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My dog Iggy died of nasal cancer on 8/27/12


grither

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I don't post on here anymore. I have not posted for a few years. I just came back on to post a thread about Iggy. I used to be on here regularly. Then I just drifted off and lost interest. Iggy was my best friend and the best dog ever. He died of a nasal tumor on August 27th around 3am. He had that nasal tumor for three years. I was able to treat it for three years. It is not possible to cure nasal cancer in dogs. However I still had hope I could cure it.

I spent a ton of money on Iggy. He was worth every penny. His treatments resulted in three happy more years we never would have had. He was happy during the entire time and we took over 1000 happy photos. He had a mast cell tumor on his side in 2008 and that was surgically removed. Then in 2009 he got the nasal cancer. I think poor Iggy was just genetically desposed to cancer.

I got him radiation therapy in October of 2009. That made it so it did not grow for an entire year. In the beginning the term radiation therapy scared me. I was told the side effects were mild though. And they were, for the life it gave him, all he got were grayed hairs on his face. A weeks worth of itchy skin and he was back to normal. Running up and down the hallways, smiling at me and playing ball. In October 2010 it came back a bit and they started him on a new pill called palladia. It attacked the tumors blood vessels. Preventing further growth. For one year it did not grow anymore. Then at the start of 2012 it returned again. He went in for his second and final radiation. It was his last shot with radiation. It was the same as before, mild side effects for a week.

Then he had until July when it came back again. He was going to go in for his last option. A drug that caused complete remission in four of eight dogs with nasal tumors, called carboplatin. Iggy only made it through one treatment. Sadly cancer would not allow him to go any further.

He was 15 when he died. The sad thing is that without cancer he would have lived several more years. He may have been 15, but he could run circles around me and followed me around with this big happy grin. He would play ball for a half hour still and he had not slowed much. I came home from work to see him bleeding all over my bedroom floor and blowing blood bubbles out of his nose. I was heart broken to see him in such a state. He was hiding under my bed shaking. I knew there was nothing more that I could do.

So I listened to music with him and comforted him, I had never seen him like that before. This thick, black ooze was seeping from his nose. Almost like it was pieces of him. And he had this horrible expression on his face. Me and my girlfriend took him to an all night vet. They put the catheter in and let me have time with him. We sat in a nice room with a couch and I told him how he was my best friend, my baby and how I loved him more than anything. I promised to find him again someday. To once again play more ball and run in more fields with him. I apologized for failing to cure his disease.

I always told him I would always stop the cancer. It breaks my heart to have it win in the end. I spent $15,000 on him in four years and I have never spent money more worth it. The main thing to me was quality of life and Iggy had that in spades. The treatments had a time limit though.

I just wanted to tell more people about Iggy's story. I feel broken and empty without Iggy. We did so much together and now it feels so dark without him. I would give anything to have him back. Here is a picture of my buddy. I have better ones but they are too big to upload.

I still remember what it was like to have him die in my arms. I never had many friends and have always been close to animals, especially to Iggy. Living without Iggy is going to take a lot of adjusting. Rest in peace Iggy, 1997-2012.

post-65526-0-37256000-1346927230_thumb.j

Edited by grither
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:cry: I am so sorry for your loss. I lost my pomeranian a couple of years ago and I know how awful it feels to lose a little buddy, he was a true friend also. Dog owners know what that means and I know what you mean when you say how much of a dear and precious buddy Iggy has been for you. Thank you for thinking of your UM family when you decided you wanted to share this.
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I'm so sorry, Grither, my best wishes are with you. Iggy looks like a real cutie, he was lucky to have such a caring, loving owner as you.

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I'm so sorry Grither :( What a lovely dog.....he has a sweet face, bless him.

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Hi Grither, so sorry about your dog. It is terrible I know. I had to put down my dog last year since she could not stand up anymore. One of the saddest days of my life. Thinking of you!

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Really sorry that your dog died, mine was only 8, she had kidney failure. I cried for a week, she was my best friend.

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Sorry to hear about IGGY. i lost one of my babies 2 years ago.she was one month shy of 16. 6 weeks later i lost another one of my kids. she and other dog grew up together,and i think she died of a broken heart. she was 15.i still think of them and miss them. i have 2 other babies who are younger,and they both picked up some traits from the others. i believe in my heart that we will meet again in heaven and there will be no pain or sorrow. we will all be together forever. god bless you. :cat:

Edited by greywolf
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Thanks for the replies. I am dealing day by day. He was my best friend and I have been very miserable without him. I did a lot of fun things with him over many years. But now that I want to do more, I am realizing slowly when I could have done more when I had him. Iggy was the best friend I have ever had. He really cared about me and I cared so much about him. I long for the good old days when we were hanging out. It is very hard. Just taking it day by day is all I can do.

