# Probably lung cancer in 5 yr old Golden



## GldnLove (Mar 5, 2015)

I have no idea what happened: I wrote a huge post and it didn't submit correctly and now is lost and have to start over 

Ok, I am going to try to make this as short as I can. Please forgive me if I repeat myself and hopefully I wont leave stuff out. I am at work and just trying to keep my composure.

This all started a few weeks ago. We got a new bag of dog food. Same brand as always, just a new bag. Sam refused to eat it. We thought it was weird but just drizzled some olive oil on it so he would eat it. Which he did. 

Then we noticed he would cough with a "gag/choking sound" at the end of cough. Thought maybe kennel cough? Looking online it sounded just like it. To the vet we go. They say not kennel cough. Heart and lungs sounded good too. He did lose a couple pounds. Gave us some meds for throat and belly.

Over the weekend he seemed to improve. Perkier, eating without issues, just more like his old self. Monday came and he just flat out refused to eat his food. We didn't force it. Then I gave him some of my other dogs food. Different brand than Sam's. He gobbled it right up. So ok, its not that he's not hungry. It has to be that food. We decided we are taking him off that food immediately. We put him on chicken/rice diet so he could eat and were going to slowly add a new food to that seeing as we couldn't do the normal transition between one food to the other.

Later that day we noticed he was breathing fast. It was not panting. He breathed through his nose but it was faster than normal. Wednesday back to the vet. Not overly concerned about the breathing with everything else that was going on and I think we were all convinced it was the food. He had lost a couple pounds just from the week before visit though. That sent red flag up but my husband convinced me that if the food was bad he probably was getting any nutrients and then he had just been eating the chicken/rice blend. He just needed time to rebuild his strength, etc.

This past weekend even I was optimistic. He was doing so well. That coughing/gagging had stopped and his breathing was getting much better. Perkier, etc.

This Tuesday after getting up and having breakfast my husband noticed his back legs seemed wobbly. I called him to me and saw it and then he went back to my husband and his legs gave out. Called vet, they were dealing with three emergencies at the moment, so our appt was for 1:30. I went to work. Within half an hour I got a call from husband rushing to vet, Sam had passed out.

Still telling us heart and lungs sounded good. My husband insisted on chest x-ray. Then he was shown the x-rays and told it was one of two things. Blastomycosis or lung cancer. We were also given name of specialist we could go to. Took test for the Blasto.

Just got results, it's not blasto. We are devastated. My husband is almost inconsolable. Sam is his best friend. They do everything and go everywhere together. 

We are still going to the specialist tomorrow. See what they have to say. Last night looking around here I saw someone posted questions to ask so I am going to re-read them and print them out and I have a list started myself too. I'm also going to tell the whole story about how it all started with the new bag of food. I don't know if it makes any difference but I just find it odd that that is when everything started. He was completely normal up to that point. I'm still not convinced there wasn't something wrong with that food. But yes, I am aware that they can be sick and not show anything too. Maybe he was sick and the food was bad and it was just the catalyst to make everything show its face. I'm still hoping that they will tell us that its not cancer and it's something that can be remedied but I know I'm just fooling myself. I also can't understand why it seems like he was improving. 

I guess I'm just wanting to share my story here and see if anyone has any advice or thoughts about our story. Or any experience with the same type of symptoms we have seen so far.

And to add insult to injury our daughter is studying abroad until July so I am going to have to tell her this horrible news by Skyping with her. I plan on doing that after the appt. with the specialist.

Thanks in advance for reading this.


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## rabernet (Feb 24, 2015)

Unfortunately, I don't have any experience with this to offer any advice, but I CAN offer you are my thoughts and prayers for you and Sam!


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## Brinkleythegolden (Jun 18, 2012)

Maybe he aspirated a piece of food into his lungs? I worry about that because our Brinkley eats so fast. Sending good thoughts..


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## jak_sak (Jan 23, 2008)

I am sorry to hear this news. It can be devastating, especially when they are young. Here are a few things, you can start doing -

- Get back your composure. This will be critical to making the right decisions
- Get the dog cancer survival guide. Read that and other postings in this forum. Ask questions.
- Remember that there are things you can control (kind of treatment, choosing the right specialist/oncologist, etc) - be deliberate and spend your thoughts on those. There are things you cannot control (how your pup responds to treatments, the side effects (well maybe a little you can control here), energy levels, etc) - those things, let them go out of your mind. No point clouding your mind with those.
- Spend as much time as possible and shower "Sam" with plenty of love. Reassure him through your body language and actions that everything is normal. 

Remember that there are dogs that have beaten cancer and some have prolonged their lives by as much as 2-3 years. Those are things that are not in your hands. Think positive. Sending good thoughts your way. Keep us posted or ask questions.


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## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

What test for Blasto did your veterinarian run? I know a lot of the blood tests tend to be unreliable. The urine test out there, from what I've learned, is the most accurate. 
Without seeing the radiographs, I can only speculate what they look like. Fungal diseases and metastatic cancers can look very similar... I hope you can come to a definite conclusion with your boy before making any decisions. 
Depending on where you live, you could go to a veterinary teaching hospital. Good luck with him.


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## 2golddogs (Oct 19, 2009)

Making a list of questions to bring with you is a really good idea. I truly hope it is not cancer. Stay positive.


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## GldnLove (Mar 5, 2015)

rabernet said:


> Unfortunately, I don't have any experience with this to offer any advice, but I CAN offer you are my thoughts and prayers for you and Sam!


Thank you for the prayers.



fozziesmom said:


> Maybe he aspirated a piece of food into his lungs? I worry about that because our Brinkley eats so fast. Sending good thoughts..


