Well yeah, they do that eventually. And he’s nealy 15 and a large breed, so it’s not like I didn’t know it was around the corner.
Lately he’s been sleeping a lot more and losing some weight. (and he has always been abnormally thin anyway) Well, yeah, cause he’s OLD I thought.
So, at his anual checkup they did a fairly extensive blood test. A bit anemic. Lets try cutting his thyroid meds (been on it for last 3-4 yrs) in half, and see if he will put on some weight.
Well that killed his appetite and little else. So today they went fishing with the x-ray machine.
He has a tumor on his spleen that is about 3X the size of said organ. Another one on rt. ventrical of his heart, about 1/2 size of his whole heart. Hemangiosarcoma the vet thinks.
They could take out his spleen have it biopsied and confirm vets guess at which flavor of cancer it is…and the the mass on his heart will still do him in.
On the other hand he is 15, has some arthritis trouble, and has had a long and playful life. No point in putting him through useless surgery.
He’s still living a pretty happy life, so there will be some time to see him off. No, I won’t let him linger to the point that life is sucking.
Knowing it was coming doesn’t seem to have made things any easier.
As I understand this forum, a point isn’t required. Good. I don’t have one. Sorry to be a downer, and thanks for letting me get some of this out semi-annonimously.
I’m so sorry. You’ve had such a long time with him, and I am sure he’s been a wonderful friend and a Very Good Dog. I hope it isn’t painful for him to good-bye to you, and I hope you make it through the good-bye okay. Best wishes to you both.
I’m sorry too, and I know the feeling. I have a 12-1/2-year-old shepherd/lab mix with arthritis that’s slowly getting worse (although she’s still pretty active and the Rimadyl seems to do her good), and at her last checkup the vet diagnosed chronic heart failure. She’s already given us two scares. Don’t know how many more I can take.
I think if there ever was a time to grill a steak dinner for the both of you, it would be now.
Try to find peace and enjoy what you have together. There will never be a dog like this again in your life.
Oh, I’m sorry :(. A friend of mine just lost her 9-year-old large breed to hemangiosarcoma. Started the same way - first in the spleen, and then later it spread to the heart.
At least you know what’s going on now and can spoil your pup accordingly. Dogs are wonderful friends.
Going to be hard not to spoil him overly much. He’s always been a “tough guy” and it seems to me he’ll do best with “buisness as usual”.
I AM planning a camping trip sooner than I otherwise would have…while he can still enjoy it. He’d pretty much ignore a steak dinner if I was loading up the camper.
Oh, Kevbo, I lost my heart dog, Sasha to a hemangiosarcoma. She was only 9.
I still miss her all the time. I always promised her I would take her camping, but I never got around to it. Take your dog camping, for me and Sasha, ok?
You have my greatest sympathy and best wishes. My heart aches for you. Know that if you need sympathetic ears, we Dopers always love dog stories, so feel free to talk about your dog if it helps.
Nothing can ever prepare you for losing a pet-- even though your mind knows its coming, your heart always tries to deny it.
Clancy had his last visit to the vet Saturday (10/28).
The cancer had been sapping his vitality for over a year, Most days he didn’t have much if any pain. Every two or three weeks he’d have a bad day or two. The vet attributes that the tumors hemoraging. Suprisingly, it was not the cancer but arthritis that finally felled him. (though I beleave the cancer exacerbated the arthritis)
He had put up a long and brave fight. But the last month or so he was no longer able to do most of his favorite things, a combination of his troubles progressing and the cooling weather. Friday he completly lost the use of the stronger of his back legs so couldn’t even stand on his own, much less rise or walk. Given his prognosis, and how rough last winter was for him, it was time.
Kevbo, it’s very sad but you know it was the right thing to do and you’ve saved him from a lot of suffering. You were also lucky enough to have time to spend saying goodbye to him and making sure he went with dignity and love.
