Hard & Tearful Choices

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Yesterday was a tearful day, friends.

Sadly, Oliver’s condition is much worse than we anticipated. Before the vet was to perform surgery, she took a radiograph of Oliver’s chest. Unfortunately, it showed  abnormalities so after a second opinion from a radiologist, it was confirmed that his cancer has spread to his lymph nodes and chest. We are all heartbroken. No one more so than my mom.

After a lengthy discussion with the vet, we decided to keep him comfortable with medicines so he can enjoy what time he has left rather than put him through the surgery that would not prolong his life but rather eat up the time he has left with a painful recovery process. It’s hard to say how long he’ll have but it could be one to three months. Despite being at the vet for the greater part of the day, he was in good spirits, wagging his tail and charming everyone he met with his boisterous affection. He will have his good days and his bad days in the months to come and we intend to give him tender care and spoil him even more.

Your good thoughts, prayers, well wishes, and donations have buoyed my mom’s spirit during this sad and stressful time. Any left over donations that didn’t cover his vet bill will be either returned to the donor or if they wish, donated to the Morris Animal Foundation – a non-profit that invests in advancing veterinary science and is partnering on canine cancer research.

The world is full of goodness and kindness and you are all a reminder of that. Thank you so much for your support.

Below is a message from my mom & Oliver:

To all the loving, caring, giving people who have sent their best wishes, support both emotional and financial, I say thank you from the bottom of my heart.
 
Words can not express completely how moved I am by the out pouring of love and generosity from friends, family, and those of you who I have never met. I am overwhelmed by all of it.
 
Oliver will be well-loved and cared for in his last days, weeks or months with us. Thank you all for being there for us in our time of need.

Love,

MK & Oliver

oliver

22 thoughts on “Hard & Tearful Choices”

  1. Such sadness! Oliver is so fortunate to have loving people to care for him in his last days. So many elderly or disabled pets are abandoned at shelters when vet costs get too high, and spend their last days lonely and uncomfortable before being euthanized. Thinking of you and your mom, and of course Oliver.

  2. Oh I’m so very sorry. 😦 It’s so hard when they are sick and we can’t do anything for them. My thoughts will be with you and your family.

  5. So sad but of course sweet Oliver surely knows he is loved, and will always have company, and that is about the best any of us can ever hope for in the face of all the realities we struggle through. That we are loved, and never alone.

    Here’s hoping for the comfiest, sweetest range of days for a well loved puppy.

  7. This makes me so damn sad. I love my dogs and I am dreading the day I get this type of news in the future. My heart goes out to your mama and sweet Oliver. I know what it’s like to love an animal (or two!) with all your heart. Much love to you all during this difficult, yet precious, transition!

  8. Hi there. I’m sorry I haven’t commented sooner, but I’ve been following along with your updates and saying some special prayers for you guys and Oliver.
    I’m so sorry to hear about the news. Gosh, It’s so sad when this happens with pets. It’s a whole nother’ type of thing to describe. I know your mom and your family will all make Oliver’s last days super tender and special and he will feel the most loved ever. Thinking of you all.

  10. Tearful, indeed. My heart goes out to you all, and big hugs to Oliver, for being such a wonderful companion for your mom and family.

  16. Oh I am so sorry to hear about Oliver. I hope that his last days are filled with plenty of treats and tail wags. I hope the story below offers a little comfort to you and your mother, I know it did for me when I lost my girl.

    Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

    I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

    As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

    The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

    The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.

    Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, “I know why.”

    Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, “People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life – like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?”

    The six-year-old continued, “Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”

  17. I’m so sorry. Perhaps your Mom can use the money to buy another dog at some point. I know her heart is broken now, and Oliver has not passed, but it is something to think about. I know when my dog died I cried for a week. Scruffy was adopted right after I had finished Chemo and Radiation for my own cancer. He was my steadfast buddy for the next 13 years and when he got sick I did everything I could to save his life because in away, he saved my life, or at least he made my life after cancer a little more enjoyable. I was miserable after he died and so I was on the hunt to adopt yet another dog because I could not imagine my life without a dog anymore. Kramer came to me and although it took me about a year before I fully accepted him and his crazy ways, I’m so glad I brought Kramer into my life. We’re buds Kramer and I. And NEVER in a million years would I have thought I could become so attached to a four legged animal. Cancer changed a lot of things in my life, and one of those things was adopting a dog, something I never thought I’d do. But man, I’m so glad I did. So glad. I’m so glad Oliver will be loved and cherished in his final days. And I’m so sorry your Mom is losing her companion. Good luck with everything.

  18. So sorry to hear this news. Just take comfort in the fact that Oliver had a great home with your Mom and that he was loved very much. I am thinking of you.

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