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An Amazing Second Chance
By Paul Douglas
"I am very sorry to have to tell you this news". Those were the words of comfort my vet gave me when she told me my beloved dog was going to die. One day earlier, my young, strong, athletic dog Mitzie came up lame. She was limping around and not putting any weight on her left leg. Her paw had swollen. She was in obvious discomfort. I made the appointment with our vet. X-rays confirmed the very worst possible diagnosis. Osteosarcoma or bone cancer. The treatment for this cancer is amputation. The damage to the leg could not be reversed. I was advised that amputation was not curative by pain management. By removing the diseased leg, the source of pain is removed. Her life expectancy after amputation might be 8-9 months. Research on the web indicated a life expectancy of 4-5months on average. The prognosis indeed was very grim. The surgery was not cheap. $1800.00, and we had gone into debt to pay for it. Mitzie's recovery was difficult at first. She had all her fur shaved off the surgical area, and the wound was closed with over 60 staples. She looked like Franken-Pooch. It was a frightening and disturbing sight for us to see. But recover she did. Mitzie had a zest for life. Her play drive was very strong. She lived for the chase. And something as inconvenient as major surgery and a loss of a limb was not going to slow her down. Then during a follow up visit in November, chest X-rays revealed the cancer had moved to her lungs. It was a crushing blow. We really thought we caught it in time until then. The reality that she was going to die started to sink in. Yet she still she played and played and played. She lived for the chase. At the ninth month she went back to the vet. He was dumbfounded to see her. Most dogs with Osteosarcoma would have died at this point. Yet outwardly she seemed healthy and strong. Even her lungs sounded clear. Yet the X-rays showed the tumors were growing. At this point, I was thrilled that she had outlived the experts predictions. My goal was for her to make the anniversary of her diagnosis. I had plans for her to see her vet today, April 7th. It was not to be. She missed it by just 16 days. It was a beautiful warm, sunny Spring day. She spent most of it outside playing. She chased our pup around the yard. Her frizbee came free of the snow, and Mitzie pestered anyone and everyone to throw it for her. She barked with joy, and was full of life. She literally played her heart out. Four hours later she was gone. It was sudden, quick, and we hope painless. She looked like she was sleeping. She took away from us the painful decision we were dreading. She died the way she lived, on her terms. Although I miss my silly blue dog terribly, all things being equal, I would do it again. Had we not amputated her leg last April, we would have euthanized her. She lived eleven and a half months after diagnosis. We gave her an amazing second chance. |
This pic was taken before the amputation
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