When I started this blog:
Buford was four months shy of 13. To be honest, he is already living on borrowed time. For a basset hound he’s doing quite well. He’s outlived his housemate, his siblings, and his neighbors. That is amazing on it’s own. He looks a bit white in the face, but he runs, jumps, plays and is overall very healthy. People that don’t know how old he is guess about 8 or 9.  He doesn’t have trouble jumping up on the couch, and he takes nothing for arthritis except occasional glucosamine. I credit this to the mini doxies I have (Birdie age 5 above) and his boyfriend Weiner Schnitzel (age 5 as well.)
Buford is truly amazing.
Two weeks before Christmas in 2010, I lost my mother to colo-rectal cancer. While still in shock, Buford was diagnosed with it also. I looked in his face and asked my dog not to die because I really couldn’t handle anymore.  He underwent a surgery to remove the tumor and his anal glands in April 2011.
Initial diagnosis (Sonagram $ 440.00) , pre blood work, medicines, surgery ($ 1817) and follow up.  = $ 2800.00
He was living cancer free up until a few months ago with periodic six month sonagrams and regular old man visits. $ 2000 over 18 months…
(Costs of Sonagram $ 349 (recheck)and usual old man blood work $ 200)
His last sonogram was in August 2012 showing no regrowth. His blood tests were normal then as well, liver function, etc.  ($ 500.00 sonagram / recheck)
I did notice he was urinating a lot and drinking a lot. I knew he wasn’t himself. Due to the fact these tests seemed fine, my vet tested him for Cushing’s Disease…which he did a blood panel and tested negative for. ($ 400) So he was okay, right? Maybe just old age and can’t hold his bladder. Note: He was going outside to pee, just would pee more often than usual, getting up about 2 times a night to go outside when he would normally sleep though.)
By December 2013 he was going outside three times a night.
In January 2013 his blood tests came back perfect ($ 250) but the sonagram ($ 350) revealed the cancer had returned and was housed in two pelvic lymph nodes. I was in shock because it must have been hiding.
The lymph node which is usually 1c has grown to 3.5CM and obviously is pushing on the colon or intestine or something! This seems to be a direct link as to why he’s peeing so much.
NOW WHAT?
I’m supposed to sit and wait for my little friend to die? (I know, that’s what old dogs are supposed to do. The irony of it is, I hate cancer for taking my mom, so I’m determined to try to fight back.)
The regular vet tells me that this is a slow growing cancer and that although Buford is in overall good health not to do the chemo as that will surely kill him. I investigated online and of course, there’s Coppers Journey. and numerous posts much like his. I can’t put Buford though that. To do that is to give me and him false hopes.
Chemo is the killer.
Cancer is the enemy.
I did some research. Everything I’ve read on line correlates lymph node cancer to lymphoma. The vet is not calling it that. Why not? I don’t know. I personally don’t consider it slow growing if it’s went from 1 cm to 3.5 cm in a few months, do you? Problem is, if you remove those nodes, the cancer quite possibly will spread elsewhere, to another place, more deadly.
I’m not in denial. My dog has cancer in his nodes and it’s only a matter of time before it spreads and this will kill him.
If I let it.
Damn you cancer. You must stop taking everyone I love. (grandfather, grandmother, mother, and now my dog? )
I think long and hard as to what my goal is and if I can realistically do it:
1. Make him as comfortable as possible.  YES I CAN!
2. Boost his system so when he does go, it’s not so hard on him. YES I CAN!
2. Don’t let the cancer kick his ass.  STEP BACK CANCER, YOU MUST STOP TAKING EVERYONE I LOVE.
That’s it. Very simple. To do this, I need some help…….
I read until my eyes hurt.
============Buford’s overall health is now : shaky. He senses I’m a nervous wreck. He’s out eating grass and hasn’t had a solid bowel movement in two days. Hubby thinks he’s sick. I am not just going to sit here. Time to move….
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