I've had a good six years with me mate, we've chased wabbits, made
rabbets, shared dreams, made and chewed curlies, discovered compressed
air and lawn mowers and walked a few hundred miles together.

Every day I get to go in the shop she's there getting underfoot and
generally being "right there". If I lose something she helps me to
find it, it doesn't matter that she doesn't know what it is, she helps
anyway. Nose down, tail up snuffling through the sawdust. Just being a
mate, helping out. And she always finds a squeaky toy because that's
what I am looking for. It must be, because I always throw it when she
brings it.

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 walks.

Ah crap, it's getting foggy in here.

Look after your furry friends folks, they love us more than we
deserve..

Enjoy the time you have with her, Groggy.

We lost two furry friends last week, so I'm feeling a bit melancholy
myself. I was expecting it with Ben, our Yorkie of 12 years, but I
surprised myself with how sad I was over the death of Flair - a pet
rat. They're amazingly good pets.

JP

"Groggy" wrote in message
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 walks.

It's really tough when you know the inevitable is going to come sooner than
later. Just know that she enjoyed your company almost as much as you enjoyed
hers that and you're going to make sure she doesn't suffer in the end.
You'll see her again soon enough.

http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm

Groggy wrote:

Look after your furry friends folks, they love us more than we
deserve..

And we never have better friends...

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

In article ,
Groggy wrote:

I've had a good six years with me mate, we've chased wabbits, made
rabbets, shared dreams, made and chewed curlies, discovered compressed
air and lawn mowers and walked a few hundred miles together.

Groggy, you and Sally are in my thoughts. My dogs have always held a
special place in my heart - it's so rough when they go.
--
Owen Lowe
The Fly-by-Night Copper Company
__________

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
Corporate States of America and to the
Republicans for which it stands, one nation,
under debt, easily divisible, with liberty
and justice for oil."
- Wiley Miller, Non Sequitur, 1/24/05

Fri, Nov 25, 2005, 11:36am (EST+5) (Groggy) says
some sad stuff:

Sorry about that Groggy.



JOAT
Just pretend I'm not here. That's what I'm doing.

Our first child was a miniature schnauzer. Schnapps was the best
behaved and most well trained dog most people had ever seen. It seemed
his primary mission in life was to please me, and he did so with a love
only a dog can give. He went everywhere with us, and if a hotel didn't
take pets, they didn't get us either.

Our neighbors warned us that the dog-catchers in our little town were
very strict. They would take your dog out of your own yard if he
wasn't fenced. One day Schnapps heard a noise in the front yard and
wanted to go out to investigate. Since he was trained to stay in the
yard, I let him out and sat back down to my TV. After a few minutes I
heard a car door slam. The engine growled as the dog-catcher's truck
pulled away from the curb, past the window and on down the street.
THAT SOB HAD TAKEN MY DOG RIGHT OUT OF MY OWN YARD! He was taking him
to THE POUND! THEY KILL DOGS AT THE POUND!

It didn't matter that I was still in my pajamas and stocking feet. I
snatched up my keys and dashed out to the car. At the speed I was
traveling, it didn't take but a couple of blocks to catch up to the
dog-catcher's truck. He was driving slowly along, looking for another
victim. In a classic move from TV, I passed him on the left, then cut
back in and stopped almost sideways across the street in front of him.
I flung open the door and stalked right past the startled dog-catcher
to the rear door of his truck. I tore open the rear gate of his truck
to rescue my first child and . . . the truck was empty.

The dog-catcher was downright unfriendly about being interrupted in
this way. I apologized without a lot of exlpanation and slunk back to
my car. I took the long way home in case he followed me, but I guess
he wasn't interested. When I pulled in the drive, there was Schnapps,
greeing me with his usual enthusiasm. No, the police never showed up.
I'm not sure why.

When our daughter was born, then our son, I felt a little guilty
because I just didn't feel as much genuine affection for either of them
as I did that old dog. But they grew on me as children will, and after
a while, I didn't have to feel guilty anymore.

He tolerated the little intruders, maybe because they dropped food on
the floor. Then one day, my 3 year old boy was walking around, eating
a peanut butter sandwich he had made himself. He let his hand fall a
little too low, and in a flash, the dog lunged for the sandwich,
nipping some fingers in the process. THAT BEAST HAD ATTACKED MY SON!
Before I knew what was happening, I was across the room, on the floor,
and the poor dog was yelping from the repeated blows from my open hand.


I knew some corner had been turned in my life. I loved that old dog
with all my heart, but he was just a dog.

As he tottered into those twighlight years, nature began to take things
away. First his hearing went. Then the cataracts got so bad he could
barely see. One morning he just couldn't seem to get his legs under
him, and my wife and I agreed it was time. We all went to the vet
together. I carried him in on his favorite blanket and carried him out
the same way, only limp now.

I thought I would simply never get past the pain. There was just this
big ache in my heart that wouldn't go away. I kept reminding myself
that he was just a dog. I wonder how people who lose children ever go
on.

The puppy we brought home could never replace Schnapps, but it helped a
little. He wasn't as smart, but he seemed eager to please. He grew on
us as puppies will. After five years, I can't imagine how I ever could
have ever loved another dog more.

DonkeyHody
"The cup of life is sweetest at the brim - the flavor is impaired as we
drink deeper, and the dregs are made bitter that we may not struggle
when it is taken from our lips."

"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 walks.

It might not be that bad... last year our nine year old Golden Retriever
Megan underwent a major surgery to remove a similar large and aggressive
mast in her abdomen. After a few weeks of recovery she was running around
again like a puppy... Now that the cold weather has hit it looks like she
has arthritis in her hind quarters and she is dealing with her annual bout
of dermatitis but there are no symptoms of the mast reoccurring. She's off
to the vet this afternoon to deal with the current issues!

John

"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.

They make you feel good at the end of a day even if you missed a cut or put the
saw blade on backward.



Groggy wrote:

I've had a good six years with me mate, we've chased wabbits, made
rabbets, shared dreams, made and chewed curlies, discovered compressed
air and lawn mowers and walked a few hundred miles together.

Every day I get to go in the shop she's there getting underfoot and
generally being "right there". If I lose something she helps me to
find it, it doesn't matter that she doesn't know what it is, she helps
anyway. Nose down, tail up snuffling through the sawdust. Just being a
mate, helping out. And she always finds a squeaky toy because that's
what I am looking for. It must be, because I always throw it when she
brings it.

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 walks.

Ah crap, it's getting foggy in here.

Look after your furry friends folks, they love us more than we
deserve..

In article ,
"Leon" wrote:

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.

Hi Leon, the lump is likely a fat growth - benign for the most part but
as you've seen it can throw off their movement if they get too large and
obstruct the range of motion. Our 13 year old Navajo mutt has several of
these as well and has had several removed in the last year or so. Vet's
only concern is if they appear to be growing "rapidly" and if they get
in the way. I'd hate to see my dog naked - all the lumps would be pretty
freaky.
--
Owen Lowe
The Fly-by-Night Copper Company
__________

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
Corporate States of America and to the
Republicans for which it stands, one nation,
under debt, easily divisible, with liberty
and justice for oil."
- Wiley Miller, Non Sequitur, 1/24/05

"Fly-by-Night CC" wrote in message
news
In article ,
"Leon" wrote:

Hi Leon, the lump is likely a fat growth - benign for the most part but
as you've seen it can throw off their movement if they get too large and
obstruct the range of motion. Our 13 year old Navajo mutt has several of
these as well and has had several removed in the last year or so. Vet's
only concern is if they appear to be growing "rapidly" and if they get
in the way. I'd hate to see my dog naked - all the lumps would be pretty
freaky.


Yeah the vet did say that they were fat deposits. They show up quick and
that was basically that.

"Groggy" wrote in message
...
Ah crap, it's getting foggy in here.

Look after your furry friends folks, they love us more than we
deserve..

Groggy,
It's particularly tough to lose a great friend like your dog. Heck, I've
got a 16 year old cat on the way out and I'm finding I'm much more attached
to him than I thought. In any case, best thing you can do is make sure
they know they're loved by you before they go. At least you have that
opportunity vs. them getting hit by a car or something. Good luck with it.
cc

Thank you all for the kind comments,

Greg

snip
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 walks.

Ah crap, it's getting foggy in here.

Look after your furry friends folks, they love us more than we
deserve..

Ahh Groggy, I share your pain.
Losing "kids" (no matter how many legs they have) is a terrible thing.
Enjoy the time you have with her (and we'll pray the time is somehow
extended!)
Tom

"Leon" wrote in message
. net...

"Fly-by-Night CC" wrote in message
news
In article ,
"Leon" wrote:

Hi Leon, the lump is likely a fat growth - benign for the most part but
as you've seen it can throw off their movement if they get too large and
obstruct the range of motion.


Yeah the vet did say that they were fat deposits. They show up quick and
that was basically that.


Our lab had a lipoma which we dieted off of her. Vet said they can do that.
Just try some of the old and overweight food, making sure you stay with a
fairly low protein analysis to protect the kidneys.

Groggy wrote in
:

Thank you all for the kind comments,

Greg


Greg,

I've lost part of the thread here, but our thoughts are with you.

If it's truly a mast cell tumor, rather than just a lipoma -- our
"little one" had one of those on her toe. Depending upon where the lump
really is, the surgery still might be a viable alternative. She had to
have her toe removed, but that was 8 years ago -- she's never missed it.

Our "big guy" had cancer in one kidney; we thought long and hard, and
maded the decision to have it removed (the other looked clear from the
x-rays). The nut came home from the vet, with a belly wrap, wandered
through the house, then promptly grabbed a sock out of the hamper that
was waiting to go downstairs! He was with us for another 18 months,
before the cancer came back elsewhere ...

Well, this is all armchair quarterbacking; only you know the whole
situation.

Take care, give her love, and may things go well for you all.

--
Regards,

JT
Speaking only for myself....