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Photo: MaxOur Rottweiler Max - Dealing with Cancer
submitted by Julie Kelly on February 2, 2011

I was touched by the stories I have read on your web site about other Rottweiler owners who have shared our pain. I felt I wanted to share my story about my Rottweiler Max.

Max was an energetic, loving, and protective Rottweiler that my husband and I fell in love with. He started out as a friend's dog at the time, and little did we know he would become ours. My friend had planned a weekend getaway and needed someone to watch Max, and my husband and I had quickly agreed we would watch him for the weekend. Needless to say we fell in love with him, and later came to find out that my friend could not keep him. They had told us if we couldn't take him than they new someone with a junkyard that would use him as a watch dog. We quickly realized how that would turn out for Max, and we agreed to keep him.

Before long we found out how much energy he had, and how strong he was. He would fly up and down the three flights of stairs in our townhouse like it was nothing. He stood at the front and back windows and would bark at any person walking up and down the road, like he owned the road. He loved playing with his bones, and would throw them on our lap as to say, "play with me."  He loved tug of war, and few people could match up with the strength of his jaws. He loved long walks on his leash, although we wished we had more time to walk him, but we took him when we could. He was great on his leash and always walked by my side. He loved to lay by the fireplace in the winter, and loved sleeping in our bed too!

About three years ago our first son was born, and Max was great with the baby. We felt bad that he had to take a "back seat" with a newborn around, but he seemed to adjust fine to a new family member. Shortly after that we moved from our townhouse into a new house, and things changed for Max. He seemed to adjust to the new house, and we changed a few rules like sleeping in our bed.

A year in the new house had passed and winter set in, and I noticed a change in Max. Besides putting on some weight I noticed he wasn't eating one weekend and was vomiting occasionally. This had passed and I just figured he had eating one of my sons toys in the basement since he always seemed to pick up something. He went back to normal a few days later. We had his yearly vet visit and everything seemed to check out besides needing a diet.

A few more weeks had past and I again noticed a change in Max. He was very sluggish and was not eating, and this seemed to change almost overnight. When I came down the next morning, I found him laying on the tile floor in a spot that he never sleeps. It happened to be right in front of the coffee pot, which was where I headed every morning as soon as I woke up. He was also my exercise buddy in the morning and would eagerly wait for me to open the basement door so he could fly down the stairs and play while I exercised, but this morning he didn't move. He just looked up at me with sad eyes and said "not today mom." I knew at that point something was seriously wrong with him.

I went up to take my shower and get ready to rush him to the vet, and my husband sat down with him, and he too knew something was not right. Max didn't move he just wagged his tail, and laid there as if to say...this is it. On the way to the vet I said to myself, and figured..OK maybe its not that serious he will be OK. I brought him into the exam room and the vet decided to give him some x-rays and blood work since his abdomen looked swollen. I agreed and said I would be back to pick him up later that day. He jumped off the table and was whisked away into the back room. I didn't get a chance to say good bye as I didn't think that would be the last time I would ever see him alive.

I went to work as normal and waited for the phone call. The phone rang around 10:30 with some bad news. The vet told me he was anemic which is why he was so weak and blood was leaking into his abdomen. The x-ray showed that his spleen had a tumor on it, and they would have to remove it. The blood work also showed to be what they thought was cancer. I had a decision to make, either we proceed with surgery or he would have to be put down that week. We decided to proceed with surgery with the hope that it would give us a few more months with him, and keep him as comfortable as possible.

I waited that afternoon for the phone call, and then the horrible news came. The cancer had spread through his entire abdomen, and the vet suggested we didn't proceed any further, that his quality of life would not be good. I broke down in tears and thanked her for trying. She told me that they could stop the surgery, and wake him back up for us to say good buy and then put him to sleep, but it really wasn't fair to do that to him. To put him through the pain of waking only to be put back to sleep. I realized I would never see him again and this was the end.

I immediately went home and cried my eyes out. My husband and I felt terrible guilt and went through all the things we could have done better with him. We felt horrible that we weren't able to say good bye and tell him how much we loved him. His life was only 8-1/2 short years and he died to soon. There is a hole in our hearts and the house seems so quiet and empty without him. Every time I walk in the door or come downstairs I know someone is missing. Sometimes I think he is still there.

It was very painful putting away his things, like his toys, and food dishes, and we miss him very much. Maybe one day we will welcome a new Rottweiler into our lives, but for now we miss Max dearly.

Rest in peace dear Max
May 2002-January 31 2011

julie.kelly44@yahoo.com

 

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