When we entered the door to see Sadie, she took one look at us and I kid you not, she gasped! She was so excited to see us it was amazing, voiding any fears we had that she wouldn’t remember us. She was just as bright and strong as ever, it was hard to believe her prognosis just 4 months earlier. We immensely enjoyed the month home and were even able to take Sadie to a cabin with both families. While we were home we also were able to chat with her veterinarian. This was not Misty and Sadie’s old vet, but a new one who had come to the clinic after their former one had moved on. She was the same vet who found the tonsil tumor. Sadie’s health was just as good as it had ever been. She was not symptomatic of cancer, although she was cautiously monitored. We couldn’t have been happier about that!
After our trip back overseas, Sadie continued to enjoy wonderful health. We moved back home in the summer of 2006, purchased another house, and Sadie enjoyed herself getting adjusted to her new home. Having Sadie as part of our everyday life was just great. Everything about her was filled with life and sweetness. It didn’t matter what would happen in a day, one look at those big eyes and your heart melted!
Just 3 months after moving back, we got a bad report again. During a routine exam, one of Sadie’s lymph nodes was swollen. A cytology sample (needle) was taken and the report was suspicious of low-grade lymphoma. These reports aren't the final word, and further testing has to be done to confirm a diagnosis. Of course, we immediately took Sadie in to have the lymph node removed. I had it combined with her annual dental cleaning. She did not recover well from the surgery, as was her custom. When the lab report was returned, the pathologist noted that the sample contained no lymph tissue --- only salivary gland tissue. I was stunned that this could happen. Now we were getting several sets of advice on what to do: one vet said Sadie needed to get back for another surgery as soon as she recovered from this one, but her regular vet insisted that she removed the area that was swollen (i.e., the same area that was reflected in the cytology report). We were confused. In hindsight, I would have taken Sadie back in for a second surgery (although there was never another issue with that gland). But for the moment in which I was living, all I could see was how weak Sadie was after surgery. We didn’t want to play games with her life, but we wanted to do what was best for her. The risk of anesthesia scared me at Sadie's age. We decided against a second surgery, trusting that her vet had removed a sample from the previously affected area. After her usual recovery time, Sadie returned to life as normal and gave us no cause for concern. Never would that particular area give us cause for concern again. I now know that there are some dogs that have cancer cells in their body, but they are in an “indolent” (i.e., relatively inactive) stage, not causing problems for years, if ever. Of course, at age 13, she was sleeping more, had difficulty hearing, and sometimes had joint pain issues, but we often remarked that for the most part, she still acted like a wild puppy!
After our trip back overseas, Sadie continued to enjoy wonderful health. We moved back home in the summer of 2006, purchased another house, and Sadie enjoyed herself getting adjusted to her new home. Having Sadie as part of our everyday life was just great. Everything about her was filled with life and sweetness. It didn’t matter what would happen in a day, one look at those big eyes and your heart melted!
Just 3 months after moving back, we got a bad report again. During a routine exam, one of Sadie’s lymph nodes was swollen. A cytology sample (needle) was taken and the report was suspicious of low-grade lymphoma. These reports aren't the final word, and further testing has to be done to confirm a diagnosis. Of course, we immediately took Sadie in to have the lymph node removed. I had it combined with her annual dental cleaning. She did not recover well from the surgery, as was her custom. When the lab report was returned, the pathologist noted that the sample contained no lymph tissue --- only salivary gland tissue. I was stunned that this could happen. Now we were getting several sets of advice on what to do: one vet said Sadie needed to get back for another surgery as soon as she recovered from this one, but her regular vet insisted that she removed the area that was swollen (i.e., the same area that was reflected in the cytology report). We were confused. In hindsight, I would have taken Sadie back in for a second surgery (although there was never another issue with that gland). But for the moment in which I was living, all I could see was how weak Sadie was after surgery. We didn’t want to play games with her life, but we wanted to do what was best for her. The risk of anesthesia scared me at Sadie's age. We decided against a second surgery, trusting that her vet had removed a sample from the previously affected area. After her usual recovery time, Sadie returned to life as normal and gave us no cause for concern. Never would that particular area give us cause for concern again. I now know that there are some dogs that have cancer cells in their body, but they are in an “indolent” (i.e., relatively inactive) stage, not causing problems for years, if ever. Of course, at age 13, she was sleeping more, had difficulty hearing, and sometimes had joint pain issues, but we often remarked that for the most part, she still acted like a wild puppy!
