Today I received a letter from the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine telling me that Deschutes Animal Clinic donated to the Pet Memorial Program in memory of my dog, Carly. I was so touched by this. I thought I would write and tell you a bit about Carly.

Carly was an Australian Cattle Dog. I had her since she was a puppy and we were together for 13 years. She passed away on June 1st this year, shortly after her 13th birthday. In April, 2010 Carly was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma, cancer of the blood vessels. The prognosis was pretty grim without any treatment – probably no more than one month. Dr. Florey at Deschutes Animal Clinic referred me to Dr. Lisa Parshley, who specializes in treatment of cancer, and also had done a lot of research on this particular type of cancer. I cannot say enough about the great treatment that Carly received from both Dr. Florey and Dr. Parshley – they were so awesome.

Carly was a trooper and endured many rounds of chemo, countless pills each and every day and many trips back and forth to the clinic. She did awesome. She was such a sweet and beautiful dog and everyone fell in love with her. Sadly, her cancer spread and her long fight was over. Carly was one of the best things in my life. She was a constant loyal companion. She was super smart, as most Cattle Dogs are, and was always there and happy to see me. I will miss her every day.

Thanks for all of the work you do at WSU. I’m a WSU Alum – class of ’96 – so I appreciate it that much more. Go Cougs!

Danelle M.