Sam eats fast too, but I don't think that is the problem this time. I will bring it up though.



jak_sak said:


> I am sorry to hear this news. It can be devastating, especially when they are young. Here are a few things, you can start doing -
> 
> - Get back your composure. This will be critical to making the right decisions
> - Get the dog cancer survival guide. Read that and other postings in this forum. Ask questions.
> ...


Thank you. I do know that we really do have to get ourselves under control. Sam has always been such a "feeling" dog. Very sensitive of his surroundings. He feels our emotions as much as we do. My husband lost it this morning and it just got Sam upset. I told him he had to pull it together for Sam. If he needed to break down he'd have to go to bathroom, let it out, and come back out composed.

I will look for that book. I have been scouring the internet and making all kinds of notes also. At this point we are stuck until we speak to specialist, who hopefully has more information than just "it's cancer". I have no idea how to go about "treating" it, I think I've read people use prednisone and other meds.? Unfortunately I can probably say that we wont be doing chemo. We just don't have the money to sustain those treatments.



Rainheart said:


> What test for Blasto did your veterinarian run? I know a lot of the blood tests tend to be unreliable. The urine test out there, from what I've learned, is the most accurate.
> Without seeing the radiographs, I can only speculate what they look like. Fungal diseases and metastatic cancers can look very similar... I hope you can come to a definite conclusion with your boy before making any decisions.
> Depending on where you live, you could go to a veterinary teaching hospital. Good luck with him.


We did do the urine test for the Blasto.

All I can say about the xrays is this. There is barely any black showing. My husband showed me and I didn't see the problem because I didn't know what they were supposed to look like. Until he told me that all the "cloudiness" was really supposed to be black. So yeah, I'm assuming that it'll still be the same bad news after speaking to specialist.

As far as I know there are no veterinary teaching schools here. I'm in Vermont.



2golddogs said:


> Making a list of questions to bring with you is a really good idea. I truly hope it is not cancer. Stay positive.


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## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

There are no veterinary schools in Vermont. There is one in Massachusetts in New Grafton... Also at Cornell in NY. Not sure which would be closer. 
So sorry... Such a young pup... I've been through cancer with one at that age. You could do further diagnostic workups to try to determine what kind of cancer it is (again, in the lungs if it looks like a fungal disease and that is ruled out, it is likely a metastatic cancer from somewhere else in the body...) 
But at this point, I'd probably say keep him comfortable if he were my dog for as long as you can.


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## gold4me (Mar 12, 2006)

Some things to think about as this sound similar to what we went through with our Beau. Check his spleen, ask about hemangiosarcoma. I thought and thought about if I should even bring this up but it is better to ask every question you can. Our Beau ended being diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma in his lungs. I just can't tell you enough how I hope you will get GOOD news.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Sam*



GldnLove said:


> I have no idea what happened: I wrote a huge post and it didn't submit correctly and now is lost and have to start over
> 
> Ok, I am going to try to make this as short as I can. Please forgive me if I repeat myself and hopefully I wont leave stuff out. I am at work and just trying to keep my composure.
> 
> ...


Oh my God, I am so sorry for what you and Sam are going through. Please let us know what the specialist says. I will be praying for Sam.


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

The same thing happened with us when jake was diagnosed with hermangio. We had just started a new bag of food. We wanted so bad for the vet to be wrong and for their to be some explanation other then cancer.


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## Coopsmom (Jan 13, 2015)

I am so sorry for what you are going through..... we lost our very first golden at the young age of 5. He had a "heart attack" that he survived - this was about 25 years ago and absolutely unheard of in dogs. Our local vet took him to Cornell and Dr. Moise (sp) veterinary cardiologist diagnosed it as a heart attack BUT could not figure out the cause. He recovered completely and had several months of normal/healthy behavior. About 6 months later, he woke up one morning and coughed up a small amount of blood. to make a really long story short - his lungs were not good and he died within 24 hours. Our local vet (with our permission) did a necropsy and discovered cancer. They theorized that the original heart attack was caused by cancer even though there were NO other signs/symptoms. We lost another golden VERY suddenly - i.e. came home and he seemed fine and was gone within 2 hours despite getting him to the emergency clinic. We did not do an necropsy but the obvious symptoms (per the vet) pointed to the probability of hemangiosarcoma of the spleen.

I sincerely hope that your dog is going to be OK and agree with all of the guidance that has been given. The most important lesson I have learned in all of this is to try like heck to enjoy each and every golden moment and try to not let the fear and anxiety take over. I know that is much easier said than done!

Wishing you many happy and peaceful golden moments with your dog!!


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## GldnLove (Mar 5, 2015)

Rainheart said:


> There are no veterinary schools in Vermont. There is one in Massachusetts in New Grafton... Also at Cornell in NY. Not sure which would be closer.
> So sorry... Such a young pup... I've been through cancer with one at that age. You could do further diagnostic workups to try to determine what kind of cancer it is (again, in the lungs if it looks like a fungal disease and that is ruled out, it is likely a metastatic cancer from somewhere else in the body...)
> But at this point, I'd probably say keep him comfortable if he were my dog for as long as you can.


Cornell is way too far away. I'm not sure about the one in Mass, but even still, I don't know that we could do that. Just to get to Mass in general is 4 hours and I dont know where Grafton is. I don't want anything I say sound like its all about money, but there's just so much we can do 
We just cant take a lot of time off work going back and forth to a different state. And like you have said, and from all that I've been reading it probably is to the point of making him as comfortable as possible for as long as we can. We know the end result, we just don't know when.





gold4me said:


> Some things to think about as this sound similar to what we went through with our Beau. Check his spleen, ask about hemangiosarcoma. I thought and thought about if I should even bring this up but it is better to ask every question you can. Our Beau ended being diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma in his lungs. I just can't tell you enough how I hope you will get GOOD news.


