"Groggy" wrote in message
...

Last week, I took her to the vet for a regular injection and asked
about the lump on her chest. The young girl vet becomes still, and I
can tell that her manner is more serious, more thoughtful. "I need to
check this" she says, and goes outside to get a needle to sample the
lump. After looking in a microscope she is concerned that the lump has
uneven cell growth, and suggests that a small surgical procedure is in
order to know for sure. Today we got the results and they were not
good. The 'growth' is a mast cell which is particularly aggressive.

So, there is not a lot can be done without radical surgery or
chemotherapy. I don't mind the expense, but they delay the inevitable
and lower the quality of what time remains. For now we'll focus on
making fun the time left, leaving snacks around the place by
'accident' and going for more

Sorry to hear of the news but something to also consider. We have a 13 year
old Chocolate Lab that has had a lump behind her left front leg at her
chest. This has been there for at least 5 years with no problems other than
her gate is a bit off. I would let the dog tell you when it is time.