Angel's Page

Weight: 72
Breed: Golden Retriever
Age when diagnosed: 9

Tumors:

My husband got Angel when she was 4 years old. You could call her a rescue. She was very ill when he got her. Heartworms, Chest infection, ear problems. You name it...she had it. My husband nursed her back to health. I didn't know either of them then. My husband and I started dating in 2005 and were married in October of 2007. Angel became my "daughter" right away even before I was married to her "daddy". We had our moments...after all for a few years she was the only "female" in the house, but when she realized I was there to stay...she let me right in. Since then, I've become very attached to "my old lady" (yes, I call her that). She never meets a stranger...human or other. In July of 2007, Angel was laying on the bed (as usual) and she was on her side. I was petting her and felt a weird lump around her rib cage. I told my husband and he said that he would show the vet the next week when he was to take Angel in for her normal checkup. The vet checked it and said to keep an eye on it...it didn't seem serious at the time. So, we did just that. Every once and while I would check it and soon didn't worry about it anymore. Our wedding was set for October and we got caught up in all the planning, so the next time I happened to feel the lump was around October. A week before our wedding. I was really worried this time because it had grown a lot. I knew in my gut that something was going on. So, my husband said that he would have the vet check it again when he took her to be boarded. Well, I didn't find out until we left for our Honeymoon that they had found a tumor and wanted to remove it right away. The vet wasn't sure what it was. So, while my husband and I are on our honeymoon, Angel had her first surgery to remove a Chondroblastic Osteosarcoma. When the results came back and that was the diagnosis, our world fell apart. We were upset for awhile until we realized that could and would fight this. Angel was in good health. She wouldn't have to lose any limbs since it was around her ribs. She isn't really old. I couldn't let her go without a fight and she still had a lot of fight in her. You couldn't even tell she was sick. Same energy, etc. So, we decided to take her to the teaching hospital at the University of Tennessee. She had to have another surgery to remove additional tissue and 2 ribs. She is currently on Chemo and doing great! She has so much energy! Sometimes we wonder where it comes from. She still doesn't meet any strangers... Everyone at UT loves our dog and she loves them too. She's been through so much in her lifetime. A lot of people would've let her die at 4 years old when she had heartworms...but not my husband...and not me. She's escaped death before. She's a fighter and this time she's got both of us fighting for her. I think we're gonna have many more years with her and I look forward to them!

Pictures