An update
Here's the news most of you have been waiting patiently to hear.
Ein is now breathing through his nose and for the most part acting himself, in other words, like all the other Corgwn in the world, but with attitude galore.
Ein had his oncologist appointment on Tuesday of this week and we keep feeling like we've been punched in the gut.
The doctor discussed with us what she saw in all the reports and ran over our options.
1.) We could do radiation therapy. It would be a 30%-40% chance in reducing the tumor, but during the three months of treatment, he would be dealing with pain weeks on end.
2.) We could do chemotherapy. This would require five treatments and only has a 20% chance in reducing the tumor. 50% of dogs develop the runs, with 25% developing infections, and a few percent developing serious illnesses.
3.) Let him live out the remainder of his days as comfortable and happy as possible.
We have already taken option 1 off the table. Both of these would extend his life by about 7-9 additional months if successful. If not, it would be shorter due to his immune system then being decimated.
The doctor made it very clear that Ein is not a dog that will grow old. She has passed his file around and unfortunately in most cases, nasal soft tissue sarcoma wins.
It hurts us quite a lot. Not only do I personally feel like I've let him down somewhere along the line, I feel I've let all you that have supported us, down.
In the two and a half years that he's been in our lives, he has brought much happiness, laughter, and chin on the lap "I love yous," that we feel blessed to have loved him back. Because of this, I feel we owe it to him to explore other avenues as well. Maybe there's a trial at WSU that he would be a candidate for.
Thank you for all the support.
Comment
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Comment by susan on May 15, 2014 at 10:23am
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I am so so sorry for what you and Ein are going through. It’s all so very hard to work though logically when your heart is breaking. I am not sure if this is appropriate, but as a way to help you think through your options I want to share my experience with my beloved Skipper. Not too long ago we faced a similar situation – Skip was diagnosed with cushings and they found that he had a brain tumor. Without going into all the details we opted to have it treated with radiation therapy in hopes that he would have a few more years of good quality life. So for 30 days straight I took him to the clinic, they would put him under, radiate his shaved little head, and then I would pick him up later in the day after he was fully awake. It was way rougher on him than they led us to believe it would be – serious weight loss, immune system compromised, etc. At about midpoint I was very much doubting my decision, but after consulting with the vet, and since we had made it this far, I had to keep going to see if things would get better on the other end. After the treatments ended, it took about 2 more months until he seemed to perk up and regain a bit of his old self. I started to think maybe he would have a quality of life that made all that he went through worthwhile. Unfortunately he only had about 3 decent months before he started to decline again. He was a trooper through it all, but I wish with all my heart I had made a different decision. I’m sure there are cases where this treatment regime would have been more successful, but Skips wasn’t. Unfortunately there is no way of knowing when you start down that path, which hand you will be dealt. For me, I hope if I’m ever again faced with having to decide on heroic treatment measures versus letting my beloved friend go with dignity, I will choose the latter.
So after having said all that, please know that my heart goes out to you. With any decision there will always be doubt as to if it is the right thing to do. We can only hope that we always keep our furry little friends best interest in our hearts and minds. I will keep you and Ein in my prayers.
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Comment by Mark Sleith on May 15, 2014 at 9:45am
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I echo the plea to not feel that you've somehow let Ein down - this kind of thing is all a spin of the genetic wheel and there's nothing you could have done differently to change how everything developed. I'm sure you'll take the right course of action to keep Ein happy and comfortable during the time you have together. Big Corgi hugs to you!
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Comment by Jane Christensen on May 15, 2014 at 8:09am
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I am so sorry for what you are going through. Please don't feel that you have let anyone down...we are here for you!!!!!!! Some things are not in our control!
I am glad that you have ruled out the radiation, a few years ago my husband had radiation to his neck. The burns and discomfort were immense and he could at least understand what was going on and why. Chemo for some people works and for others not and the side effects can also be horrible.
Do what works for you and what is the best for Ein. As Bev said sometimes we have to accept the short time we get.
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Comment by Bev Levy on May 15, 2014 at 6:43am
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I am just so sorry you are going through this! Whatever you decide just know we will support you. I know from my own experience that sometimes you just have to accept the very short time you get. Hugs :)
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