porthole
Retired
While camping in August, Misty started to breathe a little odd, and had some odd lung sounds.
We had a vet appointment for our home arrival and a blood test and X-rays taken. The blood workup would not be all that unusual had we not been there for a concern.
X-rays and the blood test conclusion was possible infection. We started on a course of antibiotics and something to help keep her hydrated.
We were scheduled to head up to our annual Goldstock dog camp that weekend.
Goldstock is a Golden Retriever Rescue weekend. Literally hundreds of Golden's running around playing swimming etc. All in good fun to raise money for rescue.
Deb was leery about taking Misty but I was like hey this is the best weekend theses dogs have all year and they really love it. They get so excited when we turn off the main road on the gravel for the last mile to camp. It is amazing to watch them as they remember where they are.
Misty was not feeling well, but she did what she has done every year - run, play and swim, just not as much as she used to.
Even being ill, I still had to drag her out of the lake when it was time to go back to the trailer. Good thing this year I got her a life jacket so she wouldn't strain herself swimming. Life jackets for dogs come with a grab handle!
She did not eat much this trip and we knew she was not doing well.
The follow-up visit when we got home had us do another X-ray. Whatever the spots were they were now twice as many (in just one week).
Our vet (local small town vet) had heard about a fungal infection some dogs can get from being outdoors. I don’t remember the name of it, but we all read the info for it. Seems in the northeast there are several areas where this fungal infection is prominent – and we had been camping in almost all of those areas!
Makes sense, where is the nose of most pooches if not butt or crotch sniffing? On the ground.
We made an immediate appointment to go to the specialist at a local teaching hospital.
There we saw a cardiologist, who was rather short and tart with us. After digitizing our vets antiquated film X-rays the cardo doc took a look. He came in and told use, rather bluntly, “your dog has lung cancer and she is going to die”
Talk about a baseball to the head! He certainly didn’t hold back or sugarcoat it.
The oncologist was much nicer and more pleasant to deal with. We weighed all our options, which were few.
Metastatic lung cancer in canines is terminal.
We opted for a relatively new low dose chemo program. We could not cure her, but at least maybe help her. The chemo and something to help her appetite and we were on our way home.
When dogs stop eating, even their most favorite of foods, that is a sign.
Overnight Misty went downhill very quickly. That afternoon we once again did the hardest thing as pet owners our companions depend on us for, compassion.
Our local vet is super and makes a very painful experience tolerable.
We acquired Misty shortly after 9-11 after losing our first Golden.
Her registered name is “Misty – 9/11 Angels In Our Midst”, in memory of all the brothers lost on that day.
We started camping just so we could take our animals with us. So our joining the great Heartland group is directly related to Misty and Molly.
Molly is a little besides herself right now, seemingly confused as to where her sister is.
So if she looks a little sad at the next rally give her a head scratch she loves it.
The double picture below is from her first visit to Goldstock as a puppy and her last visit this year. The picture on the left is from a local newspaper. We were supposed to redo the pose this year and just never got around to it.
We had a vet appointment for our home arrival and a blood test and X-rays taken. The blood workup would not be all that unusual had we not been there for a concern.
X-rays and the blood test conclusion was possible infection. We started on a course of antibiotics and something to help keep her hydrated.
We were scheduled to head up to our annual Goldstock dog camp that weekend.
Goldstock is a Golden Retriever Rescue weekend. Literally hundreds of Golden's running around playing swimming etc. All in good fun to raise money for rescue.
Deb was leery about taking Misty but I was like hey this is the best weekend theses dogs have all year and they really love it. They get so excited when we turn off the main road on the gravel for the last mile to camp. It is amazing to watch them as they remember where they are.
Misty was not feeling well, but she did what she has done every year - run, play and swim, just not as much as she used to.
Even being ill, I still had to drag her out of the lake when it was time to go back to the trailer. Good thing this year I got her a life jacket so she wouldn't strain herself swimming. Life jackets for dogs come with a grab handle!
She did not eat much this trip and we knew she was not doing well.
The follow-up visit when we got home had us do another X-ray. Whatever the spots were they were now twice as many (in just one week).
Our vet (local small town vet) had heard about a fungal infection some dogs can get from being outdoors. I don’t remember the name of it, but we all read the info for it. Seems in the northeast there are several areas where this fungal infection is prominent – and we had been camping in almost all of those areas!
Makes sense, where is the nose of most pooches if not butt or crotch sniffing? On the ground.
We made an immediate appointment to go to the specialist at a local teaching hospital.
There we saw a cardiologist, who was rather short and tart with us. After digitizing our vets antiquated film X-rays the cardo doc took a look. He came in and told use, rather bluntly, “your dog has lung cancer and she is going to die”
Talk about a baseball to the head! He certainly didn’t hold back or sugarcoat it.
The oncologist was much nicer and more pleasant to deal with. We weighed all our options, which were few.
Metastatic lung cancer in canines is terminal.
We opted for a relatively new low dose chemo program. We could not cure her, but at least maybe help her. The chemo and something to help her appetite and we were on our way home.
When dogs stop eating, even their most favorite of foods, that is a sign.
Overnight Misty went downhill very quickly. That afternoon we once again did the hardest thing as pet owners our companions depend on us for, compassion.
Our local vet is super and makes a very painful experience tolerable.
We acquired Misty shortly after 9-11 after losing our first Golden.
Her registered name is “Misty – 9/11 Angels In Our Midst”, in memory of all the brothers lost on that day.
We started camping just so we could take our animals with us. So our joining the great Heartland group is directly related to Misty and Molly.
Molly is a little besides herself right now, seemingly confused as to where her sister is.
So if she looks a little sad at the next rally give her a head scratch she loves it.
The double picture below is from her first visit to Goldstock as a puppy and her last visit this year. The picture on the left is from a local newspaper. We were supposed to redo the pose this year and just never got around to it.
