Elley (~1996 - May 7, 2008)

July 13, 2008: This page is very much under construction. I have posted a gallery of photos of Elley online. Some of the photos of when she was sick are included.

I found the first lump on Elley's neck on February 2, 2008. She was diagnosed with atypical lymphoma, carcinoma (lung), and cardiomyopathy on February 4, 2008. She lived for 96 days after finding that first lump. Research in scientific journals indicated that average survival time of chemotherapy-treated atypical lymphomas is around 311 days. There were early signs or cancer going back to late December 2007 to early January 2008. At the time I was unaware that excessive panting was a sign of cancer. There were also symptoms of cardiomyopathy going back to the summer of 2007. Unfortunately, her regular veterinarian never listened to her heart at her annual checkups and I did not know the symptoms. Using an unreliable veterinarian and lacking knowledge myself is not a mistake I will not repeat with my other boxers.

Boxers can have many medical problems due to irresponsible breeders without education in genetics. Cardiomyopathy and cancer are the two biggest causes of death in boxers. You should pick your veterinarian very carefully and inquire about their knowledge on boxer health problems.

Jeanette Kelly is known in the area for intralesional injections (directly into the tumor), which ended up causing extreme discomfort for Elley along with a severe infection in her neck that was misdiagnosed by Dr. Kelley as swelling resulting from tumor growth. Elley's tumors were actually decreasing in size immediately prior to her death. The infection along with misdiagnoses, chemotherapy, and steroids led to Elley's death sooner than normal.

When you find a technically qualified veterinarian to treat cancer (or any illness) question them relentlessly. You are paying for their time and deserve to be told the truth.

I will never forget you, Elley. I will always miss you.
You are still my number one girl :)

July 11, 2008: I am still working on updating this page with more details on Elley's illness and useful information along with a bunch of happy memories and pictures to cover everything before February, 2008. Since Elley died so recently (and my cat died 5 weeks later), I will be taking some time (possibly weeks) before completing this page.

The following song always made me think of Elley while she was going through chemotherapy. The lyrics are the closest I can come to when trying to describe those 96 days watching Elley slowly die. One of my favorites songs will always remind me of the helpless feeling of trying to fix her and hang on to her.

Last Updated: 12-31-1969

Copyright 2010, Greg S. Hurley