Prayers for Tucker

[Tuckaboo Pam]

Hey Everybody. I haven't been able to be on the forum in quite awhile. Lots of family stuff has been happening. It's good to know this place still chugs away.

Those of you who know me will remember that it was my Tucker who brought me to the group. My little craiglist shepherd/lab puppy who had all kinds of problems in his young life, culminating in an EPI diagnosis when he was 5. My good boy, my scary-looking, scared-of-his-own-shadow good boy. This group has helped me get Tuck to a point of good management, and I am eternally grateful for this.

If you have a dog with a chronic condition, and if you do all that you can to help them, you are, by definition, a dog lover. In my experience, dog lovers are the best people on the planet. It's not easy, loving a being who needs so much care. The people on this forum are all dog lovers, so I am reaching out to you this morning for some positive energy. Please send love to my Tucker. He is currently at the UF Small Animal Hospital.

According to the imaging, his belly is full of fluid, suspected blood from a ruptured tumor. When we left the house yesterday at 3:00 to go to our grandson's birthday party, Tucker was fine, but by 6:00 he was not himself. Something similar happened a few months ago, and it was very expensive to figure out that he had a bad case of gas. So we decided to wait this one out. Overnight he got progressively worse. Wouldn't eat, very lethargic, and by 6:00 this morning he could barely walk. So we went to the ER.

Tucker has been stabilized now, and he's awaiting surgery and more imaging to see if he has cancer, and to see if the tumor that ruptured is attached to his spleen or his liver. Hoping for spleen. There's a 30% chance it's not cancer, and I'm hanging my hat on that hook. He has several lipoma fatty tumors, so maybe this is one more of those. Positive thoughts.

So if you have a minute, will you please send some positive, dog-lover energy to my sweet boy? I love him so much. He's been through a lot in his nine years, and it just wouldn't be fair for him to leave us this way. So sudden. Thanks everyone.

As Always---Pam & Tucker

[jilbert57]

Oh Pam! I am so sorry to hear Tucker will have surgery. I hope they can figure everything out and pray that Tucker recovers. Our furry family members.
Prayers for Tucker. Please keep us informed. Take care of yourself.

Jill

[Michaela]

Lots of love and prayers for sweet Tucker and a big hug for you. I'm in tears just reading this because I know what it's like

He seems to be in very capable hands, keep us posted.

Michaela

[Tuckaboo Pam]

Thank you, Michaela & Jill.

Tuck's in surgery. After speaking at length to the surgeon, odds are this is cancer, and a bad one. Good news is, the mass was on his spleen, and that can be removed. Bad news is, there are a few nodules on his liver. So, 66% chance it's cancer. Median survival rate of two months if we just bring him home, four months if we do chemo.

I'm sure, if Tucker dies sometime in the next few months, I will question why I didn't hesitate to sign a $7,000.00 agreement for his care. Maybe I should have given myself some time, but oh, there was no time. Humane euthanasia or surgery, and how does a person make a decision like that on the run? They would not have released him to me after giving him a transfusion, and that policy is correct. I get it. But now, if letting him go is the right thing to do, it will be done in Tucker's own back yard, with Dr. Jackie, who he loves. So, in this case money is time.

I'll get back when I know more.

Take Care----Pam & Tucker

[jilbert57]

Thanks for the update Pam. You can't put a price on them. Both Mickey and Kiya made a last hurrah with money for surgeries and not optimal outcomes but I wouldn't change what was done.
Big hugs

Jill

[Michaela]

Sounds like Hemangiosarcoma...I am so sorry Prayers that the surgeon is wrong and it turns out benign.

It's tough to make decisions like this on the spot, you did the best with the information you had. I usually research everything but that's not always possible.

I belong to a GSD board and there are many posts about this type of cancer. It may help to talk with people who have been through this, or you can just do a search and read. Here is the link: https://www.germanshepherds.com/

Hang in there

[Montgomery]

Thinking of you all and hoping Tucker defies the odds.

[Tuckaboo Pam]

Thanks, V. I should have included all animal lovers. Montgomery looks great.

[Tuckaboo Pam]

Michaela, that sounds like the word she used. I am so sorry to see that you lost Nikki., and so recently. It is really hard. I'm happy to be back on the forum, and I'd like to think that, like you, I will still be able to help others, even after my Tucker leaves us.

Just accessed the group you recommended after the vet assured me she's now 90% sure it's hemangiosarcoma, due to the fact that it is small and it bled. Looks like nothing in his liver or abdomen, after all. 10-14 days for the lab work.

So, here we go. ----P

[Montgomery]

Keep us posted. We're all thinking of you guys.