Featured Stories

Patient Stories

Reagan
I knew something wasn't right. After six months, changing vets, and my insistence on multiple tests, we finally and devastatingly diagnosed Reagan with Transitional Cell Carcinoma. Just before her procedure, her surgeon suggested having her treated at Colorado State University Animal Cancer Center where they had the capability to provide advanced treatment for Reagan's condition. Coincidentally, I had been considering relocating to Colorado and this provided the inspiration to move. With her appointment scheduled we were in Denver within a week. read more...

Pythagoras
Pythagoras is a dog with presence: a big, warm, gentle personality that envelopes you like a soft blanket when you meet him. A walk with Pythagoras becomes a community event in his Broomfield neighborhood because people notice him. A happy, friendly 120 pound Saint Bernard dog can affect people that way. read more...

Bullit
At five weeks old, he was tiny, and that first night he slept all snuggled up on my chest. That night our bond was cemented. He saw me through many challenging life changes including moves from Albuquerque to Denver and then to Boulder, relationship heartbreaks and life in general. We have made many fantastic trips to the mountains to camp and hike. He has seen me laugh and cry. He has been my rock, always there when I walk through that door. Our world changed in December 2009 as I returned home from a visit with family. read more...

Sophie
Sophie entered my home for the first time on September 15, 2001. She was exactly eight weeks old and scarcely longer than my unfurled palm. A silken salt-and-pepper coat, which would eventually become uniformly platinum, was just beginning to emerge through her chunky puppy fur. read more...

Elliott
Somehow out of despair came hope and what our family calls "CSU magic." As if seeing a Head of State, the entire medical team gathered for our briefing to discuss all of the options. His prognosis was actually quite bright but might entail an exhaustive protocol of radiation therapy. We had a very emotional decision to make. read more...

Cooper
I always joked that I went to the dentist and came home with a puppy. It was the best dentist appointment I've ever had! He was one in a litter of eleven that had been brought in to the Montrose Animal Shelter. This little boy was going to be mine, or should I say I was going to be his. I fell in love immediately and Cooper came home with me June 6, 2000. His big sister Gracie and Dad, my husband Mike, greeted him without hesitation and soon found out the incredible amount of love contained in this wonderful little boy. read more...

Carmen
Hello everyone, my name is Carmen and this is my story. I was born on October 15, 2001 as part of a litter of 10 puppies! My parents to be, picked up both my sister and I and we were very excited. So, both of us started pouring on the charm. You know licking them and wagging our little nubs to get them to fall in love with us. Guess what, it worked and we both found our forever homes that day! Wow, did our lives change. read more...

Sage
I got Sage as a puppy from England in late 1999 with big dreams for her to become a search and rescue dog. As a former K-9 corrections officer and FEMA disaster K-9 trainer, I have trained several service dogs but Sage is special – partly because she is my own dog. She was 2 years old and fully certified when we got the call to report to the Pentagon after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. read more...

Ellie
One day, right after Ellie's 3rd birthday, we noticed that she was running a little bit weird. Neither of us could quite put our finger on what was different, we just knew it looked weird. Our veterinarian studied her out in the grass for a little while and after several minutes of massaging and feeling all limbs, found a tiny lump deep under the tissue on the front of her left rear ankle. read more...

Benny
When Benny began limping, initially, our vet treated him with pain relievers and nutritional supplements hoping it was a muscle strain or the aches and pains of being a senior dog. When these therapies had no effect she x-rayed him and saw something suspicious in his left front leg, it was osteosarcoma. We’d heard from some of our most trusted animal rescue friends that the CSU Animal Cancer Center was THE place to go for state-of-the art cancer care. We learned about available treatments and clinical trials and decided to take Benny to the ACC’s cancer experts. read more...

Alps
I will never forget the scene as I drove up the driveway to the breeder's home. I could see a "carpet" of puppies running and playing in the front yard. When I arrived, all the puppies greeted me and I sat down to let them play around me. I asked which puppy was available as she put one of the male puppies into my arms. I never put him back down! read more...

