Marley -n- Me

Whenever your vet comes in, shakes your hand and says “Well, you have had quite the journey with Marley, haven’t you?”  Dr. W is a man of very few words.  That slight gesture at yesterday’s 10 Day Post-Amp recheck made me want to burst into tears right there.  But I didn’t.  I held myself together.  In “Vet” talk, I think that was his way of saying to me ‘You have done what you can do.  I have done what I can do.  Let’s see what happens.’

Marley is doing great post-amp.  Like, literally the best I have seen her in two months.  She is smiling again.  Not just any smile but that big Pittie smile that resonates in your soul. She is playing fetch and running after her Boy.  Her incision is healing beautifully.  She tires quickly but it is like she has been on three legs all her life. She has only taken one tumble when she slipped inside on the wood floors (chasing a ball, of course!)  She hit the bottom of her incision and it bled a bit but only from a staple ripping.  In Marley-style, she didn’t even notice it.

10 Days Post-Amp

Unfortunately, there is cancer still present in her body.

Her ascetabulum (hip socket) and her pelvic bone show cancerous changes.  Bone is supposed to be smooth and shiny.  Hers, per Dr. W, looks like coral.  He said that the cancer will continue to invade the soft tissue in that area and cause bony changes even to the soft tissue.  A future tumor in that area is not likely but rather guaranteed.  Not the news you want after a second surgery but we also knew that this was not curative either.  We talked about what this means for her and he said “Let’s hope for at least a good rest of the summer with her.”  I don’t hope for anything at this point.  I enjoy today and only wish for tomorrow.  I can’t plan out next week or next month or next year for her.  I can only look at today.  What can I do today?  How can I keep her comfortable today?  What awesome things is she feeling up to doing today?

And we went to a Drive-In movie last night and celebrated with popcorn…we have made it this far.  It is reason to celebrate.

Rosie seemed way more enthused about sharing the dog bed then Marley did. 🙂