08/03/2026
Arrow’s Story ♥️
Arrow came to us with a progressively growing mass in his mouth. Given its size and location, we discussed surgical removal, along with staging tests beforehand to determine whether the mass had spread.
With no time to waste, Arrow underwent chest X-rays and lymph node aspirates. We were relieved to find no evidence of obvious spread, allowing us to move forward with surgery.
Arrow underwent a partial rostral mandibulectomy to remove the mass. At the time of surgery, we didn’t yet have a definitive diagnosis, but Dr. Ian carefully planned the procedure and took the widest margins possible to give Arrow the best chance of success.
When the biopsy results came back, they confirmed the mass was an osteosarcoma (bone cancer). This is an uncommon location for this type of tumor, so the diagnosis was unexpected. The silver lining—and the best news we could have hoped for—was that all of the surgical margins were completely clear of tumor cells, meaning the cancer had been fully removed.
Just a few weeks after surgery, Arrow is back to living his very best life. You can hardly tell he’s missing part of his jaw, and most importantly, he’s comfortable, happy, and enjoying every day. We’re so thrilled with his recovery and grateful to have been part of his journey. 💗
