Ever had that special dog in your life who is not only such a loveable cuddle bug, but also a special teacher? Well, I’ve been very blessed to have more than 1 of those dogs in my life. Currently taking that job description is none other than my rescue boy, Tardis.
Tardis is about 4-5 years old and is a rescue American Staffordshire Terrier/Pit Mix who came into our lives about 2 years ago shortly after the dog we were fostering found her fur-ever home. I fell in love with that foster girl and was prepared to adopt her had the new owners fell through. Luckily her adoption went smoothly as the space in my life needed to be opened for Tardis. His name from the rescue was Cobalt but I knew he was our “Tardis” as soon as I saw the first picture of him.
He’s a small guy on the outside but boy is he bigger on the inside! And actually came home from another foster family with Tardis’s on his collar! There’s your sign!
This little angel has not had an easy life in his short years and definitely makes dog insurance look more enticing! He was discovered at a local animal shelter and the rescue got a hold of him after his euthanasia date was approaching. He was HW+ and was recovering from heart-worm treatment when he came to join our family. After a while we discovered the heart-worm treatment wasn’t fully successful and he still had heart-worms. The vet at the time decided it was best to continue treating him with medication and suspected a single worm which can account for the positive reading instead of putting him through a whole other treatment. We all lucked out and currently he is negative, on regular monthly preventative, and thankfully didn’t have to go through another invasive and difficult procedure.
Since this episode this boy has gotten in trouble with a few copperhead snakes, once instance resulting in a severe anaphylactic reaction which he ended up in ICU of the Vet hospital. He’s also become well known at the vet hospital for 2 more snake encounters We’ve also battled 2 broken teeth requiring surgical removal (one requiring additional surgery due to subsequent infection), has gotten into ant poison, and initial MCT tumor removal with difficult recovery in February/March of 2018. Needless to say, we’d love to keep this little goober in bubble wrap if possible! He knows all the vets and vet techs and everyone has gotten to know and love him well. We joke with the Vet that they need frequent flyer miles program! Through it all he’s got a smile on his face, wag of the butt, and ready to face another day of hunting/ checking perimeter of the yard. His happy go lucky self despite so many obstacles is what truly keeps my heart light and encouraged no matter what trouble he finds himself in.
Recently we found another lump under his neck. Yup, another MCT (mast cell tumor). He went into surgery 2 weeks ago with our fingers crossed and breaths held as we knew there was risk of poor margins due to the area. Recovery was so much smoother this go around with no open areas, no infection, and basically he was able to have staples removed without incident. Well, mostly without incident. The results came back in. Grade 2 with mitotic index of 0. Good results on paper until you read about the margins. Yup, dirty margins. So, we find ourselves at the beginning of another Tardis vet chapter in our journey. This time it’s a 6 month journey with chemo and dealing with more vet visits and check-ups.
I decided to take a Tardis approach to the whole thing and keep a smile on my face, embrace this experience head on, and to learn all I can about canine cancer and helping Tardis the best we can. I’m also hoping that any of you who may be dealing with canine cancer or illness of any kind may find some helpful hints along the way. At the very least, creating a supportive healing space!
