new life
birds nesting
in the dew
your diagnosis
hits us all sideways
© Xenia Tran
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.
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