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Jumping the gun; Keisha has not got long...


ricey
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Keisha had her spleen removed 4 weeks ago. She had a haemangiosarcoma that ruptured, causing a big intra-abdominal bleed. She survived the bleed, and the surgery. A week after the splenectomy, she chased and caught a big black rat in the backyard. Phuck I love this dog! There's nothing like an old family red American Pitbull terrier when it comes to indomitable.

 

But, she is not indomitable this time. Dogs just don't come back from haemangiosarcoma. Best guess is she has 1 or 2 months at most. The usual story is that she will get a secondary in her heart, liver or lungs. This will rupture, causing a catastrophic and fatal bleed. However, at the moment she is frolicking about like 6 month old puppy. Jo and I are taking as much pleasure as we can with Keisha as she is right now. Previously I had made sure to keep her weight at 33kg, but that is not important now. Now is the time for kangaroo liver treats and pig ear chews.

 

A few of my favourite quotes:

 

"Do you know what love is? Sure I know; a boy loves his dog"

 

"Beware of pitbulls; they will steal your heart"

 

"American Pitbull terrier; anything else is just a dog"

 

I am dying inside right now; this dog brought me back from the brink and I really don't know how I am going to cope without her

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I’m so sorry to hear of your sad news about Keisha. My beautiful girl Zena had hermangiosarcoma. Hers never ruptured but I know on her off days she was having little bleeds. When diagnosed we were told she had barely a month but she hung on for 2 months. She did have some bad days where I was nearly making the dreaded decision but just as I thought this was it she would look at me and start acting totally normal and happy again. Just enjoy whatever time you have with her. Make lots more happy memories. And I totally agree with all the treats etc. Zena loved ice cream and I didn’t care what she had by then. Whatever made her happy. Take care and hopefully you get the most time with her. Xx

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So sorry Ricey,

Nothing I say can change what you are going through, or what will come, but remember the love goes both ways, and the meaning of her life has been tied to you guys.

If she could speak, I'm sure she would say she would want her life to have a positive impact on yours going forward, not a negative one.

 

Hugs to all of you.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm so sorry Ricey. :kissbetter:

It's natural to grieve before they leave you physically because you will have that spiritual bond forever. Coming to peace with their loss is so hard, just remember Keisha will always be with you. xxxxx Sending love. :heart:

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Hi Ricey, long time no see. I'm sorry that you're visiting with such shit news. 

 

I hope Keisha and you share a few more really special moments before her time comes to an end. Take care Ricey.

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Oh Ricey I am so very sorry to read this.

 

I will offer you some hope. Zeph had a haemangiosarcoma and had his spleen removed. They found it when he had a blockage at the junction of his small and large intestine. So a double whammy. He lived another 12 months before any secondary tumours made themselves know. We gave him his wings due to a mass on his heart, which we discovered after he collapsed on his walk.

 

Wishing you and Keisha as much time as Zeph and I had. Make as many memories as you can. Lots of adventures, photos and videos. :heart:

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  • 2 months later...

Hey all,

thank you all for your messages. Keisha is still with us and going strong. It is now 5 months since her splenectomy, and she is still prancing about like a pup. I just bought another 3 months' worth of pig's ears and raw hide chews. Perhaps she will die tomorrow but I am an optimist. Go girl! Love you to bits!

ricey

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  • 8 months later...

14 months now since Keisha was given 1 to 2 months to live. Still going strong. Just had a look at her microchip certificate; it lists Keisha's birth date as 15/08/2009. If that is correct, that means that Keisha is one month shy of being 14 years old. She certainly does not look like she is fixing to die anytime soon. Love this dog more than any of you could possibly imagine (but I guess all of us dog folk do recognise how much we love our dogs).

ricey

 

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  • 2 months later...

Yeah, just had a really close look at Keisha's sterilization certificate. The date is 20/08/2013, not 2008. However, as she was at minimum 18 months when she was sterilized, that still makes her 12 years old. Plus, she is doing fine; just got her latest blood tests back: liver- fine; pancreas- fine; kidneys- fine; RBC count- fine; white blood cell count- fine. My vet checked her HR, temp, resp rate, auscultated her, and palpated her abdomen; all fine.

What can I say, except that a boy loves his dog.

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