Osteosarcoma – Miss Brendol's Memorial

From Me to You

I got arms that long to hold you
And keep you by my side.

Just call on me and i’ll send it along
With love from me to you.

Dear Brendol,

Today, it has been 10 days that you have been gone. Do you know how much I miss you?

I know you are whole and happy and painfree once more. Where you are, I hope there are millions of bubbles floating in the air and tinker-bells dancing across the grass for you to chase. I hope you were greeted by Allegra and Sadie. You always loved playing with Sadie and I’m sure she is happy to have company now. Don’t aggravate Allegra too much, even though you think it’s fun.

Have you met up with our online friends? We’ve heard so much about them and now you can play with them. Be sure to look for Sassy, Shooter, Wookie, Dakota, Maggie, Bogi, Kermit, Franklin, and Jerry! And there are probably some other friends that will be joining you soon, so make sure you are a good host and show them the ropes when they get there.

Your sisters miss you too. Aissa didn’t eat very well for a week and you know how much she loves to eat. And Adelaide has had a bad tummy. You know Mathilde and Morrigan don’t pay much attention, we can’t expect much from them as cats, but I know they miss you too.

I love you so much. I don’t have anybody to cuddle with me just perfectly as you knew how. You would get as close as you possibly could without actually laying on top of me! I loved that feeling. And our weekends where you would come squish in between me and the couch and lay down where I could watch the tv or work on the computer but still feel you near me and rub your head and your super soft ears. Nobody can snuggle as well as you! Your dollies are all still laying around the living room where you left them. Aissa has played with your sheep, but you two shared good anyway. I did put your hippo up because that was your favorite and I don’t want it ruined. Every day, when I head upstairs, it is disappointing now to see that you haven’t messed up the bed or taken the pillows into the bathroom. I know I teased you about that, but it really was endearing.

Did you see that Rene and Jim put up a banner on the tripawd site for you? It is very cute (of course, because it is of you). I also hung a big picture of you with all your bubbles on my office wall where I can smile upon you nearly everyday. And Miss Katy and Jackson did a little video of Jackson learning about bubbles because they heard how much you loved them. Rupa heard of your passing and she put up a pretty picture of you on her facebook to tell everybody what a sweet girl you were. So I hope you can feel how much everybody loves you. Nobody more so than me.

Please don’t worry about your momma. I will be ok. Aissa and Adelaide will help take care of me. My heart does hurt and I may still cry often, but it is just because you were such a special girl. You know that I fell in love with you the very first time we met. And I am so happy you didn’t have to stay with that awful man. You deserved so much because you had such a sweet soul. I can’t think of anybody you didn’t like. I mean, I know you scared the neighbor kids when they were running through our yard, but they deserved that. And you didn’t dislike them, you just knew they didn’t below in the yard. I wish I could still kiss you on your soft nose. And rub your forehead until you fell asleep. And hold you super tight when you are afraid of your farts (I know, they scared you). I spent over 12 years wanting to make everything the best it could be for you, so now I miss that part of my job.

Anyway, I am waiting to be able to go pick up your cremains. I ordered a really pretty urn for you and Rene is going to make a pretty charm with your name on it to hang on the urn. Have fun where you are. All I ever wanted was your to be happy. Know I love you. I miss you. I will think of you often. And some day, I will see you again.

With all my love, from me to you.

Brendol and baby Aissa

All My Loving

I’ve talked to many of you in the chatroom, but for those that haven’t been in and seen me for a while, I just wanted to let everyone know that Brendol’s fight is coming to an end.

Last week I took her back to her vet and we found that the cancer had metastasized to her lungs. Additionally, it must be elsewhere in the bones causing her pain. I was on my way out of town, so they gave us Rimadyl, Tramadol, and Gab to keep her comfortable. She stayed with her pet sitters and when I left her she was wagging her tail and happy to see all her friends. They kept me updated every morning and evening. She ate really well. Tonight I got back and went to pick her up and her sisters. When I got there, she tried to stand up and couldn’t. The pet sitter said she was having some issues, but eventually able to get the legs working and that they had just given her her medicine so she might just be groggy.

