My Dog Has A Bucket List
When my youngest child left the nest to start her wonderful adventure in modern day kindergarten, I began muttering about having another baby. To put it mildly, my husband was terrified.
As a result, on our 10th wedding anniversary, he came home with a new "baby" for me. This baby was black and furry and was estimated to weigh as much as me before long. My new child was a Great Dane and I named her Lillian (after one of my favorite Eddie Murphy bits). She has since become the best animal friend I have ever been blessed to have.
Four years later and only a few weeks ago, we discovered that the lymph nodes in Lillian's neck had swollen to the size of golf balls. I knew then that the news would be the worst but I tried to stay positive. However, the vet soon confirmed my intuition when she called with the tests results. My Lillian has canine lymphoma.
I'm not going to pretend that I took it well. I walked around like a weeping zombie for a week but after the initial shock wore off, I decided to do what I could to help her. After more tests, many conversations with several vets and lots of web research, I opted for doggie chemo. It won't save her but at least it will buy her more time - and with only a one to two months life expectancy after diagnosis, she was running out quick.
A few days after Lillian's first treatment, she began to bounce back. Her eyes cleared, her black coat glistened once again and her appetite returned. She's currently on a mission to gain back the weight she lost when while the cancer was dwindling her appetite. She's also been acting like her puppy self which is a side I haven't seen in a long while.
Picture a 145 pound animal galloping through your house and begging for everything edible. She's like a tiger that won't kill you for supper! I've learned that it's very hard to say no to a dog that's dying. And I believe that she's already working it. My daughters and I think she's got a bucket list - and bacon is on there more than once.
Of course, Lillian has no idea that she is dying. She is just thrilled to pieces that everyone has decided to (finally) treat her like the princess she knows that she is and that's fine with me. I'm going to treasure her as long as she lives. I may even help fatten her back up with some bacon.
Who am I kidding? I cook her breakfast every day.
You can find Kimberly and Lillian in Petroville where the coffee is fresh, Great Danes run the property and the smell of bacon is always in the air.
An original DC Metro Moms Post
