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It Hurts: Losing a Pet to Cancer

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My Dobie, Gillis, Developed a Limp

Gillis was a young female Doberman dog that I adopted from an animal shelter hours before she was scheduled to be euthanized. She lived with us for four years and I visualized many more happy years to come, but it was not to be.

One day, during the summer, I noticed that she was limping. The dogs had been playing hard and I assumed that she had injured her leg, we'd had this happen to other dogs, and usually a trip to the doctor and a cortisone shot cured the limp.

Our veterinarian said it was apparently a trauma injury and gave her a shot and pills and I took her home. I didn't confine her and she played with our chocolate lab who is a big boy and plays with all the gusto of labs. The dogs would chase each other across our large fenced yard, jumping over flowerbeds and each other, usually ending up in a pile. I was surprised there weren't more injuries from their play.

Her leg didn't appear to be getting better after a week and I took her back to the vet. She received another shot and I vowed this time that I would keep her confined so the leg could heal.

Surviving Loss

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My Doberman's Leg Hurt: When Our Dogs Hurt We Feel It

Gilly Needed Me

We were busy on Tuesday and when I came home that evening, intending to work on my computer, Gilly let me know she needed me. I lay down with her and she snuggled against my side but she couldn't get comfortable. She would stand on the bed and look at me with her paw held out and I knew it was hurting her. I gave her Ascriptin and rubbed it with Allercreme. I even filled a bag with ice cubes and held it on her but nothing seemed to worked. Finally we both drifted off into a troubled sleep.

The next morning I took her back to the vet and I kept thinking "her leg has probably accumulated some fluid that can be drained off or ..." and I remember now, with regret, thinking "I hope this won't cost too much."
Close Up Profile of Doberman Pinscher at Westminster Dog Show




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The Vet Called: Gilly Had Bone Cancer

We'll Meet Again at the Rainbow Bridge

The vet asked that I leave her, she would have to be sedated to be x-rayed, and they would call me. We were at home early that afternoon when I got the call. The technician said the doctor had asked her to call. I was told "It's bad! It's bone cancer and the leg can be amputated and she might live 6 months but you can't expect much more than that." My husband and I live in the country, about 25 miles from the vet, but we immediately started back.

When we arrived, a second veterinarian told us that we might try amputating the leg and giving her chemo and radiation but, he cautioned, that would only give us a little more time.

I was heartsick but I'd been thinking about how she'd suffered her last night at home (I believe the Lord God gave me that night to help me be willing to let her go) I told the vet to put her down.

I held her as the lethal dose was administered and talked to her about how much I loved her and how she was such a good girl. She peacefully drifted off to sleep, a sleep from which she would never awake. I believe that people who have a belief in an afterlife for themselves and their loved ones grieve more for themselves when the loved one dies. I know I did for Gilly. I believe she is in a beautiful place, across the Rainbow Bridge, and that we will meet again someday.

We brought her body home, to the land on which she loved to run, and buried her near a pine tree. She was a wonderful friend and, although it has been 4 years now since she died, I still miss her every day.
The Rainbow Bridge Connecting Heaven and Earth




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Read More About Dobie Gillis

