Laurie Kaplan shares the story of how she became the author of Help Your Dog Fight Cancer. She she tells us how Bullet proved that dogs can survive cancer. See Laurie’s beautiful tribute to Bullet, “I’m Still Holding You,” at the end of this page.
Laurie believes all dogs should have a chance to beat cancer. She wrote Help Your Dog Fight Cancer to help you and everyone who has a dog with cancer.
Author of Help Your Dog Fight Cancer
My love for animals began when I was a toddler. My best friend was our Daschund, Woofie. My love for writing began in high school. I was the only one I knew who loved writing long papers.
I earned a BA in literature and a Master’s in Counseling, then considered applying to veterinary school. At UConn I studied animal pathobiology and assisted with necropsies (autopsies for animals) as an independent study.
A local clinic hired me as a surgical assistant. But, when I refused to crop and dock a Doberman Pinscher, I was fired. This confirmed to me that I was meant to help animals another way.
For a decade, I worked as a writer/producer of media for high school students, writing about such fascinating subjects as getting along with your parents, mastering algebra and computer technology. And I took freelance writing jobs.
Finally, the universe found a way to combine my love of animals and medicine, and my love of writing! I landed freelance jobs writing medical articles for animal magazines. In 1998, I became the Editor of Catnip, a news magazine from Tufts Vet School.
And then the unthinkable happened. My Siberian husky, Bullet, was diagnosed with lymphoma, which is considered a terminal cancer. He started chemo the very next day.There were no books available to help owners of dogs with cancer. Bullet’s oncologist, Dr. Paolo Porzio, urged me to write one, but writing such a book would be a huge undertaking. I did not want to write it—I really wanted someone else to write it!
A year later, when there were still no such books and I was keenly aware of how many people needed one, I did write Help Your Dog Fight Cancer. It was the first book ever published to help people who have dogs with cancer.
This book has been in such demand that I expanded and updated it in a second and then a third edition.
I love that this book is helping so many people and their dogs fight cancer. I hate that there are so many who need it.
Author Laurie Kaplan lives in the suburbs of New York City with husband Mike, Puck (Pitbull/GSD mix), and Rip (Siberian husky). She loves writing, hiking, gardening, jigsaw puzzles and, of course, playing with the dogs.
Bullet's Story
In 1992, I adopted an 18-month-old Siberian husky at my local SPCA. Anyone who ever lived with a Siberian will tell you that they are a big furry bundle of trouble. Bullet was willful and ornery, smart and demanding.
His primary objective in life was to escape and run free, all the while looking over his shoulder, seemingly laughing, at me chasing him down. He even escaped from a trainer who I hired to work with him.
When Bullet was 9, he was diagnosed with lymphoma. I was shocked. I was terrified. I had done extensive research into illnesses and diseases affecting pets for work. Now, I dove deep into canine cancer. After he chemo began, I started to build a great anti-cancer diet and home care regimen for him.
Dogs Can Survive Cancer
Bullet was in a very small percentage of dogs to survive the disease. Dr. Porzio loved Bullet—he went for hikes with us. After hearing what I was doing for Bullet, he sent his clients with cancer-dogs to me for consults. And he convinced me to write the book Help Your Dog Fight Cancer.
Dogs with lymphoma generally survive twelve to eighteen months, if the chemo protocol works. After two years in remission, Bullet was declared a lymphoma survivor.
In 2003, Bullet had congestive heart failure, and the prognosis was grim—six months to a year. Again, Bullet exceeded expectations. During his four years in remission and two years with heart disease, his vets called him “the Magic Bullet.”
At almost 14 years old, Bullet’s kidneys failed and Bullet’s story came to an end. He passed away in my arms, still cancer-free. This was the most painful event in my life.
Bullet was one shining moment that graced my life for 12 years, 2 months and a day. His legacy lives on in every dog helped by Magic Bullet Fund, and in every person who finds guidance and comfort in my books and consults.
Every day I whisper to Bullet:
I’m still holding you
Read More about the book.