Booger's last tumor removal

Yesterday, Booger's recurring tumor was removed for the fourth time. The prior time, our vet was feel very confident about it and thought that maybe he had indeed gotten it all that time. However, that turned out not to be the case, as the thing reared its ugly head again a few weeks ago:


Booger sez, "Dis is my tumor."


Our vet agreed to take one more crack at it, and we thought that while Autumn was recovering from her own crisis, this would be a good time. Then both elderly ladies would be on activity restriction for the same stretch of time, and they'd both be free to run around in the woods at the same time!

While Booger was at the vet, I went to donate blood. I figured then Autumn, Linden, and I could all flop about on the couch together while DL and Starbuck made us sandwiches and tea. When I picked her up, I found that we had matching wraps!


The good Doctor F informed us that this surgery was the worst yet; he had had to dig deep into her muscle tissue to get as much of the tumor's fibrous tendrils as he could. He stopped, he said, when we reached thick blood vessels through which he could see blood flowing. This was the last time, he said. As predicted, the tumor was growing to a point at which there was no more ground for us from which to fight the battle. Poor Booger, despite the ever-present smile on her face, could hardly walk and had to be carried to the car.

It seems such a damned shame that something like this might have to be the end of the irrepressible Linden Booger Dog. Literally every single other body part of hers is in the condition of a dog half her age. She can still run for over ten miles at a stretch, nearly (although not quite) keeping pace with Starbuck and me as we skijor (while Booger runs free). It really sucks to think that one stupid tumor would bring her down. Had she not had the tumor, would Booger live forever? A forever puppy? No, of course not. Still, it sucks.

Then I put some more thought into it and concluded, actually this is still a good way. If Booger had some debilitating illness, then when we put her down at the end, we might feel less bad. We'd say, "It was her time to go. Now she's no longer suffering." We'd feel better. But Booger would not. Booger is much better off this way, bouncing and smiling and having fun until her very last day. Sure, we feel worse, putting down a 90% healthy dog. But the reality is, it's better to be happy and healthy as long as possible, even if it strikes us as more shocking and more unjust. No doubt Miss Booger Pants is better off doing the Booger Boogie until her last day, so she never knows a day of pain or suffering.

OOKIE HOW CUTE SHE IS!!


By the way, we got the results from Autumn's biopsy... no cancer!