What would you do to save your dog?
Last January, my vet discovered a tumor on Puck’s lip. Further examination confirmed my fears: cancer. I also discovered that this cancer had spread to Puck’s lymph nodes.
At eleven, Puck isn’t young. But she doesn’t look her age, either. Other than a little more white in her muzzle and a little less stamina in the field, she barely shows her years. I was hoping to ease her into retirement after this fall, and let her spend her remaining years doing the other things she loves – lying in the sun, going for walks, and being with me.
Puck went in for surgery yesterday. Our plan was to remove the tumor from her lip and the infected lymph node. The operation would have been tricky – Puck has an irregular heartbeat – and it would have been hard on her, with a lot of pain and many weeks of recovery. While there was no guarantee that the cancer’s progress would be abated, I hoped the operation would give her some more time. Unfortunately, it never happened.
As the surgeon prepped Puck, he discovered that the original tumor had spread down her jaw. Several other masses have also appeared on her lip. Removing all these growths requires a more serious and extensive operation, and much more pain and recuperation time for Puck. Worst of all, because the cancer is aggressive, we’re not sure how much good all this suffering will really do her.
So for now Puck is back home. My wife and I are trying to make the most of the time we have left with her. The woodcock will be returning to New England in a few weeks, and I hope to get Puck back out in the field a few more times to find birds.
