Monday, April 13, 2009

Walking the dog

Miriam, our faithful companion since we rescued her as a young adult 14 years ago, has not been walking well for the last few days.

Today we found out why. She has an aggressive cancer: hemiangiosarcoma. 

The prognosis is grim and rapid.  Her age, kidney disease, and anemia don't help. Treatment is usually futile.

We are devastated.

She remains cheerful, though more lethargic.

She is an old dog, very much loved. 

I can't say anymore without losing my composure. Funny how much an old dog can touch your heart.

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8 Comments:

Blogger Alison said...

Hi Brian: so sorry to hear of your dog. I bet Miriam has been a good friend to you and your family.

April 14, 2009 at 6:42 AM  
Blogger Sharon said...

We know the heartache so well. We know how devastating this can be. You and your family are in our thoughts.
Sharon and David

April 14, 2009 at 7:39 AM  
Blogger Judy Cleri said...

I am so sorry to hear about Miriam. It is never easy to know that a loved one will be leaving us. Dog, cat or person.....they are all family and deeply loved. My love and prayers go out to your entire family.

Now if you can, don't forget to cheer on the Ducks this Thursday at 7 PM.........

LETS GO DUCKS!

April 14, 2009 at 8:32 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

I too have had several dogs and can empathize. A true family member, just has more hair, provides unconditional love and a little shorter that your offspring (F1’s). I hope for the best.

April 14, 2009 at 4:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So sorry to hear this news. We've owned and loved several old dogs in the years we've been together. Amazing how they weave themselves into our lives and can bring so much happiness.

Thinking of you and Miriam.

Charlie and Linda D.

April 14, 2009 at 7:39 PM  
Blogger Barry B. said...

We just lost our dog Bear to hemangiosarcoma. This is a cancer of the cells lining the blood vessels.

He had a splenectomy and did very well after the surgery. He went on chemotherapy (a NSAID and cyclophosphamide).

The only thing I would have added would have been modified citrus pectin. There was a small study in HSA dogs that found MCP helped kill the cancer cells.

The PubMed abstract on this is at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17786185.

He had a bad case of it, but he did live almost a month longer, during which time we bonded a lot and took a lot of walks and he ate lots of goodies.

Perhaps the MCP would have given him even more time. This is one of the few agents that seems to have potential activity in HSA. I wish I had had time to try it in Bear.

I miss my ole Bear a lot more than I thought I would. His claim to fame was as a ferocious rat killer, for some reason. He was a German Shepherd mix, not a breed know particularly as a hunter of rats.

April 15, 2009 at 11:44 AM  
Blogger Dragon Slayer said...

Brian
I'm sorry! A member of your family is dying and that is devastating. My heart is with you and your family

Wanda

April 15, 2009 at 12:20 PM  
Blogger suzanne said...

Sorry to hear about Miriam. We also lost a rescued dog to cancer (osteosarcoma) after 15 wonderful years. Our Sarah still lives in our hearts, as do all of our other lost pets. Hoping Miriam has a some more good days to share with you. Hugs for you all.

April 16, 2009 at 12:55 PM  

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