We just wanted to let you know about the bad news we got on our baby Watson today. You might be aware from our last post that he had what we had hoped was a fatty tumor removed from his sternum area on Friday. He has a 6 inch long incision site and has been a bit uncomfortable for the last few days but has done pretty well considering. We first noticed the lump a couple of months ago and had it checked by the vet – it was very small and felt like a fatty tumor on exam. However, it has grown significantly in the last month and two weekends ago he was very tired/depressed acting all weekend so I took him in to have the tumor checked last Monday. Because he is such a young dog (will be 5 in October) and because of the rapid growth the vet decided it should be removed.
Unfortunately, the lab results have come back and the tumor was cancerous. It is called Hemangiosarcoma and is a pretty bad form of cancer (not that any forms of cancer are good mind you!). It is slightly possible that this tumor was a “skin” tumor and if they got it all that it could be “cured”. Pathology did indicate clean borders but it was deeply embedded in the muscle. However, a surface level tumor of this type is usually a secondary site resulting from metastasis from the original location – usually in the heart or spleen. Usually, this type of cancer isn’t even discovered until the dog collapses since it is usually in internal organs. If the cancer has originated from another location, we likely only have a few more weeks with our buddy. Even with intensive treatment, life is usually only prolonged to 5 – 7 months and it can be thousands of dollars for a dog his size.
As you can imagine, this is pretty devastating news for us. We have a consult on Monday afternoon with an internist Veterinarian at Central Valley Animal Hospital (Dr. Cooke). She will do further exam – decide if further diagnostics are worthwhile and help us make an appropriate plan.
Here's a few pictures of our boy:
Baby Watson - December 2003:
Chasing Ezra (our old kitty who died two years ago):
Good Boy:
Caught sleeping on the couch:
With his good buddy Reuben and our old neighbor Isabella:
With Nicholas and Arianna (he is wonderful with kids and had an especially special relationship with Nicholas.)
Riding in the Truck:
And - his all time favorite activity...chasing a ball
Even better - catching it mid-air:
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Our baby Watson
Posted by Darin, Jean, Samson & Sydney at 3:03 PM
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3 comments:
That is bad news....SO SORRY! Hoping for the best. Can you feel our hugs from here?
I am so sorry. I know how you must be feeling. He is lucky he has had you to give him his wonderful life even though it is too short. May his last days be full of all the things he loves. For me, my dogs are not "just dogs" and the pain of losing them is real. My thoughts will be with you.
We are so, so sorry about Watson. It's true, they are not just "pets", they are a part of you and a part of your heart. I still remember the pain of having to put our old Wade to sleep right before Connor was born, so I know what you're going through.
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