Need Help...Info on Memphis Vet Specialists-UPDATE ON CHIEF

[Don Miller]

My 10 year old lab, Chief has melanoma cancer. He is up beat and is showing no effect right now. I was refered to Memphis Vet Specialists http://www.memphisveterinaryspecialists.com and they are suppose to be doing surgery tomarrow to remove a mass inside the sheath of his penis and a lyph node that that tested positive for melanoma. It hasn't spread to any of his other organs yet. After surgery, he is suppose to start a new chemo vaccine treatment http://www.petcancervaccine.com given 4 times every other week. I was impressed with this vet clinic and staff. It looked like a small hospital. They have specialist for cancer, orthapedics and so on. My question is has anyone ever used them for surgery or treatment and how do they compare to Miss. State Vet School? Any info about MVS would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
DM.

[.tadpole]

Mark sorry about Chief. I talked to D Noel in Memphis today, he hasn't heard of them but remembers when he was in the dog business, people used to always send dogs for serious treatment to vets around Memphis.

[Sam1]

DM,

I literally just went through this with my Chesapeake. He is 8.5yrs old and had a tumor removed from his lower jaw that tested positive for malignant melanoma. We did additional aspirate tests, chest x-rays, tissue samples, etc. It has been about a 3 week process. The next step for us was going to be the vaccine as well. Luckily it looks like we caught the cancer before any metastasis so we have not had to undergo additional treatment at this time. However, my vet has made it very clear that we are not immune to this showing up again. The vaccine sounds like it has had some great results but i think it can be costly. My Vet did not want to talk about it until we recieved the additional tests. My vet is Dr. Norris McGehee from McGehee Animal Clinic and I could not be happier with him. He has been very up front with me through the whole process and I have been very pleased. As a big hunter himself, he knows how important our dogs are to our families. I will ask him about MVS if you want another opinion. I wish you and your dog the best. I will be sure to keep yall in my prayers. If you have any questions about the process I went through, please let me know.

[Don Miller]

DM,

I literally just went through this with my Chesapeake. He is 8.5yrs old and had a tumor removed from his lower jaw that tested positive for malignant melanoma. We did additional aspirate tests, chest x-rays, tissue samples, etc. It has been about a 3 week process. The next step for us was going to be the vaccine as well. Luckily it looks like we caught the cancer before any metastasis so we have not had to undergo additional treatment at this time. However, my vet has made it very clear that we are not immune to this showing up again. The vaccine sounds like it has had some great results but i think it can be costly. My Vet did not want to talk about it until we recieved the additional tests. My vet is Dr. Norris McGehee from McGehee Animal Clinic and I could not be happier with him. He has been very up front with me through the whole process and I have been very pleased. As a big hunter himself, he knows how important our dogs are to our families. I will ask him about MVS if you want another opinion. I wish you and your dog the best. I will be sure to keep yall in my prayers. If you have any questions about the process I went through, please let me know.

Thanks. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[three11]

Several of the doctors at Memphis Vet Specialists are former instructors from MSU vet school. Dr. Tobias is one of the surgeons there, and I would trust him with anything. He treated a very sick dog of mine when he was at MSU in the early 1990's. Years later, I was referred to Memphis Vet Specialists by my local vet for a surgery on a different dog. Although I didn't remember him at the time, he remembered me and the dog that he had treated years earlier at MSU. I received first class service there and their facility is second to none. I highly recommend them.

[bhuggins]

You're in good hands.

They are the best in Memphis but I wouldn't say better / worse than MSU. There should be less red tape because you aren't having to deal with all the different chains of command at the Vet School. I haven't seen the new facility in Memphis yet but it is supposed to be state of the art.

Bottom line, I would use whichever is more convenient. MSU used to be approximately 20% cheaper but now it seems to be a wash.

Good luck. Cancer sucks. If you have any questions, I'll be glad to help if I can.

[bigwater]

Long live the chief

[eSJay]

Mark - I have no info on the Memphis Vet Specialists or MSU Vet School for that matter, but just wanted to wish Chief (& you) well in this matter. I enjoyed watching Chief Work! Keep us posted.

Chief hunting_sepia.jpg (109.89 KiB) Viewed 833 times

[Don Miller]

Mark - I have no info on the Memphis Vet Specialists or MSU Vet School for that matter, but just wanted to wish Chief (& you) well in this matter. I enjoyed watching Chief Work! Keep us posted.

Chief hunting_sepia.jpg

eSJAY,
Thanks for posting up the pic of Chief. The prognosis is not good without surgery and chemo. Maybe 2 to 4 month. With surgery and chemo there is a chance he will be able to hunt another season. I made the choice yesterday to gamble on the latter. It's going to be super expensive. As much or more than a week hunting waterfowl in Canada would cost but I got to thinking....would I rather go back to Canada or have a chance to hunt with my ol buddy one more season even if on a limited basis. It was a no brainer for me. Chief will be having surgery and begining chemo tomarrow. Please keep us in your prayers.
Thanks,
DM.

[eSJay]

Excellent choice! Would have been a no brainer for me too. Hellva Dog!
Prayers sent for the Cheif & the Don Milla!

[7ducks]

We had 2 tumors removed from our lab/Sara locally(Madison) with clean margins. She who must be obeyed wanted a 2nd opinion and asked (2 different vets) to recommend a specialist ...they both said MVS ....... we could not have been more pleased with the doctors and staff at MVS .........IMO Chief could not be in better hands.............. will say a prayer for Chief...Good Luck

[duramax]

They are known as the best place to take your dog for specific illnesses and injuries in the area.

[ducman77]

Sorry to hear about Chief he is a great dog.

[Trip]

Long live the chief

Dat's right!

[Don Miller]

Chief made it through surgery today. A tumor and lymph node that tested positive for melanoma were removed. He also started the chemo vaccine treatments. If there are no post-op problems he can go home on Friday. The vet is not giving me a % chance that he will or won't be able to hunt this winter. It will be a waiting game to see if the chemo works or not. He could live another year or the cancer may spread if the treatment doesn't work. It is a costly process but I have no regrets. I'm hoping for the best but know most dogs don't recover from melanoma.