[nickeknew]

You guys are great friends let me know if you guys need anything

[Clough]

Yes, nickeknew! Thank you for being willing to share about these things here with us! If there is ever any other things about which you want to ask or share, please feel free to do so! Unlike a lot of other sites, this site is monitored extremely well and you can feel safe here!

[jrebel7]

You guys are great friends let me know if you guys need anything

Thank you Nickeknew!! See, I was right, you have a lot of love to give!! :p

[nickeknew]

This still hurts though...

[nickeknew]

Lol I guess I'm like Snoopy

[ChihuahuaMomma]

It does hurt. I had a dog that passed away when I was 15 (7 years ago), and I still miss her. I have a Chihuahua now, and I would be absolutely devastated if something happened to her.

[jrebel7]

I know it still hurts and it will for awhile but keep looking for that miracle. Love brings joy and pain but we enjoy it or endure, we live through it, we learn from it, that is part of life.

One of the hardest things I had to learn and I was one year younger than you at the time, when my best friend died from Leukemia (a form of cancer), was that bad things happen to good people (or pets as here). We don't always understand why but we are given special friends to give us encouragement that is what we hope to give to you!

[jrebel7]

I have to bid all a goodnight but I will be back here tomorrow and catch up on the posts. Please do keep posting your feelings and experiences and we will do our best to help you through this. I hope your parents know how much you are hurting. If they don't, I suggest you share with them so they can also help and your close friends also but know we will be here. Hug that little Snoopy dog for me! Night, night.

[nickeknew]

How active is this site in the day

[nickeknew]

Its hard though there is surgery we can't afford it with my step sibs staying th summer

[ChihuahuaMomma]

Far more so than it is now... It's really a great place. I've gained some fantastic friends here. You'll always get an answer to a question that same day... or at least a response.

[nickeknew]

I hate not being able to afford the surgery

[nickeknew]

Night

[Allheart]

OH Sweet Nicknew - You precious girl. And how blessed you are to have given Snoopy so much love.

You just keep giving him all that love and through your tears, just know that Snoopy is a very lucky boy, who had you and your family to love him. There are people out there who should never own a pet, that don't know how to give the type of love that you do. Imagine if he ended up in one of those homes.

You are a precious young lady, and I do know your pain. I don't have any children so my little fur babies are my children. I now have two resting in peace in doggie heaven. But guess what? I'm not sad anymore, because I know every moment they were loved and my husband and I laugh and smile at all the great memories Flakey and Tina Marie gave us.

Animals are precious beings and you are so precious for giving Snoopy all that love.

Here's a big huge hug. Proud of you sweetheart.

[N0help4u]

The sooner you start this the better and I am sorry but there is absolutely NO guarantee but in your dogs situation I would try it anyway. I 'reversed' my dogs cancer with this
You can get these at health food stores
The better and more expensive the quality the better it is

The most essential are
CO Q 10
Shark Cartilage or bovine cartilage
Green tea tablets
Chinese astragulus

Give him the maximum daily amounts on the bottle
And do not miss a day.

Drs will tell you 'you' or the 'loved' one have 3 months, 3 years, whatever but they do not know some die sooner some live way longer. My neighbor was suppose to die a year and a half ago with his cancer and liver problems and he is still alive and kicking.

My Chou had lost all her fur, would not eat or drink, was constantly throwing up and wouldn't get up from her corner. I started giving her the supplements and within two weeks her fur was growing back, she was eating, not throwing up and outside playing with my Huskie.

Like I said there is no guarantee but it is your best chance. If you do these and he starts improving let me know so I can give you more suggestions.

[jrebel7]

Good Morning Nickeknew! What NOhelp4u says about time lines for life is so true. My sis-n-law has cancer. When the doctors told her most people don't live past 6 months from diagnosis, my brother told her that he did not see and "expiration date" stamped on her forehead or anywhere. I thought that was so good what he said. She has now passed the six month time frame and was at our house just day before yesterday for a visit. She has beaten the odds given to her by her doctor.

If you can, I would give a try what NOhelp suggested. If you can't find the products or your parents won't allow you to purchase them, just be content to know you are and have done all you can do. You have given a love that Snoopy would not have had, you have prayed for Snoopy, and you have reached out to others and your life and Snoopy's has touched each of us. You are quite a special person!

[Chery]

Hi Nickeknew.. glad you found this site and also glad that you feel 'at home' here.

