Tyson’s Cancer Journey So Far

Well, I created this blog a while ago…and I’m finally getting around to posting. I think it is important to keep a little journal of Tyson’s journey. Hopefully it will help somebody and their dog. And of course, any chance I get to talk about my dog..!

Tyson is my 11.5 year old black lab. I got him when I was 11 years old, after years of begging for a dog. We grew up together… and although he is technically the family dog, he is MY heart dog.

On November 27, 2013. Tyson and I were playing like we usually did. He was laying down, and I threw his toy. His right paw was tucked under his chest, and when he reached for his toy with his other paw, he put all his weight (90 lbs) right on his paw. He sat up immediately and starting limping. I started crying because it has always been my worst fear that I harm Tyson in some way. He was walking with a slight limp, so I decided to put ice on his wrist for the rest of the day. When I took him to the vet, I had mentioned that he had been limping but that it was getting better, but I was more focused on his allergies because they had really been bothering him. Xrays weren’t even brought up. I took him home, and for another month, we had tried wrapping up his wrist, applying heat, everything, but nothing worked. His limp was getting worse. At this point I was home for Christmas break and about to go back to school. I remember thinking that weekend that something was wrong. I had a feeling..but I didn’t act on it. I just chalked it up to paranoia. But I couldn’t help but think to myself…”what if this is the last time I see him?”

On January 13, 2014, I went back to school. It was the first day of my last semester as a grad student. My mom (who’s a stay-at-home mom and is always watchina and taking care of Tyson) told me that she was going to take Tyson to the vet to get xrays because she really didn’t like his limp. I figured that at least the xray would show the fracture that we’d been fearing, and then we’d figure out how to keep him off it. The appointment was at 2pm, and by 3:15, I hadn’t heard from my mom. I figured she’d just forgotten to call me, so I was annoyed and called her. That phone call changed my life forever. She told me that the the vet had showed her the scans, and that there was no fracture, but shadowing that looked like bone cancer, and that we better meet with an oncologist to make sure. After immediately crying, feeling like my heart was split in two, and tyring to dismiss what the vet said because I SAW HIM ROLL HIS WRIST, I looked it up. Maybe bone cancer isn’t that bad! We’ll just get rid of the leg, and that’ll be it! Then I looked it up…bone cancer…95% mortality rate. The absolute worst cancer for dogs. And Tyson had it.

I found Tripawds right away and was completely convinced that we needed to amputate his leg and start chemo after. My parents took some more convincing, especially my mom. After someone from our bone cancer yahoo group (Kate) showed us videos of her beautiful rottie, Bentley, hopping around and smiling and so very happy, my mom gave the OK for amputation. From that point on, I was in the driver’s seat. I had to find a surgeon, set up the appointment, get everything ready for after surgery, etc. Our regular vet and the first oncologist that we went to (absolutely terrible) had told us that we would be better off putting Tyson to sleep. Um, are you kidding me? He’s wagging his tail, barking, playing, has no sign of illness, and you want me to kill him? Yeah, I think we’ll pass. I did my research and found a GREAT surgeon who immediately assured me that Tyson would be able to handle the surgery and the amputation very well. We scheduled an appointment for that Friday.

I took a week off of work and school in order to rehabilitate him…which didn’t take much. Tyson was up and walking on his own 3 days after surgery. By the time his stitches were out, he was running around the yard and mastering the art of balancing on three legs.

After that, Tyson had 4 rounds of carboplatin chemotherapy. He handled it very well, with only a bit of diarrhea after the first round, (which was fixed with a little pill from the onco) and a bit of nausea after the second round (another pill fixed that right up). Before his 4th round of chemo, his white blood cell count was too low, so he needed to wait another week before finishing that up. On April 26th, 2014, Tyson had his last round of chemo. His chest x-rays were clear after his three week check-up. No sign of mets, no complications from the chemo.

It’s now the end of July…and the time for x-rays is coming up. I don’t want to do them. The oncologist tells us that if the cancer spreads, there’s nothing else we can do, (which I don’t necessarily believe). So then…why know? Tyson is so happy. He’s happier than he’s ever been. Ever since his surgery, he has completely attached himself to me. He follows me everywhere,  barks at me if I’m not paying attention to him.. His tail is always wagging. He always wants to play and always wants attention. I know that that’s common for labs, but he wasn’t too much of an attention queen before the surgery. Why do I want to ruin the bliss that we’re in? I feel that if we get xrays, and are told that there are mets, that that is going to taint our time. I really don’t want to do that.

So here is where we’re at. Tyson is happy, napping on the couch with a full belly, and I am living in the moment. This week I move back home from school, where I will be living with him full-time. No more goodbyes for long periods while I go to school. I’ll see him every morning before work, and every night after work. He’s happiest when I’m around, and I’m happiest when I’m around him. The move is this Saturday, and although I will miss what has been my home for the past 7 years, I’m ready to spend time with my pup.

🙂 More to come,

Anna and Tyson