Dearest Friends,
Last night our beloved dog Duke became very lethargic and wouldn't eat. We took him to the vet this morning where they felt fluids in his abdomen and so they sent us on to the hospital in Lynnwood where the did a number of blood tests and an ultrasound. The diagnosis is Hemangiosarcoma of the liver, a very serious and invasive type of cancer. The ultrasound showed that it has spread throughout the liver and so chemo and surgery are not options. What caused the lethargy is bleeding of the masses. It seems to have stopped in that his energy has picked up a bit, but they will start bleeding again and cause death very soon. The vet recommended putting him to sleep as the kindest option. We decided to take him home with us tonight, for lots of snuggles and time to say goodbye. Tomorrow a vet will come to our home at 4:00 in the afternoon and euthanize him with us there.
I am heartbroken and in a bit of shock as he was fine yesterday during the day. The vet said this type of cancer doesn't manifest until the bleeding starts.
Please pray for Duke and for John and especially me. I am deeply attached to him and know there is a lot of pain in the weeks ahead.
Love, Christine