Terrier named Tater rocks remission
With advanced treatment at the Animal Cancer Care and Research Center and a life-saving investment from Petco Love, a terrier mix named Tater has more time to do what he does best — cuddle.
Tater entered Sydney Smith’s life when he was 10 months old and a stranger on Facebook gave him away. He was a sweetheart from the very start, and of the five dogs in his household, Tater is the most affectionate, Smith said.
Tater was 4 when Smith and her partner, Fabian LeDuc, noticed something was wrong, and they brought him to the veterinarian for treatment of a urinary tract infection. The veterinarian also noticed swollen lymph nodes and a high calcium level: It was cancer.
“I was very upset because he’s the sweetest dog and was only 4 at the time, and he didn’t deserve this at such a young age. No animal deserves cancer,” said Smith.
Tater was referred to the Animal Cancer Care and Research Center. The Roanoke facility is one of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine’s three animal hospitals.
At the animal cancer center, Tater was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma stage 3. The news was crushing, as dogs with T-cell lymphoma tend to live six to nine months after diagnosis with chemotherapy treatment.
Tater took his chemotherapy treatments in stride, Smith said.
“He did very well with all his treatments, and it didn’t really make him sick at all,” Smith said. “He was a little tired after each treatment, and then a few hours later was back to his normal Tater self, as happy as could be. You’d never know he had cancer."
After months of chemo, he went into remission, but four weeks later, the cancer was back. Tater needed a second round of chemotherapy, which ended in May 2024. He has been in remission ever since.
“In dogs, we typically aim for remission from the lymphoma with chemotherapy treatment,” said Joanne Tuohy, associate professor of surgical oncology and part of the team that cared for Tater. “It is also anticipated that, at some point, a dog may come out of remission, requiring another round of treatments.
“Tater’s family's dedication and ability to provide him the care and the treatments that he needed were critical for Tater having a good quality of life.”
The treatment has required frequent visits to the animal cancer center to receive chemotherapy, check his lymph nodes, and perform imaging and bloodwork. Smith and LeDuc credit their friend Betina McGuire for helping them ensure Tater was able to attend all of his appointments by driving him when their work schedules prevented them from doing so.
“I feel very fortunate that we live so close to a cancer center, about 45 minutes,” said Smith, who lives in Radford. “Not a lot of people get that. I’ve heard people drive two hours or more just to take their animals for treatments.”
Month after month of chemotherapy treatments, checkups, tests, and imaging is costly, but Smith received help through an investment from Petco Love, a national nonprofit organization. Petco Love, in partnership with Blue Buffalo, invests millions of dollars into funding pet cancer research, treatment, and cutting-edge studies – as well as helping pets like Tater receive the care they need to fight cancer.
“The impact of the Petco Love and Blue Buffalo Pet Cancer Treatment Fund cannot be measured,” said Tuohy. “It brings a lot of optimism to the whole team, knowing that the families are able to get the treatment that they want and need for their pets.”
“The Petco Love and Blue Buffalo Pet Cancer Treatment Fund helped by taking some of the burden off. The money went toward some of his treatments, and I was very grateful,” said Smith. “I didn’t think we would still have Tater here today. We’ve gotten another birthday with him and even took him on a special vacation last summer.”
