Emma Update

Hello wonderful furiends,

You have no idea how much you all mean to me and how very blessed I am to have met all of you.  I want to thank each and every one of you for all of your encouragement, prayers, well wishes, and support.
Thank you!!!

I've been to see the doctor a lot the past few weeks.  After the x-ray showed that mass in my neck my parents took me back to our regular vet to find out what was going on.  Our vet did an ultra sound guided needle aspiration of the mass.  The results came back - cancer.  My parents also suspect this lump on my head that has been there for a few years now that they told us was nothing to worry about is most likely cancer too. 

My Mom is very upset that our regular veterinary office never did any diagnostic testing the past two years and many, many, many, many, many visits later to definitively diagnose why my appetite was steadily decreasing, why I was coughing (ok they did do an echo cardiogram to check my heart and it came back good) , why I have diarrhea all the time.  She is now worried there was something going on then that could have been treated to prevent the issues we are facing now. My Mom is feeling most horrible she didn't push for tests, but believed the reasons the doctors gave her such as Emma is getting older that is normal for an older dog, she's older her muscles are weaker, she's older................, it's benign because you can feel it's not attached, it's benign because you can feel there is no stalk, it's benign because........ Mom now wishes more than anything she had insisted upon needle aspirations of all my lumps, but we were told back then that it wasn't necessary and you don't want to go poking around at things with a needle because if it were cancer it could cause it to become irritated and flare up and send cells out everywhere in response to the irritant.

The mass in my neck is cancer and we have talked to the doctor about surgery to remove it.  The doctor said he consulted with a veterinary oncology friend and they both said it would be impossible to remove the entire mass because it's neurological and you can't remove nerves.  Our doctor said he could remove most of it not all of it,  but the mass could return and he can't say how quickly that would happen.  We asked him if it was something we could wait and do after our vacation.  Come on who wants to miss out on sniffing new grass, trees and pee mail.  The doctor said that would be fine.

Two days before we were scheduled to leave for vacation I became very, very sick.  I couldn't even hold myself up and was lethargic, running a high fever and drooling.  My parents rushed me to the doctor.  The doctor said I had stay over night on i.v. fluids or I would not make it through the night.  Mom asked about surgery to remove the mass and whether or not we should do it now.  Would that help me improve.  They said no I wasn't even stable enough to have a surgery now.  This doctor said even if they did open up my neck the mass could be so entangled with everything that is in there the esophagus, trachea, carotid artery, and jugular vein that the doctor might just have to give us the option of not completing the surgery and not waking me up.  They said I wasn't a candidate for surgery right now either.  I was so week the nice vet tech ladies had to take the edges of the blanket I was laying on and drag it to the back because I couldn't get up.  Mom said it was the sadest moment ever to watch me watching her and Dad as they drug me away.  They gave me a big bed sized comforter to lay on and that's how they got me moved to the overnight area.  The dragging blanket game is something we do at home, but I wasn't having any fun with it this time.   

The veterinarian called Mom and Dad before leaving for the night and said I was doing ok and if they didn't call any more tonight to take that as good news because she said our vet doesn't like to wake people up and no news is good news.  Mom and Dad tell me it was a very long night for them.  It was the first time I'd ever spent the night away from home.

The next morning Mom called to check on me and they said I was still receiving fluids and I had been out to potty, but I was refusing to eat any dog food the gave me.  Mom told them I would not eat dog food and asked if her and Dad could bring me some Arby's roast beef.  They told her sure bring whatever I will eat. 

Mom and Dad arrived with my roast beef and I could smell it all the way back where I was.  Mom and Dad could hear me coming down the hallway and the techs trying to keep up with my iv poll and fluids in tow.  Mom almost fell over when she saw how huge my leg was.  They wrapped my catheter/iv too tight and it swelled up huge.  They assured us the swelling would come down.  My leg and chest was also swollen from the iv fluid kinda just hanging out in there and they said that too would go down and Mom and Dad could massage me.  I'm all for the massage :)  I was so happy and excited to see my parents.  I missed them so much.  I really, really missed my soft comfy couch and king sized bed ;)

I had to eat  and walk around a bit and wait for the doctor to decide upon my release.  During that time I've never seen my parents cry so much and up until that day I had never never never ever seen my Dad cry.  Apparently I looked most sad and not myself although I was much better than the night before.  I heard them talking about "letting me go" and "is it time?"  Then they would say "I don't want to do that to her" "I'd like for her to have walks and vacation".  After a couple hours the vet examined me and gave me the all clear to go home.  They said I could go on vacation too.  Mom and Dad tearfully and happily decided that I deserved to have as many days as possible. 

As I walked out of the doctors office all the staff was happy and relieved at how much had improved from the previous night.  Several expressed their heart felt amazement and well wishes for me and my parents.  They were so nice to all of us.  They took really great care of me.

A few days into our vacation Mom pointed out to Dad how much visibly larger the mass in my neck has grown in just a short amount of time and it's been decided that surgery will not be of enough benefit to be worth the risks and pain involved.  We are going to enjoy however much time there is left.

We are doing just that enjoying life and having a wonderful time.  You can see us doing that in the up coming post of my 2012 Smoky Mountain vacation. 

Your Furiend,
Emma