CANCER!

Please friends we need cancer info! Cooper just had surgery yesterday! There's a chance of a bad report! Should have results on Friday! He's not even 2!

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on November 8, 2011 at 3:27pm

Lori-

First let me say how sorry I am that you have to go through this. But, what type of cancer are we talking about? Although all of it is scary, some types aren't as bad as others. I had a dog that kept getting fibromyomas, and did very well. She actually died from something else. Give us an idea of what we might be talking about, so we can maybe give you some ideas and support for what you are going through. Hang in there! I know how scary it all is.

Jen

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Permalink Reply by Sandy Stickney on November 8, 2011 at 4:01pm

Hi Lori, sorry to hear that you are going through that. My only advice would be to try to remain calm until you get the results. I hope you hear good news on Friday. Corgi well wishes for you.

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Permalink Reply by Cyndy Glasscock on November 8, 2011 at 5:01pm

Lori-

You didn't mention what type of surgery Cooper needed, but first of all focus on helping him recover and get stronger. Then, listen carefully to your vet and their diagnosis. Next... take a deep breath and if your vet hasn't already referred Cooper to an oncology veterinarian you may want to research for you area of the country to find one. Although not every pet owner is prepared to go through aggressive treatment for a pet's cancer it can still be beneficial to your decision making process to consult a veterinary oncologist in my opinion. Although you probably have a good relationship with your regular vet a consult with a specialist is a really great way to learn all that you need to in order to decide how or if you will treat a pet with an illness like cancer.

Last December we began posting on this site about my son's corgi, Buddy. Our dog was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer) and we opted to do surgery to remove the affected leg and then began chemo. Throughout the trials and tribulations I never regretted where we were in the process of dealing with our Buddy's cancer because we had asked the hard questions up front. Our regular vet referred us to an orthopedic veterinarian surgeon and then he set us up with a oncology veterinarian practice for a consultation. We “knew” up front that we were facing a difficult and costly battle to try to save our dog. In the end, after several months Buddy succumbed to the cancer (June, 2011).

With that said- would we still treat Buddy's cancer the same way if we had it to do over and also had a “crystal ball” to see the eventual outcome? YES. By consulting the specialist we had solid information to make our decision with. Knowledge is your “power” to help you make informed choices for Cooper and his care. Good luck- feel free to message me if you have any specific questions.

And go rub Cooper's tummy- positive corgi mojo has healing energy in it ;-)

Cyndy

(Mom to a boy who loved his corgi)

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Permalink Reply by Lori A. Haskett on November 8, 2011 at 9:54pm

Thanks Cyndy! I'm so very grateful for your message. I have added more info to my first posting but unfortunately I wasn't given enough info when I picked Cooper up and honestly I'm not very pleased with how I feel left to worry for days...which trust me I will be made known at the right time!

Have you ever heard of the herbal tea called "Essiac"? It's actually what my husband swears CURED his Colon Cancer...

I'm sorry I'm just so very tired I think I'd better sign off for now! We had such a very rough night last night but I'm thinking tonight will be better. Cooper is acting so much better now...Thank again Lori

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Permalink Reply by Lori A. Haskett on November 8, 2011 at 8:34pm

Thank you one and all! I will treasure all you replies and refer to them often! This all so fresh that I din't have it all absorbed yet! I'm afraid I don't have much

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Permalink Reply by Lori A. Haskett on November 8, 2011 at 9:14pm

To one and all thank you so much for your kind and comforting words! I shall treasure and draw strength from them! I'm afraid I don't have much more in the way of answers yet.I found the first lump in his lower abdomen last Thursday. It was small and movable so the Dr. and I thought it might just be some burst blood vessels and I was just to watch it for a couple weeks...Then a couple days later I found the second one higher in the abdomen larger and more firm. Neither the Dr. or I liked the feel of it so we opted to remove it yesterday. We were in hopes it felt different because it was more in muscle. Dr.Ken really didn't feel he was going to have to give us bad news. He was in hopes to just remove them and then just toss them. Unfortunately he wasn't on the surgery rotation till next week and we didin't want to wait that long so another Dr. did the sx. When he called he thought that they were in need of sending off. I was in hopes of talking with him more when I picked Cooper up but he was still doing surgeries. Honestly I'm not happy with the info or lack of at the release. When I asked for anymore possible info I was told the Dr. wasn't very optimist(sp?)...didn't really think that needed to be said if they couldn't give info like type etc. Lucky for me I've worked for a vet so I knew more about the care after surgery since they sure didn't offer any.We sure had a rough night last night but seems to be doing better now.Thank fully I was able to stay home with him today That's the thing other than finding the lumps he acts just fine! Eating, playing just being happy healthy ole Coop! Anyway friends that's all I know for now I'll keep you posted...PLEASE PRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Permalink Reply by Lori A. Haskett on November 8, 2011 at 9:57pm

Has anybod heard of or used the herbal tea "Essiac"?

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Permalink Reply by Natalie, Lance &Tucker on November 8, 2011 at 10:33pm

Lori, my thoughts and prayers are with you. You have gotten very good advice here, very well said. It is so overwhelming to have to deal with all you are dealing with. I know when we got Lances diagnosis of auto immune disease (about 6 months ago) it also was very overwhelming. Taking each day as it comes, is probably the easiest way to deal with everything. If you are anything like me, thoughts race through your head. Please know we are all here for you, whenever you need us.

Give Cooper lots of belly rubs!! Lots of positive energy being sent your way! Hugs

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on November 8, 2011 at 11:13pm

Be strong. It may not be as bad as you fear.

It may be worse than you fear.

But you're Cooper's best friend right now. See to it that the two of you go through this gracefully, even if its worse than you fear.

I was with a friend as she died of cancer. It was somewhat horrible. She clung to life with a determination bordering on delusion, and I'm not sure it would be right to ask an animal to go through that. They're simpler than we are. I do remember her surgeon telling me, privately, that some kinds of cancer are just terminal, period, and some surgeons will operate on ANYTHING, to little avail, and drag out the inevitable at great expense in suffering and energy. He was unconvinced of the wisdom of "heroic" measures. She made her choice, and the medical people kept her out of pain. That was remarkable (morphine is a miracle drug).

OTOH, my neighbor's dog lived with lymphoma in remission for at least a year, seemingly with a good quality of life. A human friend has lived with lymphoma in remission for years.

Try to keep a clear comprehension of what you can do and what you can't.

Be compassionate: put yourself in Cooper's paws; try to figure out what he'd want you to do.

He might live another 13 years, or 1 more month. Whatever happens, he's got you, and you two can live that time with love, the best way you can.

And when it is his time to die -- next month, or 13 years from now -- you can make sure he doesn't die in pain. We can all do that.

I'm sorry you have to go through this. Don't hope for the best, don't fear the worst. Just do what you can do for your friend, do what you need to do, and wallow in every minute that you have together. You may not have as many as you'd hoped, so make them count.

Let's all do that.