Emmy
Before Emmy, we had never had a female dog. We saw Emmy on the day she was born, and every week thereafter until we took her home seven weeks later. She’s so wonderful that two years later, when they had the next litter, we got a full sister to Emmy. These are great Labradors. read more...

Cain
I would like to be able to say that I chose Cain, but truth be told he chose me. I can still remember when my son brought him home that summer of 1999. He was the funniest looking little puppy, with pink, saggy skin and the most homely expression you’ve ever seen. read more...

Sierra
She loved being around people, chasing butterflies and balls, swimming in anything wet, riding in the car, rolling in the grass, romping in the snow or sitting on my lap, all 80 pounds of her. read more...

Riley
Our pets are totally dependent on us. Riley looks at me with absolute trust. I don’t think I could I ever betray that trust. Riley wouldn’t give up on me. I couldn’t give up on him. The reward is that, at least to this point, we have conquered his cancer foe and I get to spend more quality time with my best friend. read more...

Jake
He always meets me at the door with a big smile and wagging tail regardless of what I am going through or how I am feeling. Getting the news that Jake has cancer was heart wrenching. He recently became a pen pal to a child fighting cancer through the Youth and Pet Survivors Program (YAPs Program) at the Children's Hospital of Denver. read more...

KC Masterpiece
“Piece” was born in April of 2000. He was the most beautiful cat I had ever seen. He was like a little painted rock, with all the stripes and spirals he was supposed to have as a tabby - a masterpiece. Since I had just moved to Kansas, I named him KC Masterpiece. read more...

Mingus
Mingus was a Vizsla. I knew nothing of hunting when I got him, but the dog training book said I had to go out and get a bird wing. One thing led to another, and he trained me how to hunt. read more...

Sarah
Sarah came to our Ranch in the early years when we began raising alpacas. As we are at 8000 feet on the high prairie, there are bear, fox, coyote, bobcat and mountain lion in close proximity to our Ranch. read more...

Happer
Happer is a yellow lab who has been with me day and night, for nearly thirteen years. He was with me through high school, through my first pheasant hunt, and was even the ring bearer at our wedding. read more...

Albion
Albion was our perfect dog, who was going to live forever. When she started limping and had a little bit of swelling around her right wrist, we ice packed it for a couple of days. read more...

Our Stories

Dr. Stephen Withrow
As an intern, in 1972, at the Animal Medical Center in New York City, very green and young, I used to attend the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center rounds. I became aware that veterinary medicine could have a significant influence on human health, at the same time, treating animals. read more...

Dr. Rodney Page
Dr. Page, a veterinarian and an alumnus of CSU's College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (Class of 1981), also holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master of Science in physiology from Georgetown University Medical School in Washington, D.C. Dr. Page comes to CSU from Cornell University where he was the founding director of the Sprecher Institute for Comparative Cancer Research and served as the chair for the Department of Clinical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine. read more...

Dr. Susan Lana
Before I even knew I wanted to be a veterinarian, I had an interest in studying cancer. While in college, I worked in the blood bank of a hospital with a large bone marrow transplant unit. There, I began to understand that cancer is so different. It’s not just one disease, it’s many diseases with many different outcomes. It’s also a non-discriminatory disease; anybody can get it. You don’t have to be rich or poor, black or white, or a dog or a cat…anybody can be touched by cancer. read more...

Dr. Nicole Ehrhart
I meet a little girl named Jenny who just had an amputation due to cancer. As a young surgery resident, learning about limb-salvage surgical procedures, I wondered why her leg had to be amputated. That’s when I discovered there weren’t any limb-salvage options for children, because children are still growing. That little girl inspired me to be part of the global battle against cancer. The over-arching goal of my research is limb preservation. read more...

Dr. Doug Thamm
My wife and I are actually both cancer survivors. I had to take a year off of veterinary school to be treated for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. My wife was treated for thyroid cancer. Prior to that experience, I had an opportunity to spend some time doing laboratory research at the University of Pennsylvania. I really got the sense that I wanted to have a research component to my career. read more...

