Part 1 of 5: Max's Cancer Journey

It was a Saturday. April 18, around 2:30 in the afternoon.

Max's lifelong dog friend Primo was visiting for the weekend. Max was in the backyard, tail going, thrilled to see his buddy. He headed toward the two steps that lead up to the patio. He tried to climb them.

He couldn't.

He just dropped. Back end gave out. He sat at the bottom of those steps, confused, not understanding why his body would not do what he asked it to do.

I stood there for a second before I knew what to do.

Max is 12 years old. He's a Spinone Italiano. We got him as a puppy at eight weeks old. Before the cancer took hold, he was running around at 90 pounds. He's a happy go lucky dog. Always has been.

The Emergency Visit

We took him straight to VCA Shoreline that day. Emergency exam, bloodwork, Gabapentin, Rimadyl. The bill was $824.

They stabilized him. But we did not have answers yet.