Part 3 of 5: Max's Cancer Journey

July 23. We drove up Route 25.

Route 25 takes you through some of the most beautiful parts of Fairfield County. It was a perfect day. We had the Simon and Garfunkel Central Park concert on. Max was stretched out across the backseat. Relaxed. Enjoying the ride the way he always does.

Any other day that would have been the setup for something great.

But Bill and I both knew what we were driving toward. By the end of this appointment, we would either have a real chance, or we would be starting a very different conversation. One with Lap of Love. About euthanasia. About hospice. About letting go.

Newtown Veterinary Specialists. 52 Church Hill Road. That is where Dr. Christine Merrick practices. She is a board-certified oncologist. DACVIM. She had already reviewed Max's records before we walked in the door.

This was the appointment I had been dreading most.

How We Got Here

The referral came from a client of mine. They have an eight-month-old Spinone Italiano. Their previous Spinone had died of cancer at a young age. When I walked back in after getting the BRAF results, they were the ones who handed me Dr. Merrick's name, her number, and the practice address.

I did not know it at the time, but that was one of the most important moments of this whole journey.

What She Said About Her Commitment

At one point I told her that Bill and I are his advocates, but we are also human. We are emotional. We would want more time even when more time is not the right answer.

She stopped me.

She said, just so you know, right back at you. Max is her patient. We are the credit card attached to her patient. Her commitment is to him. Everything they do is about his quality of life. If they are not getting that, they stop.

I had said the same thing to Dr. Morgan at Greenfield. I did not expect an oncologist to say it back to me before I even finished the sentence.

We Said Yes

We decided to start that day. We were there. Max was there. There was no reason to wait.

Dr. Merrick had her coordinator book out a full schedule of appointments before we left. She told us we are not committing to anything. We can stop at any time.

We booked through October.

I do not know how many of those appointments we will keep. Neither does she. But we booked them because we are giving him a chance.

What to Watch For at Home

She told us the signs to look for if something is wrong. Severe vomiting. Severe diarrhea. Significant lethargy. Fever over 103.5. Inability to urinate at all, which is urgent.

If he has side effects from the vinblastine, she said they will show up three to five days after treatment. If he is tired the next day, that is just the adrenaline from the trip. That is not a side effect.

She said if he gets better it will show at home first. Not on an ultrasound. Not on a scale. We will know because he will be peeing more easily. Sleeping through the night. More comfortable. That is what improvement looks like.

She also mentioned a patient who drove two hours each way to see her, every week, from the Hudson Valley. That dog lived over a year with TCC in the same location as Max.

I needed to hear that.

Max is not a statistic.

Part 4 is about the first few weeks after treatment started, what we noticed, and the things we tried at home to keep him comfortable.

New episodes post every Saturday on the 203 Pet Service blog. Come back next Saturday for Part 4.

If you are going through something similar with your dog, I hope this series helps.

Part 1: The Day He Went Down | Part 2: The Word Nobody Wants to Hear | Part 4: July 23rd. His First Treatment. | Part 5: What I Do Every Day for Max