Hi. My name is Pam and I have two wonderful boxer pups. Anyone who has ever met a boxer knows that they are always "pups". They are very energtic and playful throughout their lives. That being said my pups are Thor, 10 yrs and 9 mos, and Arabella 5 yrs 2 mos. I love them both dearly and they have been my constant companions. It is rare that I even go on vacation without them.
The reason I am starting this blog is just basically for me to write down what I am going through as I deal with an awful diagnosis. On the night of Feb 12, my boy Thor had an upset tummy and vomitted. Not really a big deal for most dogs. Thor suffers from chronic pancreatitis so it can be the begining of a flare. After a while he isn't sick anymore but he is very listless. He won't settle down at all. So off to the emergency vet we go. I assumed pancreatitis again. When they did a ultrasound to check it out they found a tumor. And it was bleeding. I had to leave him there and wait for the internalist to do rounds in the morning.
When I got the call back, it was not good. Hemangiosarcoma. Basically an bloodfilled tumor. Should it rupture my boy will bleed to death. Actually "should" is probably the wrong word. To be correct, when it ruptures. Thankfully that night was just a small bleed, and I got to bring him home the next afternoon.
Now I had to weigh my options. Option 1; do nothing. The normal outcome, is a few days, to about a month. Option 2; surgery. It would give us 1-2 months, and the first 6 weeks is recovery from the surgery. Option 3; surgery and chemo. We would have to wait 1 month for enough healing to be done before we started chemo. A major side effect of the chemo is heart arrythmia. Thor already suffers from that and is taking meds for it. So the chemo would probably kill him.
So in Thor's best interest we are doing nothing. It is the only thing that won't put him through undo pain. And "nothing" really isn't nothing. We are loving on him and spoiling him as best we can. He is on limited activity so as not to rupure the tumor, but he is getting lots of extra treats to make up for it.
Three days after the diagnosis, I had to take my other dog, Arabella to the vet for a check-up and I brought Thor along. My regular vet wanted to see the tumor for himself, so he did an ultrasound. The bleeding had stopped and a clot was forming. Music to my ears! He also told me of another dog he had who had the same thing. The tumor had formed a "protective clot" around it, and the dog lived another two years.
As much as I would love to spend another two years with my boy, I know the odds are against us. So here we are, 8 days past the awful diagnosis. I just wanted to a place to chronicle our journey from here. I know others have been through this and still others are going through it now. I would love to hear from you and have you share you experiences with me.
Pam, I am so sorry that you and Thor are facing this terrible disease too. I've always felt a weird connection to Thor when I followed his exploits on Boxerworld. He is almost exactly one year older than my Darwin and they are both flashy brindles. Added to that they shared some of the same chronic but manageable health issues. When I read about Thor's diagnosis my heart just sank. Not this too. It is one of those diseases you feel basically helpless to fight. I miss Darwin so much, it is difficult to put it into words. Because Darwin passed away so soon after diagnosis, and because his doctors believed he would have a few good months, I had not really prepared myself. He had been such a fighter and always rallied. But some things you can't fight with spirit. So I sometimes feel cheated that we didn't have more time together in the end. That my parents, who loved him dearly, did not get to see him one last time. But I am consoled that he didn't experience a decline in quality of life or appear to suffer. I know Thor holds a place in your heart just like Darwin holds in mine, and you will shower him with love and attention in his last days, weeks, and months (may they be many) just like I did for Darwin.
ReplyDeleteThanks Karlyn. I too have felt that connection between out pups. I have wondered if they were even related. I am just assuming you got Darwin from some place close to where you live now. Thor was born in here in KS. Not only the similar markings but the same health issues just had me wondering. Plus they both looked so handsome in their doggles! It truly broke my heart when you wrote of losing Darwin. It just didn't seem fair. Once the inital shock wore off from the diagnosis, I went back to reread that sad post. Darwin was one of two, Chops being the other, that things went so wrong so quickly, I really was living in fear the first few days. I know how truly blessed I am to have had the extra time we have already been given. I wish you could have had it too.
DeleteBeautiful picture of Thor. I am hoping that you have many more days with your beautiful boy. Lizzie
ReplyDelete