My Rottweiler has bone cancer

[RobinRTrueJoy]

"Big Foots Rock My World" is her paper name. Around here she is Roxy. She loves everyone with few exceptions( and I have learned that her perception of whether a person is good or bad is always correct) She adores my minis, loves my yorkies and cat and she loves my Great Dane, Rumble. She will be 12 years old in a few months. It just hasn't been long enough. Not Fair! I do know that this is a very long life for a Rottie though.

Roxy is a great example of GOOD Rottweilers. After people meet Rox, they all say what a great dog she is and how they feel differently about Rotties after meeting her.

She was a rescue dog.

Rox has been limping on and off 2 years ago, and at that point the vet said no cancer, maybe a little arthritis. The limp went away and came back last week. She is happy , eating well, wagging her butt( she only has a stub for a tail) and playing.

Yesterday we went to the vet and then scheduled xrays under heavy sedation today. The vet called and said bone cancer is eating away at her bone near the shoulder.

Roxy gave her heart away many years ago to my Dad. We lost my Dad on 1/1/08.

2 Days before, we brought Roxy to the hospital hospice and she was on her best behavior. My Dad was so happy to see his girl. They had grown even closer when Dad moved in with me when he became ill.

The vet says she has 2-4 months but I know it won't be that long. I won't be too selfish to try to keep her here for my sake if I can not control her pain, or if she isn't happy anymore. It will kill me but I will do what I must.

I will be lost without my protector. I always felt safe with her here, I know she would protect me. Even though Rumble is bigger, he is still a bit goofy and silly looking. I wonder if he will ever watch over me the way Rox does?

I am sick over this. I have to tell my husband when he gets home from work.

Thanks for listening.

Robin

 

[Charlene]

robin, i'm so very sorry. roxy sounds like a wonderful dog, one of those "once in a lifetime" dogs. i can tell from your words how much you love her. enough, i'm sure, to be certain she will cross the rainbow bridge long before pain takes over her life. bless you, big hugs, i know how very, very hard this is.

 

[Candleliteranch]

I am so sorry to hear this. Roxy has been a best friend to you for all these years and she will need you to be her best friend when the time comes.

So many people say they will never get another dog because the pain is too intense when they lose them after 10-12 years. To that I say better to have loved and lost , than never to have loved at all. You will cherish your memories together and that will ease the pain after a while.

Prayers for Roxy and for you to be strong.

 

[Sterling]

Robin my heart is breaking for you and Roxy. I know how much she means to you. Know that I am thinking of you and Roxy and may you have the peace and calm to see her through the rest of the way. What a wonderful canine soul mate she is to you.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I am so sorry. When you are hurting from this loss try to remember that your life has been enriched by sharing it with her even tho the time together was short.

 

[Crabby-Chicken]

Omg Robin I am sorry. You try and steel yourself if you think something like this is coming, but it doesn't help. I bet Rumble will take over as your protector. Never the same as Roxy, but he will do his best. I am so sorry. I know how bad it hurts. Wish I could help.

 

[Miniv]

I am so sorry to hear this. Roxy has been a best friend to you for all these years and she will need you to be her best friend when the time comes.

Prayers for Roxy and for you to be strong.

No need to repeat........Candleliteranch said it..........just adding my prayers.........

 

[anoki]

I am sooo, soooo sorry to read this.....I have been in your exact shoes with a Rotti as well. It was my sister's dog, but she lived here at the farm until the last year of her life when my sister bought a house in the city and Bear moved in with her. I knew Bear was sick and cancer was the first thing that came to my mind...she started losing weight, even though she was eating like crazy, and I kept telling my sister to get her looked at by a vet. Finally a couple of months later, my sister and I were away for the weekend, and I CONVINCED her Bear needed to go to the vet. So the Monday she did....Tuesday we got a call from my sister saying Bear was not doing well at all...we drove into her place and I sat on the floor across the room from Bear. I will NEVER forget the look in her eyes when she and I finally made eye contact....I heard her say I just can't hold on any longer, and I quickly took my eyes away from her...it hurt too much.....the next evening when my sister got home from work, Bear was dead at her front door.....

She was only 8.....my sister, my Mom and myself were very very upset.....heck I'm bawling my eyes out typing this

The vet called the day she passed away to let my sister know that Bear had leukemia....and my sister had to call them back and tell them that she was already gone.

Bear was the nicest, most gentlest Rotti.....she must be up to something at the rainbow bridge because she's been on my mind all week...I was telling a friend my favourite Bear story. One spring we had chicks in the house, as it was far too cold to have them in the barn yet. We had them set up in a large dog crate with cardboard around the outside so they couldn't escape. One morning Dad came downstairs to find Bear on the couch with a chick between her paws.....not dead, she was protecting it from the other dogs as it had escaped from their house.

Amazingly enough I found a replacement for Bear and totally shocked my sister with her!!! But she definitely isn't Bear. She is a sweet and gentle dog, don't get me wrong, but Bear was one of the special ones.....

One of my favourite Bear pictures

Bear with my 5 year old niece a few days before she was gone.....

I am soo, soooooo sorry ((((HUGS)))) no matter how long or short a time they are here, it's never long enough.....

