Dear Dear Diary
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Yesterday Kenya went for an ultrasound to further diagnose her problems.
It's not good. Not good at all.
Dr. Labreque showed me the ultrasound. There's a huge mass in her bladder, but it also extends along much of the bladder wall, and invades the tissue around the urethra, for much of its length. If it was just a mass in her bladder, it would be operable, but she can't live without the urethra- at least not without doggie diapers and a severe decline in her quality of life, and we have zero interest in any decline in her quality of life. And yes, when you start talking quality of life issues, there's a serious limit to it left. The prognosis is three to four months. We could go to Cornell and have an oncologist tell us this too, and offer the possibility of chemotherapy or radiation therapy, but the journals say this would extend her life maybe another month or two, but would not be worth while in terms of the poking and prodding and discomfort.
She lost another pound and a half during the last week. But the good news is that she likes the Merrick dog food and the Evo (rabbit went over well, as suspected). She's stopped eating her pills in cream cheese, so we have to wrap the cream cheese in lunch meat. She hates the antibiotics most. But she's also on piroxicam, tramadol, and glucosamine, and in the middle of an Adequan series.
So. Not happy.
It's not good. Not good at all.
Dr. Labreque showed me the ultrasound. There's a huge mass in her bladder, but it also extends along much of the bladder wall, and invades the tissue around the urethra, for much of its length. If it was just a mass in her bladder, it would be operable, but she can't live without the urethra- at least not without doggie diapers and a severe decline in her quality of life, and we have zero interest in any decline in her quality of life. And yes, when you start talking quality of life issues, there's a serious limit to it left. The prognosis is three to four months. We could go to Cornell and have an oncologist tell us this too, and offer the possibility of chemotherapy or radiation therapy, but the journals say this would extend her life maybe another month or two, but would not be worth while in terms of the poking and prodding and discomfort.
She lost another pound and a half during the last week. But the good news is that she likes the Merrick dog food and the Evo (rabbit went over well, as suspected). She's stopped eating her pills in cream cheese, so we have to wrap the cream cheese in lunch meat. She hates the antibiotics most. But she's also on piroxicam, tramadol, and glucosamine, and in the middle of an Adequan series.
So. Not happy.
Comments:
I'm so sorry you're having to go through with that. I just had to go through the cancer battle with Betsy, and it was so hard. We had to finally let her go at the end of November.
I had to make that choice too, chemo vs. quality of life. My vet told me she had seen the facility at the University of Tennessee Knoxville (which is where she would have gone), and while they took good care of the animals, the constant treatments did take their toll on the pets. As much as I miss her, I am so glad I did not put her through it.
Just love on her as much as you can, spoil her rotten, and cherish the time you have with her.
We'll keep Kenya and your family in our prayers and thoughts.
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I had to make that choice too, chemo vs. quality of life. My vet told me she had seen the facility at the University of Tennessee Knoxville (which is where she would have gone), and while they took good care of the animals, the constant treatments did take their toll on the pets. As much as I miss her, I am so glad I did not put her through it.
Just love on her as much as you can, spoil her rotten, and cherish the time you have with her.
We'll keep Kenya and your family in our prayers and thoughts.
