Ducky the dog is 13 years old, fiercely loyal and a big fan of Halloween. He also has a super power: Ducky can change color.
“He was a very dark puppy,” Erin Abay, Ducky’s mom, told The Dodo. By the time he turned 1, his silky, straight hair faded into a gray-beige color Abay called “greige.” She dubbed him “Ducky with the Good Hair,” solidifying his signature look.
But everything changed last summer, when Abay took Ducky to the vet for a dry cough that wouldn’t go away.
After some X-rays, the vet delivered terrible news: Ducky had stage 1 lung cancer. A month later, doctors removed a golf ball-sized tumor from the pup’s lung.
“He came home and healed up perfectly,” Abay said. “He acted like a puppy again.”
It was life as usual, Ducky tolerating his cat siblings, scarfing down pup cups and posing for his annual “13 Days of Halloween” photo series on Instagram. He’s worn more than 40 costumes over the years and uses his social media following to fundraise for local shelters.
Ducky has been Abay’s baby since he was 8 weeks old. She dotes on him and knows all of his quirks, like how he presses his nose against her calf after an outdoor potty break. Abay also grew up with dogs and is program director at the Humane Society of Navarro County in Texas, so when something seems off, she notices right away.
Five months after his surgery, as Ducky sat on Abay’s lap and she gently pet his legs, she felt a lump. “I immediately got concerned because I figured it was a lymph node, and none of his others were swollen,” Abay said.
Ducky’s oncologist confirmed Abay’s worst fears. Her baby had cancer again. This time, it was large cell lymphoma.
“I was crushed,” Abay said.
Despite the flood of sadness washing over her for a second time, she focused on the good news. They caught the cancer early, so it hadn’t spread to Ducky’s organs. Survival was possible if he started chemotherapy right away.
Every three weeks, Abay and an anxious Ducky woke up before sunrise and drove nearly two hours to an oncologist for treatment. Even though he was visibly scared, brave Ducky would walk in for chemo anyway.
Abay had heard that Shih-Tzus like Ducky are more likely to shed during chemo because their coats are more like hair than fur.
Sure enough, after his first chemo dose, Ducky’s hair started thinning. “He looked rough at times,” Abay said. As upset as she was to see her baby in this state, she also knew it was helping him heal.
During chemo, Ducky’s goofy, independent personality still shone through. “Even when he was basically bald and not feeling 100 percent from chemo, he would chase after his [toys],” Abay said.
Then, Ducky started changing color.
Tufts of deep brown hair started growing out of Ducky’s head. “The color change was pretty exciting,” Abay said. “He went from gray to hot chocolate.” By the time he completed chemo, little blond Ducky was a total brunette.
Not only that, but Ducky’s hair texture was totally different — coarse and curly. “He’s like a human,” Abay said. “If he gets in humidity or gets water on him, he curls.”
Abay makes sure Ducky is extra pampered during bathtime, with shampoo and conditioner that helps his new ‘do grow as luxuriously as it did before.
“Out of all the scariness and fear and uncertainty that comes with chemo and cancer, watching his hair transform has been quite joyful and entertaining,” Abay said. “A bright, funny spot in a whirlwind of chaos.”
After six months of treatment, the vet declared Ducky cancer-free. Abay feeds him a “very thin steak” every night to help him gain weight post-chemo. “He will cry for his steak if I am taking a bit too long,” Abay said. “He is a force of nature.”
Every few weeks, she drives him to the oncologist for remission checks and lung X-rays, doing everything she can to keep him as healthy as possible, for as long as possible.
“I grew up in and out of hospitals,” Abay, who has cystic fibrosis, said. Since 2013, she’s participated in research trials for cystic fibrosis. “Ducky has been with me every step of the way through these medical studies … He is my little rock!”
Almost exactly a year after Ducky’s first surgery, Abay posted a photo on Instagram that shows how much they’ve changed in the past decade. While both of them are older, in a way, they look more full of life.
“I don’t take a second of my time with him for granted,” Abay said. “Especially after almost losing him to cancer — twice.”
