About a month short of her 6th birthday, Mazy has been diagnosed with Ostosarcoma (bone cancer). It started with a barely discernable limp 3 or 4 weeks ago. As it got worse, we took her to the vet who prepared us for the worst. Osteosarcoma is very common in giant breed dogs and typically appears in one of the front legs. Had her x-ray'd yesterday and confirmed the bad news. So far, nothing showed in her lungs on XR, but that doesn't mean it's not there.
OS is a very aggressive cancer and by the time it's diagnosed (limp) it has already metastasized. So, she's on powerful pain meds to keep her comfortable. Vet estimated 2-6 weeks before we'll want to put her down. Treatment wise, amputation followed by chemo is rarely successful and we have no desire to put her or our family through that.
Enough said...she's home now, comfortable, snoring through the night, eating, tail wagging and will be spoiled rotten for the balance of her time. Yes, she's going to have a filet mignon in her bowl this weekend!
In a way it's easier knowing how things will unfold. We have time with her and then will absolutely pull the plug before she begins to suffer.
She's the last of a 40 year long lineage of "Lionhearted Mastiffs". If you google that name, or possibly "Gloria Davis", you'll see some hair raising stories regarding abandonment, starvation and even murder. Quite a situation we pulled her from. So, she's had almost 6 years with a family of 5 that are all thrilled to have had her. She's been loved and has given us absolute joy every minute.
Please join me in wishing her a smooth and painless passage. These will be a few trying weeks but we'll cherish this precious time with our "once-in-a-lifetime" little girl.
