Losing him to cancer. So sad..

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Sugarplum Furry

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Sorry everyone, I just need to get this out of my system, it helps to write it down, please excuse any gushiness. We just found out last week that our fabulous handsome goofy boy has 2 tumours, one in his spleen which would be operable, but the other in his nasal cavity which isn't. To say we are devasted is an understatement, he's only 8, it's come as such a shock. It started about 6 weeks ago when he had a few nosebleeds. Nothing major but worrying enough to take him to the vets to get it checked out. A grass seed stuck in his nose, said the vet, or maybe a fungal infection. A course of antibiotics seemed to work initially but then he had another couple of nosebleeds. Back to the vet. Vet referred him to the vet hospital. The specialist vet still thought it was a fungal infection which was treatable with an operation to flush out his sinuses but needed an MRI to be sure. Signed the consent form (gulp. £1800 no insurance, idiots we are). Just before she took him in she did a once over on him and found a tumorous mass in his spleen. Oh god. So agreed to an ultra sound as well as the MRI.

I left him there and went and found solace with the horses at the yard, and then the vet phoned. Tumurous mass in his spleen and large tumour in his nose. I was too shocked even to cry. I rang my hub, who spoke to the vet and they agreed to bring him out of the anasthetic and we bring him home, although to be honest I was ready to let him go there and then. Is that wrong of me? I just wasn't sure I could face bringing him home and seeing him fade away. Anyway the decision was made over my head and he's home with us now. It's a comfort that he's here with us as we can make sure he has a wonderful couple of months left to him, I've decided every day will be a party, lovely walks, treats, new toys and he can chase as many small terriers as he likes (favourite thing) for as long as he can. You really wouldn't know he's got the dreaded C at the moment, he's just the same as he always was and as long as he's not suffering life will carry on as normal. He's on a low dose of Metacam every day for now.

I am dreading beyond words whats to come, he's the hound of my heart, my once in a lifetime dog, strangely enough we even have the same birthday..well obviously not the same year!

Cheers for reading.

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Timber today.
 
God, he's breath-takingly handsome! 'The hound of my heart' is such a wonderful phrase.

So sorry about your news. :( Just treasure the time you have left with your gorgeous dog.
 
I'm so very sorry ..........:( I feel for you, I really do.

He's no age and so handsome with it. Cancer is horrific - it is indiscriminate and often takes the very best.

Spoil him rotten in the time you have left with him, and cherish the memories.

C xx :(
 
So sorry about your dog, we lost our lovely lurcher girl aged 10 years old just over 2 years ago to cancer of the urethra, it was just in the wrong place and she went through exploratory surgery but they just closed her back up again and sent her home.She had a couple of months with us and as the time got near we gave her everything she wanted, it is such a horrible decision to make to get the vet in to put her to sleep.I was inconsolable on the day and it was the worst day of my life and I still am finding it hard on bad days, it's hard to do but it is the LAST kindness you can do for them and they love you for it, and you will know when the time is right, you can see it in their eyes, we will be thinking of you.
Oz
 
Stunning looking dog, he looks the picture of health too. Devastated as you feel never give up hope; the boy I lost in November had an aggressive malignant melanoma removed aged just 6, lab results were horrific with a life expectancy of 30 – 90 days. Like you I took him home to spoil rotten and live like a king for a few weeks. He died suddenly of a heart attack on Remembrance Day 2 days shy of his 12th birthday. Praying that you get a miracle like we did, Timber is simply stunning.
 
So sorry to read your sad news. Treasure every day you have and enjoy cuddles and spoiling him rotten- he is gorgeous so deserves everything he wants!
And no its not awful of you to of wanted to let him go i think i would feel the same but you still have him and you never no how long for so make the most of it.
We are going through similar my parents/my Newfy is on borrowed time as her hock is disintegrating from unknown reason at present she is able to walk and happy but we no d day is coming- she too is spoilt rotten now!
 
