It's always devastating to hear this news.  I remember the day we were told Max had a lung met like it was yesterday.  I know you've read it on these forums before, but you have to remember this:  Wookie doesn't know he's sick, only you do.  And that's a really heavy load for you to bear.  But no one knows how much time any of us has.  There's no "expiration date" stamped anywhere.  Wookie could have A LOT of great time left.  I'll tell you what one doctor told me:  don't panic until you have to.  (I know, easier said than done.) 

Talk to your doctor, see what your options could be.  There's been a lot of changes in the treatment of this disease since our boy was sick.  I believe there have been several recent members who were on the metronomic protocol to keep their mets in check.  But in the meantime, don't let Wookie see you sad.  There's a time for that, and it's not now.  Now is the time for you and Wookie to live life to the fullest.  Which for a dog means eating, sleeping, playing and being with his people.  They don't really ask for a lot, do they.

We'll be thinking of you and keeping you and Wookie in our thoughts and prayers.  And if you need any support, please remember we're just a few miles south of you in Tustin.

Diane & John

Feel so sorry for you. My first dog, a bullmastiff, got the same cancer as Penny (osteosarcoma) and she had a lung met for quite a long time. She died after a little more than a year after her leg was operated, but it was for a total other reason, so I don't know how long she had lived otherwise. Anyway she had no symptoms from the lung met, so I hope you can be positive and hopefully Wookie will have a lot of great time left with you. You will be in our thoughts!/Gunilla, Penny and Wilbur

Damn!  I remember feeling completely gutted when we got that news (in some ways I found it harder than the osteosarcoma news).  I'm so sorry.  You are very sensible to be seeing an oncologist because it would be so hard to be objective when you are treating someone you love.

There are lots of stories of hope.  Don't give up. But also, don't waste any of the precious time you have with Wookie.  As you already know, cancer is so unpredictable and we can never know who will be the lucky ones to beat the odds and who won't.

Make the most of every single day. Live in the moment with him.  Take lots of photos and videos. Allow yourself the time to vent and cry but then try not to dwell on it. There is plenty of time down the track for tears. For now, enjoy each other.

Thinking of you

Karen and Spirit Magnum

wookie524 said
I know I'll be a little more accepting with some time.

Yes, you will be.  But news like this is breathtaking and you have a right to be devastated for now.  It takes a bit of time to wrap your mind and your heart around it.  I am so sorry that you are facing this so soon.

I know that statistics exist for a reason and they are immensely helpful in giving us some general idea of what to expect.  But, try to remember that the statistics are based on select groups of dogs that happened to be in a study.  Think of all the dogs in the world with cancer whose cases aren't scrutinized or chronicled - there may be one hell of a variance that we don't even know about.

As others have said, many pups have done very well even with mets, including our Zeus who had a lung met at the time of diagnosis.  Don't be discouraged that the met has appeared even during chemo.  Zeus's met was initially spotted on a CT scan at diagnosis and was small enough that it would not have shown on x-rays.  By the time of his second chemo we did follow-up x-rays and it had grown enough to show up.  If we had initially opted for x-rays instead of CT, then we would have thought that his lungs were clear and the appearance of the met would have been a surprise to us.  Although it did have that initial growth spurt, it never really grew anymore and it never multiplied.  So, there is hope.

Thinking of you and Wookie.  Go off somewhere and have a good cry.  Or a good screaming spell if that's more your style.  Then find Wookie, give him a big old hug and promise him you won't waste one single moment.

Lisa

Glad to hear you have rallied. I know of two dogs that overcame their mets - at least for a long time. One dog I saw the xrays myself as the pup was treated by my onc. He had multiple small mets and the Palladia knocked them out. (Unfortunately our Abby couldn't handle the Palladia.)

My onc. told me if we could keep Abby's lone met a loner for a year and keep it at a "stable" size (determined by how slow it was growing) she could have surgery to have it removed. Unfortunately a 2nd met moved in about 6 months in. But I do know of a dog that did successfully have the surgery and lived years after that! So there is still hope. Like you said - it doesn't happen often, but I think it's good to have hope. For me, having hope really helped along the way on the journey.

Keep us posted on how Wookie's doing!
Jackie