But then I remember what the vet at UC Davis told me when I took Olivia there three weeks ago for a second opinion. She said that Olivia's bone cancer is most likely the very aggressive osteosarcoma, and even with amputation only 50 percent of dogs survive up to 12 months.
I can't pursue such an invasive procedure with such poor odds. I can't carve my girl up just so I can have her a few extra months. I just can't do that to her. And so, I'm focusing on pain management and quality of life.
So far we're good. Her tail is still wagging, her appetite voracious, and she still gets over-the-top excited when she sees me grab her leash. Our walks may be slower and shorter, but I'll keep taking her "bye-bye" as long as she wants to go.
Olivia is doing as well as I could possibly hope for, given the circumstances. Honestly, when she was diagnosed on Halloween, I didn't think she'd still be with me for the next holiday, let alone walking and playing with Hazel. That in itself is the best Christmas gift I could ask for this season.
And a Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones, be they two-legged or four.
3 comments:
I think you absolutely made the right choice. A friend had a much beloved dog in a similar situation. The friend opted to aggressively try everything, including having the amputation. Perhaps it extended his dog's life by a few months… perhaps. But mostly I think it just added to my friend's grief and pain, having done that for so little benefit.
In my own life, I had a cat I adored some years ago who developed an aggressive cancer. Not knowing any better, we opted to have it taken out. All it did was add to his suffering and pain, and, I actually suspected, might've even shortened what time we had with him. It still pains me that we did that to him. I vowed never to do that to an animal ever again. And, indeed, palliative care only was the choice we made for another cat in a similar situation a few years later. It's a choice over which we have no regret.
I recently heard a dog expert on the radio say that dogs live in the present. They don't obsess or worry about how long they have in this world. That's our problem. Quality of life is all that matters them. It sounds like you're doing everything you can to give her the best quality possible.
I'm so glad Olivia is still here to spend Christmas with you and Hazel, and well enough to be happy. That, in her doggy present moment, is the only thing that matters to her.
Many good Christmas wishes to you and the girls.
Unfortunately you've been down the canine cancer road before - as have I. Please do not 2nd guess yourself. Dogs live in the present; quality of life is of utmost importance. Hazel is now comfortable and enjoying each day. Thus, you are doing right by her! Enjoy your time together as you create new memories.
My new friend ... you have made the absolute correct choice. I adored my Myndie Ruth and would have done anything possible - even impossible! - but with the alternative suggestive treatment - no. She was already telling me in her eyes she was tired and it was time to go be w/ her Grandpa and her other doggy friends over the rainbow bridge. What Ellen wrote, in the first comment, are also exactly my thoughts!
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