I have had pets all my life, from the usual dogs, cats.. and also turtles, fish, spiders, hamsters, g-pigs, etc. I never knew life without a pet and that was due to the love of my step-dad who passed away from a massive heart attack. He taught me love and respect for animals and also the responsibilities for care and the potential loss. Well, since then, I have had to give up a lot of them because we were in the military and we had to move around a lot. So, I learned fast that no matter how much we love and will miss our pets, we also sometimes have to give them up - either to better homes or to the normal cycle of their lives and deaths. Since I was the oldest in the family, I also had to take a few of my pets to the vet and be there when they got their injections to painlessly let them fall asleep because they were too old and sick. It hurt like heck, but I knew that they were no longer in pain. You see, after loving me and giving me much joy in life, I felt they deserved to be able to be without pain or bodily restrictions when their time came. And surgery for cancer in an old dog is just a humans's way of wanting to keep them longer, but sometimes that is selfish because even after surgery there is no guarantee that the cancer and pain will be gone.

Just as in us humans, once a cancer cell is activated, there is no guarantee whatsoever that it can be stopped, and also no guarantee that the quality of life will be better. It is just a way of life that we have to accept for us and our pets when the time comes.

The hardest part is dealing with the loss, whether we talk about people or animals. The loss is painful, but I always think of the wonderful times I had with those I lost - my memories of them keep them alive in my heart - no matter what. And, it's OK to mourn and cry, that's the emotional part of us that needs to be allowed and dealt with - it's what makes us human.

My cat Larry (in my avatar) is now 19 years old and he has a lump in his tummy, a slight heart condition and is not as fast as he was before... but I will NOT let him get operated on because I feel he is comfortable at home with me - he's on my lap or in my bed with me all the time and would not feel good in a vet hospital or anywhere else. As long as he is happy, I want to let him be happy and not in pain. I also am aware that that is pretty old for a cat and that nature will eventually do it's thing and let him leave this world. But until then, I plan on letting him be as happy and comfortable with me as he wants to.

I too have cancer, and they did not give me this long to survive - but I'm still here and don't know for how much longer, but I plan on staying at home with my cat, visit my grandchild, and be in the comforts of my own environment instead of a cold and sterile hospital until my time comes. I also did not allow operations or chemo-therapy because that would have reduced the quality of the time I have left which is more important to me - to be with my loved ones.
I have a great family, both here on this site and here at home where I live - and I don't want to give that up - not till the last minute.

And I'm sure that your Snoopy wants the same things. Snoopy remembers the love and feels it always - you can see it in the eyes and gestures when he sits near you and places his paws on your lap.. the comfort and love you give him is something that never can be taken away and animals feel that. Don't feel bad about not being able to afford surgery.. at his age, it will not do much good anyway and it will reduce the quality of life he still has left - and I hope he's still with you... if not, then just remember that he felt love and was happy with you - and you loved and were happy while he filled your life with new emotions and joy.

Sadness, frustration and pain are unfortunately also a part of life, and we all go through it every day. That's when we turn to friends and family members to comfort us a bit, and we in turn comfort them when they are in need. So, consider us an extension of that circle of friends who will comfort you in your time of need and stay with us and keep on expressing - it's important. We should never show false strength in times of sorrow and it's OK to let it out.

This turned out a little longer than I expected, but I hope that you stay with us and get a chance some day to send us a picture - maybe through a friend's computer.

Hope to hear from you again soon, dear - and give Snoopy a special hug from us too.

[nickeknew]

Wow I will try those suppliments and he is getting skinny

[jrebel7]

Hey there Nickeknew, do keep us posted on how Snoopy is doing. I will be interested to see how he responds to the supplements. Tonight may be a little slow on posts being a weekend but others will be around. I need to sign off for now but just wanted to touch base with you about Snoopy!! Night and Sweet Dreams to you!

[Merricat]

Hi everyone, I just found this thread. As a vet, I pretty much agree with everything that's being said. There are no guarantees with medicine--we can not predict what will work, what won't, or anything, really. Do you know, or can you find out what kind of cancer they diagnosed? I might be able to give you some more information on it--sometimes part of the pain is not having all of the answers.
As for the supplements, I personally have no problem with any of them (respecting, of course, that I am not Snoopy's Dr.). If you do add any of them to Snoop's regimen, do me the favor of letting his Dr. know what you're giving him. Rarely, some over-the-counter supplements can interact with the prescriptions we use, and his Dr. will want to know if he has anything else "on board" so they can keep him safe while they treat him.
Also, I'm not sure where you are in the country, but there are some great Pet Loss Support Hotlines out there. These hotlines allow you to talk to someone who is trained in the grieving process and can help you work through the emotions. For a list:

Care For Animals

I worked on the Hotline while at school at Tufts University. I don't know what all the hotlines do, but Tufts will call you back free of charge if you call them and leave a message when they are not there.