Logan's Big Scare Wasn't The Cancer....

....it was another ill one never wants to experience.....

Saturday July 29 was a beautiful July day.  The heat wave finally broke bringing with it temperate 75 degree weather.  Logan hadn’t been getting out as much because of the heat, so we decided to take the opportunity to walk his favorite park and let him meander on the trails with us.  Logan has always liked to take shortcuts through the woods.  I firmly believe that switchbacks have a certain scent because Logan knows exactly how to sniff them out and shortcut through them.  We walked along a familiar switchback and Logan wasn’t at the end of it waiting for us.  A wave a panic ensued.  Russ went into the woods to retrieve him.  Logan was coming towards us, stopping along the way to eat grass, and seemed to be choking on something.  He then vomited, and he kept pulling for grass.  His breathing was labored and I noticed that his belly starting looking full.  “No, not this!”  I thought.  “Bloat!” 

We were about as far out from the car as we could have been.  The return trip seemed to last a lifetime.  “Would his stomach turn?  Would he even make it back?,”  I thought, “There is no way he can recover from this.”

I’ve met dogs who have died from bloat.  To me, it is not just a possibility.  It is very real.  We had 2 cars with us so I took the other dogs home while Russ rushed Logan to the emergency vet.   They too, were concerned about the stomach turning but also wondered whether due to the cancer he was filling with fluid.

X-rays confirmed a large amount of gas and that he was bloating.  They also found some small bone fragments they believe will pass.  Who knows if he got into something in the woods or if they have been there for some time.  Regardless, I was beating myself up pretty badly.  Here we have come so far managing his cancer and then he gets out of our sight one minute and now this.  Yet, the truth is, we want him to have some joy.  And on this cool Saturday night, he was trotting on the trails with a huge smile. 

I ponder often, what is it to have joy in life?  It’s not realistic to believe we can protect ourselves and our loved ones from all harm that exists.  I suppose that inherent in joy is feeling the freedom to live life with the assumption of a certain amount of risk.  And perhaps the real secret of preserving joy is to know how to maintain perspective when life throws the unexpected curve balls.

One positive is that the X-ray illumination of the cancer nodules suggests localization to the liver and nothing on the heart or lungs.  So it appears that either what we are doing is working, or that this cancer is slow growing, or both.  X-ray isn't as good as ultrasound, but with Noel her cancer was so progressed that it was evident on X-ray how bad it was.  Logan isn't there yet.

Instead of wrapping Logan in bubble wrap, I settled on a couple days rest and let him go back to doing things he loves, like resting on his comfy neck pillow while he swims for treats and giving him some of his favorite treats.