Buddy

On June 20th, I returned from Pittsburgh, PA to find my dog, Buddy, having trouble walking. I took him to the vet and had x-rays done. The x-rays showed a discoloration on his spine (indicating cancer). My vet referred me to a specialist.

On the 26th I met with the specialist. Buddy's prognosis isn't good, but nothing was concrete till they do a biopsy. So Buddy had biopsy surgery (I gave the vet permission to remove any of the growth, if it's in the best interest of Buddy). The vet removed what he called a cancerous growth (we don't have the results of the biopsy yet). Unfortunately, he could not remove it all without destabilizing the spine. This means that if it's cancer, he still has it.

After surgery, Buddy couldn't walk for a couple of day. When I visited him on Saturday morning, he still couldn't walk or stand (not even with help). I left him with the vet over the weekend, but they didn't think he would be much better Monday. I started contemplating putting him to sleep.

On Monday he was a different dog. With the help of a sling he could get around. After visiting him and taking him outside, I left him at the vet so I could prepare the house for his homecoming (moving furniture, putting down area rugs, setting up his crate, etc...).

On July 1st Buddy came home. He has been getting stronger and stronger each day. Today he even walked a little bit on his own. Next week he returns to the vet to get his stitches out and his neck brace replaced. Total rehab will last 4 to 6 weeks, and their is no guarantee that he will be better than he is now or how long he has to live. The most I can do is make his life as easy as I can make it.