SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — On Friday, the San Diego Humane Society threw a "pawty" for Phoenix the dog, who has reached one year of being cancer free.
The anniversary party for the beloved Saint Bernard and Shepard mix was held at the Pilar & Chuck Bahde Center for Shelter Medicine, where he received chemotherapy and was declared cancer free in April 2021.
San Diego Humane Society said that Phoenix arrived to them on Nov. 5, 2020 as a stray.
"The sweet dog was malnourished, flea-infested and had missing fur. The veterinary team at San Diego Humane Society diagnosed Phoenix with TVT (Transmissible Venereal Tumor), a malignant cancerous tumor," said in a press release from SD Humane Society.
After 13 rounds of chemotherapy, left was two cancerous masses remaining and the team turned to oncologist Dr. Colleen Tansey from VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital, who offered to commute to San Diego on her days off to provide electrochemotherapy for Phoenix.
Through expert medical care and collaboration, Phoenix was declared cancer-free in April 2021.
He was later adopted by San Diego Humane Society Veterinary Assistant, Colette Troughton.
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