Fat Boy's Battle with Canine Cancer.

by Summer
(Hawaii)

I was a single mother when I moved in with my best friend and her boyfriend's family. My son at the time was only four months old when we left an abusive home with hopes of finding a family.

My best friends, boyfriend's dad was concerned about us being home alone too much and he had fallen in love with my son right away.

He came home with Fat boy a few weeks after we moved into their home. He was the cutest puppy. A pure breed Rottweiler. I had heard plenty of stories, about those kind of dogs being risky around kids, so at first I was a little skeptical.

He told me not to worry; "that any dog treated like family and raised right would love us and protect us".

He was so right, we could not have asked for a better dog. Fat boy was full size by the time he was 6 months old and he was huge and scary looking; but the most loving creature on the face of this earth.

We took him to the beach, he loved the ocean. We took him everywhere with us. He and my son became best friends right away. Fat boy loved my son's toes and started a ritual that would include him licking his toes and face to help comfort him when he would cry. It always helped to calm the child when he was upset.

When my son turned four, we started noticing Fat boy getting lazy. At first we all just thought that he was aging and not a puppy anymore. One day I got home from work and found a lump on his neck as I was petting him. I went into a panick.

I called my best friend's father in law and explained to him what I had found. I hung up and took Fat boy to his vet.

Right away, I knew something was seriously wrong. After a few tests were run, we found out that our Fat Boy was sick. Very, very sick. He had a form of canine cancer; I was so distraught at that point that I don't remember what kind it was, but it was terminal and had already started to kill him.

We were told he had just a few month's and that he would suffer, so we should consider putting him down. I broke down at that moment. I remember sitting in the parking lot for a good half hour, just crying and holding on to him. The worst part was, I had to go home and tell my new found family that our dog was dying!

We all took it very hard, my son did not want us to put him down, which made our decision much harder. So, as selfish as it was on our part, we decided to keep him alive until we felt he was in pain. It didn't take long for Fat boy to start to hurt. About a week later, I found another lump and this time it was on his spine; again I cried.

It was time, and none of us were ready to say goodbye. That night, after everyone got home from work, we talked about it again. That afternoon, he had deteriorated so bad he was not eating, he did alot of moaning and we all sat with him and cried.

My son's eyes and heart held so much pain; he could not stop crying. He laid next to Fat boy and as he cried, Fat boy licked his toes and his face. He slept with him that evening, falling heavily into sleep from all the crying. We all took off of work the following day to take Fat boy back to the vet to lay him to rest.

It was one of the worst days of our lives. My son laid with him until he took his final breath. We left there with heavy hearts and an emptiness that would never be filled again.

I sit here writing this, crying all over again, old wounds being torn open all over again. I just want to let others know that I had a feeling before I found the lump, that something was wrong.

I always wonder if I could have prevented it. Had I taken him to the Vet sooner, could I have saved our Fat boy.

If ever you think something may be wrong with your dog, get them checked, If you love them, the way we loved our Fat boy, it may just save you and your family a world of hurt.