Blissful ignorance
Kona’s chemo finished in March 2013 and thereafter every 3 months we would have a blood test done which checked for elevated levels of calcium. As well a manual exam plus ultrasound.
Each time the results came back clean, we were starting to ease into a form of blissful ignorance. In October, after another routine examination session I went to pick him up and he was not there, which was odd since the vet techs would always have him waiting at reception. My vet met with me and shattered the bliss with the words “I’m so sorry to have to tell you this, but the cancer is back and it has metastasized to his lymph nodes.” It felt like I fell through the chair I was sitting on down into the bowels of the earth.
How could this happen again?
He had no signs 3 months ago and now it’s in two areas? Turns out this is an aggressive yet slow moving form of cancer. Our vet said this would require a team of specialists and recommended a referral to the reknown Animal Cancer Centre at the University of Guelph.
I picked up Kona, gave him a hot dog for being so good and sobbed in the car. Little did I realize there were rivers of tears yet to come.