From the very beginning, Dr. Tokaj Kozak was upfront about Daisy’s prognosis when Nathan and Jessica Kraft brought the 11-year-old hound mix to the Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital’s Oncology Section.
“You hear those numbers and the amount of time Daisy might have left. And while they seem small in the grand scheme of averages, we just wanted more time for Daisy,” Nathan said. “We’re getting that, and it feels like we’re getting it in spades.”
In March of 2024, Daisy was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and Kozak and the rest of Iowa State’s oncology team soon learned the cancer had spread to her lungs and regional lymph nodes. At the start of treatment, her thyroid mass measured 3.5 cm, and three pulmonary nodules were identified, measuring 9.8 mm, 4.6 mm, and 1.4 mm. Daisy underwent radiation therapy to her thyroid mass due to its extensive size and location, wrapped around her trachea and esophagus.
“The goal of the radiation therapy was to shrink her thyroid mass and treat it locally,” Kozak said. “We elected to also pursue chemotherapy to treat the metastasis in her lungs.”
Daisy’s response exceeded the Krafts’ expectations. The lung nodules are no longer visible on her CT scans, and the thyroid mass has shown strong partial remission. The hound mix continues to receive chemotherapy treatment at home.
This was wonderful news for the Krafts.
“We weren’t ready for that,” Nathan said. “It had been so hard and so much time and effort to get to where we were when we heard that news. We had to ask if we were hearing the doctors right.
“But the hard work of so many people and departments at Iowa State had paid off, and in a big way. I still have to pinch myself when it comes to realizing how big of a change this all was.”
Proceeding with such treatment can be a tough decision for some clients. Not for the Krafts.
“I don’t think we thought of no when we knew there was the option to proceed,” Nathan said. “We heard Daisy could get more time with her life, and we wanted that. Daisy deserved it and we just couldn’t see a path forward where we didn’t give her the ability to fight to live.”
For Nathan, a history with a previous dog also made the decision easy. His first dog, Bella, developed masses in her hindquarters, and he saw how terrible it was for her.
“I didn’t know there was this type of opportunity to treat dogs that Iowa State’s Small Animal Hospital offers,” he said. “It’s been almost seven years since she passed, and there isn’t a day that goes by that I haven’t thought about what more I could have done for her.”
Daisy has already beaten the odds and continues to do so. Kozak says she has surpassed the survival time without progression of her tumor.
Regardless of the time she has left, the Krafts are thankful for every day they have with Daisy.
“Daisy matters to so many people,” Nathan said, “and that amount grew when we took her to Iowa State. We knew we were in good hands from the start, and that feeling has continued to grow with each visit.
“Everyone there knows Daisy. She matters to everyone there.”
July 2025
