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Thank you Malamum and Mommacat for thinking of us. It will take a while to get used to Max's absence. :cry: Ben was looking for him today. :(

Last December I stumbled across Dogo by accident while I was on Christmas break from school. I cannot think of a more rewarding "accident" that I have ever had. You are the most supportive, understanding people I have ever met. Regardless of the events in your lives that are pressing, you pull together to support a member who is going through a difficult time. Each of your messages have have touched my heart. Thank you so much for your kindnesses and concern for Max, my family, and me through your messages, graphics, and poems. You understand what it is like to lose a dear friend and I have felt your virtual hugs. I'm not sure Max is smiling down on me just yet...I think my silly guy is too busy meeting and playing with all of your loved furkids by the Bridge! Perhaps when he pauses to get a big slurpy drink, he will stop and look back for me. He always was so full of energy..... :angel:

Thankyou Rosebud, Carolk9s, Mouse, and Daisymom! You are angels for caring. :angel: :cry: Ben spent some time this afternoon looking for his brother...I'm not sure how well he will do. I am really hoping he is going to adjust. :o

Thank you Marion for the beautiful poem...made me cry again. But then so did your beautiful rottie Angel, Abker.. I appreciate every one of you who have helped me today in grieving for my poor Max. Max would have dearly loved each one of you because dogs know who good people are! You are all a bunch of :angel: :angel: :angel: :angel: :angel:

Thankyou friends, for your condolences. I've put Max in the memorial section. I've had several long cries and then I went for a long car ride with Max's brother, Ben. :(

Here's to the best friend I ever had. My eager playmate and loyal companion, Who sported a silly grin to cheer me up When I was sad or feeling blue. You are already missed and will always be.... Play hard and long at the Bridge while you wait for me, Max. I will keep a special place for you here in my heart.. [img]http://brenda.myphotos.cc/maxmemorialsmall.jpg[/img]

This morning Max took his final car ride, hanging his head out the car window as usual for about the first two miles or so before laying down in the seat. He was my faithful companion for 5 and a half years and this morning I had to do one final thing for him by having him put to sleep. No, his test results had still not come in....when I called the vets this morning they said it usually takes TEN DAYS (not what I was initially told). Max did not have that time to wait just to get confirmation of what was suspected. His weight had plummeted and all he did was sleep, go outside to do his business with coaxing, or nibble special foods from my hand (I think as a favor to me and not because he was really hungry). Then yesterday evening when we took him outside he was very confused and disoriented. I called to him and he came toward where I was sitting and bumped his chin on the arm of my lawn chair. The look of hurt and confusion on his face just broke my heart. It was then I knew for sure his illness had blinded him. And so, with a heavy heart we made out last journey together. He was a good boy even to the end, slipping away gently while I held him. I want to thank all the members of this board who have expressed their sympathy and support throughout Max's leg surgery and ensuing illness. Your support has been a life-line for me throughout this time and I do appreciate you all. Rest easy, my Max....you are gone, but never forgotten! I miss you so.

No news yet on Max's test results...I will call the vet office again tomorrow. :(

Good luck to Devin in his new home....sounds like you've found a good one for him, HF! :D

I can hardly type for the tears. A "thanks" doesn't begin to express what all of your posts have meant to me these past few days as Max and I go through this illness. I am trying to keep all this "on the back burner" as I go about my weekend, since every time I dwell on it I am good for nothing else. Max is getting lots of cuddles, pats, and any special morsel that he will take from my hand. He is my best buddy. Even though it's not adequate....Thanks - HF, Daisymom, Mouse, and Carolk9s, as well as everyone in my Dogo family. You are :angel: :angel: :angel: for caring.

Elsastarr - Thank you for your post. Glad to hear of the success you had when your Caleb was so ill with cancer. I do appreciate the recommendation about Auburn Univ. and Dr. Henderson. I do not have the results yet of Max's needle aspiration, but I am not hopeful for good news. His lymph nodes seem to be bigger each day, and his energy level has plummeted. His eye is no better; I'm sure he cannot see out of it and I am continuing the steroid drops. Monday I am supposed to get the results of his test. Max is a five and a half year old rottie who has always been a very high-energy dog. This has come like a bolt out of the blue. His surgery site has still not stopped seeping fluid, and he is dropping weight. He only wants outside long enough to take care of his business and then wants right back in to sleep more. He does this coughing/chuffing noise a lot now because of the enlarged nodes. If it is lymphosarcoma there is no cure, just a delay of the inevitable depending upon the treatment chosen. If it is what the vet and I suspect, then I have hard decisions to make. It can spread to other organs easily which is why the vet is so concerned about his eyes. At any rate, thank you so much for your kindness in getting the information to me. I will see what Monday brings. Thankyou for your prayers. :angel:

