It's been almost a year since Ziva had her back leg amputated. The surgery and recovery were both rough, yet smoother than expected. It didn't take long for her to adapt to life on three legs. We moved out of our third floor apartment (finally!) and are now renting a house. She hates the tile floors, but we've gotten around that for the most part by buying rugs and rubber flooring for her. She's even found her favorite spot in the yard that she refuses to leave most of the time. The last 11 months have been wonderful.

About a month and a half ago, we noticed a bump growing on Ziva's belly. We scheduled an appointment to have it looked at, but before the appointment date, we noticed some pus dripping from it. We rushed her into the vet that same morning, hoping for the best news. They confirmed our worst fears - it was another tumor. We had a long talk with the vet and weighed our options. We could have the tumor removed, making it her third surgery in a couple of years, but due to the recurrence rate and the history of cancer, there would be no guarantee she wouldn't develop another one. Even with the surgery, the vet estimated another 6-8 months due to her age. It has been the hardest decision of our lives, but we decided that with the odds against her and with her age, it's time to start to say goodbye. We brought Ziva home with some medication to keep her comfortable and will let her live out the rest of her days as amazing as we can make them. 

It's been about 3 weeks since we brought her home. At first, the at home care was simple. Keep the tumor clean and give her some meds. Easy peasy. It didn't seem to bother her much. Just like the last two, this tumor has grown in size very rapidly. It's started to abcess and bleed more. The last couple of nights have been rough. Ziva has kept us up late with her heavy panting and restlessness. At this point, we're afraid it's down to days, a week or two tops. We want to make sure we can keep Ziva comfortable at home, without having her suffer at all. We want to do what's best for her - even if we aren't ready. 

I've never personally had to put a dog down. I've been lucky enough that my previous pups have passed away in their sleep when they were ready. This is a really difficult decision we've had to make and I don't wish the pain on anyone. The Tripawds community has always been amazing. 

Thank you to everyone who has been there for us since day one. We couldn't have survived this without you!