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Peanut
 
This is the story of a
special little man....
We at BT Help got notice of a male BT
in a kill shelter in New York so, we made phone
calls & made arrangements
to pick him up from the shelter. Had to be done quickly since they
only allow them so many days to be there before they are put down. I
live in New Jersey and do most of the fostering in this area for our
group, so since the shelter was in New York, someone else from the group
was going to pick him up. We were told by the shelter that he had a few
lumps/bumps on him, We were
quite stunned when we picked up the dog. Here was this tiny
skinny
thing with
these lumps all over his
body. When he was spoken to, he just wagged his
little bt butt & we knew
right then, there was no way he was staying there. So, off to
New
Jersey he came. We
started calling him Peanut that day & he responded to it! When I saw
this little man, I wanted to cry. How could someone let this
little Peanut get so bad
& then just dump him. (shelter said he was a stray) Next
morning, I take him to my vet to be checked. I leave him at vets
office & a few hours later vet calls me with report. He
himself was stunned. 2 Vets at the office & neither have ever
seen anything like it. He has numerous growths all over his
body. Some small, some large, others hard, others soft. (Has
about 30 or more) From his body the vet said you'd think he was
10 yrs old, but, from his mouth & all, he'd guess 5-6 yrs old.
First
think we did was do blood work & if all came back fine, they would
do biopsy
on a few of them. Next
day they removed 5 large tumors. And he came home to be with us.
All that Peanut has been thru & was still loving &
trusting. My husband saw him for the first time that night, &
I was waiting for his response as to seeing him.
Here is my hubby looking in the fridge for something & along comes
Peanut, and my
hubby says
"Well Hello there!
You want a ham sandwich too?" That was it. They
then proceeded to eat some cold cuts.. Week later, biopsy results come
back. The diagnosis is Mast Cell Tumors. On a grade of 1 to 4 his
are grade 2. Prognosis is not good, according to the vet. If
he only had a few, they could
remove them, but, when removing mast cell tumors, you must be able to
take a good amount of tissue around the tumor. Since Peanut has
so many that cannot be done.
Since there are so many, the removal of all of them in
impossible, his body couldn't
take it. Of course then there were other questions for the vet.
Length of time he would have, 2 to 9 mths. But, of course there is
no
guarantee.
I also wanted to know if there were signs I should be on the look out
for. Vet said that would happen is he would start to be weak, tired
& not eating. That would be a sign that the tumors were
effecting him. These tumors give off Histamine. Which
effects the gastrointestinal system, can cause ulcers/bleeding ulcers.
We give him
1/2 of a Pepcid
tablet daily, 2 weeks after the surgery, he had his sutures removed.
The vet was amazed that he has healed so nicely. This condition
can inhibit the healing process. He at that time already gained 1
1/2 lbs. Vet was also happy to see that. That is when
he started him on Predisone.
Predisone is a steroid,
that help slow down the Mast Cell Tumor's & put him in what can be
considered a state of remission. I've noticed
that
Peanuts skin is very thin
& can cut easily. He as out on the concrete in the yard
running a bit & his paw was bleeding. So that is something we
are careful about, with him & around the other dogs. He has
been on the Predisone now for 3 weeks. Has gained 3
pounds & is
acting like any other Boston.
After his diagnosis
my husband & I agreed Peanut would remain with us for as long as he
has. He settled into our home & he
already got a piece
of our hearts. And I am Peanuts favorite. My others are intimidated by
him. If he is at the food dish, they will all stand & wait for him
to get done. If he wants to give me kisses & be the one on my lap,
they know it. He has stolen all the chew bones & has them
stored in his "room" along with toys too. Peanut will be going
to the vet once a month to have blood work done, to
see if anything is going on & just to make sure everything is fine.
He can stay on Predisone for 6 mths or more. Vet has said that chemo
therapy is an option, but, after discussing it
with vet & all, I've decided
that I'd like Peanut to be a normal happy BT for as long as he has.
Chemo Therapy will cause side effects & since he has some many
tumors I really don't
think it would help. I feel it would hurt more then help. So here
is this Little Peanut who in August was going to be put down. The
dog no one wanted, I would say its a safe guess as to the why. And
thru the kind,
compensated
people of Rescue, he is happy, loved & cared for. And that is
what Rescue is all about. We all in rescue have a part in bringing
love & joy into Peanuts life. That is something we all should
remember & be proud of. I for one am. I know that when Peanut
goes on to Rainbow Bridge, I will
be sad, & will mourn his passing, but, what will give me comfort is
knowing that I added something great to his life, that his last days,
weeks or months here were made wonderful by me, my husband &
all the loving & caring people in rescue.
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