We have a family history on my mother’s side of the family. 4 of 12 siblings sired by my maternal grandfather have presented with bladder lining cancer.
- Bladder lining cancer is easily managed provided it is confined to the lining.
- My cancer is likely the result of an environmental mutation of the urothelium. A new test, UroVysion FISH (fluorescent antibody test) checks for a number of chromosome mutations associated with bladder cancer. I have several of them. These are not family legacy but rather mutations caused by environmental contaminants, likely in well water.
- My lesions have been accessible for treatment by cystoscopy so far.
- My lesions have responded to BCG immunotherapy so far.
- Cancer of the urothelium is very common in the Virginia Tidewater and peanut/tobacco farming regions to our west. The rate of bladder cancer is higher in the agricultural areas of our region. It is 4th in the top 10 after lung cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer.
- Regular surveillance is important. Urine tests should include pathology of shed cells. UroVysion FISH testing should be performed.
UroVysion FISH?
UroVysion FISH is a florescent antibody test designed to detect chromosome damage in the cells shed in the urine. I don’t know the mechanics beyond exposure to the reagent and microscopic examination to count the number of cells in the catch and the number that fluoresce.
My first sample tested 25 of 25 hot cells. After the first treatment, the test counted 9 of 25 and the result has remained stable there.
Cytology looks for cells with malformed nuclei indicative of malignly. My understanding is that it checks cells that are in the process of mitosis for malignant abnormalities that can be seen with the proper staining of the sample. UroVysison FISH, by detecting the chromosomal damage, detects cells that have the potential to have malignant descendants in the future.
BCG Immunotherapy
It’s magic but it works. [1] recounts the history and summarizes the associated science in BCG immunotherapy development. In the case of bladder cancer, it has become the main line therapy for holding the disease in check. My understanding is that the BCG bacterium binds to receptors on the cancerous urothelium cells. Immune system blood cells are attracted to the BCG, remove them, and removed the damaged cells near by. I’m very pleased that it works.
BCG therapy works for those parts of the bladder and kidney reachable from the outside (the urine side). My understanding is that the treatment mechanism relies on the attachment of BCG to the malignant or FISHy cells. It may not help with tumors in the kidney bulk. The article did mention a training effect on the immune system but not how extensive coverage of the body away from the urothelium was.
Looking at the article, BCG therapy is used to treat or prevent a number of diseases. Research into the related microbiology is leading to development of mRNA vaccines for several conditions treated by BCG therapy.
Dismal Manor Dispatches 
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