By similar things do you mean the symptoms? I will definitely ask the specialist. From my understanding that type of cancer is the worst? I have a feeling I will be up late into the night looking things up on the computer. And thank you for the well wishes.



Karen519 said:


> Oh my God, I am so sorry for what you and Sam are going through. Please let us know what the specialist says. I will be praying for Sam.


I will post what I find out after seeing the specialist. Tomorrow is going to be a rough day. I am so dreading having to tell my daughter who is studying abroad right now.

Sam was just doing his crazy thing that he has done since he was a pup. He rubs his face on the carpet, back and forth and all the while doing it his butt is up in the air. It made me smile and sad at the same time.

I think I attached a photo of him, hopefully. If not, I'll try a different time.


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## KathyL (Jul 6, 2011)

Golden Lover, first I am so, so sorry. Five is really pretty young for lung cancer. There are vets, Vet techs and a Vet student on the forum so I hope one or more of them find your post and give their opinions. 

Unfortunately I have experience with lung cancer in goldens. What I know is that lung cancer can be primary (usually an older dog) or metastasis. Location is really important in lung cancer also, if on the peripheral, there is room for growth so to speak and the prognosis is good. My last golden, Harley was extremely active and picture of health except he had this rare infiltrative lipoma on his leg and after two previous surgeries to debulk, he was scheduled for an amputation. By the time I got home, the surgeon was calling to tell me that a routine lung x-ray showed two masses in the chest cavity -- a tumor on each lung. Absolutely no symptoms whatsoever. He did a few months of metronomic chemo and was doing so well that the oncologist met with the surgeon and recommended she debulk again. He got through that extremely well and then had different problems. No symptoms from the lung cancer, so I'm very surprised but then my experience is just one case with one dog. I've read that blasto is often misdiagnosed as lung cancer. While you were waiting for the blasto results, did your vet put the dog on doxycycline? I'm glad you have an appointment with a specialist -- it never hurts to have a second opinion. 

I send you positive thoughts and prayers.


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## gold4me (Mar 12, 2006)

Oh my he is so cute!!!!! I love his happy smile. 
Yes, we went through some of the same questions about food, coughing. A physical at the vet showed everything was fine. After the exam we were talking with the vet and Beau coughed up a small amount of blood came up. 
I know it is a scary time but just know we are all pulling for you and your boy!! Please keep us posted.


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## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

Your pup is adorable! Will be thinking of you two tomorrow.


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## MommyMe (Jan 20, 2014)

I'm so sorry you are going through this with your beautiful boy. Will keep you in our thoughts and prayers. You have a lot of people pulling for you...


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Sam*



GldnLove said:


> Cornell is way too far away. I'm not sure about the one in Mass, but even still, I don't know that we could do that. Just to get to Mass in general is 4 hours and I dont know where Grafton is. I don't want anything I say sound like its all about money, but there's just so much we can do
> We just cant take a lot of time off work going back and forth to a different state. And like you have said, and from all that I've been reading it probably is to the point of making him as comfortable as possible for as long as we can. We know the end result, we just don't know when.
> 
> 
> ...


I will be praying for SAM!! He is beautiful. My Golden Girl, Smooch, was 11 (she was a rescue) when she started gag coughing and a little blood came up. They did chest xray and thought she had one of three things: Blasto, hemangiosarcoma, or lung cancer. When they took the chest xray the vet say her lungs were only functioning at 10%. This came on very suddenly in her case.


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## pholter (Jan 24, 2015)

I'm so sorry to hear about Sam  I hope the specialist determines that it's not what the vet says for all of your sakes. He is so beautiful!! Hang in there and keep us posted.


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## GldnLove (Mar 5, 2015)

Thank you everybody for such warm well wishes. We saw the specialist yesterday and it was confirmed he has cancer. The cancer in his lungs is not primary, it has spread from someplace else. 
At this moment we have chosen palliative care. We asked the vet if we could have the weekend to think things through. We both initially agreed no chemo. It will not "cure" him, it may only extend his life and we do not even know for how long, nor do even know if it will slow down the cancer at all. All of this was told to us by the specialist.
Now, as we have been home my husband keeps bringing up possibly trying chemo. "How can we not try?" he says. Like I said before, we are all devastated but Sam is sure my husbands heart dog and he is taking it 100 times harder than the rest of us, if that is possible.
I am hoping that I can get some of your opinions and maybe even a specific thread I can read that is about chemo. What I am wondering is if anybody that has gone through this did the chemo route and what their thoughts on it were. Did the dog suffer through it, get sick from it, would you do it again, any info at all will be helpful. We absolutely do not want to do the chemo route if he is just going to feel worse than if we just did palliative care. Because it has spread into his lungs we know that this will only be a possible extension of some extra time.
I do not want to sound cold, believe me, my heart is breaking, but I don't think we should do chemo, but my husband keeps sounding like he is leaning that way. I told him that somewhere in all my internet surfing I read a lot where people said they would not do it again. I don't know if that was somewhere on this forum or someplace else. I have looked at so many different sites this past week.
I am going to insert a portion of the "discharge email" we received from the specialist...

Recommendations:Today we discussed the possible origins of Samson’s apparent cancer spread to his lungs. The most likely tumors to do this would be bone cancer (osteosarcoma), splenic cancer (hemangiosarcoma), or an anal sac tumor (anal sac adenocarcinoma). Since I did not feel any masses on rectal exam, this tumor type is probably not the culprit. Based on him having a mass-like lesion over his L hip, I’m worried that he has bone cancer. The only way to figure this out is to perform staging tests, which include thoracic and hip radiographs, abdominal ultrasound, and blood work. You’ve declined these tests at this time. 
We talked a lot today about the possible treatment options for Samson and what to expect from these various options with respect to quality of life and overall survival. Options included 1) more palliative care to make him feel more comfortable, including an NSAID called Piroxicam and a synthetic opiod called Tramadol, 2) giving him a dose or two of systemic chemotherapy, most likely Adriamycin, to see if it will not only make him feel better but also slow or stop the progression of his disease, and 3) try a lessdose-intense chemotherapy protocol called mmetronomic chemotherapy that is directed at killing tumor blood vessels instead of the tumor itself.

