IN MEMORY OF
OUR PRECIOUS BOY

October 2000 - July 2005

After months of trying to diagnose and treat cysts that kept breaking out all over his body, he was given a skin biopsy.  On June 30th we got the results and I was not prepared for this possibility....cancer.  The skin lesions were secondary so there was likely already a tumor inside.  It was hard to believe. He was so young and other than the cysts Ceasar was a normal happy boy.  We decided to examine all of our options including chemo. 

We had an appointment with an oncologist at the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph scheduled for July 11.  Unfortunately, over the July long weekend Ceasar stopped eating and became lethargic.  He was admitted early as an emergency on Tuesday, July 5th and they kept him overnight in the ICU.  That evening I was given an update on his condition.  There was no change.  He still wasn't eating.  They were giving him antibiotics and fluids.  There was actual hope that he wasn't feeling well because the lesions were infected.  Regardless, they were prepared to start him on chemo the next day after they finished the tests and determined exactly how bad the cancer was.

At noon on July 6th, I was informed that what they found was unexpected.  During an abdominal scan it was discovered that his intestine had ruptured.  So instead of finding any large tumors and beginning chemo we were faced with the choice of emergency surgery to repair his intestine.  There was no guarantee that the cancer had not caused it. Although they found no primary tumor he did have it in his blood, which is leukemia.  So even if he survived the surgery it could re-occur.  

We couldn't put him through that.  Surgery was one thing.  But to still have to battle cancer with chemo when he finally recovered was another.  So we made the heart-wrenching decision to let him go.  The vet wanted us to come right away to say our goodbyes since she was unsure how long he would last.  

She lead us into a really nice room with a loveseat and a chair.  It was filled with framed photos of their pet patients.  And they brought Ceasar in so we could have some private time with him.  After the description of his situation I was expecting him to be carried in and for him to not really know we were there.  So I was shocked to see him walk in....and when he laid eyes on us his tail starting wagging!  At first I thought, oh my goodness they are wrong, look at him he is going to be fine.  But his brave face only lasted a minute and soon he laid down on the floor.  He gave us each lots of kisses and then we lifted him up onto the loveseat for lap puppy.  Just as if we were home.  When the time came the vet brought in a fleece blanket to put on the floor and the euthanasia was performed right in that room.  We stayed with him until the end.  Ceasar left us at 1:45pm, July 6, 2005.  And we are forever changed.