Peaceful days and hope for Lost in the Fog
Larry Stumes, Special to The Chronicle
Since Lost in the Fog returned to trainer Greg Gilchrist's barn at Golden Gate Gate Fields from UC Davis nine days ago, the focus of his care for what was diagnosed as terminal cancer has shifted.
Instead of simply making what were believed to be the colt's final days as comfortable as possible with pain medication, efforts also are being made to shrink three cancerous tumors and perhaps extend his life.
"We're using steroids and also holistic medicine that we consulted someone on," Gilchrist said Monday morning. "It's just like a human situation right now. We've all had a mother or father or sister or brother or friend touched by this disease. This is following right down that road."
Veterinarians from UC Davis are scheduled to scan Lost in the Fog's tumors Thursday at Golden Gate Fields' small equine hospital to determine if they have begun to shrink.
"If so, we're on the right track," Gilchrist said. "His last two days have been his best in two weeks."
The first tumor, located in Lost in the Fog's spleen, was discovered Aug. 13. An operation tentatively was scheduled to remove the spleen, but a laparoscopy performed Aug. 18 revealed two more cancerous tumors: one in a ligament suspended from the spleen and a larger one along the roof of the back.
In a national conference call, Dr. Don Smith, Lost in the Fog's racetrack veterinarian, termed the cancer terminal, and Gilchrist said that he would bring the horse back to Golden Gate Fields instead of having him euthanized at UC Davis.
"I wanted to take him back for the quality of life thing, but I also decided I'm just not going to give up on this horse," Gilchrist said after Lost in the Fog had walked around his barn's shedrow and had a bath. "Right now, I'm standing right in front of him and if you didn't know the situation, you wouldn't even know anything was wrong with him. He's a pretty happy horse right now, enjoying life pretty good. That doesn't mean he's cured; he's still a very sick animal. But we're doing all we can to get him well."
Unlike his experience on the racetrack, in which he was favored in all 14 starts -- 11 of them wins -- Lost in the Fog remains a huge longshot to survive. Still, according to Smith, cancer accounts for only 0.2 percent of deaths in horses.
Larry Stumes is a freelance writer. You can e-mail him at
scare0103@aol.com.