Day 46, Post-Spleen Rupture/Splenectomy
As a pre-requisite for the trial, we had to get a whole additional set of tests/scans done on August 1, in advance of the 1st vaccine injection (has to be done within the 7-day window prior). They also prefer that your dog not have metastasis to qualify for the trial (i.e. a 3-month+ prognosis), so I’d sweated that out, too — but all the tests came back good!
(For more info on requirements & costs, see my post: Clinical Trials: Part II — The Yale Vaccine).
By the time 8/6/24 rolled around, I felt like a kid who’d been counting the days till Christmas: It was at last the day to start the Yale EGFR/HER2 Vaccine trial!
Cat and her dad went on the 6-hr roundtrip road trip to Richmond, Virginia to Partner Veterinary Clinic. The oncologist there, the magical Dr. Melissa Miller, is maybe one of the nicest, most compassionate vets we’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing. I haven’t actually had the good fortune to meet her, in-person — all visits, to date, have been exclusively daddy-daughter excursions — but she was more than patient with me in the month leading up to the appointment, with all my questions and frantic urgency.
After our terrible chemo experience at NC State — only 45 mins away — we also decided to get her 2nd doxorubicin treatment at Partner Vet. Because of the side effects of the 1st treatment (dangerously low white blood cell count), they lowered the dosage.
Anyhow, the appointment was pretty uneventful — just the way all vet appointments should be! Cat did her classic “sing” trick to win over the staff, and after only a couple of hours, she & her dad were on their way back! …Oh and turns out it takes less time to drive all the way to Richmond & back for chemo than it does to get it done at NC State.
Update: August 28, 2024
…Daddy-Daughter Trip #2 to Richmond for Cat’s booster of the Yale vaccine came and went (Day 30 of the trial), as did doxo chemo treatment #3! Treatment is complete — now, all we have to do is continue to get our tests and scans and report into them. It has been such a relief to get this done!
For additional info on the Yale Vaccine Trial and to see participating clinics, visit: https://www.ccralliance.org/yale-status
A special thanks to The Canine Cancer Alliance for the loads of information you’ve provided me. Without this invaluable resource, this blog would not be possible — and we wouldn’t have heard about this amazing vaccine. We are so grateful! 
Carrie Stewart is a journalist and award-winning TV producer-turned-advocate for canine cancer awareness after working night and day for months on end to help her German Shepherd foster-fail/rescue pup, Cat the Dog, head off hemangiosarcoma for as long as she possibly can. 