I think the chemo therapy we talked about was the first option mentioned above. but I will take advice on any of the ones mentioned.

In case this question gets asked (as far as a deciding factor for chemo), can we afford it. That's hard to answer. We will be strapped to the max to pay for it. The vet did discuss costs. $600 first treatment and also charges for xray and blood work to see if there were any changes after the treatment. Lets say it did "stall" the progression of the cancer, well that would be another treatment, same price as first. And so and so on. If the treatments work there would be more to follow. You certainly just cant say, well ok, but now we cant afford anymore treatments, once you've got that ball rolling. Again, the hardest part is the fact that this will not cure him, only possibly prolong his life. Can we take the risk of going deeper and deeper financial strain?

And the saddest part, it won't cure him. This will only possibly prolong his life. In the end we will still have to make the call to put him down when it has just become too much for him. I specifically asked the vet if there was a chance that he would die peacefully or if there would come the time where we would have to put him down. He said, without hesitation, that we would have to put him down. He would not go peacefully. I know that is probably a silly question, but I had to ask.

Thank you again.


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

I am so sorry.

As far as chemo. Can't give any advice there. We decided not to do chemo or surgery on jake. Surgery was like 11,000 dollars and that didn't include the chemo. He had tumors on the heart and liver. We did have him drained because we didn't know what was wrong. It gave us three extra weeks. The vet told us even with surgery and chemo they couldn't guarantee us six months. He had a wonderful mostly normal three weeks.


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

Forgot to add with jake he had a bad episode where he collapsed. At that time we new it was time. Just don't be to hasty. Two weeks in he had a slight bleeding episode but he pulled through it. But the last one was bad and we knew it was time. After we had him drained he was a normal dog. There was no way at that time we could put him down at that time. You will know when it is time.


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## Bodiesmummy (May 6, 2014)

I am so,so very sorry you are going through this. I have found so much support on this forum as I traveled the same path twice in less than a year. I found these 2 stickys to be a great help as I made my decisions for my dogs.

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...cancer-diagnosis-what-should-you-ask-vet.html

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...etrievers/114271-things-cancer-cannot-do.html

I cannot advise you on bone cancer and it's prognosis, but there are many posts/threads on here about that type of cancer. I can say, at first, all the information you are being given or finding here or online is overwhelming. It comes at a time where you have been blindsided by such terrible, unexpected news and it's hard to think straight in those conditions. Take some time to sort it all out before you make a decision. We can't tell you what treatment is best in your case as only you know how you feel and how it might affect your family and Sam. I can share with you my journey and my decision, but everyone's circumstances are different so please take that into consideration. No matter what path you choose, that decision will be right for YOU.

I only really had the option of chemo in my last dog's case, but bear in mind, my dog was 11. He also had lung cancer, a single mass that started out as a possible primary. Further exams by specialists found multiple sarcomas under his skin so the lung mass was likely a metastasis. Surgery was therefore not an option. Chemo with Doxirubicin was the recommended drug by UC Davis oncology. In my searching online about this drug, I also linked up with Colorado State University through as study done there on metronomic chemo. Their Flint Animal Cancer Center has an online consultation you can submit to ask for their opinion on your dog's case. It's free. I was so impressed with the Dr. who responded to me because it was Christmas eve! He wanted to talk to me before the holidays so I didn't have to wait. He trained at UC Davis and did say they were the best and he agreed with their recommendations, but added metronomic chemo as another choice. The study done was very small and had not had the results they wanted to see, but it is easier on the dogs. He also told me what he would do if it was his dog and that was palliative care. He reminded me that, if we were to do the doxirubicin, we would have to take our dog to UC Davis (an hour away) multiple times for chemo and blood work, he would be poked and prodded each time and all of that is stressful for everyone. And, my research had shown this drug to commonly cause side effects.
I talked to both our regular vet and the specialist at UC Davis again and it became clear that, while we "might" buy some time, it wasn't worth it to put our guy through it. His palliative care consisted of meloxicam (an nsaid), tramadol, K9 immunity, fish oil and low carb food. Lots of treats of course and towards the end, he got picky about his food and ate mostly wet grocery store food along with some home made. All the vets said tramadol is very safe, inexpensive and most dogs are under dosed with it. Cooper weighed 100lbs and we were allowed to give him up to 4 every 6 hours. We started at 2 every 8 hrs because he didn't "seem" to be in pain at all. If I noticed he was restless or panting more than he should, we gave him more. I basically threw the stuff at him just to make sure and he was never very sedated from it, even at the high doses. We continued to do all the things he loved and he stayed active, although slower, up until the end.

The best advice/words of wisdom I got from this forum were- "dogs live in the moment, they don't have a yesterday or a tomorrow, just today" and "they will tell you when it is time". I made sure all his remaining "todays" were as good as possible and he did indeed tell me when it was time. I let him go to the bridge knowing we had made wonderful memories and I have no regrets on my decision.

For what it's worth, the best decision I made for all 3 of my GRs and one cat (who all had different cancers), was to let them go gently and calmly through euthanasia, rather than watch them suffer. I had a cat die on her own years ago and finding her body was far more upsetting and shocking to me than my experiences with euthanasia.

My prayers are with you and your family.


