Jack has been a Banfield dog nearly all his life. A longtime Optimum Wellness Plan patient, he's the rare dog who actually likes going to the vet, and his visits with Dr. Robyn Bachelder and her team are more like social calls than checkups.
That history mattered on the day something wasn't right. When Jack's family noticed a mass on his neck, they brought him straight to Dr. Bachelder. She aspirated the lump and delivered the news no pet owner wants to hear: cancer, a thyroid follicular carcinoma.
What happened next is the part Jack's family still talks about. Dr. Bachelder didn't hand them a phone number and let them figure out the next steps. She reached out directly to Dr. Robert Novo at BluePearl in Portland, and Jack had a surgical consult on the calendar for the following Monday. By Thursday of that same week, the mass was out.
The histopathology report brought both relief and a new worry. The tumor had been removed in its entirety, but there was evidence the cancer had begun to spread. So the network went to work again. Dr. Novo and Dr. Bachelder together referred Jack to Dr. Matt Dowling, who leads the oncology service at VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists in Portland.
Dr. Dowling's team got Jack in quickly, and he walked the family through an honest conversation about the road ahead. Chemotherapy wasn't a guaranteed cure for cancer like Jack's, but it offered him the best chance of fighting back against the cells that had escaped. They committed to a three-month course.
Jack showed up for it the way he shows up for everything. He posed outside the hospital on day one, lounged through treatments with a toy in his kennel, and on his final day, wore his handmade “congrats Jack!” graduation cap all the way to the parking lot.
Today, Jack's care lives exactly where it should: everywhere. VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists handles his oncology rechecks while his home team at Banfield keeps up his everyday care, both working from the same picture of his health. So far, there's no sign the cancer has returned.
Jack, for his part, has moved on to more important things: beach days, tennis balls, and hanging out with his dog brother Kugel.
That's what connected care means when it's your pet.
A primary vet who knows a surgeon, a surgeon who knows an oncologist, and three teams who never made Jack's family fight for a phone call.
Important Notice: The information provided on this page is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional veterinary advice. Always consult a veterinarian with any questions regarding your pet's health or medical condition. Never disregard or delay seeking professional veterinary advice based on information from this page.