Six Weeks Away and Bad News

[Winks_Elf]

I''m sorry your furbaby is going through this. What kind of dog is she? Is there a chance that what''s going on with her is a typical problem of the breed?

I grew up with dogs in my playpen, so I know the kind of attachment that you have with your dog. Its so hard when they get sick because they can''t tell you what is going on with them. (((BIG HUG!)))

 

[mjso]

Date: 3/24/2009 9:50:21 AM
Author: Winks_Elf
I''m sorry your furbaby is going through this. What kind of dog is she? Is there a chance that what''s going on with her is a typical problem of the breed?

I grew up with dogs in my playpen, so I know the kind of attachment that you have with your dog. Its so hard when they get sick because they can''t tell you what is going on with them. (((BIG HUG!)))

You hit the nail on the head with the its hard because they can''t tell you what is going on. It is so hard to decide what to do because dogs are so good at hiding their pain. I have no idea if she really is feeling "okay" for her condition, or if she is hiding her pain because she can tell that FI and I are so upset. We''re both EXHAUSTED because we are in a constant state of worry, and sleeping is hard because I''m on super alert to hear if she is having trouble.

RE: her breed...we''re not really sure. She''s definitely not a purebred. The original paperwork we got from my roommate about her says that she''s a blue heeler/dingo mix, but that seems rather odd in the states. She also has long fur, which is atypical for both of those breeds. We think its more likely that she''s an australian shepherd mix, but have no way of knowing 100%.

That''s also frustrating, because I''ve always heard that "mutts" have better health than purebreds since they aren''t coming from a limited bloodline. Added to the fact that she''s only six and its even more shocking.

The current hope is that when the vet gets the blood results I''ll be able to pick up a diuretic. I really want to help relieve some of the pressure off of her lungs so she''ll be able to breathe normally again.

 

[teapot]

I am so sorry to hear this. I hope the 2nd vet is better and is able to find a solution to ease your turmoil. Here is some dust for you and your pup.

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ETA: My vet offers DNA test to determine which breeds your dog is comprised of. You could also order kits online for cheaper. I talked to my vet about it and she says that knowing which breeds your dog is may help determine if a dog is predisposed to certain conditions.

 

[courtney5638]

Thought I would give this a bump and see if mjso has heard anything back yet. Fingers crossed for good news.

 

[mjso]

Date: 3/27/2009 1:36:45 PM
Author: courtney5638
Thought I would give this a bump and see if mjso has heard anything back yet. Fingers crossed for good news.

Awww, thanks for remembering!

My pup is currently at the vet''s office right now. I''m not 100% sure what the time ultrasound will be. They have a special doctor that comes in to do it and he travels to a bunch of vet practices throughout the day. Unfortunately, many of his appointments end up canceling because the animals don''t make it

So they just ask you to bring in the dog in the morning and then call you when they are done.

It''s still early here (I''m in CA) so I suspect I probably won''t hear anything back until this afternoon. I''ll definitely keep you guys updated!

In the past few days she''s been stable, definitely not getting any worse. The vet gave her a diruetic shot on Wednesday to try to get some of the fliud off of her lungs, which I think may have helped, but I can''t be sure that I''m not imagining things.

Fingers, toes, arms, legs and everything crossed for a good diagnosis!

 

[bee*]

Sending lots of dust!

 

[mjso]

Unfortunately I''m back to report bad news. She doesn''t have congestive heart failure...she has a tumor in her lung. They biopsied it to see if it is cancerous or not, but even if its not, the vet said the prognosis is ''guarded'' because the tumor is so large.

I''m waiting for the biopsy to get back for a recommendation from the vet on what to do, timeline, etc.

I don''t know how I am possibly going to be able to be happy at the wedding thinking about how she was supposed to be in my pictures, be there with us, be there at my parents when we got back from the honeymoon and be there for us when we got back home and started our married life, not to mention be there when we got back from the hospital with our first born, etc etc. Obviously we knew she wouldn''t ALWAYS be there, but I didn''t think I''d be crossing this bridge for another 4-6 years.

Guess I had better get some serious waterproof makeup, because if I even thought I was going to cry before, now I know I will definitely be crying.

 

[modernsparkler]

I am so sorry to hear about this recent news. The good thing is that vet medicine is seriously almost as advanced as human medicine and even if surgery is not an option, radiation may be to shrink the tumor and give her more time. I can understand how hard this must be and I am thinking good thoughts for you and your pup. Wait until the biopsy is back and then figure it out. The health of animals is sometimes as unpredictable as our own lives and until you know what is going on, enjoy her and love her.

