[Dailydrool] My Journey with Dakota

[barbcressy at charter.net]

Just wanted to share my "speech" from our recent Bark For Life

My Journey with Dakota

When we brought Dakota home 12 years ago I was going through chemo 
treatments for breast cancer. He was always by my side, loving and 
watching me. Cancer brought him into my life and it took him away from 
me. I believe any strides we make in finding a cure for cancer in 
humans, will also benefit our canine companions as well.

Dakota was the sweetest dog ever, as bassets tend to be. He did like to 
get into trouble as well, another basset trait.

The first thing he did was to tear his cruciate ligament and had to have 
surgery.  We built him a ramp and bought steps so he could get into his 
chair.

The next big thing was that he had a lump on his side, fearing cancer, 
he had surgery to remove it and to get it tested, Praise God no cancer!

At our house our backyard floods as does our basement, so we put a 
drainage ditch in, and lined the fence with pea gravel. Well bassets 
like to eat anything, and eat he did. So he had to spend a day at the 
vets yet again. They had to help him “pass” those stones.

Dakota did fine for awhile, and it seemed almost overnight he developed 
a large tumor on his neck. So back to the vet he went. We were so 
relieved when Dr Paxton said it was a fatty tumor.

It continued to grow and he looked like a hunchback. Dakota developed 
those fatty tumors all over his body. All were checked and were found to 
be fatty tumors. I worried every time, remembering when I found my own 
lump, that led to my cancer treatment.

On the morning of 3/30/12 Dakota could not walk, he couldn't even stand. 
His head was tilted and he looked at me as if to say help me.

This was the worst moment of my life, I sat down on the floor with him, 
cuddled him and cried. I thought he may have had a seizure or a stroke. 
It was too early to call the vet so I continued to cuddle him and cry. 
When it was time I called Dr Paxton, they said bring him in ASAP.

I wrapped him in a blanket and pulled him out the door but I wasn't able 
to lift him. He was about 75lbs, so I had to tug him back into the house 
I needed to go get my dad to help. Needless to say we made a sling out 
of his blanket and got him into the car.

Dr Paxton checked him over and said he didn't have a seizure or a 
stroke, but that there was something neurological going on. So Dakota 
stayed for testing and xrays.

Just a couple of hours later Dr Paxton called and said Dakota had 
several tumors, and that his bloodwork wasn't good. He felt it best that 
we end his suffering.

At 2 pm we went in and were able to see Dakotas xrays. He had tumors in 
his lung, his, liver, his spleen, and most likely his brain. There was 
no doubt Coda would only suffer. So we said goodbye to our sweet boy. He 
is now at the rainbow bridge waiting til we meet again and cross into 
heaven together.

Cancer has taken many special people in my life, and I know quite a few 
humans and dogs battling right now. My little cousin Deegan was born 
about a month ago with a large tumor on his brain, sad to say he lived 
only a few hours. It is my belief and my desire that we need to keep 
researching~~~CANCER NEEDS TO END NOW!
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