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I have braced myself for this day for so long

31K views 333 replies 49 participants last post by  cgriffin 
#1 ·
I have braced myself for this day for so long as Tia is now 12.
The vet thinks Tia has cancer:(

She developed a lump on her side (muscle) which has increased significantly over the past month or so. We thought that it was just another fatty tumor. However apparently it is full of blood and it is growing. The vet thinks that it could be hemangiosarcoma.

The thought of her suffering is unbearable. I have no idea what to expect. I am wondering if it is safe to let her jump out of the car?

She has a history of partial seizures, panting and feeling hot to the touch. We are wondering how this all fits together. She does sometimes talk out of the blue. Other than this she is not miserable or lethargic. She loves to go on walks and her sparkly personality still shines through.

Can anyone offer any insight of what we might expect?
What do you wish someone told you when you first found out?

We have just put an order in for some Yunnan Biayoa and tumeric/curcumin.
 
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#65 ·
I am so sorry that sweet Tia has health problems.
You are in my prayers and the candle is lit!
 
#70 · (Edited)
Thanks guys!! if you saw her walking in the street you would not know about all of the turmoil beneath the surface.

It really feels like the calm before the storm. It is a surreal feeling knowing that your world is about to take a massive blow at any time.
The greatest gift has been that noone has told Tia that she is dying. To look at her you would not know that anything was wrong apart from the huge lump growing before our eyes on her side. She walks a little more slowly but her fur is so soft and her eyes are so clear.

This forum has kept me in check by reminding us not to take anything for granted. It has also reminded me of my core spiritual beliefs. Only time will tell if I can remind myself of this advice that I so often dish out when the storm hits.

I am trying to prepare myself and be happy that she is finally going home to a loving joyous place that she so deserves after a life time of hard work but at the same time I am trying to brace myself for the big shake up that will leave us empty and desolate.

I look around the house and see so many things that will change once she is gone. Gradually over time we have made major changes to the set up and furniture of the house to cater for her arthritis and heat intolerance that won't be needed anymore.

I often wonder if it is best not to know as the mental torture has been difficult. There are tugs at the heart strings of any odd sound only to find that they came from our other young golden:p

I guess at least I have had the opportunity to stroke her soft fur with a more thoughtful intent, and take note of her funny quirks like resting her head on the coffee table, enjoy her genuine smiles and look into those big, innocent, loving and care free eyes.

I love the way some people make buckets lists for their dogs but Tia has been so spoilt over the years that there I am struggling to think of anything that we haven't done with her:p

In the meantime we watch and wait with our faces towards the sun as we count the blessings that we have here and now.

Thanks so much for your kind thoughts and prayers :)
 
#73 ·
Tia sounds as if she is enjoying life to the fullest, thanks to you! : ) Cherish your time together, and give Tia a hug for me!
 
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#75 ·
Thinking of you guys, sorry I am to busy to post but all these beautiful ones who are fighting so hard are always in my thoughts and prayers. Hugs to sweet Tia.
 
#77 ·
Hi Doug,

"Carpe Diem" - Seize The Day. You two have done a great job of just that.

Hope you two are out having fun right now. :D We're having Thanksgiving Day here in the States. Counting our blessings which, of course, include the incredible unconditional love of our fur kids. They're counting their blessings for bites of turkey and green beans LOL
 
#79 · (Edited)
Thank you guys (and GG). Your messages are quite timely as I got home from work to find Tia looking wooden and slow especially on the stairs so much so that hubby and I are rethinking our plans of our beach romp tomorrow and will sleep down stairs tonight.

She is so happy to see me at home but she looks so stiff as she walks. It is as if her spirit is super strong and beaming but her body is stiff.
I have no idea what this means.
Her gums look normal.

The weather here has turned awfully hot even at night and will continue to be hot for the next week at least. This has caused stumbling issues and seizure problems for us in the past:(

It reminds me how quickly things can change.

