Sometimes you make difficult decisions when it comes to being a pet parent. Your furry ones depend on you to do that for them from beginning to end. When age sets in and diseases suddenly appear out of nowhere, you fret and think and decide about quality of life. This week I came to learn that my beautiful boy who I hope will celebrate his 14th birthday in May, has cancer. A mass was found on his right side. Large and defined in the most unusual of spots – in the body wall, under his skin and behind 3 ribs, which would have to be removed if he had surgery. The surgeon, whose name was Beatrix was wonderful to work with. From Budapest, she was a young, strong and confident person whose name means “sharer of joy.” After she told me the horrible news, I told her that I knew what her name meant, but it was not working for us, sadly. While surgery could have been an option, there are many nodules on both sides of his lungs, which makes it difficult to predict if he would do okay in a surgery that would be “big,” she said. Fortunately she was a conservative surgeon, while many are not, and she was very concerned with the effect the anesthesia could have on him and his lungs during such a long surgery, let alone the recovery time. If the lungs were not involved I would have gone for it and she agreed with me.  I called Dr.Larry who found the mass to begin with to see if he agreed with my decision to not pursue surgery. He did. I called my vet up north and she agreed as well. I needed a lot of confirmation and my many years spent as a Chicago reporter, innately makes me a researcher and information seeker and that was long before the word Google existed. For those of you who read my other blog, www.baileysjournal.com, you know that I went through bladder cancer with my dog, Bailey. I wrote a book about her and that was not even 4 years ago. I am not ready but I have to be. You have no other choice whether you are a parent of kids with four paws or two hands. I am not giving up, however. I contacted my dear friend, Victoria Summers. I adopted my dog from her. Again, those of you who follow yet another one of my blogs on here, www.joystail.com, know that she was the woman from whom I adopted my dog Joy. She is a natropathic doctor and has lived with cancer herself for the last three years. She has allowed many animals to live with cancer, happily extending their sweet lives. She immediately wrote me a regimen for Safari and I have already ordered everything to help shrink his mass and make him feel better, although he has no symptoms yet. I can only hope it will work. Dr.Vic is an American Indian and the founder of Indian Summers Border Collie Rescue in Minerva, Ohio and she is the most interesting person I have ever met. Her heart might not be healthy, but it is large, brave, soulful and full of love and I think that her entire being is her recipe for survival. Indians believe in spirits and so do I. Her spirit has filled my heart everyday since we first spoke 3 years ago this month. She kindly took the time to help Safari. Of course she did. She is my friend, and Safari boy is her friend too. So for any of you who have to face the aging process with your furry loved ones, all you need to do is give them the best quality of life and be ever grateful, every single day for the time you share together. Kiss often, hug plenty and never run out of I love you’s. Ever.

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