Don't cry because it's over; Smile because it happened

~kathryn

 

[SunQuest]

Robin,

I am so sorry to hear about your precious Roxy, and I understand your pain. I know you know this, but remember they are never truely gone from your life. So many of us here have been where you are and time always shows what influence they had in the family's life. You will know it is time, and I know that you will do what is right and that you let her go with some dignaty left. For all these years that you have been on this forum, I have seen you do the hard things before, and now will be no different.

Many hugs to you.

Oh... Don't forget to enjoy her time that she has left with you. After all, you want her last days to be the happiest and not filled with sadness.

Can I make a recommendation if you feel strong enough to do it? There is a new book that was written called "The Art Of Racing In The Rain". I got my copy at Starbuck's, and have seen it in at our Grocery store (Fred Meyers), so maybe you can find it easily in your area. It is about a dog, car racing, his family, and giving his heart away and is all written from the point of view of the dog. It is a big tear jerker, but I thought it was very profound, and even humorous at times. (Bark Twice! You will have to read the book to discover what that is about!) All I can say is that the author definately has had a dog that was as special to him as your Roxy is to you. Reading those thoughts made me feel like I was not the only one who understood what it is all about.

Again, hugs to you and your family.

 

[Equuisize]

I'm sorry Robin that you are facing this with Roxy!

It's like having an anvil hanging over your head, where

you are hoping and praying that you read her signs right

and will know when her time comes.

You're lucky to have the opportunity to give her lots of extra

hugs and love now though..although I'm sure there is no

question in her mind how fully she is loved.

 

[Jill]

Robin,

I'm so sorry! My parents lost their Old English Sheepdog, Oliver, to this a few years ago and it tore their and my hearts out. I am so sorry to hear your news.

After we lost Ollie, Bonnie did a reading for me and she was in touch with him. The day we'd scheduled the reading, I thought of 2 thinks she could say to let me know she really was talking to him. One was that my parents and I called him Ollie Gator and the other was to say something about his stuffed cow that I gave him years before that he still had and carried around, never tore up (his favorite possession).

Bonnie and I talked a long time and she said so many things about Ollie that were true, but I was wondering how many other dogs they would be true of. I could tell it was winding down and I was thinking SO hard to Ollie "say something about your cow". Bonnie stopped and said "this will sound really odd, but I keep getting an image of a small calf..."

No one else knew about this cow. It just proved to me that our loved ones, including our pets, don't leave us for good and it has been a true comfort to me ever since. I hope this helps you in the time to come.

Jill

 

[Brandi*]

I am so sorry. Their lives are so short compared to ours

She's had a wonderful life with you

 

[Sixstardanes]

Am so sorry to hear this.

No time is ever enough. Our 4 legged friends give us so much.

You have truly been blessed.

Wish your baby comfort and you and your family strength.

 

[gimp]

I still cry when I think about Arthur, my son's rottie. I will forever miss him. He was truly my heart dog. He also died way too young. He was abused before we got him, and he had Wobbler's disease. When the disease took away his pride, and I knew because of the hurt in his eyes, I called my son and the vet. I will never have another rottie...it just hurts too much. My heart goes out to you.

 

[ChrystalPaths]

Oh no, not Roxy! I am so sorry, may I send for her to ease any discomfort she may have? I have a soft spot for Rotties and Dobes, I've lost both to cancer, I hate it.

 

[RobinRTrueJoy]

Thank you all for your replies. I know that you all understand.

Tonight at 5pm, we went to pick Roxy up from the vets as she had been heavily sedated to do the xrays.

When we arrived, we were able to look at the Xrays. The tumor was HUGE and eating away at the top of her humorus and her shoulder blade. The vet felt that it was in her lungs and that a patholgical fracture would occur very soon. Bone cancer weakens the bones, and they break so easily.

My fear was that she might jump off a step or trip and break a bone when I was home home and that she would be in more pain waiting for me to come home from work.

I asked to have her euthanised at that time. They gave her a bit of sedation and she ate atleast a dozen dog biscuits before getting sleepy. Then she slept and they came in and gave her the final dose. No more pain for my girl.

I am wiped out now, so tired and I am just lost without her.

Thanks,

Robin

 

[Jill]

{{{Robin}}}

 

[anoki]

huge, huge ((((HUGS))))

~kathryn

 

[dreaminmini]

I am so sorry! I know how you feel...I lost my soulmate of a dog almost 2 years ago (two years on the 18th) I still miss her, she was a big beautiful Bouvier named Annie. She had cancer too and went quickly. It took a long time to feel less sad and to want another dog in my house. I know I can't have another Bouvier still but we got a cute little terrier mix that just makes me laugh with her antics.

But she knows you love her and now she is pain free and running around. You will see each other again someday. My heart goes out to you.

 

[minie812]

ROBIN...I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LOSS OF ROXY. KNOW YOU DID THE RIGHT THING FOR HER AND SOMETIMES DOING THE RIGHT THING CAN BE VERY PAINFUL...YOUR FAMILY IS IN MY PRAYERS. I STILL GRIEVE FOR MY CHASEY BECAUSE HE WAS MY FRIEND AND PROTECTOR AND HAD TO SADLY LET HIM GO IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR...ALTHOUGH ONLY THREE...IT WAS WAY TO SHORT A TIME FOR HIM