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Thanks for the replies. I am dealing day by day. He was my best friend and I have been very miserable without him. I did a lot of fun things with him over many years. But now that I want to do more, I am realizing slowly when I could have done more when I had him. Iggy was the best friend I have ever had. He really cared about me and I cared so much about him. I long for the good old days when we were hanging out. It is very hard. Just taking it day by day is all I can do.

I'm so sorry for your loss, sweetie. Iggy was an adorable dog with a sweet and loving face...I bet he was really approachable and loved people.

When we lose a treasured animal companion, we always feel guilt about whether we could have done more, whether it be "I could have done more to save him" or "I could have spent more time with him, played with him more...etc." It is natural to feel this guilt, but that doesn't mean it is warranted. You gave Iggy a beautiful, wonderful life filled with love. His love for you shows you that he knew what he meant to you.

The next few months or so are going to be painful, honey. If you like, I can send you a link to a pet bereavement site that helped me immensely when I lost my dear Rottie, Bosco, last year. The compassion you find there will provide a bit of a blanket around you to help shield you from the worst of the pain.

You will see Iggy again someday; I feel sure of that. I don't know what your beliefs are and I don't want to preach, but I believe that if any living creature has a soul, then all do. I don't think we are meant to lose our loved ones forever...I think it is more of a brief parting, after which we are reunited, never to be parted again.

When my father died, someone said this to me: "Imagine a ship leaving the dock where you stand watching. With a heavy heart, you watch the ship pull slowly out into the harbor. You continue to watch as the ship steams across the sea into the distance...when she reaches the horizon, the ship disappears from your view, and you say, 'There she goes' and turn away in sadness...but at the very moment that you said 'There she goes' someone on the opposite horizon catches sight of the ship and says, joyfully, 'Here she comes.'"

Sending you comforting hugs,

Lizzie

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Hi Grither

I'll give you the same advice I'd give anyone who'd surffered such a sad loss. True compassion and love isn't defined by species. Losing a beloved companion and friend is hugely difficult to cope with.

You are going to go through the process of grieving, it's not an easy one.

Remember that it IS a process. It will have phases, and some days will be harder than others.

But in the end you will be able to remember all the good times that you shared and not just the illness. You did everything you could and that gave him the best life that he could have had.

Remember that what you are feeling is natural and hard as it is, you won't feel this bad forever.

Thanks for sharing Iggy's story.

Stay strong.

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I'm so sorry for your loss, sweetie. Iggy was an adorable dog with a sweet and loving face...I bet he was really approachable and loved people.

When we lose a treasured animal companion, we always feel guilt about whether we could have done more, whether it be "I could have done more to save him" or "I could have spent more time with him, played with him more...etc." It is natural to feel this guilt, but that doesn't mean it is warranted. You gave Iggy a beautiful, wonderful life filled with love. His love for you shows you that he knew what he meant to you.

The next few months or so are going to be painful, honey. If you like, I can send you a link to a pet bereavement site that helped me immensely when I lost my dear Rottie, Bosco, last year. The compassion you find there will provide a bit of a blanket around you to help shield you from the worst of the pain.

You will see Iggy again someday; I feel sure of that. I don't know what your beliefs are and I don't want to preach, but I believe that if any living creature has a soul, then all do. I don't think we are meant to lose our loved ones forever...I think it is more of a brief parting, after which we are reunited, never to be parted again.

When my father died, someone said this to me: "Imagine a ship leaving the dock where you stand watching. With a heavy heart, you watch the ship pull slowly out into the harbor. You continue to watch as the ship steams across the sea into the distance...when she reaches the horizon, the ship disappears from your view, and you say, 'There she goes' and turn away in sadness...but at the very moment that you said 'There she goes' someone on the opposite horizon catches sight of the ship and says, joyfully, 'Here she comes.'"

Sending you comforting hugs,

Lizzie

Thank you for your kind words Lizzie. Iggy was a loving dog and he liked everyone. I have been hurting a lot. I would be interested in knowing the site link you mentioned. I don't have any religious beliefs. I am an atheist, but I'd like to think that if souls exist, I would find him again someday. I would love to think that when you have a great bond with someone, the friends can find each other again. However that may be, and wherever that may be.

Iggy was my best friend and adjusting life without him is hard. It was hard to fight the cancer for several years and see it win again in the end. I spend most of my time crying lately.

Anyway, thanks.