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## 2golddogs (Oct 19, 2009)

I am so very sorry you got this terrible diagnosis. In December my then 5 year old golden was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma. We did the surgery and I never thought we would do chemo but we decided to go that route. First we had an ultrasound done in which no further tumors were seen and we began the chemo that day. He had 3 treatments of doxorubicin and did very well, only some slight nausea for a day or 2 after treatment and then was fine. We had to stop the treatments because it was starting to cause arrhythmia of the heart. He is now on the metronomic chemo of 1 pill a day and so far is tolerating it very well. Along with the chemo we are doing holistic therapy (ozone treatments, mushroom extract) and homeopathic remedies. Of the 3 treatments, the most expensive is definitely the doxorubicin. The metronomic chemo, holistic treatments and homeopathic remedies are quite reasonable. The cost is in the initial consultations with the vets. I do believe the holistic and homeopathic treatments contribute greatly to his having good quality of life.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*GldnLove*



GldnLove said:


> Thank you everybody for such warm well wishes. We saw the specialist yesterday and it was confirmed he has cancer. The cancer in his lungs is not primary, it has spread from someplace else.
> At this moment we have chosen palliative care. We asked the vet if we could have the weekend to think things through. We both initially agreed no chemo. It will not "cure" him, it may only extend his life and we do not even know for how long, nor do even know if it will slow down the cancer at all. All of this was told to us by the specialist.
> Now, as we have been home my husband keeps bringing up possibly trying chemo. "How can we not try?" he says. Like I said before, we are all devastated but Sam is sure my husbands heart dog and he is taking it 100 times harder than the rest of us, if that is possible.
> I am hoping that I can get some of your opinions and maybe even a specific thread I can read that is about chemo. What I am wondering is if anybody that has gone through this did the chemo route and what their thoughts on it were. Did the dog suffer through it, get sick from it, would you do it again, any info at all will be helpful. We absolutely do not want to do the chemo route if he is just going to feel worse than if we just did palliative care. Because it has spread into his lungs we know that this will only be a possible extension of some extra time.
> ...


Gldnlove: By the time we discovered our Smooch's cancer, looked like it was the lungs or her heart, it was too late, she only had 10% use of her lungs and was having trouble breathing. Out vet strongly encouraged us to put her to sleep-she was about 12 years old, and we did. We did what we felt was best for her. Since your husband feels so strongly on trying the chemo,maybe he should try it and you can always stop it. Hoping others here who have been the chemo route will speak up. I am so sorry for your pain and for Sam!


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## pholter (Jan 24, 2015)

This is horrible news-- I'm so sorry!! I don't have much experience with chemo-- only 3 treatments into it and I've decided almost 100% to stop it this week just prior to the Doxyrubin as I've heard side effects are not good. If his 2nd drug Lomustine was a solution to use each time, then I'd be on board all the way because there were absolutely no side effects with that. My baby did awesome just using steroids at first and only 4 days of them got rid of his tumor completely to where they couldn't find it on the ultrasound. That's only temporary though and using steroids usually makes it come back more aggressive. My biggest thought right now is quality of life, so if he feels good on steroids if only for a few weeks, it's much better for us than to prolong his life feeling bad 1/2 of every week. 

Every dog reacts to chemo differently, so your Sam may do just great. My thought are with all of you.


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## gold4me (Mar 12, 2006)

Deciding whether to go the chemo route is so hard and very personal. We did chemo years ago and decided never again. It was hard on our golden and on us and we only got 2 extra months, hard months. Since hemangio sarcoma is the only cancer we have dealt with and once we had a diagnosis chemo really wasn't an option. We suffered emotionally with each of our loses and our breeder did tell us " One day too early is better than one minute too late". I am sending you supportive thoughts and am glad you found the wonderful people here on GRF to walk with you as you deal with this.


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## GldnLove (Mar 5, 2015)

I just want to say thank you all for helping by telling you stories and the advice given. It is all very overwhelming for sure. I don't think I mentioned it in my original post, but Sam is my second Golden. We had Rose for 9 years and we lost her to cancer also. Chemo was not an option for her though. So we have been though palliative care before and am all to familiar with having to make the decision to let a pet pass to the bridge. Sam's situation is slightly different, but not by much. The chemo isn't really going to help him, there will be no "remission", just a possible extension of time like I said before. And as I said, extra hard on my husband as Sam is his heart dog, his best friend, his soul, and he is sooo young.

Sam has had a pretty good day today, yesterday too. It's hard to believe he is sick, but we can see differences for sure. 

We haven't made a decision yet to go with chemo. I just do NOT want to have him suffer during treatments. I don't think that is fair to him. He's already going to be going through enough. I want him to be able to enjoy the rest of his days the best he can. Because his lungs are so affected even digesting food is extra work for him. I have to feed him small meals through the day. He got some liverwurst today. He enjoyed that treat a lot to say the least. My pets don't usually get people food so he thought that was the cats meow 

I have to be the strong one for my husband and that's ok. Unfortunately I have experience. I sat with my Mom and held her hand until she passed in 2013. She had just been diagnosed with lung, liver and brain cancer four weeks prior. I hate this disease, as does everyone.

I am glad that I found this forum. It is sad that so many here have gone through the same thing though. I don't know how you do it, getting more Goldens. I don't think I can take this chance again. I know it can happen to any dog but it just seems so prevalent in this breed, the odds are too stacked against them.

And a few months ago we decided to get Sam a little brother to play with. We researched Lab breeders and actually have a deposit on one from a future litter. I asked the oncology vet yesterday while were discussing cancer in dogs in general and I told him about the future puppy. I asked him what their odds were and he said 1 out of 6 will likely get cancer. I think we are just going to forfeit that deposit. Not only for that reason but also because it'll just hurt too much, he was supposed to be a brother for Sam, not a replacement.

I'm starting to ramble now sorry. I am desperately in need of some sleep.