How disappointing... :-? There are so many dogs needing homes out there. I know they are just trying to protect their fostered dogs, but it seems as if they are throwing the baby out with the bathwater in some cases when they are not willing to expedite adoptions to good owners. References ought to count for something...do they accept those? And what's this "selecting a dog for you"? How can they determine whether or not you "click" with a dog? Doesn't make sense to me.. :confused1:

:wink: Don't sound so discouraged!! If you name her Holly, her full name could be "Holly Berry" :wink: Get it? Sorry... :oops: It's early in the morning here! :lol: [size=2](I do agree that Ileah is a beautiful name)[/size]

Good Luck to you and Duke! Hope he can be yours... :D

Does she like cheese? Or liverwurst/liver bologna? Max would take his capsules if I would cube the cheese/liver bologna and stuff the capsule inside it. He is a food gulper so once he sniffed the cube he would swallow it right down! Any soft food cube-able food that she likes might work with this method. These happen to be two of Max's favorites. Max was on Cephalexin. Do a search on the internet and read the symptoms of reaction to this drug in dogs. Most do fine on it; Max had a reaction to it. Never hurts to be prepared and informed. Good luck on administering the capsules. You can always do the "pop it in their mouth, hold their mouth shut, and stroke their throat" method. :wink: I prefer to use trickery whenever possible though. I hate manhandling a sick dog. :cry:

Courtnek - He looks gorgeous and sounds wonderful from his bio! :iloveyou: :D You certainly meet all the criteria! :kciuki:

Here's the latest on my furkid, Max. I'd been stewing about having to wait for a needle aspiration on one of his lymph nodes until the 30th of this month-it seemed to long to wait based on what I have read of the disease. Then yesterday afternoon when I woke up Max to go outside he looked at me and I noticed his right eye was all swollen. :o My heart just sank..I cleaned it up as best I could with a damp clean washcloth then took him outside for a good look in the sun. Sure enough, it looked inflamed and darker than normal. So I decided that when we went in this morning for removal of his staples (still convinced the surgical site was not healing correctly) I would ask that the procedure be done there instead of at my regular vet. I was a good client and did call Max's regular vet's office to let them know of my intentions, and they thought that was a good idea since his own doctor wouldn't be in town to read the results. So off we went this morning. Max was happy to get into the car to go, but when he saw the vet's office he got all droopy and I didn't blame him one bit. I left him there for about an hour while they did all they needed to do and the doctor had a chance to look at the slide. Max's leg - He said that the surgery site had filled with fluid since the drain tube hole on the inside of his leg had healed first on the outside instead of the inside as it was supposed to. So they lanced that and now it is draining fluid (thank God it's not pus). No more antibiotics since these may be upsetting his stomach and keep him from eating this weekend. Needle Aspiration - When he looked at the lymph node cells he said he didn't see a definative indication of lymphosarcoma, but what he did see in the sample plus the blood in Max's eye (and a spot on the retina) cause him concern. The lab will have the results interpreted quickly perhaps tomorrow or at the latest Monday. He will call me. Max is home now with a red right eye and a draining right leg. Poor thing..he still manages to be good natured. I have steroid drops to put in his eyes three times a day. No treatment yet for what else ails him since if it is cancer steroids given would inhibit the effectiveness of any chemo given him. I bought a chicken to cook up (he is used to cooked chicken) and a little steak for him as well. Plus some of his favorite little nibbling treats. I'm hoping I can encourage him to eat. Thanks for listening to me. :oops:

Happy Camping at the Cottage!! :D :D You will have a great time......in spite of the mosquitoes that are sure to be there!! Hopefully you will only see bears at a very great distance! :o

He is adorable....and good natured too, allowing you to dress him and pose him, etc. The hot pink (?) feather boa was a nice touch! Very fetching against his black and white fur. Looking at your pics sent me down memory lane since when I was a preschooler we had a dog named Freckles that looked much like your handsome fellow. Very cute! :D

Good luck with your girl's surgery. :D Best wishes for a speedy recovery for her! I have never heard of such a thing. I wonder if it is similar to endometriosis (sp) in women? I had a co-worker that suffered from that. It was very painful, and she wound up having to have surgery (I think laser surgery) to get bits of tissue removed from inside her abdomen. :o Let us know how she gets on! :D

Malamum, Bk, and Mommacat - thank you so much for your posts and best wishes for Max. He is getting lots of special attention, but doesn't have a lot of energy or desire to play since his leg isn't even totally healed. He's still my best boy and loves hugs and kisses and bellyrubs. I will tell him you are thinking of him.. :) Time will tell.

Taking Cody shopping sounds like such fun! :lol: :lol:

I read that they wash the fur several times. Also, many use an odor neutralizer as well! So you wouldn't have to go around smelling like a wet dog. :D Unless you [u]like [/u]the smell of your wet dog! :lol: :lol:

Lovely poem... :iloveyou: But so sad to know so many are never rescued..... :puppydogeyes: God bless all who are involved in rescue. :angel:

Maliyah is absolutely stunning! Congratulations to you and her mother! Lovely! I can't think of a better reason for not posting on Dogo! :angel: