The Big C

Is there anyone who's life hasn't been touched by that scary word 'cancer'? I've experienced it in family, friends and co-workers. I've also experienced it with my dogs. I've lost at least three dogs to cancer.

Pylon was thirteen and had experienced many, many lumps. We don't know what the main source of her cancer was, but due to age and overall condition she couldn't undergo any more surgery and finally lost the battle.

Monty seemed to be very healthy until he started having a nagging cough that wouldn't go away. An xray showed that his lungs were full of cancer cells. His cancer probably started somewhere else and migrated to the lungs but by the time he showed any signs it was already too late. He only lived a few days after his diagnosis. He was only nine years old.

Tsar suddenly became wobbly when he walked. We believe his tumor was in the brain and once he showed symptoms, it progressed rapidly. He first showed us a problem in February and he died in April. He was ten years old.

I recently came across a blog that I found interesting and thought I'd share it with you. Some of you are currently facing cancer in your pets, some have in the past and some, unfortunately, will in the future. Why not arm yourself with information?

This blog, the dog cancer blog, is written by two veterinarians. Dr Dressler practices in Hawaii and veterinary oncologist Dr Ettinger is in Yonkers, New York.

I am a bit bothered by all the advertising on the blog. They are selling books and videos and various other things, but if you overlook all that, the articles are very informative. Currently Dr Ettinger is writing about lung cancer in dogs which is something that I'm very interested in after our experience with Monty. They also write about vaccinations and spaying and neutering which are all currently hot topics.

Knowledge doesn't hurt and I hope to learn something that could give me more time with my fur kids.