Also, to the person who PM'd me, thank you. You're story has helped put things in perspective for sure and I'll just say that my thoughts are with you also.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*GldnLove*



GldnLove said:


> I just want to say thank you all for helping by telling you stories and the advice given. It is all very overwhelming for sure. I don't think I mentioned it in my original post, but Sam is my second Golden. We had Rose for 9 years and we lost her to cancer also. Chemo was not an option for her though. So we have been though palliative care before and am all to familiar with having to make the decision to let a pet pass to the bridge. Sam's situation is slightly different, but not by much. The chemo isn't really going to help him, there will be no "remission", just a possible extension of time like I said before. And as I said, extra hard on my husband as Sam is his heart dog, his best friend, his soul, and he is sooo young.
> 
> Sam has had a pretty good day today, yesterday too. It's hard to believe he is sick, but we can see differences for sure.
> 
> ...


GldnLove: You have been through so much. We are here for you and Sam.
Praying for you!


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Sam*

Praying for Sam and you.


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## KML611 (Mar 2, 2015)

Hi GldnLove - 

I am so sorry you are going through this difficult time. To say I understand is an understatement given my current situation with mysef and my Fergus. I think you may have saw my post about my baby boy - but if you did not - not only does he have lymphoma but I have been battling breast cancer. 

We were faced with the option of having a discussion with the oncologist after Fergus' diagnosis. I said no thanks right away. I could not put my dog through with what I had just went through (I had chemo first before surgery). I knew dogs handled chemo differently but I just did not want to see him go through it only to prolong his life by a few months. It was a very personal decision for me. Yes, I did go back and forth after making the decision and declining the option to discuss but looking back now I know I made the right decision. 

See I decided long ago that unless I knew for sure I could save one of my dogs without them suffering anymore I would let this life process take its course. This decision goes back over 13 years ago with my first Rotti - well actually she was my husband before I met him but she became mine when we met. See at 8 years old her spleen ruptured and if it was not for the fact that I noticed something was wrong with her (she would not eat the doritios I held out for her) and than fell over when she tried to stand up we probably would have lost her during the night while we slept. We rushed her to the emergency vet who immediately took her into surgery all the while we were being told what was happening and the costs....between sobbing and hearing how much everything was going to cost us I am suprise I did not pass out. My than boyfriend and I were literally on the phone with our credit card company begging for credit line increases (thankfully we worked for the credit card company and got a hold of people who were dog lovers). Long story short...$8,000 later between two surgeries, blood transfusions, etc we had our Storm for literally 30 days.....30! And although I did have her for 30 more additional days she never fully recovered from her surgery and just did not enjoy her life at the end...that still haunts me to this day. Since than we have lost 2 other dogs - my pretty girl, Amber to cancerous tumors (more likely spleen cancer) at 14 years of age and our other Rotti, Baja to bone cancer. We did not treat either of them, just enjoyed every minute we had with them until it was time to help them cross over. 

This decision is very personal and you and your husband will do what you feel is best. I, as well, did read a ton of stories on the internet (searched like crazy when Fergus was first unoffically diagnosis with something while we were awaiting the true test results) where people stated that they did chemo for the dog and looking back they would not do it again. Don't get me wrong, I did read other stories that people did choose the chemo route, but again that what makes this such a personal decision. I understand where your husband is coming from...trying to grasp at every possible option out there...been there a few too many times than I would like to admit. 

Just know that whatever decision you make you have my support, thoughts and prayers. This whole process sucks especially when it comes to our beloved fur babies.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Kml*



KML611 said:


> Hi GldnLove -
> 
> I am so sorry you are going through this difficult time. To say I understand is an understatement given my current situation with mysef and my Fergus. I think you may have saw my post about my baby boy - but if you did not - not only does he have lymphoma but I have been battling breast cancer.
> 
> ...


KML: This whole process really does stink!


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*GldnLove*

GldLove

Praying for Sam and you.


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## cram501 (Nov 16, 2014)

My girl Abby had hemangio in her bones. We got the diagnosis after she broke her achilles heel.

We put her on chemo and had her scheduled for 5 treatments. She did have discomfort for a day or two for the first 3 treatments. After the 4th treatment, she had discomfort for 5 or 6 days. We cancelled her treatment after the 4th.

The chemo did not extend her life although I would do it again. She was a bit droopy after chemo but her personality stayed the same up until the end.

One thing to keep in mind: If you do choose to follow chemo, you can stop at any point. If it causes too much discomfort or the side effects are too brutal, you can just stop.


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## GldnLove (Mar 5, 2015)

Karen519 said:


> Praying for Sam and you.


Thank you for the prayers. 
I also wanted to let you know, I believe you sent me a PM meant for someone else. I can't PM you back because I don't have enough posts yet. Just wanted to let you know so you can re-send to proper person.



KML611 said:


> Hi GldnLove -
> 
> I am so sorry you are going through this difficult time. To say I understand is an understatement given my current situation with mysef and my Fergus. I think you may have saw my post about my baby boy - but if you did not - not only does he have lymphoma but I have been battling breast cancer.
> 
> ...


Oh, you've been through so much, I'm sorry. Sending prayers your way.
We have decided not to do chemo. It was a very hard decision but we both do feel that it was the right one, especially given Sam's advanced cancer diagnosis.

This has all been just so hard. As, unfortunately all of you know from personal experience. 

Sam still gets "excited" about car rides and small little adventures but he can't run around like he used to. If someone saw him though, that didn't know he was sick probably wouldn't know it. But we know, and we also know how he was before being sick, so we see the difference. Meal times are hard sometimes. He'll gobble up something one day, walk away from it the next day. He's still eating, it's just finding what he'll eat that is tricky sometimes. And that in itself is upsetting too, when he walks away from food. And how much pain is he in right now, will I know when the pain increases and will we know when "it's time"? If the primary cancer is in fact bone cancer then I worry about breakage and how will I handle that if it happens while I am home with him alone. Well, I could go on and on. 

