Tonka was my first dog and best friend. My boyfriend and I got him when he was only 7 weeks old. He was very affectionate and loved attention. Tonka was our protector and companion. Although he was 125 pounds, he thought he was a lap dog. It never crossed my mind that this would ever happen to him.

In the Summer of 2004, Tonka stopped eating regularly and began losing weight. He vomited blood, so we took him to the vet where they found a lump on his spleen. This was found to be stage 4 (possibly stage 5) lymphoma. Tonka was only 3-1/2 years old.

We decided to try chemotherapy to fight the lymphoma. The vet told us that his type of lymphoma generally responds well to chemo. Shortly after the first treatment, Tonka began to eat again. We gave him anything and everything he wanted, including burgers from McDonalds. Treatment was continued weekly for the next month. He was eating well, but still seemed to be lethargic. Although his weight wasn't decreasing, he appeared as if he was losing more and more weight. We planned to continue with the chemo as long as Tonka wasn't suffering.

On September 3, 2004, exactly one month after Tonka was diagnosed, we left for work in the morning and he seemed fine. When we arrived home at the end of the day we found him lying there, completely unresponsive, but still alive. We immediately rushed him to the vet. They told us he had an acute collapse. Shortly after we arrived, he began seizing and gasping for air. We made a quick, but difficult, decision to put him to sleep and end his suffering. His heart stopped moments before the vet could administer the drugs. Our vet suspected that his spleen had ruptured.

Tonka was cremated and now sits in his favorite spot on the fireplace. It has been one of the hardest things I have had to deal with. We don't regret any of the decisions we made regarding Tonka's lymphoma. We tried to give him the best in his short life. He will be missed and will always hold a special place in our hearts that can never be replaced.

Carrie and Sheldon