Morton Hyder

By Owned by Chase Hyder, Clermont, Ga.

Morton is an adventurous and mischievous boy who loves a good chin scratch, paddle boarding and long walks on his leash! Unfortunately, when he was 4, Morton developed a feline-injection site sarcoma, a type of malignant tumor believed to be linked to certain vaccines. The tumor grew and developed quickly, almost like it happened overnight. We took Morton to our veterinarian, who recommended removing the tumor immediately and referred us to the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital, his alma mater.

I arrived not knowing what to expect and was greeted by a warm group of oncology doctors, students and technicians who could not have treated Morton and me any better. They recommended surgery to remove the tumor followed by daily radiation therapy sessions for a month to ensure, to the best of their ability, that this cancer wouldn’t return. The radiation therapy was the hardest part of the treatment for both Morton and me, as it involved daily anesthesia; he lost some of his hair and he experienced some nausea. Yet, everyday, when I brought Morton into the lobby of the Hospital on his leash, that tail would rise up and he would turn into a real social butterfly!

Everyone—doctors, students and other patients—loved Morton and showed it, helping to make this difficult process much easier! Thanks to all the teams at the UGA VTH, Morton is cancer free, loving life and still my adventure partner!

We’re UGA Vet Med, and our

passion powers our commitment.