Thank you everyone for letting me talk about it even if at times it seems to be rambling. Give your fur babies a hug from me and Sam. 





cram501 said:


> My girl Abby had hemangio in her bones. We got the diagnosis after she broke her achilles heel.
> 
> We put her on chemo and had her scheduled for 5 treatments. She did have discomfort for a day or two for the first 3 treatments. After the 4th treatment, she had discomfort for 5 or 6 days. We cancelled her treatment after the 4th.
> 
> ...


Thank you for sharing your ordeal with me and I'm sorry for your loss. We have decided to not do chemo for many reasons and also the fact that his cancer has just spread too much.


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## jennygolden (Feb 16, 2015)

I proceeded to do chemotherapy with my loved one and I would do it all over again. I got 5 more months that I would never give up from it and it truly didnt bother her much. One thing you may want to try is this pill that has supporting evidence of prolonging a dogs life. I have seen it pop up a couple times on the forums and I personally used it as well. 

Penn News | Compound Derived From a Mushroom Lengthens Survival Time in Dogs With Cancer, Penn Vet Study Finds


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## Test-ok (Jan 15, 2015)

interesting link jenny and well worth a try. IMO


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## HolDaisy (Jan 10, 2012)

So sorry that you are going through this with your beautiful boy, it's just heartbreaking. When we lost our first golden Daisy to renal failure the first indication that she was ill was that she started leaving her food. It really is heartbreaking to see dogs that loved their food turning away, so I understand how you must be feeling 
Take everything a day at a time and when he's having a good day spend time doing all of the things that he loves. It's so tough to deal with, but I wish you many, many more days with your sweet boy.


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## pholter (Jan 24, 2015)

I'm having the same issues with food-- my baby basically ate only a few treats this week from Monday- Thursday. All of the paperwork says to feed chicken or turkey because beef/lamb are too rich. Last night, I just couldn't stand it anymore and went to the BBQ place and brought home some lean brisket. He ate it!! Poor baby had gas and bad #2's all night and kept going in and out and in and out, but at least he got some nutrients in his system. 

I hope your baby will stop walking away from the food soon-- I totally understand!

Hang in there.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*GldnLove*



GldnLove said:


> Thank you for the prayers.
> I also wanted to let you know, I believe you sent me a PM meant for someone else. I can't PM you back because I don't have enough posts yet. Just wanted to let you know so you can re-send to proper person.
> 
> 
> ...


GldnLove: Thanks for the heads-up about the private message. I am praying for Sam and you. Take lots of pics of him!


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## GldnLove (Mar 5, 2015)

I don't even know what to say right now.

Sam is gone. 

I can not believe this. I can barely even type this through my tears.
He left us yesterday morning. We had to rush him to the vet and ultimately had to make that gut wrenching decision to help him pass over the rainbow bridge.

Turns out, because of what happened yesterday morning, the vet feels it was most likely hemangio as the primary cancer.

He had such a good day Friday. He went for a ride, visited some people, had a hot dog, ate his meals well and he even got some ice cream in the evening. For the first time in a long time he got out his favorite stuffed animal and played with my husband. I'm comforted knowing he did have a good day but heartbroken and confused by how yesterday turned out. I'm trying so hard to not think that somehow we pushed him to far or something and brought about things sooner.

Thank you all for the prayers over the week.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Sam*



GldnLove said:


> I don't even know what to say right now.
> 
> Sam is gone.
> 
> ...


I am so very sorry about your sweet SAM. That is how Hemangio is very quick and aggressive. Ken and I have lost two or possibly three of our dogs to it. There is nothing you could have done that would have changed it. I added SAM to the Rainbow Bridge list and my Smooch, Snobear, Gizmo and Munchkin will keep him company!!

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...list/336474-rainbow-bridge-list-2015-a-3.html


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## pholter (Jan 24, 2015)

I am so sorry about Sam  Your story reminds me of my baby before Braxton came into my life. He was 16 and could barely walk from old age and just weakness. I had made the decision to take him to cross over and that very morning, he was running and playing ball like a puppy again. He did it for me! Sam had a great last day for you too. He wanted you to know how much he loved you. Words cannot express the feeling of loss and emptyness, but please know that we are all here with you.


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## Brinkleythegolden (Jun 18, 2012)

I'm so sorry about Sam...


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## Coopsmom (Jan 13, 2015)

I am so sorry to hear about Sam and can feel how heartbroken you are through your loving words. I have done a lot of hospice work and know that it's very common for people to "rally" days or hours before they die - in my experience, it seems like one last gift the person gives to their loved ones - memories of good times. I believe that goldens might do the same when they are able. I hope that you will soon be able to hang onto the wonderful memories of Sam's life and especially his most excellent day on Friday! hot dogs, ice cream, a ride in the car and play time with his best friends! I also hope that you will quickly be able to let go of the thought that you did anything wrong or incorrect. It's so clear that you loved Sam and gave him a wonderful, happy life. Be gentle with yourself as you grieve.


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## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

I am sorry this happened to your sam.


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## Bodiesmummy (May 6, 2014)

I am so sorry for your loss. As many of us here can tell you, with hemangio, there was NOTHING you could have done to change this outcome. What you DID do is give Sam the best last days you could and showed him how much he was loved before you did the hardest thing and let him go peacefully to the bridge. He's up there now, healthy and playing with all our fur babies that have passed. I'll tell Bodie and Cooper to say hi and share the sticks! Peace to you and yours.


