Favorite Things

***Good girl! October 19, 2008***

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Some of you don't know what troubles Bernie medically, so I'll give a nutshell version. In June, I took Bernie to the vet because of a behavioral change and moderate, occasional pain when I touched her face. No real course of action was taken that I recall, and I was to keep an eye on her, with the idea of sedating her for a thorough look-see in her mouth a possibility if things didn't improve. They didn't, so I made another appointment with the vet about two weeks after the initial. Between the time I called and our actual appointment, I noticed a half-marble size mass on her tongue while brushing her teeth. So the vet sedated her in order to laser the mass off and biopsy it. While she was in there, she noticed another mass on her tonuge, which she lasered off, and another in her throat, which would require real surgery by a board-certified surgeon to be removed. One of the masses was melanoma, the other two sarcomas. They had not metastasized, meaning the cancer was contained to the masses. Fortunately, I had discovered that the anti-inflammatory she had taken for a year or so controlled her symptoms and discomfort, so we doubled that up, and I made an appointment with the oncology department at the University of Minnesota. I've since learned that dogs with pigmented (purple, or purple-spotted like Bernie's) oral cavities are prone to oral cancers, so if you have a dog with a purple/purple-spotted tongue, mention and discuss this with your vet.

The oncology doctor was very helpful, giving me numerous options that ran the gamut. Given Bernie's age, the fact her symptoms were controlled, and the relatively short additional lifespan with treatments, Bernie and I elected to forgo further intervention at that time, leaving the mass in her throat. Our reasonable hope was that she would last in decent health to her fifteenth birthday (January 31), which would have meant she'd made it a full seven months from diagnosis. This longevity expectation was more or less in line with the oncologist's expectation. Unfortunately, seven months goes by way too fast.

Until Thanksgiving, all was well. She'd skip the odd meal, but that's it. After Thanksgiving, though, I noticed some changes, hence Monday's visit to the surgeon at the U of M. As you know, they sedated her (uuuggghhhh!) and examined her oral cavitiy. The long and the short of that: The masses on the tongue have not returned; the mass in her throat (actually an extension of her tonsil), given it's size, position, and Bernie's age is not a viable surgical candidate, and it obstructs and will further obstruct both her airway and esophagus.

What a catch by Minneapolis' own Larry Fizgerald.

To continue, it will be clear when things have reached a breaking point, and the surgeon's best guess was a month or so before this becomes the case. Unfortunately, I've noticed in the past day or two that Bernie is having some difficulty getting food/water to go down the right tube. However, through all of this she has had other bad days and bounced back nicely, so perhaps this will be the case here, at least in the short-term. Her breathing is fine. Also, the cancer has metastasized, and one of her lymph nodes is the size of a racketball. I knew this before our last vet visit.

Anyway, cheer up! The worst part about this is that otherwise, she is a strong and healthy dog, she has simply met her "fatal flaw," if you will, though. The best part about all of this is that otherwise, she is still a strong and healthy dog. We are going to walk after this post.

Happily, I'll leave you with some of Bernie's favorite things (people will be mentioned in a later post): water, anytime, anyplace, any temperature; getting excited for car rides; car rides; running through the mountains; sunshine; the canine species; Kansas basketball; Cardinals baseball; hockey (especially college hockey); hot dogs (this is new, she's lapping them up!); snow; her yard; being outside; chasing cats, squirrels, and especially rabbits; getting excited for walks; walks; singing (so beautiful, though she can't anymore); naps; bananas; friendly passersby when she's laying in her yard; her new back door; being a good dog; and anything and everything that is Chad.

She just came into the room. Time to walk!