Goodbye Mason Our Australian Shepherd

by Linda
(Virginia)

Just got back from a very sad visit with the vet.

We took our 12 year old Australian Shepherd, Mason, in this evening because he had been having some shortness of breath.

Today he became weak and lethargic, so we brought him in to Urgent Care. The doctor and nurses told us first that it might be trouble with his spleen, but then said it might also be heart disease. But they took an x-ray and saw it right away - he had developed massive cancer around his lungs without us ever realizing it.

Mason had been getting on in years and slowing down, but never did we think he had a serious illness. They said there wasn't much else they could do for him, so it looked like the only decent thing to do was put him out of his suffering, because it was getting harder for him to breathe.

I'm still in shock and we are devastated as a family. My husband and I called my son and daughter to come to the vet's office to say goodbye. They gave us a "comfort room" and allowed us as much time as we needed to say our goodbyes. But there's never enough time, is there?

Poor Mason, he was so gentle and loving.

I'm just sorry we didn't know about the cancer in the beginning and maybe could have helped him. I'm consoling myself that he had a good life with us for eight years and the doctor said he wasn't in pain. That's something at least.