My Rescued Dog Who Rescued Me

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  • Reply
    skiesgreen Apr 3, 2011 @ 4:10 pm | delete
    Back with a *-*blessing*-* for this lens and now featured on Angel Blessings for Dogs on Squidoo.
  • Reply
    KIM Oct 26, 2010 @ 6:30 pm | delete
    We had to let our dog Snoopy go in peace yesterday. About 2 months ago we took her to the vet after noticing that she was limping on her front leg. I thought she might have injured it some how playing around or got it caught up in some type of fence somewhere. After taking Snoopy to the vet he took one look at her and told us, "no, it isn't a dislocation, sprain or a break your dog has bone cancer." We were devistated to hear his prognosis and I asked him how did you know for sure and what could we do. He told us that he has seen it many times and that we could decide to amputate the leg but it would be terribly hard on her because she was a older dog and it would only help her live maybe 6 months longer at the most. On the way home that day I believed that she would live longer and that we would do anything we could do to help her enjoy every moment she had left with us and we had left with her. The vet did give us some pain pills to give her to help with pain when she needed them. Well here I am 2 months later wondering what could cause such a horrible painful disease. And why did I have to make such a hard decision to put her to rest. She was in horrible pain for at least 2 days and she was definitely starting to let me know it, she whined and whined and whined to me and stopped eating anything except for cheese slices and toast drenched in butter. I know those aren't great for dogs but what was I to do that was what she resorted to eating. We laid her to rest yesterday and it was one of the hardest things to do, I cried all night and have still been crying again today. We helped soothe her as the vet came out and did his job, kept her feeling loved and needed. And boy do I ever need her and miss her so terribly but her pain was so much that it would have made me a very selfish person to keep holding on to her thinking it would get better because I fact it was never going to get better just worse. She was a pit bull and 10 years old. I am sorry for anyone else that has lost there dog. RIP SNOOPY, WE LOVE AND MISS YOU AND WILL NEVER FORGET YOU!!!
  • Reply
    strayspay Oct 26, 2010 @ 10:18 pm | delete
    What a heartbreaking note, Kim. I felt as though I was there with you because I feel I know how you felt. In a sense your comment helped me because I've sometimes thought "What if I had taken a chance, maybe it wouldn't have been as bad as they said." I'm so sorry for your loss of Snoopy. I truly believe we will see our loved pets again. Carol
  • Reply
    westie11 Nov 12, 2010 @ 3:33 am | delete
    It's one more note from me to give you some compassion. Well, we all know one has to die one day, whether it be human or our beloved four legged Canidae friend. However, the tragedy of the story depends on how they ended. I can see, you have such a heart touching story. Really, it touched my heart, that's why I am writing here. Though I don't have such similar stories, still I can surmise how much pain are you feeling till this date. But time heals every wounds. May your best friend soul rest in peach.
  • Reply
    Julie Spears Jun 3, 2010 @ 8:07 pm | delete
    Your story is so touching. We just lost our little girl, a sheltie named Mackenzie, over the Memorial holiday. She's been sick for a month. First we were told it was lung cancer, but we had the x-rays sent to a specialist for verification. We prayed all weekend that it was a mistake...a misdiagnosis. Sure enough, Monday the vet called and said the specialist thought it could be an allergic reaction to lungworm. They treated for the reaction with prednisone and an antibiotic, and it was like a miracle. She was her old self again within a couple of days. Things went well until we were told to cut back on the prednisone. As soon as we did, her breathing became labored once again. Another trip back to the vet and another x-ray. After a month, the x-ray looked better. We decided to start treating the lungworm now. We gave her the first treatment Friday evening.

    Saturday morning I couldn't wait to give her the next dose, in happy anticipation she would start getting better soon. She had a pretty rough day Saturday, but I was still hopeful the medicine would work. We left to go get a bite to eat, and were only gone about an hour. On the way home the vet called to see how she was. We told her she had gotten sick a few times that afternoon. She told us to give her 1/2 tab of prevacid, then give her the medicine about 1/2 hr. later. We stopped on the way home to get the prevacid.

    We walked in the front door, and there she was just inside the door sitting with her head laying to the side, (laying on her side was too hard to breathe). My husband lifted her head to put a pillow under it. I looked at her, and her tongue was hanging out of her mouth. I screamed that she was dying. We each took her head in our hands, and I gazed into her eyes as she looked at me with a look that said, it's okay now?mom & dad are home now. I can go. And with that she drew her last breath. We quickly gathered her in a blanket and sped off to the emergency clinic about a mile away, but it was too late.

    We brought her home with us and buried her under the orange tree where she liked to lay. A statue of St. Francis now sits at her head. We miss our little girl terribly. The pain is raw. I pray that we meet up again on the other side. Maybe it was lung cancer after all. All I know is there is no love like that of an animal.
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strayspay

Strayspay, aka CarolT aka Abbyz Attic is devoted to her human family and her animal family. She loves to read and is an online bookseller. Strayspay a... more »

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