Meredy Razey
It all started with my love for animals... I started working for a small animal private practice after school and then applied for a job at CSU. I have been here ever since. I joined Dr. Stephen Withrow in 1985, when he was first getting the oncology service started. In the early days of the oncology service I was the only oncology nurse. read more...

Dr. Susan LaRue
Dr. Susan LaRue is originally from Maryland and received her undergraduate education at the University of Maryland. She received her DVM from the University of Georgia, where she also did her internship. She came to Colorado State University in 1983 for a residency in small animal surgery, and subsequently became a Diplomate in the College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS). read more...

Dr. Jamie Custis
I grew up along the Eastern Shore of Virginia, a peninsula of land bounded by the Chesapeake Bay to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. When a veterinary practice opened within several miles of our home our pets quickly filled a growing file at the hospital. In our rural area, there were few options for a part-time summer job. The Eastern Shore Animal Hospital proved to be the perfect fit for me. I continued to work at the animal hospital through high school, college and the first three summers of veterinary school. In fact, my career path became clear and firmly focused after a conversation with the chief veterinarian and owner of the practice read more...

Dr. Barb Biller
I was interested in equine medicine when I started veterinary school, and thought it’d be fun to treat horses. The oncology lectures in my third year, changed my mind. The instructor was a really good teacher and really fired up my imagination about treating cancer. From there it was mostly meeting the right people at the right time as I went along. My interest continued to increase as I realized that oncology was a great way to incorporate the research background I had before I went into veterinary school. read more...

Dr. Stewart Ryan
When I was in school, I wanted to be either a pilot or a veterinarian. Those were my two big things. I applied to join the Air Force and, much to my mother’s relief, I didn’t get accepted. I then applied to Vet School at the University of Melbourne, Australia and was accepted. read more...

Lynda Reed
I was always impressed with how the oncology service cared for the people who called into the hospital. I was especially impressed with Dr. Withrow. It didn’t matter if it was the president, or the CEO of a company, or the little old woman who lived in a shoe, he took every call. read more...

Dr. Dan Gustafson
I went to graduate school in 1988, in biochemistry. It just happened that I was working on the biochemistry of drugs used to treat cancer. It was really that serendipitous. The kind of chemistry I was interested in focused on the development of chemotherapeutic agents. I studied them from a purely biochemistry side, with no thought whatsoever of them going into people or animals. And when I started, nobody in my family had been diagnosed, treated, or died of cancer. That’s changed dramatically. With four aunts, an uncle, and my mother having been diagnosed since then, the family history became very personal very quickly. read more...

Jocey Pronko
I can also appreciate the perspectives of both the clinical staff and the client, because I am both. My 13 year-old German short-hair mix, Chloe, was diagnosed with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder (TCC) last year. She underwent surgery, but at the time I couldn’t afford the follow-up chemotherapy and the recommended medication made her violently ill, so I opted not to treat. When I began work here, I learned about a clinical trial specifically for dogs with TCC that had not had treatment, and Chloe has qualified to participate. The study is translational, it’s seeking answers that will help both animals and humans with cancer. I love being a part of that! read more...

Kathy Paris
I love my job as the Consult Coordinator, the people I talk to on the consult line come first. When clients and veterinarians call the consult line, they’re surprised that they get a live person. They call because their pet has cancer or they need information to help a patient under their care. Sometimes when clients call, they’ve just learned the diagnosis. I’ve talked to people who have literally just heard the diagnosis and are in their vet’s lobby, waiting for their animal to be released. They can be pretty distraught and not know what to do. read more...

Animal Cancer Center
The CSU Robert H. and Mary G Flint Animal Cancer Center opened its doors in 2002. The building is a 35,000 square foot addition to the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital and is dedicated to innovative and collaborative cancer research and state-of-the-art cancer diagnostics and treatment for pets. read more...