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Koda
was our first puppy.
I held her in my hands when
she was 4 days old.
Although both of her
parents were standard AKC
registered Rottweilers, Koda had
long-hair.
We brought her home when
she was 5 weeks old and enjoyed
her immensely.
She had health issues
before being diagnosed with
cancer, namely, hip displaysia,
torn cruciate ligament (repaired
with surgery in December, 1999)
and arthritis in both knees.
On
April 25, 2005, eight days before
Koda’s 8th birthday,
she was diagnosed with lymphoma.
The lymph nodes in her
throat were swollen which is what
had brought us to the vet in the
first place.
We were referred to an
oncologist in Springfield,
Virginia who confirmed the
diagnosis with a bone aspirate.
We were told that the
prognosis was that if we did a
full round chemotherapy with every
regression, Koda would live
approximately 12-14 months from
diagnosis.
We
made the decision to start
chemotherapy.
Koda responded to the
chemotherapy extremely well.
She went into remission
almost immediately.
The weekly visits to the
doctor were very stressful for
Koda, but medically she did
fabulously.
In fact, other than the
shaved patches on her legs where
the injections were administered,
it was hard to tell that she was
sick.
We went through an entire
6-month chemotherapy protocol and
everyone had high hopes for Koda
beating the odds and outliving the
prognosis.
Koda’s
first remission lasted 8 ½
months.
She came out of remission
January 16, 2006.
We had been advised that
the second remission is usually
half the length of the first, so
we made the decision not to begin
weekly injections.
We did not want the
remainder of Koda’s life to be
plagued by stress.
During
the second regression, Koda began
to loose weight and hair.
She no longer looked like
the longhaired dog that she was.
Late on the afternoon of
Friday, February 3, 2006, Koda had
a check-up with her regular vet
who said that her lymph nodes were
almost normal size, but her spleen
was extremely enlarged.
This was a concern as her
spleen could rupture and cause
Koda to bleed out internally.
I was instructed to call
the oncologist first thing Monday
to alert her to the latest.
Koda deteriorated rapidly
over the weekend.
She had trouble standing on
her own and was not interested in
food.
By Sunday night, it was
obvious that she was near the end.
Monday, February 6, 2006, I
had to pick her up to put her in
the car to travel to see the
oncologist for euthanasia.
The oncologist assured us
that medically it was time to let
Koda go.
In fact, the doctor was
surprised that Koda had lasted as
long as she had.
We chose to be with Koda
during the final injection.
Koda would not look at me,
but my husband says that at the
very end, she looked at him and
smiled before laying her head down
for the last time.
I
have no regrets about Koda’s
treatment.
I know that we did
everything possible to make her
life not only longer but also
enjoyable.
Of the 8½ months that she
battled lymphoma, she only had 6
days that were really bad.
I don’t know that full
chemotherapy is the right choice
for every dog owner as it is very
expensive, financially and
emotionally.
For us, it was the only
choice.
I do not have to torture
myself saying, what if.
Koda
will not be our last Rottweiler,
but I sincerely hope she is the
last one we have to travel this
road with. It
saddens me that such a wonderful
breed of dog is plagued with so
many health issues.
We are grieving our loss of
a special soul and trying to
adjust to the empty house.
Christie
Tompkins
Please
feel free to e-mail me at dakoda-dct@lycos.com
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