Tag: cancer in dogs

Wordless Wednesday: Run Free Sweet Eivor

a black and white whippet running a forest with lush spring leaves
a black and white whippet running a forest with lush spring leaves

There are no words to describe how much we love you and how you will always live on in our hearts.

Eivor passed away peacefully last night. He had enjoyed so many good moments despite his illness and handled everything with such love and grace.

We will share some of those moments over the next few weeks to celebrate his life. He always wanted to live it to the full and take as many memories with him as possible.

Pearl seems to understand where Eivor is in a way that has always been much smarter than our own understanding of a spirit’s comings and goings. Her friendship with Eivor transcends his passing from one world to the next and we know that our own friendship with Eivor will transcend his passing too.

Wishing you all a peaceful Wednesday,

with love from Pearl and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Wordless Wednesday

Tanka: Sarcoma

a black whippet in a black jacket running through a field beside flowering gorse and spring buds

new life
birds nesting
in the dew
your diagnosis
hits us all sideways

© Xenia Tran

a black whippet in a black jacket sprinting through a field beside flowering gorse and spring buds

It is with great sadness that we learned last Friday that the growth in Eivor’s mouth we had biopsied two weeks ago is a malignant tumour.

Eivor had lumps in his mouth last October and a band of tissue wrapping around some of his back teeth. The teeth and part of one of the lumps were removed early November. The biopsy result indicated he was suffering from Gingival Hyperplasia, an overgrowth of the gums that can threaten the teeth. Although these growths are benign, they can cause great discomfort and the main treatment is surgery.

Because of Eivor’s age, the option to operate would not always be the safest and we were advised to monitor his gums for any future growths and only use surgery as a last resort.

He recovered well from his operation and felt a lot more comfortable. We had a blissful two months where he was full of joy and ready for any adventure. In January, he had a new lump on his gums that was causing him discomfort. The vet suggested it was still relatively small and that we could manage the pain with painkillers to keep him comfortable. His condition deteriorated in mid-April and after another visit to the vet who had been treating him so far, we decided to seek a second opinion from a different vet within the same practice.

This vet was very concerned by what she saw and she took x-rays, biopsies from different parts of the mouth and removed two more teeth that had been loosened by new growths. The biopsy results came in on Friday. The sarcoma cannot easily be isolated for removal and, considering his advanced years and the impact further intrusive surgery would have on him, the best option at present is palliative care.

We want to keep him as comfortable as possible, let him continue to do the things that make him happy, such as small zoomies in a field, and enjoy every moment we have.

After the initial shock we are now grateful that we know and give him the best possible care and support. After all the questions we can now rest in what has always been there, the deep love between us.

If you are blessed with furry companions in your life please give them a big hug and enjoy the precious time you are given together.

Wishing you all a blessed Monday and a peaceful new week,

with love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Your Daily Word Prompt: Dew

Word of the Day Challenge: Isolation