Hi!  I wanted to provide a quick update on Gracie (I'll write a longer blog post soon) and ask this Tripawds community for their wisdom/insights.  Gracie struggled to eat for about 3 weeks before having an ultrasound on July 29th.  During that same procedure, a fine needle aspirate was done on one of the lymph nodes in her stomach and the findings were "compatible with high-grade lymphoid neoplasia".  I'm not familiar with treatment options for lymphoma and I'm hoping others here will be willing to share their stories and experiences with me.  I've also reached out to Griffin's oncologist in the hopes that she will have suggestions.  We have an appointment to return to the vet on Saturday and I'd love to have a clear set of questions/suggestions to bring with me.

Gracie started a course of Prednisone on the day of her ultrasound and the results have been miraculous.  She is eating well (anything and everything, to be exact!), having regular bowel movements, and has a ton of energy.  We were on vacation in Lancaster County, PA last week at one of Griffin's favorite places on earth and she enjoyed it just as much, although she only jumped in to swim when I drifted too far away from her!  She is definitely gaining weight and loving long walks in the park, so her quality of life right now is much improved from when she first came to live with me a month ago.  I noted in my first post that she was about 10 years old based on the shelter vet's estimation, but when she was surrendered, her family said she was 5 and two different vets since then confirmed that she could be around 5-6 years old.  She is an amazing dog and I hope that we can figure out a treatment plan that will give her the best life for as long as possible!

Hi all.  I just published a full Gracie story with photos/videos here - https://griffin.....t-27-2021/

Since I last updated on the forum, the rescue had decided to proceed with a very conservative oral chemotherapy approach to treat Gracie's lymphoma and the plan was to move forward with finding her a forever family that would understand and be up to the task of caring for a dog with cancer.  Then about a week ago, Gracie exhibited lameness and swelling in her right hind foot that was diagnosed as a soft tissue injury and she was prescribed gabapentin for the pain.  She bounced back quickly and was walking normally a few days later.  Three days ago, Gracie woke up with pronounced weakness in her left hind leg – limping, swaying when standing, staggering when walking, and having difficulty getting up and down.  I initially thought that Gracie might be experiencing a delayed reaction to the gabapentin, which can cause ataxia in dogs, especially in their hind legs (I actually remembered that Nancy had made that point when I thought Griffin was having a reaction to that drug months ago).  More worrisome, the thought also crossed my mind that her cancer could have spread to her spine.  We made an appointment with the neurology department at the Animal Medical Center (the hospital where Griffin was treated) and Gracie was seen there yesterday.  A physical exam revealed that Gracie was very painful in her left hip and femoral area.  Subsequent pelvic x-rays showed severe osteoarthritis in both hips; the vet said that it was the worst case of osteoarthritis in the hip area that she had ever seen.  Both of Gracie’s femur bone “balls” are out of the “sockets” in her pelvis.  It is unclear if the recent lameness in her right leg caused the condition of her left hip to worsen, but this is a medical condition with which Gracie has been living for quite some time.  Until three days ago, Gracie was compensating well for her condition and our hope is to manage her pain well enough to allow her to return to that level of mobility.  In addition to the prednisone and gabapentin, Gracie will start taking amantadine long term and codeine for the next 5-7 days.  Once she is fully mobile and pain free, we will decide how to continue treating her cancer.  If Gracie does not show improvement to the level of being able to walk comfortably in the next 10 days, we will likely make the decision to humanely euthanize her as her quality of life would be so significantly compromised without the ability to take pleasure in doing the things she loved best.

When I agreed to foster Gracie, I thought I was getting a dog that needed to be well fed for a while.  I did not anticipate that Gracie’s medical issues would so closely mirror Griffin’s – struggles with cancer, inappetence, and mobility.  So many times in the last few weeks I have found myself grieving for Gracie and for me, struggling to stop comparing her experience to my boy’s, and hoping that Gracie would find a forever family that would love and care for her for whatever time she had remaining so that I could avoid the pain of her dying while in my care.  And then a few nights ago while watching a César Milan show, I heard him say, “You don’t get the dog you want, you get the dog you need” and it stopped me in my tracks.  I know I have been a better advocate for Gracie because of my experience with Griffin. I also know that her quality of life is vastly improved from when I first met her because of those advocacy efforts.  And while I’m still trying to figure out what I need to learn from loving Gracie, perhaps it is enough to know that I got the dog that needed me.