Thank you so much for your replies. Seeing him as he is now it's seems impossible to think he's ill and will go downhill, he's just so full of life and vitality. Cremedemonthe it's our plan too to have him PTS here with us at home, I know it will be so hard but it's the least we can do for him, he's given us so much joy and love (and he's also been VERY norty but we'll gloss over that!!). he greets me every morning by saying 'hallo'. No he really does say hallo, I ought to get it on vid, he's the chattiest dog ever.

Cheers everyone, I really do appreiciate your replies and support...x
 
We lost our little JRT to cancer two years ago he was eleven, it is very hard to watch them go down hill, but I'm sure you will make the most of every day you have left together, and remember the good times. My heart goes out to you, he really is stunning.
 
I feel for you, I really do. We lost our lad aged 7 two years ago to spinal and stomach tumours. We found out and had him PTS the next day: he couldn't walk all of a sudden. :(

Give him the best you can for as long as you can. Big hugs to you.
 
A beautiful boy. Our old girl had a huge tumour on her spleen and we had no idea until it was too late, she was fit, shiny, healthy and still going for long hikes at ten years old.
 
What devastating news for you and such a beautiful boy, Im so sorry you are faced with this and like everyone else said spoil him rotten. Dont be sad there will be time to grieve later, just take everyday as a blessing and I hope you have many many days,weeks, months of those.x
 
So sorry to hear this - we had a horrid scare with our mally a few weeks ago as she had some lumps (thankfully benign) but I can completely appreciate what a horrible thing it is to go through. I hope you and your beautiful boy can enjoy as much time for walks/swims/playtime as possible before he meets a peaceful end. Its going to sound silly but my dog has a favourite toy - its a plastic ball with a hole at one end and you can fill it with treats which trickle out as its rolled. She constantly brings it to us for re-filling and if we're out of the house we tend to fill it for her and she can spend hours playing with it until we come home again. Just a thought as I know when you get news like this you can feel guilty for not being able to be home with your boy all the time playing/walking and doing other nice things for him, but if he had a long-lasting toy (the little ball!) to play with you may feel less guilty about continuing to live your life a bit too. Hope that makes sense and big hugs to you both xx
 
Big hugs, I'm so sorry to read your sad news. Metacam kept our little bunny going for many months after his diagnosis, the vet couldn't believe it. Hope its the same for you and you have time to create even more beautiful memories with your oh so beautiful boy xx
 
I had the same thing 3 months ago, there is a post on here about it. anyway, i did cry, i howled like something in pain and then started to read and decided that I wasn;t ready to lose my girl anytime soon, she is only 6. i changed caras diet overnight and also have bought lots of things that have had good results in shrinking tumours and staving off the spread. She has reiki daily (from me) pranic healing, any good vibes anyone can spare. I won't allow any tears or negativity around her, positive energy only. Then it's business as usual, same exercise, same routine as before etc.
She was at the vets yesterday and they can't find one of the tumours that was on her lymph glands. there were 2, 1 each side of similar size and now there seems to be only 1. I asked if it meant it had gone and the vet said that if it wasn't gone then it had certainly shrunk enough that she couldn't feel it. If that can go then i am praying that the ones on her lungs are shrinking too. she was given 3-6 months. she still looks amazing and has the shiniest coat you could imagine.
Don't give up yet.
Don't get me wrong, i totally believe in quality over quantity but she is in tip top shape and i plan on keeping her like that.
xxx
 
I honestly didn't expect so many replies! In fact I almost didn't send my post after I'd typed it, it just seemed mawkish (I think thats the word) and pathetic to want to share something so sad. Thank you all so much for your words of encouragement and comfort and advice, thanks also for those who've PM'd me too.

