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Re: [pyrnet] Chat; Health: Sherryl - cancer survivour - 12 years today - long



Happy Birthday, Sherryl !  Just as you and your people have enjoyed your days in the past, may you conitinue to enjoy your days in the future!
 
Amy with Charlemagne and Sweet Madeleine
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 3:42 AM
Subject: [pyrnet] Chat; Health: Sherryl - cancer survivour - 12 years today - long

 Hi everybody

 Today is a great day, it is Sherryl?s 12 years birthday. Always a great day with a pyr, but with Sherryl I had not expected her to live that long, as she was diagnosed with cancer in her mouth 3½ years ago, and given a maximum of 6 month to live. I have written about it before, so some of you may have remember her story, but I hope that maybe her story will give a bit of hope to someone, that even with cancer things may turn out better than expected.

 When Sherryl was 8 years old, I saw a very little growth in the front of her mouth, like a little matchstick sticking out of the gums above the front teeth. At first I was not much worried, it was very small and old dogs can get growth in their mouths, but I did not like the colour ? bright angry red ? and neither did the vet when I took her in to check on it. So he made an biopsy that showed that it was cancer, and that it had spread in her upper jaw - behind her teeth in the roof of  her mouth. There was nothing to do, ?take her home and give  her a good time?, was the advice of the vet, who said that 6 month was the most  I could hope for. When I managed to find something on the net, the articles said 3 to 5 month, so I can not accuse my vet of being unduly pessimistic.

 I did the only thing I could think of at the time, gave her some supplement to improve her immune system and hope she would fight it of for as long as possible, but in the beginning it grew alarmingly fast, the visible part doubling every week. But the miracle happened the growth slowed down and eventually stopped completely.

 I wrote to one of the lists about her a year after the diagnoses, and some of you kindly advised on medicine / supplement that might help. I  did read up on your suggestions, but things were going so well, that I decided to leave well alone. And today she is 12 years. When you look at her, you can see that the muzzle is bigger (both longer and broader) in the left side  of her head where the growth is, but otherwise there is nothing to see, the angry red colouring has disappeared, so the growth is just black like the rest of the gums. Somehow  it does not look so scary like that, and I have long ago stopped worrying that she will die of the cancer. My vet tells me it should not be possible, but it  is one time when he is happy to be proved wrong.

I think the legs will let her down in the end. She has arthritis and is on Metacam to keep her painfree. Her daily morning walk is very short and very slow now, but she still insist on it. At home she is still happy and bright, does her share of guarding house and garden against dangerous hares in the field around us and cats, bikers, tractors, other dogs, etc. that dares to pass by on the road. She also tries to play with the younger dogs, but she is not very good at any more.

 Sorry to have been rambling on for so long, but I guess you can all understand how I feel.

 Lene Nielsen,  Denmark                                                            sandybear@myinternet.dk                                   http://sandybear.hjem.wanadoo.dk