Thanks for the kind thoughts everyone. Blazer- you made Molly blush!

Good news- Molly got her stitches out and is healing up wonderfully from her surgery. She seems to have her new 3-legged gallop down and only stumbles once in a while. She is so speedy and I can barely keep up! We also got her the Ruffwear Webmaster harness and she can now go up and down steps with help.

Bad news- we got the results back from Molly's amputated leg and found out her cancer is grade three. She also tested positive for the markers for histiocytic sarcoma, one of the soft tissue cancers with the worst prognosis- median time with chemo is 7-12 months. Still, they found no evidence of the cancer in the lymph node above the tumor on the leg and her chest and stomach x-rays were clear which are both very good signs. Still, my husband and I were devastated by the news. We were so full of hope that she would have grade 2 synovial sarcoma, as that is what some of the earlier tests were pointing to.

As a result of the diagnosis, Molly started chemo two days ago. She is taking Lomustine in capsule form, which we can administer at home and then go in for blood tests every 10 days so the oncologist can monitor liver function, white blood cell count etc. She will be on 4 rounds, each 3 weeks apart. So far we have seen no side major side affects, though I know it is still very early. The first night, my husband and I hardly slept as we watched her closely for any adverse reactions. Every time I dozed of, I would wake up in a start and reach out to touch her to make sure she was still alive. What a relief when she greeted me, tail wagging, at her food dish the next morning!

I struggled with our decision to do chemo. Molly is finally looking so great on her 3-legs and seems so perky... just like her old self. I hate knowing that the chemo might make her feel sick again, especially if her time with us ends up being short. Still, my husband and I know it gives her the best chance. We met someone in the waiting room who had a dog go through histiocytic sarcoma several years ago. He did amputation and chemo and his pup lived 2 more years. It is these stories of hope that keep me hanging on.

I am also looking into special diets to augment the chemo to give her the best possible chance. The oncologist we saw on Monday didn't seem to think diet made a huge difference and said we could just keep feeding Molly her regular food. I am working on getting a second opinion on diet from another oncologist who worked with Molly early on in her treatment. Someone I know had good luck with an herb called Cat's Claw when he was treating his dog (without chemo) for Osteosarcoma. The dog was given a prognosis of 4 months and lived another 1.5 years. Still, I want to approach diet stuff wisely, as I don't want to give Molly anything that would interfere or cause additional side affects with her chemo or make her sicker. I know her body will be going through enough without adding a bunch of unknown variables. A raw meat diet makes me a bit nervous since her immune system will be down. Does Natura Evo have raw meat ingredients in it or is it cooked? I thought that Evo might be a good choice if I can't get any conclusive answers on diet from our oncologist.

Okay, I am going to go snuggle with Molly on the futon. I realize that every moment I can get with her is a precious gift.

Molly loves to ride at high speeds in her fancy new bike trailer!