I’ve gotten her home. Carried her upstairs and laid her in bed. She didn’t even fight me being carried and she has always hated to be carried. I have called in to work so that I may spend a last day with her cuddled up. I will call the vet in the morning to arrange an afternoon appointment. I am fairly calm, but my heart is breaking. She is my baby girl and I don’t want to lose her. But I can’t let her suffer any and if she can’t stand up, she’s not living a good life. I will miss her so very much. Please keep us in your thoughts.

Final! Finito! Die End!

We are done! Number 6 was today! No more IV Chemo! WooHoo!

A Day Late

Ooh, I’m a bad momma. Yesterday was Brendol’s 3 month ampuversary (and it blew right past me). Can you believe it? Three Months! Geez, it has flown by. And, some of you will yell at me for thinking this way, but I hate that the clock is ticking down. It’s not today. I know that. And we don’t live like it is today. But I am cognizant that our time is limited. Osteosarcoma or not, my B is 12 and a half years old. Anyway… 😀 Happy Thoughts. She is here today, she is feeling good, and I get to love on her a ton. She is my cuddle bug and I love her dearly.

Happy Ampuversary my precious girl!

Brendol’s Third Round

Well, our bloodwork was good today so round three is done! Brendol’s white blood cells came back up to normal from last week and her neutrophils were good too. She was a happy girl going into see the vet this morning. Our plan is to do bloodwork in three weeks and see how it’s looking and then perhaps get number four done. Her protocol was anywhere between 4 and 6 treatments, depending on how well she is doing on them. I’m still concerned with her being so tired, so I’ll be keeping a close eye on her after this round.

Just getting started

Miss Brendol is a 12 year old Pitt Mix that lives just North of Atlanta. She was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in her front right leg on January 30th, 2013. The news was devestating to me and a non-issue to her. All she knew was that her front leg was hurting. A week later we got in to see a specialist to weigh all our options and the osteosarcoma diagnosis was supported. Amputation was recommended and we proceeded with that the very next day, February 6th.

It has been one week since her amputation, and she is doing AWESOME! She’s going up and down full flights of stairs and she’s back to getting into trouble. She likes to get into things and drag them around the house when I’m not home. (Like pulling pillows off the bed and dragging them into the bathroom) Six days after her operation, I had her in a t-shirt and an e-collar when I went to work so she wouldn’t scratch her stitches… the booger managed to get out of her t-shirt with the knot still tied in it and with the e-collar still on, not once… but twice. So, no more t-shirt. That’s pointless. Then yesterday she managed to lock herself in the spare bathroom and play in the bathtub. Only problem, she got in but couldn’t figure out how to get out. Mom to the rescue.

With her doing SO well, it is hard to remember that I still have some big decisions to make regarding her treatment. Chemo has been recommended by the surgeon, and we have an appointment with an internist regarding our options there. But with her age, I am inclined not to pursue it. We will see what options are presented to us. I have also found a veterinarian in the area that practices not just traditional medicine, but also holistic medicine. We are contacting them as well.

A little bit about my Miss Brendol. She was originally owned by a not very nice man that thought she was a Brindle Pittbull/Rottweiler mix (she’s fawn colored by the way). He wanted a mean dog for whatever reason. And I was stupid enough at the time to be dating him. When I met Brendol, she was about 3 1/2 months old and cute as a button. He was complaining about her acting out and doing things that puppies do. I saw a sweet loving baby that had no interest in being mean nor any interest in being with this guy. At our first meeting, she was running around and playing with me as puppies do.. and he was complaining about her never sitting still. Within a little time, I had her laying in my lap and I was gently rubbing her forehead until she dosed off. I was in love immediately. So I suggested she come to my place which had a nice back yard to play in… and I just never gave her back. I eventually got rid of the guy and kept her. An awesome trade! And she has been my cuddle bug every since.

She had a sister that passed away at a very young age (Sadie – a black chow/lab mix) and a feline sister that tolerated her presence for many years until about 4 years ago (Allegra – a himalayan). After Sadie passed when Brendol was just a year old, we welcomed Aissa into our home, a little black Chow/Border Collie mix. And about a year after Allegra passed, we welcomed two new feline sisters to the family, Mathilde and Morrigan. Pictures of Miss Brendol and her family are below.