This True Tail includes almost every dog cancer treatment in the books and a whole lot of love shared by one woman and her special Bernese Mountain Dog.
Tesoro was diagnosed with fibrosarcoma in Feb. of 2017 when he was 6.5 years old. Diana and Tesoro’s cancer fight lasted two years and cost $60,000. It was a journey with ups and downs, struggles and victories. Their fight was filled with love, laughter, and tears. It was a journey which unfortunately many other dog owners will travel. What lessons did she learn? What advice can she give? Diana hopes that the story of Tesoro’s fight as a Cancer Warrior can help others.
Listen in to hear the full story, from the treatments that Tesoro received to their amazing experience with Trupanion… and a little bit about designer cones of shame.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Show:
- Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America https://www.bmdca.org/
- SAGE Veterinary Centers https://www.sagecenters.com/
- Trupanion Pet Insurance https://trupanion.com/
- Berner-Garde Foundation http://www.bernergarde.org/home/
- Torigen Pharmaceuticals https://www.torigen.com/
Related Links:
- How to Choose a Dog Breeder podcast episode - https://dogcanceranswers.com/how-to-choose-a-dog-breeder-dr-jerry-klein-dvm-deep-dive/
- All About Radiation for Dogs podcast episode - https://dogcanceranswers.com/all-about-radiation-for-dogs-jenny-fisher/
About Today’s Guest, Diana Gerba:
Diana Gerba is a video producer and project manager by trade and has owned Bernese Mountain Dogs for over 30 years. She’s a member of the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America, The Northern California Bernese Mountain Dog Club, and spearheaded the BMD Histio Action Therapeutic Task Force. Her last Berner boy, Tesoro was a Champion, a Versatility dog with both Draft and Obedience titles, and her loved companion. Diana also belongs to the Tibetan Spaniel Club of America. Her current little Tibbie, Marco, has taken her on an amazing adventure into the upper echelons of the fancy as he was number three owner handled Tibetan Spaniel for two years in a row, was awarded at both the National Dog Show in Philadelphia, AKC National in Orlando, and Westminster.
Diana is a person of action. In 2010 she lost Donato, a 6 month old Berner pup to a Death Cap Mushroom. Rather than keep the pain inside, she started a blog Mushrooms911 which has become Donato’s legacy and her mission to spread a warning about the danger of mushroom toxicity. Over 36,000 people have gone to her blog and she has handed out over 70,000 Mushroom Alert Cards. Now she’d like to share Tesoro’s cancer journey with the hope that it can help others.
https://mushrooms911.blogspot.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianagerba/
0:00 Start
2:28 Bernese Mountain Dogs
5:30 Tesoro’s Diagnosis
9:55 Surgery
13:40 Radiation
14:34 The Cone of Shame
17:07 Obedience Training and Trials
19:48 Cancer Returns
22:27 Diet
23:12 Adding Holistic Vet
25:37 Torigen
28:56 Quality of Life During Treatment
32:16 Pet Health Insurance
34:24 Marco the Tibetan Spaniel
37:08 Berner-Garde
40:39 Euthanasia and Grief
44:27 Diana’s Top Advice
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For episode notes, resources, guest bios and a transcript, please visit https://dogcanceranswers.com/
Have an inspiring True Tail about your own dog’s cancer journey you think would help other dog lovers? Share your true tail with our producers - https://dogcanceranswers.com/share-your-true-tail/
Helpful Resources: To join the private Facebook group for readers of Dr. Dressler’s book “The Dog Cancer Survival Guide” go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/dogcancersupport/
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