Sad dog-related news
Our family dog Owen is on his way out - he has lymphatic cancer. I first found this out when I got home from Ireland at the start of the summer; he had started to get really sick around mid-April (when Dad came out to visit me), but Mom wasn't sure how to tell any of us. He had a monthly course of chemo for five months (he's now finished up with that) and it was helping him some. He gained back the weight he'd lost and seemed to be in much less pain. He'd only get stiff again a day or two before his next treatment.
The vet told us that with the chemo some dogs can live for another year (his own dog is in that position), but we don't think that's going to happen for Owen. His cancer is still progressing and he probably won't live much longer than another month or so. My sisters and I are all really glad that he didn't die before we could see him again, but it's definitely still tough.
He's more than ten and a half, which does qualify as old age for a larger dog like him. Our cat Lilly, by the way, is still in good health (Mom thinks that she will refuse to die in order to spite her). We first got Owen the winter I was in eighth grade. He's a mutt who looks the most like a Black Lab, but we know he has some German Shepherd and we think perhaps some Border Collie. He's a bit of a neurotic mess but very lovable.
Right now we're just monitoring him as well as we can and showering him with love and affection. He is in some pain (his left hind leg is stiff due to a tumor on the hip and his bark is more raspy) and he has less energy, but he is still very happy. We're trying to keep an eye on his pain level so that we can make a decision about putting him to sleep when it gets too bad.
I'm really going to miss him. He's a good dog.
The vet told us that with the chemo some dogs can live for another year (his own dog is in that position), but we don't think that's going to happen for Owen. His cancer is still progressing and he probably won't live much longer than another month or so. My sisters and I are all really glad that he didn't die before we could see him again, but it's definitely still tough.
He's more than ten and a half, which does qualify as old age for a larger dog like him. Our cat Lilly, by the way, is still in good health (Mom thinks that she will refuse to die in order to spite her). We first got Owen the winter I was in eighth grade. He's a mutt who looks the most like a Black Lab, but we know he has some German Shepherd and we think perhaps some Border Collie. He's a bit of a neurotic mess but very lovable.
Right now we're just monitoring him as well as we can and showering him with love and affection. He is in some pain (his left hind leg is stiff due to a tumor on the hip and his bark is more raspy) and he has less energy, but he is still very happy. We're trying to keep an eye on his pain level so that we can make a decision about putting him to sleep when it gets too bad.
I'm really going to miss him. He's a good dog.