 

[doodle]

very good advice from modernsparkler. at that, sometimes veterinary care is easier than care for humans because it''s easier to make an animal do what needs to be done to protect them. case in point: my mother and my cat both had to have surgery a few years back, mom for a hysterectomy and the cat for an abscess on her leg that was so bad that the first vet we took her to said she needed to be put to sleep. the second vet operated on her, and we had to keep her locked in a shower stall for ten days to keep her immobilized. mom was also supposed to be off her feet and not doing any heavy lifting. well, the cat came home from surgery, sat in the shower like a good girl, howled a little just to let us know she was pissed, and otherwise recuperated fine and went on to live another ten years. mom, on the other hand, came home from the hospital and decided she wanted to catch up on laundry and wound up hemorrhaging from carrying the stupid basket and had to go back to the hospital.

anywho, to make a short story long, enjoy the time you have with your puppy, love her, and enjoy having a significant other who is there for both of you during such a difficult time, and who knows? your vet may be able to work some magic, so here''s to hoping, right? ::dust dust dust dust dust!::

 

[mjso]

We got the biopsy back yesterday. She has a rare form of bone cancer that started in her ribs and has spread to the lung. The vet gave her weeks to months to live. And she said that she won''t be able to fly.

FI is thinking about canceling his plane ticket, driving the dog to my parents house and then we would leave her there for the rest of her short life. We''re waiting to see how she does in the coming weeks to make a decision. We''re down to less than 30 days, which is when we have so much to do for the wedding, but its been hard to focus on that.

 

[Bia]

I''m so sorry

 

[meresal]

mjso, how upsetting. I''m so sorry to hear this. Please know that we are thinking about you.

 

[LaraOnline]

Oh mjso, I just wanted to send you the best, having this difficult news is absolutely rotten timing.

Your SO is really great to suggest driving, perhaps that is a feasible option for you... I hope you are not too distressed, at least you now have a full and correct diagnosis, which is always a good thing, regardless of which way you decide to go with the treatment options open to you.
All the best anyway, and warmest wishes.

L.

 

[AmberGretchen]

mjso, so terribly sorry to hear this heartbreaking news. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your FI and your poor doggie at this terrible time.

 

[bee*]

I''m so sorry to hear that. Sending my thoughts to you and your doggie.

 

[MaggieB]

I am so sorry. What an awful thing to have to go through.

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

My heart is breaking for you... I am so, so, so, so sorry... I wish I could say something to make you feel better

 

[violet3]

Oh i am so sorry to hear this news - my thoughts are with you and your FI

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

I don''t know about your financial situation right now, or if this is a lame idea or not... but I know you really wanted your pup to be in your wedding and wedding photos... Maybe it would be nice to hire a pro photog to do a family shoot with you, FI, and your doggie? So you can still have memories captured in that tangible form? Provided you, he, and your dog are feeling up to it.

 

[katamari]

It breaks my heart to hear this. I am so sorry.

 

[mjso]

Thanks for all of your thoughts. It really means a lot!

I thought about the pro-photos but 1) my wedding dress is in NJ - so they''d just be in regular clothes, which we do have quite a few pictures of and more importantly 2) She''s pretty sleepy and doesn''t have a lot of energy. I feel like her personality wouldn''t come out in the photos as much as I''d like. And we are supposed to keep her as comfortable as possible, with very little stress. The photo shoot could be pretty stressful for her, I''d imagine. It is a wonderful idea though!

I''m trying to just focus on the other things I need to and spending as much time with her as possible. FI and I joke around with her that she has the worst timing possible. When I want to make myself feel better I try to think of it in a weird symbolic way. Our reationship started more or less because of a traumatic cliff jumping accident that FI was in. The outcome is our wonderful relationship. Two years after that we got our dog and now, six years later we are finally getting married and she feels her job is done (or something along those lines). So now our marriage is starting out coming from a traumatic event. It makes me feel a little bit better, but of course I''m thinking I can''t deal with all of these traumatic events everytime a life changing thing happens!

 

[doodle]

mjso, I''m so sorry to hear such bad news, but i think it''s wonderful that you''re looking at it in a positive light. just enjoy the time you have with her and know that you''ve given her a wonderful life full of lots and lots of love, you know?

 

[mjso]

Just wanted to let everyone know that we had to put our dog to sleep today. Exactly 3 weeks before we leave for the wedding.

She looked so peaceful, we feel it was the best decision. But it has been a very emotional and generally not good day.

 

[swingirl]

Aww. I''m so sorry to hear that. She was a good girl and had wonderful parents even if it was for too short of a time.

 

[Dannielle]

I am so sorry.

I really don''t know what to say... my thoughts are with you and your FI.

I hope that on your wedding day you feel like she is there with you.. because i''m sure she will be.

 

[TLJP]

I am so sorry. I know that it is so very hard. We lost our own sweet little Westie a year and a half ago at the very young age of 5 also to cancer. I still think of him every day and know in my heart that I will always miss him. It is just so hard when they are taken from you so soon - long before you had even contemplated life without them. Please believe that though it seems hard right now that it will get better and remember that your sweet puppy only ever wanted to make you happy so please for her have a wonderful wedding knowing that it is what she would want - for you to smile and be happy!

 

[Porridge]

I am so sorry mjso. What a difficult thing to have to do.

 

[bee*]

I''m sorry to hear that it was her time to go. You did the best thing for her. Sending hugs.

 

[Deelight]

I am so sorry

at least she is at peace now and no longer in pain *hugs*

 

[LaraOnline]

I also wanted to send my condolences.

Here''s to a loved life, well lived. I have no doubt your puppy was a lucky one, to have a mum like you.
*heart*
L.