If I could save time in a bottle….

If you know anything about me you know I love my dog, Hercules, tremendously.  He is the first dog I have ever had from puppy stage

to full grown. He turned 11 earlier this year.  Unreal how times flies.  In a blink, that’s how it moves.  Seems unfair.

Where am I going with this you ask? Al and I have been dealing with a whole bucket of mixed emotions these past few days and I wanted to ask you for your prayers,

A few months ago we noticed Herc had started limping.  We treated it as a sprain/torn ligament up until this week.  The swelling was not getting better, only bigger.  Now, understand, Herc is part Belgian Malinois and part Dutch Shepherd.  If you know anything about those breeds they are very high strung, very agile and extremely hard nosed.  So, with that said, he never acted as if he was in any pain throughout these past few months.  It’s so difficult to tell if they hurt as they still act like their hyper crazy self and carry on as normal. With the continued swelling, we decided to get him to the vet for his annual check up and to see what was going on with his ankle. We had no idea how our lives would be changed forever once leaving that vet appointment.  After a full evaluation, x-rays and scans the Doc said my big guy has cancer.  A very aggressive one at that.  If localized he would have to lose his leg or we could let him live out his life as normal as possible with the injured leg.  If it spread, well, we would do our best to make him as comfortable as possible until the bitter end.  Al took him to Knoxville the very next morning for a full body scan and a ton of bloodwork.  Fortunately, it is local. Praise.  No spreading has occurred yet.  We decided to opt for the surgery along with 4 doses of chemo.  We were initially told this would prolong his life for approximately 10 months.  Although that doesn’t seem like a long time to most that was enough for us to say do the surgery.  We are not ready (are you ever?) to let him go.  So, surgery is scheduled for this coming Wednesday at 7am.  I pray he pulls through that and has an easy transition.  After all, he has technically been a tripod since November.  Only he’s been having to carry the weight of the injured leg.

To say the least, the last few days have been a whirlwind of emotions.  I have had to fight to get out of bed each day.  Loss of appetite.  Anxiety through the roof.  I do feel some relief knowing he’s not leaving us any time soon.  Matter of fact,  we got the full bloodwork results back today and it now states he could live 12 to 18 months longer with surgery.  Such good news!

I’m now researching all the things to do to physically prepare for a tripod dog around the house.   We have some plans to reduce the times he has to go up and down the stairs among many other little things. Emotionally, we will be strong for him. My heart aches though.  I have moments of pure sadness but, those are usually when I am alone.  I tend to think too much.  It’s been a curse for me my whole life.  So, I try and stay busy to distract my thoughts.

Most of us spend our days living as if nothing will ever change.  A predictable, for the most part, routine.  Day after day.  You see your loved ones, your pets, never thinking how limited our time is on this earth.   You know changes are out there on the horizon but, it appears so far away.  Then, snap your fingers and life is catching up with you.  Al and I were talking about Herc this morning and we both said, “It’s not like he is six”.  How did we not think something like this was around the corner?  Where’s that time in a bottle?  You can never be prepared for all the hard blows life throws at you.

So, going forward, I plan to be more present in the moment.  Appreciating my fur babies more.  Appreciating others more.  I can’t go passed Herc without laying some kisses on his forehead and saying I love you.  Teenie, (Athena) his sister, gets all the love, too!  She knows something is going on and has done a great job taking over the role of Protector.  Honey, Bun and kittens get all the attention as well!  Didn’t want to leave those babies out!  If you thought these dogs were spoiled before, you ain’t seen nothing yet!  I’ve never been so happy to see drool spots on the kitchen floor and nose art on the windows as I have this week!

Can I ask that you please pray for my big guy on Wednesday or every day until Wednesday!?!  And, if you could so kindly share my post to get the word out to all those that know me, Al and our puppies.  I would really appreciate it.  We, he, needs all the prayers right now.

As always, thank you so much for reading.

Elisa