I Thought She Just Had A Cold...

Siren was a stray cat I took in six years ago. she has been a very loving cat. She rubs up against everyone, even the dogs. She was calm and happy and purred often. Saturday she got a cold and seemed miserable, so I bought some Vicks for the humidifier and promised to take her to the vet on Monday.

She was so weak by the time I got her to the vet. The vet kept her overnight on an IV. When he took a blood sample from her she stopped breathing and he had to give her a shot to get her breathing again. That was the longest night of my life (or so I thought.) The next day at work the vet called and told me she had feline leukemia and her white blood cells and potassium were sky high and that I "should let her go." I didn't understand what he was saying at first, but then it hit me like a bus.

I left work and asked me husband to come home so we could go to the vet and say our goodbyes. She didn't look much like her oldself, but I could still feel her personality shinning through. I scratched her everywhere she likes to be scratched but still no purring, I knew then that it was her time to go.

The only blessing what the putting her down seemed to cause her no difficulty. Not even a cough or a surprising yelp like I expected, but the shot just put her into a deep sleep and then she was dead. It took less than one minute.

I stayed in bed for the next 36 hours crying. Sadness is exhausting. It still doesn't seem real. She was so young. She was an indoor cat and the vet told me she probably had leukemia since the day I brought her into our home.

I lost my loving dog Lady one year ago this month and this website helped get me through that. Thank you everyone. I am hoping I can get through this as well. But I find that with each death I lose a little bit of myself and my ability to love others. I have two dogs and a cat still alive at home, that I can barely scratch because I just envision the day that I will lose them.

I hope we all get through our grief in one piece,
Becky

Lessons Learned About Canine Cancer

My best friend of 11 years died of canine T-cell cutaneous lymphosarcoma, on Saturday. I wanted to share what I learned with you, that are still lucky to have your loved ones.
1. Prednasone made her breath rapidly constantly. This made her nose very dry and bleed. Put a humidifier where they sleep as soon as possible to lesson the drying.
2. DermCare pills were very effective with dry skin and itching. I gave my 50lb dog one with breakfast and one with dinner.
3. When in doubt, get a biopsy. It can often be done with minimal pain to the dog.
4. Get a few pills to help with the side-effects your dog may have. My Lady had diarrhea, and I wish I had thought ahead to get 2-3 pills for just in case.
5. If at all possible, put in a dog door to the outside. They hate to make messes in the house and you can't always guess when they have to go.
6. Get pictures taken as soon as possible, they have been very helpful to me through the mourning process.
7. Keep away from people who don't understand the your pet is loved as much as any human child. My Mother doesn't understand, so I have kept as far away as possible. She tries to be nice, but says incencitive things without even knowing. Just know the I (and many others) know that you love your pet as much as a child.
8. Spend the extra money to keep the house a comfortable temperature. I noticed Lady laid a lot on the cooler ceramic tile, so I kept dropping the temperature down until she seemed comfortable. (They sell dog beds for arthritic dogs that reduces the heat.)
9. Lady's thirst increased greatly while on chemo. I filed the dog water bowl with fresh water many times each day, and often offered her cups of cold bottled water which she LOVED.
10. Prescription Diet Canine N/D (only sold at vets) has been proved to extend and improve cancer dogs lives. It's worth a shot.
11. When your dog quits eating food, don't give up. I used greed (letting the other dog look at the food) often. Also, don't forget human food is often better than no food. The last three days, my girl wouldn't eat her favorite foods so I had to find new ones. Boiled, boneless chicken breast, peanut butter (with a glass of water), and beef jerky.
12. I realize that what most of you are going through is exhausting. I worried non-stop for the entire experience. I spent hours trying to get her to eat, play and be comfortable. Allow yourself to cry, but try not to cry around him/her, pets can tell when you are upset.
13. Become educated about your pet's condition and medication. Do not be afraid to ask your vet questions and question him on his choice of paths. Don't let the vet make you feel rushed through the meetings. If at all possible, find a specialist. There are so many new treatments that are being discovered.

Good luck to all. I hope for comfort for yourself and your loved ones.

Lymphosarcoma

Hello,

My best friend of 11 years, Lady, died Saturday night. 2 1/2 weeks ago I found some bumps on her skin, but otherwise she was playful and happy. The vet thought it was probably allergies and wanted to remove them next month when I had her teeth cleaned. I asked that he use local anesthesia to biopsy one that day. Lady was acting normally so I wan't worried. Five days later I called the vet to follow-up (I am very angry that he didn't call me as soon as he got the results) and found out it was T-cell lymphosarcoma. I met with an oncologist the next day. Unfortunately T-cell responds less well, but I had a 70% chance that she would go into remission for one year. I caught it so early, she was supposed to go into remission. He injected her with Vinblastine and I was to give her CCNU and Prednasone. The bumps kept growing, so a few days later, the oncologist gave her more chemo. She still didn't go into remission. There are no oncologists permanently here in Las Vegas so I couldn't get another appointment until Sunday, May 29th.

I researched everything I could find on the web. I gave her safflower oil, becuase there was a small study (very small) that 6 of 8 dogs gained remission. I found Prescription Diet Canine N/D that is supposed to be good for cancer patients. I gave her derm care pills which helped immensly with the dry skin./

My baby quit eating her favorite food, cheese last Thursday. (which also made it very hard to give her pills!) She threw-up at the top of the stairs and just laid by it, she was so tired. So I moved my bed downstairs to the dining room so she could sleep with me and be close to the dog door. She slowed down considerably, but did not seem in pain. Using greed, I was able to get her to eat every day, and I could ususally get her to wag her tail.

Saturday was her last day...she was lethargic, but I was looking forward to the vet appointment on Sunday-hoping we could try more. The Prednasone made her breathe rapidly, constantly. Her nose started to bleed and clog. I put a humidifier downstairs, but too late, to help with the sore nose. Around 11pm, my husband was going to bed and I asked where Lady was, since she wasn't sleeping with me. He found her collapsed 1/2 on the sidewalk and 1/2 on the grass in the backyard. Using her favorite bone, he encouraged her to walk the few feet to my bed on the dining room floor. She barely made it there and died a few minutes later in my husband's arms.

The grief is so uncontrollably painful. To be honest, I loved her the most in the entire world, even more than my husband. (Don't tell him that!, but he probably knew.) I am so very thankful I did not have to put her down. I even fed Lady two tablespoons of peanut butter the last day, which made her smile. I just cannot explain how much pain I feel, missing her. I am sure most of you understand. She was my world, my life, my love. She will truley be missed. I feel dead, why couldn't I have died instead of her?

How can I go through this over and over again with each new pet?