No news is good news
Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about Keiko, so I thought I might explain what’s going on. About three months ago, fiber optic endoscopy and biopsies confirmed that she has transitional cell carcinoma. I was told that she might get a couple months of good quality life, but that her meds would eventually quit working. We were not given any hope that she’ll survive. I saw the pictures from the scope myself. I didn’t need any medical training to understand how hopeless the situation is.
The good news is that she’s still her old playful self. Some of her vision has returned (though she is still mostly blind) — we believe that is because a tumor pressuring the optic nerve has been reduced in size by her meds. She has outlived the expectations of the oncologist. To use his words, “some dogs just surprise you.”
Her prognosis is still hopeless, and we don’t know how much time she has left. Some days are better than others, but she’s starting to pass blood with more regularity and she needs significantly more rest than she used to. Having said that, she’s still a happy girl and she enjoys the same things she always has.
I’m just thankful for getting to spend the extra time with her. We’ve probably been to the beach more times in the past 3 months than we’ve been in the past 3 years. Keiko (and we) have been eating much better than normal. Even ordinary things like playing fetch, going for a walk, or even just sitting around are much more meaningful when you realize you’re on borrowed time. In reality, we’ve been on borrowed time from the very beginning and just didn’t think about it until recently. I’m glad we had a chance to make things right before it was too late.