Have an extra slice of turkey and helping of dessert for us ;)
 
#81 ·
I hope that Tia is doing well today and that the heat is not triggering seizures or stumbling. This has to be so hard for you. Try to remember that as we get older all of us have bad days among the good ones and change can take us up again as quickly as it takes us down. That's the rollercoaster ride of growing older. There are times when it isn't fun, but consider the alternative! :uhoh:

Forgive me for not remembering the details of Tia's treatments, but have you tried massage and/or acupuncture for Tia? Several of our members have reported excellent results from these treatments, both in terms of improved mobility and reduced pain. Gentle massage is something you can do yourself, of course, though there may be professional massage therapists in your area who work with dogs as there are here. I always found that Charlie loved for me to give him a massage, understanding the love that it expressed. Also, adequan injections can help with arthritis, actually promoting healing, as well as reducing inflammation and pain.

Holding Tia and you in my thoughts and prayers,
Lucy
 
#82 ·
Thank you!!

We managed to make it to the beach today at 6am. We intended to walk along the beach path and on the jetty. However Tia seemed to be doing ok and had a bright smile on her face even though she was slower than usual so we went for a quick splash in the water before having a seaside breakfast. Usually we would go for a decent walk and swim but we didn't want to push it. I am just happy that we still got to enjoy a family outing together.

I am wondering if this is a cancer issue as the tumor is near her weak leg? She has only started slowing down on her walks in the last week.

It could also be arthritis as we have stopped the flax seed oil as it can facilitate bleeds. We tried the injections but they did not work for T. We also tried pain killers but these made her anxious and quite sadly vocal. I have read that you need to be careful about massage with cancer patients so we do our usual pats, hugs and rubs and leave it at that. We have also tried acupuncture and a chiropractor but it was quite expensive and we did not see any results.

Thanks again for all of your kind thoughts!!
Sending bright and sunny skies your way in exchange for your cool breezes:)
 
#84 ·
I bet Tia felt much better when she arrived at the beach. She may not of been able to do everything she usually does, but it must of made her day to be there with you. : )
 
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#85 ·
Cgriffin - So do I as I am cold intolerant but I'm willing to rug up to keep my BF cool. Maybe we should organise a house swap :p LOL

Lauren, T felt so much better that she even went for an ungraceful back roll in the sand. She cannot mange a full shake or glide down the stairs but she could still roll on her back! They are always full of surprises aren't they? I hope that your guys are having a good weekend!!
 
#86 ·
Sounds like you had a great day. Nothing like a nice beach day :D

Have you asked your vet about Rimidyl? It's an effective anti-arthritis med. However, it can't be taken while they're on Prednisone.

If T is on large doses of Prednisone could there be a possible ligament involvement on her leg? Our boy was on pretty heavy doses of Prednisone and tore a rear ACL. Healed up in 12 weeks OK. Just thinking out loud ...
 
#87 ·
T is not on either. I have kind of resisted these medicines due to the side effects but I guess at this stage they don't matter.
Feeling 'normal' is such an important part of dealing with cancer. They might help her do that. I'll look into it. Thanks!
 
#88 · (Edited)
Doug,

As far as the Prednisone or any chemo meds goes, you can use a liver supplement to help her liver function. When dogs get old their livers could use it anyway. Andy takes two hepato supplements. One is expensive ($110 a month for Denamarin) and the other is Hepato Support, $30 (what the vet charged us) for 180 tabs @ 4 capsules a day. If T isn't doing heavy duty chemo the Hepato Support may be enough.

Anyhoo, perhaps your vet can prescribe something for arthritis. Most dogs, like people, get it when they're older. Glucosomine-Chondroitin is a great supplement to lubricate the joints and build cartlidge strength. We buy that at a supermarket cheap. 2000mg (2 tabs @ 1000mg) a day is the proper dose for a dog 60-90 lbs.

it sounds like there's something going on with her joints or something. Could just be that she's a 'mature' girl. Something an anti-inflammatory/pain killer could help with greatly. Andy can't take Rimidyl because he takes Prednisone, so he gets 2 tabs of Tramadol (pain reliever) daily. 1 tab twice a day. However, doing something to treat the underlying cause of her stiffness/joint pain would probably be the ideal choice, provided your vet agrees it won't clash with whatever T takes now.
 
#89 ·
Thanks for the great reminders.

We have been dealing with Tia's arthritis for over 3 years now so she been on the Glucosmine and Chondroitin for quite a while. I just thought that it was strange that it her arthritis has flared up quite quickly in the past week or two which made me think of a cancer link but then again I have reduced her fish oil and her flax seed oil as it facilitates bleeds so it looks as though I will have to look into some hard core pain medication.

Thanks again!! I'm off to go and check em out now :)
 
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