About a month ago I was asked by a pound to take a 9 year old, very overweight female JRT whose owners turned her into the pound. The dog warden wanted to put her to sleep because she was old and overweight. The volunteers at the pound just couldn't see this happen. She was soo sweet!! I didn't have room to take her and the volunteers said they would hang onto her until I made some room.
I finally got her two weeks ago. I knew she was over weight but OMG! She was huge! I was already going to the vet that day so I took her with me to weigh her and see what I could do to get her to loose some weight. My vet put her up on the scale... 31 pounds!! WHAT? She is a small JRT, she should be MAX 14 pounds. Poor dog. Then I asked "is she spayed?" I held her up and he said "Oh Amy! She is FULL of cancer, it is every were." You have got to be kidding me... The last dog I had with cancer, Sally, lived for nearly 4 months until the cancer took her away. My poor little Sally... she was the sweetest dog. I cry just thinking about her being gone.
Anyways, I asked what do I do? what can I do? Well obviously she wasn't spayed, hence the cancer. I could spay her and it would slow down the cancer and could extend her life or not. The surgery to get rid of the cancer would be VERY expensive and may or may not work and she may or may not live through it. Great these are awesome options... I can't put this dog to sleep there is NO WAY! That isn't fair, it isn't her fault that her family SUCKS! Oh and the other crappy part is that if I would have to get x-rays done on her to see how far the cancer actually spread b/c it is in her lungs you might as well kiss her good bye.. so how great is that, what a great freaking day :-(
Well so I called in a favors. I took her on Monday to a Vet Tech College for X-rays because they need to practice taking x-rays and well it is free for me. So, good news the cancer is not in her lungs YAY!!!!!
I still have to get her spayed and then who wants a 9 year old JRT with cancer? She may live 1 more year or 10 more years no one knows. Well one of the Vet Tech students fell in love with her and said she would give her a home. She couldn't stand for anything to happen to this sweet little girl. Ok, so YAY!!! Someone to take her, problem solved. I get her spayed and this awesome person is going to let her live out her life. Too bad I don't have money for the surgery to remove the cancer. It is only breast cancer and assuming it didn't spread it could be removed but she might not make it through the surgery and if she does she might not make it through recovery because of infection and such. But hey I do what I can with the money I can.
Friday I was getting her spayed. The vet that was going to spay her is actually a family friend. She is about 7 years older then me and my parents are friends with her parents so she has basically known my my entire life. She too fell in love with Katie. She said "Amy you want to try to get the cancer out?" "What are you crazy?" I said. She said we could open her up and if it has spread we will basically just remove her entire middle section where the cancer is (in her breasts).
Well she may not live through the surgery and if she does live through the night and if she does live through the 5 week recovery. We are going to literally have to cut her open from front legs to back legs and take out the entire middle of her. But hey let's try to save her... risky but really her chances without us doing are also slim. So, we tried.
3 hours of surgery. I helped with 2 hours of it. She did great lived through the surgery. It was scary surgery and that poor little girl is going to need some serious drugs for the next week or so. So, we gave her some good drugs and sent her home with the vet tech student who is going to keep her.
I am excited to report SHE IS DOING WONDERFUL!!! She is even JUMPING up and down off the couch. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT???
I talked to her new mom last night and wanted to cry with joy. She is doing so well and we did it, we saved her, she still has 4 more weeks of healing and there still is a risk but we are through the scariest week....
YAY!! For Katie! here is another little dog dumped like trash because her a-hole family didn't spay her so she got cancer and then didn't want to save her life. here is Katie a dog the warden wanted to put to sleep because she was old fat. here is Katie, spayed, cancer gone and in a loving family.
Honestly last week I wanted to quit.... Katie reminds me why I don't!
I finally got her two weeks ago. I knew she was over weight but OMG! She was huge! I was already going to the vet that day so I took her with me to weigh her and see what I could do to get her to loose some weight. My vet put her up on the scale... 31 pounds!! WHAT? She is a small JRT, she should be MAX 14 pounds. Poor dog. Then I asked "is she spayed?" I held her up and he said "Oh Amy! She is FULL of cancer, it is every were." You have got to be kidding me... The last dog I had with cancer, Sally, lived for nearly 4 months until the cancer took her away. My poor little Sally... she was the sweetest dog. I cry just thinking about her being gone.
Anyways, I asked what do I do? what can I do? Well obviously she wasn't spayed, hence the cancer. I could spay her and it would slow down the cancer and could extend her life or not. The surgery to get rid of the cancer would be VERY expensive and may or may not work and she may or may not live through it. Great these are awesome options... I can't put this dog to sleep there is NO WAY! That isn't fair, it isn't her fault that her family SUCKS! Oh and the other crappy part is that if I would have to get x-rays done on her to see how far the cancer actually spread b/c it is in her lungs you might as well kiss her good bye.. so how great is that, what a great freaking day :-(
Well so I called in a favors. I took her on Monday to a Vet Tech College for X-rays because they need to practice taking x-rays and well it is free for me. So, good news the cancer is not in her lungs YAY!!!!!
I still have to get her spayed and then who wants a 9 year old JRT with cancer? She may live 1 more year or 10 more years no one knows. Well one of the Vet Tech students fell in love with her and said she would give her a home. She couldn't stand for anything to happen to this sweet little girl. Ok, so YAY!!! Someone to take her, problem solved. I get her spayed and this awesome person is going to let her live out her life. Too bad I don't have money for the surgery to remove the cancer. It is only breast cancer and assuming it didn't spread it could be removed but she might not make it through the surgery and if she does she might not make it through recovery because of infection and such. But hey I do what I can with the money I can.
Friday I was getting her spayed. The vet that was going to spay her is actually a family friend. She is about 7 years older then me and my parents are friends with her parents so she has basically known my my entire life. She too fell in love with Katie. She said "Amy you want to try to get the cancer out?" "What are you crazy?" I said. She said we could open her up and if it has spread we will basically just remove her entire middle section where the cancer is (in her breasts).
Well she may not live through the surgery and if she does live through the night and if she does live through the 5 week recovery. We are going to literally have to cut her open from front legs to back legs and take out the entire middle of her. But hey let's try to save her... risky but really her chances without us doing are also slim. So, we tried.
3 hours of surgery. I helped with 2 hours of it. She did great lived through the surgery. It was scary surgery and that poor little girl is going to need some serious drugs for the next week or so. So, we gave her some good drugs and sent her home with the vet tech student who is going to keep her.
I am excited to report SHE IS DOING WONDERFUL!!! She is even JUMPING up and down off the couch. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT???
I talked to her new mom last night and wanted to cry with joy. She is doing so well and we did it, we saved her, she still has 4 more weeks of healing and there still is a risk but we are through the scariest week....
YAY!! For Katie! here is another little dog dumped like trash because her a-hole family didn't spay her so she got cancer and then didn't want to save her life. here is Katie a dog the warden wanted to put to sleep because she was old fat. here is Katie, spayed, cancer gone and in a loving family.
Honestly last week I wanted to quit.... Katie reminds me why I don't!
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