I’ve mentioned in previous posts that Chie is dying of a frighteningly fast-growing sarcoma. I discovered it in October 2015 & it was about the size of my palm of my hand. It was probably operable then. By the time the aspiration & then biopsy came back, proper excision would have involved removing practically most of Chie’s right abdominal wall, rendering it basically inoperable without extensive chemo which I couldn’t afford (surgery $4500, chemo $600 every 3 weeks, indefinitely).
We tried 2 different kinds of chemo, but neither had much effect. So we’ve just been focusing on her quality of life. The sarcoma has grown prodigiously; she is grossly deformed around her mid section & I can imagine in constant discomfort. Lying down & getting back up is a struggle for her. Often I have to help boost her up. She has Rimadyl for the aches, but lately her nausea has been the main issue, so I have discontinued the Rimadyl. I want her eat.
She’d begun refusing meals a week ago. The sarcoma must be pressing up against her innards, making everything difficult. Can’t be helped. And she was nauseous all the time. Constantly her mouth would be wet with drool while she panted.
After awhile she spent a series of days completely listless & miserable, only lying on the ground, isolating herself from everyone else. I let her have her alone time. When I’m sick I don’t want anyone around either.
But it’s hard to watch her feel nauseated all the time. In my experience, nausea is worse than pain. So, since she doesn’t have the grain allergies that Boomer & Madeline have, I was giving her slices of white bread. I had cooked okayu but it proved too troublesome for her to eat. The bread seemed to prepare her stomach for kibble, which I sat down & handfed her, one kibble at a time, several times a day. Her nausea subsided, I assume because of constantly having something in her stomach, & she actually ate a full meal on her own, out of her dish, last night.
She has brightened up & is energetic enough to go bark at passersby. Two of my very good girlfriends came to visit her last night & spoiled her with jerky treats. I’m hoping we didn’t overdo it, but frankly I’m just glad she ate stuff. And meeting new people is good for her soul. One of my friends, who has a maltipoo at home, said that she really enjoyed meeting Chie; that she felt like Chie was reading her mind. In a way (check out the Dogs Decoded documentary from PBS on Vimeo), they do. I cannot get away with much with my dogs.
I had a home euthanasia visit ($650!) scheduled for next week Monday with Island Mobile Vet, but I have postponed it. Chie is going to hold on a little longer. And now I think I can go to sleep for a little while.
The Philosophy of Fur 