[Dailydrool] Lymphoma Experience

[Barbara Slater]

My angel dumpling Frances was diagnosed with lymphoma in January of this year.  It came on fast without warning.  Between January and April she had developed little bulges all over her body.  She had so many on her sides & belly that the neighborhood kids thought she was going to have puppies.  Despite all the growths she kept up her same level of activity, jumped on & off every piece of furniture (including a high bed with the help of a strategically placed ottoman), ran & played hard in the yard & at the dog park, eagerly jumped into the SUV to go for rides or shopping.  She ate ravenously . . . we'll she always did, but now she wasn't so selective.  If it was food, she ate it . . . oranges, apples, bananas, beets, summer squash, etc . . . all the yucky stuff she snubbed her nose at before.  I've always been very careful about feeding Frances & Frazier biscuit type foods to avoid weight gain, but I started buying all the expensive baked treats
 that look like real pastries, cookies & cupcakes.  Yes, I dropped all caution/pretense and made sure she got anything she wanted . . . Frazier enjoyed them too, but smaller quantities.  
 
My Vet put her on a medication so she would be comfortable & referred us to a specialist.  Basically, my choices were I could either keep her as comfortable as possible and let her enjoy her remaining time or put her through a chemo program with uncertain results.  The chemo process would take almost a year, cost about $5,000 and she may have live another year longer.  I decided to go for the non-chemo option and just make sure she was as happy as could be and loved all over her even when she was annoyed at me.
 
Late in April, after 4 surprisingly normal months, she seemed to loose all her energy.  I knew she was telling me it was time for her to go.  We all piled into the SUV for her last visit to the Vet.  I really love my Vet . . . she was all ready for us and her preparations made everything so at ease.  Franny-pants made herself comfortable on the thick fluffy blanket, nudged her shoulders & head in my lap and snuggled.  After the shot had been given, she closed her eyes and then just relaxed.  Belly rubs and sweet whispers soothed my bossy little baby girl over the bridge and I know she is really living it up on the other side . . .   
 

Barb, Frances (Lovingly ATB) & Frazier (Did you say pupcakes?)
http://www.dogster.com/dogs/143457
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