Murphy was sick for 2-3 weeks in September. We knew something was wrong but we thought he ate something. We now understand he was growing a tumor in his intestine. 

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Friday 9/19 he coiled in pain and I took him to the regular vet. We now know the tumor burst, causing a septic abdomen. He had a fever of 102 when we brought him to the emergency room at 4 PM at 9/19 after the vet took his temp. It seems strange to say now but it wasn’t scary. He had his head out the window. The vet set expectations that he’d stay the night because of the fever. We also knew he was sick and needed more tests. The vet also thought he may have eaten something or had a blockage. 

 

At 7 PM they called saying he had a mass that burst and would not last the night. They recommended either putting him down or doing surgery. The surgery had a 50/50 shot of saving his life. 

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Midnight they called to say Murphy survived. He spent 4 days in the hospital and came home to us. On 9/26 the tumor came back cancerous. 

 

On my birthday (9/26) I was out for a run when the vet called. I answered. We talked for 30 minutes. I found out during that call that Murphy had cancer and then I had to run home. Brutal. By the time I got home I was emotionally and physically exhausted. 

 

I have not figured out the emotional piece but I found starting with a plan, even just boiling some lean turkey, just calmed me and then Murphy down. They pick up on our energy. I also learned that cancer in dogs is very common  (60%!) and dogs can live with cancer. We bring our emotional baggage to the word “cancer” from our human experience.

 

I started this blog and website to help others. I am not a vet. This is not medical advice. But I found all of this very overwhelming. 

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