Magnum again....
Fall, 2002: Here I am resting at home after ANOTHER surgery. This is
happening WAY too often!! I hope this is the last time. I'm beginning to look like
Frankenstein Dog.
May 7th, 2003
Magnum recoverd completely and grew back his beautiful fur coat. He had
a happy summer getting reacquainted with the outdoors. Then, one day last fall, we noticed
a lump on his left shoulder. Worried we took him in immediately to our veterinarian. He
recommended removing it immediately and taking a biopsy. We waited anxiously hoping that
the tumor was benign. Then we received the bad news. It was cancer.
We were devastated but there was still a chance. We made an appointment
with a canine oncologist. The day arrived for rhe appointment and we took our boy in with
considerable trepedation but we still were confident that there was a treatment. The
oncologist took x-rays and we waited until they were developed. Then the oncologist
returned and told us the bad news.
There was no treatment, no cure for this type of cancer. Magnum had two
months to a year. The tumor in his chest would continue to grow until he started having
trouble breathing. At that point it would be a kindness to put him down. We were stunned.
The next 24-hours were filled with tears -- poor Mags had been through so much. This just
wasn't fair. We couldn't have felt worse. Then, like a lightbulb going off in my head I
remembered that Magnum didn't know he was dying -- we were just feeling sorry for
ourselves because we were going to lose him. This was not fair to Magnum to give up when
he clearly hadn't. From that point on I planned to fight the cancer -- if not with chemo
or radiation then with cancer-fighting foods, supplements and vitamins to strengthen his
immune system. I joined a canine cancer group and got excellent advice there. So far
Magnum is looking good. He's a little overweight from recovering from the third surgery in
a year and being spoiled from a long winter mostly indoors. We hope to slim him down this
summer with more exercise.
Mags is blossoming. He is revealing more and more of his happy, goofy
personality. He is such a loveable and loving old guy. The other day when the girls were
outside on their dog deck raising caine, howling and barking, Magnum sauntered down the hall
to the glass paned door and went "WHOUUUFF!" just once. The girls quieted down.
It was hilarious -- as if Magnum had had enough of the rukus and told them to "COOL
IT!" They ignore him most of the time but occasionally he gets their attention with
one of his manly "WOOUUFF's."
So far, so good.
Just chilling out in the kitchen
Playing with Mike
From the left: Tasha, Shadow, Melody, Mags, Feather. All eyes
rivited on goodies!
These toys are mine...all mine!
This photo of Magnum was taken in August of 2003. We thought
we were over the hump and he would be able to enjoy his senior years. But sadly
that was not to be. More tumors began to appear. The new ones were the type that
dogs that were not neutered early in life often experience. Mags' poor body just
could not fight them off. This was a wrenching decision.
Only three weeks earlier I had just come through a
life-threatening illness and my father had died at the same time. I came home
from the hospital to see my father's body before the undertakers arrived. I was
sitting in the bedroom and Magnum came in. He walked over to me and laid his
head on my lap as if to comfort me. I knew once again what a special boy he was.
So when we saw only more pain for him we knew what we had to do. It was time to
let him go to the Bridge where he would no longer suffer.