Our old girl is on borrowed time
Jessie "the Chessie" (Chesapeake Bay Retriever), pictured about five years ago (yes, she was wearing her seat belt), was diagnosed with an "aggressive" cancer after we took her to the vet recently. She has a large growth on her rear end, nearly pear sized and shaped, along with numerous lipomas or fatty tumors elsewhere. We're taking it day by day before making the decision to take her back in to be put to sleep. For now, she seems as she always has - happy to be here, "woo-woo-WOOing" for her dinner or just when one of us comes home at the end of the day. We adopted her at the pound when she was about 1-1/2 to 2 years old. She will be the 4th dog and the 3rd Chessie we have had to put down in 20 years. None of them have been easy, but this girl has been special and may be our last animal.
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They add so much to our lives
I still hear my mom's Sheltie in the hallway at night. He used to groan when he was asleep.
As for the late Old Kitty and Mr. Flame, I still hear their very Siamese moans out in the yard where they are buried at times.
It is comforting to me to know they are still around and keeping an eye on things around here.
I just wish they were all still here physically but they aren't. 
Just knowing that they haven't really "left" you is comforting I think.
It is sort of like the belief that the soul never dies. I believe this way personally. The soul never dies and everything that is alive has a soul, everything.
Is this bone cancer? It sounds similar to what Boo had though his big tumor was in one of his knees. He ended up lasting a good deal longer than anyone thought. I don't know if it was shear stubborness on his part, the pain drug combo he was getting, dumb luck or what.
With any cancers other than pain control the hardest thing is to keep weight on them. Cancer just eats you. Boo was eating nearly three times what he normally did when he was healthy yet still lost weight and I was never able to get much more on him. At least there were times when he seemed to stop losing for a period though.
As my vet said, treat every day as a gift and try your hardest to assess their condition objectively and continually so you can make the right decisions at the right time. I ended up getting WAY WAY more gifted days than I ever expected, which on the one hand was fabulous, but on the other hand made me feel like each of those days brought me closer to losing him.
I'm sooooo terribly sorry for you and your fur baby! It sucks a WHOLE LOT. 
I can't remember what it's called either. Some cancers are just very sneaky and very aggressive, and it just totally sucks.
Feel free to PM me any time or post in here if you need a shoulder. I wish I had done a good deal more of that when I was going through losing Boo, but I didn't really think of it until after I had come back from the vet after having to put him to sleep. I'm not sure if it would have helped or not, but I wish I had at least thought of it.
It's just the pits going through losing a pet and knowing each day may be THE day. Losing a beloved pet is the pits however it comes about. It just plain sucks and hurts so much.
As I said to IDemo, feel free to PM me any time or post in here if you need a shoulder. And that goes for anyone else, too.
Thanks, and I do mean that (still going through hell here ....). Grief SUCKS!
What a beautiful baby. I am so sorry.
Jessie looks like he is loved. :hugs:
Kisses and lots of hugs here. I am so sorry for the news.
He had a huge tumor under his front leg. I had it surgically removed and it came back in less that one year.
I got very bad and he was in a lot of pain and crying a lot. He'd lie on his back and stretch the leg out to show you the tumor as if to say "help me!".
It all ended in 2005 when I had him put down.
He is buried in my backyard with his friends, the late Old Kitty and Mr. Flame.
I have never adopted another dog. This dog I had was my late mother's dog and I promised her I care for him for the rest of his life before she died; a promise I kept.
You'll know when the time has come, believe me on that one.
Chessie is one beauty of a dog you have there btw. You have my sympathy, believe me.
It just isn't fair that we get them for such a short time. My heart goes out to you. My Sheltie is named Jessie and we will keep your Jessie in our thoughts.