I'll share a little bit of Timber's history here. He was bought by my friend out of the local free paper as a tiny puppy. My friend was a single mum with five little girls, and Timber spent his first year romping with them, being dressed up in dollies clothes, pushed around in a pram and sleeping with them in their beds. The girls had a pet hamster that would escape on a regular basis, Timber would hunt it down, catch it, hold it between his paws and proceed to lick it until it was a sodden mess so apart from it being half drowned he never once harmed it, such a gentle dog. My friend realised one day, when Timber was about a year old, that he'd grown so large and strong that she could barely hold him on the lead any more and he was getting hopelessly out of control. She's only tiny, plus he'd had no training at all in his first year....he knew how to play Hunt The Hamster, destroy the garden and open the fridge door but that was about it. She asked us if we would look after him for a few weeks to 'see how we felt about having him'. The few weeks turned into a few months, followed by a few years..7 to be exact.

We started off by taking him to training classes and puppy school. At one place they advised we put him in the toilet cubicle there until he stopped barking (he's so LOUD!). So while the rest of the class were circling round learning heel we were in the corner trying to push Timber through the doorway of the loo, not easy, not only is he enormous but he had all 4 paws on the door frame, bracing himself and shouting 'nooo don't make me go in there, I wanna play with the others'. So we didn't go back to that class again. We were expelled from another place because he jumped up at the instructor and knocked him flat on the ground, the instructor was an ex military dog handler and not at all impressed. So we thought sod it we'll educate Timber ourselves, it's taken 7 years to get sit and stay. Hmm. But despite his unruliness he's got massive charm. He loves people and absolutely adores small children, positively maternal with them but has to be watched as he's likely to give them the sodden hamster treatment which doesn't always go down well with their parents.

Do you know what? I feel a lot more positive after writing this down which can only be a good thing (thank you Chestnutty Mare!!). I'll keep you all updated and thanks again for your kind words.x
 
What a beautiful dog, and he sounds a real character. So sorry to hear your awful news, I hope you have a good long time with him yet, as chestnuttymare says think positive and enjoy him.:)
 
thinking of you, and do pm me any time. Stan is the second we have lost to cancer, and yes it does seem to take the very best dogs. xxx
 
Me again. Timber has had a series of fits, so awful to see. He's now slightly brain damaged, he's very 'spooky', he sleeps a lot...actually it's more like sort of zoning out....and he can't control his hind legs very well so he's quite staggery. The vet said he thinks there's another tumour on his brain. (Timber's, not the vet's).

So the time has come, there's no joy in his life any more and I'm calling it, it'll be probably be this weekend. I'm in absolute floods typing this, but I just want to thank you all for your support. They are all unique aren't they, our amazing dog companions? The loyalty and love they give is absolutely pure. I know I'll see Timber again in another world. Gala xx
 
Im sorry you havnt got more time to spend with him and can imagine how you are feeling, you are doing the right thing by him hard as it is. It is so sad we have them for such a short time and they bring such joy into our lives

My thoughts are with you. hugs xx
 
Hugs for you and Timber, it's so hard but the time is right by the sound of it, it is the last act of love you you can give him. Take care will be thinking of you.
 
Only just seen your post Gala and so sorry to hear about Timber's condition and recent fits :( He's such a handsome boy and it all seems to have happened so quickly.
You know and love him so he can rely on you to do the right thing for him.
((((hugs)))
 
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So sorry to hear that, I had exactly the same experience with my once in a lifetime dog, earlier in the year. Diagnosis, surgery, hope and positivity and then 7 weeks to the day my girl seemed out of sorts, went suddenly downhill with strange neurological symptoms and then starting fitting. We had her pts at home. My thoughts are with you, I know how much it hurts xx
 
Aww luv, i am really sorry. My stomach turned when I saw the thread again, it is just horrible. You are doing right by Timber this weekend. He is a lucky boy to have such a great mum. big hugs xxxx
 
I am so, so sorry :(

I had to make this decision a few months ago for my boy and it was the hardest, and easiest, decision i've ever had to make. Hard, because he'd been so strong and come through so much that i felt like I was failing him to give up. But easy because, like Timber he had started having seizures (he also had a spleen tumour as well as leukemia - the cancer spread to his brain) and it was time to call it a day for his sake, I know it was the right decision, we only keep them lingering for ourselves and its the best thing to do for him as heartbreaking as it is for you.

Will be thinking of you this weekend. Spoil him!
 
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