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10 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday January 23, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com ANNOUNCEMENT Dog undergoing chemotherapy Continued from page 8 The Burlington Centre for Osteopathy and Athletic Therapy is pleased to announce that Bunny Denton Registered Holistic Nutritionist has joined their team. Bunny is accepting new patients. 416-879-2767 bnc@cogeco.ca 2050 MOUNT FOREST DRIVE BURLINGTON, ONTARIO which included implanting her with a microchip, vaccinations and an untold amount of paperwork. "It was a lot of back and forth with papers and misinformation here and there. Essentially, all her shots had to be up to date, her records had to be proven that she was vaccinated, that she was spayed and that she was free of any sort of diseases," said Didyk. "If I didn't have all my papers in order, she wasn't coming over here." Didyk puts the cost of the entire enterprise at about $900. In the end, Mukisa, escorted by one of Didyk's friends, who was travelling home, boarded a 17-hour flight from Kampala to Virginia where Didyk greeted her. After their joyful reunion, the pair boarded a plane in Washington that took them to Toronto. The work involved in getting Mukisa from Kampala to Oakville was hard, but in a strange way Didyk felt an obligation to do it. "I interfered with her destiny the day that I found her," said Didyk. "She could have had a whole different life or a litter of puppies, and because I interfered with that I've always felt that I need to follow this through. Whether people felt I was crazy or not, it didn't matter. I felt I owed this dog something." This justification would hold Didyk to doing even more for Mukisa in the coming days when it was revealed that Mukisa was sick. In November, Didyk began noticing a bloody discharge coming from Mukisa's genitalia and took her to the Oakville Independent Schools Open House Saturday, February 9 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Find the right school for your child Oakville is home to an impressive selection of independent preschools, elementary schools and high schools. Each school is committed to providing students with a unique and high quality education with a strong academic foundation, small class sizes and personal attention. Visit the schools and discover what each has to offer. Find out which one is right for your child. Chisholm Educational Centre We help kids overcome learning difficulties Appleby College Grades 7 - 12 540 Lakeshore Rd. W. (905) 845-4681 fax: (905) 845-9505 www.appleby.on.ca e-mail: enrol@appleby.on.ca Chisholm High School Grades 9 - 12 1484 Cornwall Rd. (905) 844-3240 fax: (905) 844-7321 www.chisholmcentre.com e-mail: info@chisholmcentre.com Dearcroft Montessori Preschool - Grade 8 1167 Lakeshore Rd. E. (905) 844-2114 fax: (905) 844-3529 www.dearcroft.com e-mail: dearcroft@primus.ca Fern Hill School Preschool - Grade 8 Oakville Campus 3300 Ninth Line Rd. (905) 257-0022 www.fernhillschool.com also Burlington Campus 801 North Service Rd. Glenburnie School Preschool - Grade 8 2035 Upper Middle Rd. E. (905) 338-6236 fax: (905) 338-2654 www.glenburnieschool.com e-mail: admin@glenburnieschool.com Iroquois Ridge Veterinary Hospital. The veterinarian, Dr. Rose Bloomberg, initially suspected a mistake had been made during the spaying of the animal, however, surgery soon revealed something much worse. "There's a tumour that is seen a lot in subtropical and tropical areas and it's called Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumour," said Bloomberg."This is a tumour that is transmitted between dogs by sexual intercourse. It's not a virus that causes it, it's really an unusual thing where a tumour is spread from one animal to the other through touch." Bloomberg noted that the tumour, which probably found its way to Mukisa during the four-month period where she was missing, tends to grow in size and while it can sometimes regress on its own, it may also metastasize or spread to vital organs such as the liver. In her 15 years as a veterinarian, Bloomberg had never seen this kind of tumour before. The tumour was confirmed by a biopsy. As surgery to remove the tumour is usually not sufficient to cure the condition, treatment would involve a weekly dose of chemotherapy for four to six weeks. Didyk was devastated by the news. "I thought to myself that I was going to have to put her to sleep. I was really distraught and upset because we'd come so far. I had really built a relationship with this dog over the last two years," said Didyk. "I couldn't stop now." Bloomberg altered the payment plan for the surgery and treatment and turned it into something Didyk could handle. "Dr. Bloomberg was like an angel to my dog," she said. "She has arranged to look at this as her research case. She's absolutely fascinated with this because she never sees this type of tumour." Bloomberg also noted that Mukisa's journey was a story that just had to have a happy ending. At present, Mukisa has gone through about half the chemotherapy she requires to treat her condition. While the treatment has reduced her energy somewhat, Didyk reports no other side effects. "This dog is the most resilient dog I've ever met in my entire life and even after chemo she's just as vibrant. Physically, she looks exactly the same," she said. With her long journey behind her, Mukisa is enjoying her new home, especially the snow. Mukisa has adapted to the point where she no longer needs to wear the little doggy coats Didyk had purchased for her. "This is the best part of this experience," said Didyk. "Just looking at her and seeing her playing outside in the snow and knowing she is happy and healthy." King's Christian Collegiate Grades 9 to 12 528 Burnhamthorpe Rd. W. (905) 257-5464 www.kingschristian.net e-mail:sroebbelen@kingschristian.net MacLachlan College Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12 337 Trafalgar Rd. (905) 844-0372 fax: (905) 844-9369 www.maclachlan.ca e-mail: registrar@maclachlan.ca Oakville Christian School est. 1982 JK - Grade 8 112 Third Line (905) 825-1247 ext. 221 fax: (905) 825-3398 www.ocsonline.org e-mail: ocsadmissions@ocsonline.org Rotherglen School Primary Campus JK - Grade 1 2045 Sixth Line (905) 338-3528 Elementary Campus Grade 1 to Grade 8 2050 Neyagawa Blvd. (905) 849-1897 www.rotherglen.com St. Mildred's Wildwood Academy Grades 2 to 8 Lightbourn School 2250 Sheridan Garden Dr. JK - Grade 12 1080 Linbrook Rd. (905) 845-2386 fax: (905) 845-4799 www.smls.on.ca e-mail: info@smls.on.ca (905) 829-4226 fax: (905) 829-2318 www.wildwoodacademy.com e-mail: admin@wildwoodacademy.com Please call to arrange an interview.