Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Background

Camilla brought Scooby home from a rescue organization, at which point he had been without a home for several years. She had never had a dog before and only intended to provide Scooby with a temporary foster home. She soon fell in love with Scooby and found him to be the perfect dog- very calm, sweet and affectionate with a goofy streak. Camilla decided that she just had to adopt the "big, cuddly bear" permanently.

Camilla worked for a veterinarian in her native Sweden, and it was there that she learned first-hand the value in having insurance for your pet in order to give them the necessary treatment if something unexpected happens. As soon as she adopted Scooby, the first thing she did was to get insurance for him. Camilla did a lot of research online and decided to insure Scooby with Embrace because she liked the way the plans were set up and found that the Embrace website inspired confidence. She got the impression that if she needed help, she would get personal attention and assistance from fellow animal lovers.

Scooby suddenly stopped eating. Camilla knew right away that something had to be wrong, since usually there is nothing Scooby loves more than food. Scooby also seems very tired and did not want to go for their daily walks which he usually enjoyed so much. Camilla took him to Canyon Crest Animal Hospital in Riverside, California. The blood work showed that Scooby was suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The local vet immediately referred Camilla to a specialist at the Veterinary Cancer Group of Orange County. Scooby started chemotherapy the day after he was diagnosed and was prescribed medications to help him start eating again. Scooby continued regular chemotherapy and Camilla worked with her vet at Canyon Crest on ways to help Scooby cope with his cancer and the side-effects of treatment. Scooby now enjoys home-cooked meals and he receives acupuncture regularly as well as daily herbal medications and supplements.

So far, Scooby has responded extremely well to treatment. There is no cure for his acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and given how sick he was initially, he was given only weeks to live. It has been eight months since Scooby was diagnosed. His cancer actually went into remission and he was doing so well you could hardly tell he was ill. Later, Scooby's cancer became more active, but he continues to respond well to chemotherapy and he is improving every day. To date, Camilla has made over 30 claims for Scooby's leukemia.

Camilla says:

"I know that Scooby's condition can change at any moment, so we strive to simply live in the present and enjoy and make the most of the time we have. Every day with Scooby is a gift and there are no words that can express how happy and grateful I am that Scooby and I have been given this additional time to spend together.

Without insurance, I would not have been able to afford Scooby's care and we would not have been given this chance of spending more quality time together, so from the bottom of my heart: thank you Embrace!"