When he wouldn't eat his food that morning, we knew something was really, really wrong. Within a couple of hours, he was lethargic and was having trouble walking. Off to an emergency vet appointment we went. When I got there, I was afraid maybe he had had a stroke. He just seemed so out of it. I ran inside and asked for help to get him out of the car. Three women came out of the clinic with a doggie stretcher and brought him right inside for an X-ray and exam.
The vet did not sugar coat the situation. I was told he had a large tumor in his spleen and that things did not look good. He was in shock and he was so full of blood that it was difficult to get a really clear look at the X-Ray. I called Coutry and asked him to come quickly. We had some major decisions to make and the clock was ticking. Needless to say, I was hysterical.
During the time that Country was on his way to the clinic, the vet managed to take two additional X-Rays and found some questionable "shadows" and dense areas around his heart. His slim chances just got significantly worse.
So, our options were to put him down right then and there or opt for emergency surgery. We were told the surgery would cost between 2 to 5K and that even if they were able to get the tumor out of the spleen, more than likely he had other tumors in there as well that would cause a problem sooner rather than later. And then there were the questionable shadows around the heart, which they wouldn't actually be able to see because they were not operating on that part of his body.
The vet asked us if we wanted to see him. Of course we did. So she led us into the back room where he was on an IV and pretty much so weak that he couldn't even stand or walk. He immediately saw us and started wagging his tail like crazy. Kisses, love nibbles, tail wags.
That sealed the deal. Surgery it was going to be.
The rest of the afternoon is kind of a blur; the emotional roller coaster ride had left us exhausted, but around 2:30 the vet called and said he was in recovery and doing well. She called him "One Tough Cookie." Thankfully, they did not see anything else when they were in surgery and are hoping that perhaps the softball sized mass they removed was an isolated incident. I do not know what, if anything, will become of the questionable shadows around his heart, but we are hoping and praying that he has many more years to come.
After transporting him to another vet that has 24 hr care, we went home and prayed that he would pull through this critical time and heal quickly and fully.
Two days later, he is home with us and resting quietly. Of concern is a heart arrhythmia that is being treated by medicine. The vet said he seemed highly stressed at the animal hospital, so hopefully this condition will correct itself with the help of the medicine and lots of love at home.
"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." ~ Roger Caras
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