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## Chritty (Aug 17, 2014)

I am so sorry


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## Doug (Jul 17, 2010)

Wishing you great peace and comfort during this horrible time.
Hermangio is like that one minute they are here and the next they are gone. Some people don't even get any warning signs.
Sam never liked to see you unhappy. This is no exception. He still continues to send you his love and comfort especially now. I hope that in time you can feel him continuing to cheer you on as your newest guardian angel.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you.


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## Ljcurqt (Mar 9, 2015)

So sorry, sounds like my beloved Jake.He was good one day and the next day he collapsed. Stayed three days in the pet hospital when they told us he had hemangiosarcoma. Brought him home and got three great weeks with him before he collapsed again. He fainted for a few mins. We knew what we had to do. He was only nine and we miss him every day. He passed January 12,2015


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## Susan: w/ Summit we climb (Jun 12, 2014)

I'm so sorry. You did what was best for your Sam. I'm so glad that you had some time with him before the end. We lost our Haley with just a day's notice. He had been slowing down, but we thought it was just aging.


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## my4goldens (Jan 21, 2009)

I am so sorry for your loss of Sam. 5 years old is far too young. He was a beautiful boy. I have lost one from hemangio and one from a collapsed lung, possibly from lung cancer. They were 11 and 12 1/2, I cannot imagine losing one as young as 5. Again, so sorry for your loss.


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## gold4me (Mar 12, 2006)

I am so very sorry for your loss. I know how hard it is to lose them and I know your hearts are broken. Sam gave you such a wonderful gift to put into your memories. I am sure you have many stories to share and we would love to hear them. I am sending you cyber hugs.


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## Harleysmum (Aug 19, 2014)

So sorry for your loss of this beautiful boy who was so handsome and loved so much. Please do not blame yourselves as it was only ever going to end one way and there was nothing you could do. Take comfort from the extra special day you had with him at the end and that he was able to eat some favourite foods and play with you one last time.


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## GldnLove (Mar 5, 2015)

Thank you so much everyone. I really wish I had found this forum sooner. I could have shared more happier times instead of my first post being what it was. 

Sam was loved SO much. His passing has left a hole that I truly believe no other could ever fill. We feel so lost without him. Nothing seems right with him not here. Don't get me wrong, I love all of my animals, but there was just something so special about Sam. I wish so badly that he could have been with us for so much longer.

My little Pomeranian is lost without him too. He is 12, diabetic, just had one eye removed a couple of months ago and is blind in the other eye and now he has lost his "little" brother. He has been wandering around the house looking for him (he knows the layout of the house so he never bumps into things). We have found him sitting by Sam's kennel a couple of times today too. It's all just so sad.

Please, if everyone could, give your Goldens a big hug for me. I'm going to miss wrapping my arms around my Sam so much and having him "talk" to me while I did.

Thank you again for being here. This truly is a great forum and I do plan on visiting different threads when I feel more up to it.


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## wjane (Oct 12, 2013)

I'm so sorry for your loss. Godspeed Sam.


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## HolDaisy (Jan 10, 2012)

I am so very sorry to hear of the loss of beautiful Sam, just heartbreaking  he was way too young to have to leave you. It sounds as if his final day with you was a precious one filled with him doing the things that he loved the most. He will live on in your heart forever and will always be around you in spirit. I'm going to hug my golden boy Sammy right now, he sends you special hugs.


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## MommyMe (Jan 20, 2014)

I am so, so sorry for your loss. I wish I could say something to bring you comfort. Please do not doubt yourself - you gave him a wonderful life, full of love, and a special day full of living! I hope that you will be able to look back at that day and cherish it along, with all of your other wonderful memories of your special boy. 

We are all here for you. Hugs to you.


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## SandyK (Mar 20, 2011)

I am so sorry for your loss of Sam. He was way too young. Such a beautiful last day you had with him. Cherish that forever. The hole you feel in your heart is his place...he will be there with you forever. My thoughts are with you as you grieve for your boy. RIP sweet Sam.


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## 3 goldens (Sep 30, 2005)

I am so sorry for the loss of your beautiful boy. We lost our 13 year old golden girl, Honey, to lymphoma last Aug followed 1 month and 10 days later by the death of our 7 year old Great Pyrenees, Shaggy, to hemangiosarcoma--fine one day, gone the next. I have been owned by and lost so many dogs in my 70 years and each one leaves a hole in your heart--but then another comes along and your heart makes room for him/her. No dog can ever take the place of another, your love just espands to the new one.

The golden in my avatar was only 4 yrs 2 months old when I lost him to autoimmune hemolytic anemia back in '03. He was my heart dog, special bond between us. I lost his litter mate suster 4 1/2 years later to cancer. It takes so many of our goldens.


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

I am so very sorry for the loss of Sam. He is a beautiful boy.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*GldnLove*



GldnLove said:


> Thank you so much everyone. I really wish I had found this forum sooner. I could have shared more happier times instead of my first post being what it was.
> 
> Sam was loved SO much. His passing has left a hole that I truly believe no other could ever fill. We feel so lost without him. Nothing seems right with him not here. Don't get me wrong, I love all of my animals, but there was just something so special about Sam. I wish so badly that he could have been with us for so much longer.
> 
> ...


Just hug your little Pom tightly. I know the pain you are in.


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## KML611 (Mar 2, 2015)

GldnLove - 

Words cannot take away the pain and heartbreak you and your family are feeling. I am truly sorry for your loss. I understand the heartbreak all to well and as you know I am dealing with my boy Fergus. My husband and I know we are on borrowed time with Fergus. 

Sam knew he had a wonderful family who loved him very, very much. Over time you will one day be able to smile at all the wonderful memories, but for now take the time you need to grieve. This is never easy. Please know that Sam is in good company at rainbow bridge not only with my Amber but all the other pups who have passed. As crazy as this sounds I hope that when Fergus crosses over he finds Sam and they get to play together until we get to see them again. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.


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