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Hi Grither

I'll give you the same advice I'd give anyone who'd surffered such a sad loss. True compassion and love isn't defined by species. Losing a beloved companion and friend is hugely difficult to cope with.

You are going to go through the process of grieving, it's not an easy one.

Remember that it IS a process. It will have phases, and some days will be harder than others.

But in the end you will be able to remember all the good times that you shared and not just the illness. You did everything you could and that gave him the best life that he could have had.

Remember that what you are feeling is natural and hard as it is, you won't feel this bad forever.

Thanks for sharing Iggy's story.

Stay strong.

Thanks Atlantia, thank you for the advice. I miss Iggy so much and I cry for him all the time lately. It doesn't seem to be getting easier. It just feels wrong, living without my best friend seems wrong. Everything feels off and it takes a lot of getting used to. I am working on it though. I did everything I could for him but it hurts to know I couldn't do more in the end.

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So sorry for your loss, I can't imagine what you are going through but I will one day as my oldest dogs turns 14 soon. It will be like losing my child and best friend (((hugs to you)))

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Man I feel your pain, We had to put our dog to sleep because she had very bad health :cry:

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So sorry for your loss, I know how painful it is. I said goodbye to my old girl Snowball August 24th too. She had a brain tumor, she was 13. I sure do miss the little girl.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I am just posting an update. A month a half has gone by, and I feel a lot better now. I still get very sad at times, it is hard to just get by my best friend getting such a horrible disease and despite my three years of effort, being unable to stop it. It was a very harsh end and it effects me still. I don't know, I find finding it hard to just accept my life without Iggy. Such an amazing friend, a friend I wanted by my side for my whole life. Anyway, thanks to everyone who posted.

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Really sorry for your loss, it's heartbreaking when you loose your best friend (crying for you and him x)....We lost our old lad in August 2011 to stomach or liver cancer. It had burst his organs, he filled up with blood and we had him pts, so he could run and play again with is fellow four legged friends.

Cancer is such a horrid disease!!!

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I am just posting an update. A month a half has gone by, and I feel a lot better now. I still get very sad at times, it is hard to just get by my best friend getting such a horrible disease and despite my three years of effort, being unable to stop it. It was a very harsh end and it effects me still. I don't know, I find finding it hard to just accept my life without Iggy. Such an amazing friend, a friend I wanted by my side for my whole life. Anyway, thanks to everyone who posted.

Just remember this, As long as you remember him he is never truely gone. Whether we go somewhere when we die or not he will live on in your memories.

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Oh my goodness. I have cried thru reading the post on your dog. It is a great loss to loose a friend. A family member. These dogs get closer to you than a human and in a different way. I am so touched. I have an older long haired dashchund. She is 20 yrs old. Blind and can't hear well. I start a new job tom. 10 hr days. I am so worried about leaving them so long. It won't be long til I have to put her to sleep and the thought of it nearly kiills me. I see her going down each day and altho she is in good shape her quality of life is going fast.

One thing that really bothers me is that she will get worse or die while I am at work. When I am gone she just walks and looks for me. I planned on burying her on the farm in Tn. It is so beautiful there and peacefull. I am so sorry for what you had to go thru and still do I'm sure. You dont' get over things like that quickly.

I think about it a lot. I sometimes think I can't be with her. Then I think of how long she has been with me and stuck w me thru the yrs. I can't let her go alone. My goodness I am crying like a baby now and can't see to type.

20 yrs is a long time esp for a small breed. She has been the love of my life. I lost my family all by the time I was 19 so I have sunk myself in my dogs. I have 2 others. But the connection I have w Pickles is the best ever. Knowing her time is limited now hurts me so much.

We had a place picked out on the farm for her next to 2 other farm dogs. Along a tree line. So pretty and so serene. But when it happens I don't know if I will be able to endure it.

The only thing that helps is thinking that in the end we will all see each other again in another place.

Death is something you really never get over. You just learn to live w it. It has been 48 yrs since my Dad died but there is not a day goes by that I don't think of him still.

And I will with my best friend too. Thanks for your story. It has touched me deeply. I am so sorry. Sorry that this has to happen and people have to go on. Its hard tho. I dont' know how I will be able to do it.

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I know how you feel man. I lost my Flat-Coated Retriever name Phoebe about 2 weeks ago from internal bleeding and I had her for 14 years. :(

She was one of my closest friends. So as I said. I know how you feel.

Edited by MysteryMike
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  • 2 weeks later...

I had a dog named iggy! Its ok, its good to care for things regardless of value. Maybe we have good experiences for a purpose.

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