All my dog rescue stories begin with the phrase ‘I didn’t want another dog.’ Zuki was no exception. When a friend referred her to a young dog on CraigsList, I thought I would place her with a rescue group. Except for the curious, exasperated, sweet, jocular, he threw himself into my heart.
Zu was clever – she had learned to open the fridge, herself from the closet, and was always testing the limits. After the neighbor threatened to chase her for the cat, I hired a trainer to train us. Hard, angry work. However, within months I had a wonderful companion. A dog that came when I called, that loved to go running and chattering, that looked to me for direction and participation.
She has earned her Canine Good Citizen certificate and the American Temperament Testing Society. We were more than half way way to earn his Pack Dog title by America’s Dog Scouts.
At the beginning of December we were in the yard with the dogs. As I saw Zuki, he began to limp. I thought ‘soft injury.’ Unless there is no ‘injury mechanism.’ The lameness did not go away after two days. I took her to the local vet, who followed my advice. The next morning my little girl was still limping. I went back to the vet to get tested for tick diseases. All tests are negative.
It was our dog trainer, a retired veterinarian, who immediately took Zuki in for X-rays. Suspected osteosarcoma. A radiologist found a suspicious lesion in the upper bone of Zu’s left front leg. He was in an atypical area in an atypical young dog. But osteosarcoma does what it wants.
The morning after the biopsy was done. Eight days of anxiety and fear I waited for the results, watching Zu more lame. My girlfriend was on pain medication.
I learned more than I ever wanted to know about this aggressive cancer. The smaller the dog, the worse he lamented. If I had had Zu’s leg amputated, I might have gotten another 3 or 4 months with her. The median life span after amputation and with chemo is a year. In the end, one way or another, my beautiful Zuki is going to suffer. Osteosarcoma quickly metastasizes – to the brain, lungs, one bone, another organ.
I took Zu to Cornell when the conclusive biopsy results were returned. Additional imaging showed a dislocated outer shoulder and a lesion in the left lung. Probable metastasis. When I got the idea of amputation and chemotherapy, there was no other spot left for us in the lung.
I brought Zuki home. However, mine came home, and my friend, the sweet girl, calmly and with a grateful heart, went to heaven and wept.
Zuki would have been 3 on 1/27/12. She came back to our house and filled the house with energy and joy. Death has left a huge impact on his heart and home. I miss you more than I can say.
