It's probably time to mention this...

I have kinda avoided talking about this for about a month now. I guess, it's time to face facts. Sweet Lucy has been going to a "specialist" for what I had hoped was a NASTY bladder infection. She has been on 2 different antibiotics and finally has gotten a negative urine culture-meaning for once there is no bacteria. She's getting a little bit more freedom around the house since she isn't having as many accidents or bleeding. However, we didn't get good news at her last visit. They did another ultrasound on her and the thickening of her bladder that we would like to have seen improve, did not. So, unfortunately, what that means is that sweet Lucy is dealing with something much worse now that the infection is gone. What they believe she has is transitional cell carcinoma, a type of bladder cancer that is pretty common in westies. It's not something that can be cured so I have elected not to put her through chemotherapy and all the side effects, since I would not be able to explain "why" she is feeling the way she is. You can't make a dog understand that they feel bad for a reason. It seems pretty selfish to prolong a life of more treatments.

So, at this point Lucy is on Piroxicam at home every day. I think it's strange that they give NSAIDS for cancer, but canine therapy is very different than human so I won't question it! While she is on this, she can't take any of immunosuppressant meds for her allergies so I have a very itchy dog on my hands! Poor baby! She goes back in next week for a repeat ultrasound and we'll just go from there. She doesn't know she is sick and her tail is still wagging. I think she feels so much better to have the infection finally cleared up! She's getting pretty spoiled, laying on furniture, sleeping with me, begging for scraps--because I've taken this news pretty hard. I'm not ready to lose my Lucy, so I'm gonna hold out hope that she has gotta lot of fight in her. We don't like the C word around here.