This is going to be a touchy topic to some, but I feel it’s important to document every step of bentleys journey so here we go… First off, Bentley is doing very well! He inspires many people every single day. We had our last oncology visit & after a very long stressful visit. We found out that benny may only have a few months to live without Chemotherapy. With Chemotherapy, the oncologist can promise 10-12 months of life. After talking to the oncologist & asking as many questions as I can. I found out that, yes, chemo will prolong bennys life. I found out that he can experience serious side effects as in constant vomiting & diarrhea, loss of appetite, hair loss, etc. Dogs can become lethargic & depressed during their chemo months. Chemo treatments would take 4-6 months. Now, before you judge me, I walked into that oncologist office ready to say yes to anything that would help Benny. You couldn’t change my mind if you tried. What I learned from this visit, is that you can’t be selfish. I can’t put Bentley through something that could turn out horrible again. Honestly, with the luck we’ve been having I don’t want to take anymore chances that will make him unhappy. Just to give me a few more months with him. For the rest of bentleys life, no matter how long that is, I want him to be happy. I will do anything to make that happen. The way that I see it now is, we could’ve done the chemo treatments. We also could have lost 6 amazing months together just to gain 4 more.. To bentley, that is not fair. He has been through enough. Since that last visit, we have been enjoying life to the fullest!! This past week, Bentley had a weekend long sleepover with his best bud cash! He went hiking, played in the snow, got a bath & a haircut! Here are some photos of bennys past week 🙂
Aww he looks so good.. We also opted out of Chemo for Rylie,were going holisitc and increasing immune system and enjoying our time!
Thank you! I am just keeping Bentley on a healthy diet & enjoying life to the fullest just as you guys are! It’s good to know I’m not the only paw parent that denied chemo! I hope Rylie lives a long beautiful happy life 🙂
Thank you!! How is holistic working for you?? I have read many many different reviews on it. I am considering getting it for Bentley as i’ve read tons of great reviews. Please let me know!! Thanks in advance!!!
First- I see Bentley has a Hedgie- the unofficial toy of Tripawds everywhere. Well, actually I know of two others including my Elly… but excellent choice!
To do chemo or not is a personal decision. Sounds like you have done your homework and given it lots of thought. What’s important is what is right for Bentley and his pack.
The only thing that concerns me in your post is that the the oncologist ‘promised’ 10 to 12 months with chemo. Having been around this site for more than 10 years there are no guarantees. We’ve seen dogs not do chemo and live for years, we’ve seen dogs do chemo and live 6 months or less. We’ve also seen that the vast majority of dogs have no or limited side effects during chemo- but that still does not make it right for everyone.
I would suggest that you write down your thoughts and decision making process. When my Tri-Pug Maggie developed a second cancer I chose not to do surgery or chemo, she passed 3 months later. As most humans do I started to question if I had made the right choice by not doing treatment… looking back on my notes reminded me why I chose the path I did and gave me confidence that I had done my best for her.
I hope Bentley has many, many, many days of doggie bliss ahead!
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Bentley received Hedgie as a christmas gift from his best bud cash! He absolutely LOVES it. Your words of wisdom are really appreciated!! Thank you 🙂 I am sorry to hear about the passing of your baby girl.. You sound like you were the perfect dog mom to her 🙂 I am going to start writing down my thoughts as you suggest, that sounds like a great plan. Thank you so much for the advice!
My goodness he is such a handsome boy! No worries here, you are in a no judgement zone any time you hop in. There are a bunch of people that have been down your path, some have chosen chemo, some have not. It is a very personal decision, and neither answer is wrong. There are plenty of pups out there that will tell you they did just fine without chemo and their journeys have exceeded anything that they could have imagined.
The important thing is that everything you do for Bentley, you do out of love. Who could judge you for that? There are no guarantees in this life for any of us, and you are making the most of what you have right now. I hope you have a good long time to keep spoiling that gorgeous pup.
I could smooch that face right through my pc screen 🙂 Bentley looks wonderful!
Hugs,
Jackie and Huck
Thank you so much, he sure is!! I am so glad to know this is a judgement free zone. Thank you so much for all your kind words, it really means a lot!!! I’m so thankful to have such a supportive following!!! I am trying my best to be the best for Bentley 🙂
First I want to say that Bentley is beautiful. Don’t worry about what others think and I believe you are already doing that. I think you are doing a great thing him. Enjoy the time you have with him and it seems like it’s been so fun the past couple days. I commend you for your decision. My husband and I would do the same thing for our dog. We recently had our dogs Odin leg amputated because of nerve cancer. Nothing else was recommended for us besides the amputation however the margins were only 1mm. We are nervous but enjoying each and everyday we have with him. I agree with everything you are doing and hope you know Bentley does too. Thank you for your story it’s helped me also.
Thank you so much! Yours words are very heart warming! I’m glad my story can help you. I hope your handsome boy has a beautiful long life 🙂 I can tell he has amazing parents and he is very lucky!!
BENTLEY IS SO DARN CUTE!!! OMD!! SMOOCHING THAT MUG THRU THE COMPUTER SCREEN!!!
Now, please know thst thete is NO judgement here, no right or wrong, when it comes to chemo!! ZERO!! NONE!! And there are no guarantees one way or another, with or without!! You know your Bently best and you clearly adore him. Good for you for doing your research and making a decision you feel is best for Bentley. A decision out of love is always the “right” decision!
I know you are making every moment the most glorious mome t ever fir Bentley! It is so much fun spoiling a trioawd…..and I’m sure Bentley agrees!!
Thanks for these great smile making poctures. Keep ’em coming!
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie!
Love those photos! I recently made the same decision to forego chemo for Petra for all the same reasons you list. Wishing Benny many happy days ahead.
Hello my nunus you’re doing great 😊
Hi. Brownie and I said no to chemo as well. We were told that Brownie’s cancer was very aggressive, and with chemo he may get 10 months. Without, and amputation only three months. Well, Brownie gets very stressed when going to the vet, so I did not want his final days to be him stressing out. So we said no to Chemo. What the doctors did not know is that Brownie is a very stubbrand and determined dog. So Brownie has decided it is not time yet. In one week it will be 11 months since Brownie was diagnosed with cancer, and the vet can not believe it. He is having senior issues, but as far as the cancer he is doing great. I have found on this site, that every dog is different. Some do longer with chemo, and some don’t. Some do longer without chemo, and some don’t. You know you dog better than everyone, just like I know my Brownie, so the decision you make is the correct one. I would just say love Bentley like crazy and spoil him rotten!
Best wishes to you and Bentley!
Tripawds is a judgement-free zone, we all understand that chemotherapy is a highly personal decision and there are no right or wrong choices. Every situation, every dog is different and only you know yours well enough to make that call.
We too opted out of chemotherapy for Jerry. Would we opt out again if we had to deal with it? I’m honestly not sure. I can’t say for sure because every dog is so different, and our life is different now too. We all do the best we can with the situation we find ourselves living in. Bentley loves you no matter what.
As for chemo, that there are no promises or guarantees for longevity. Yes, it gives dogs a better chance at beating the odds, but we have seen some dogs get chemo and not live to the prognosis. We have seen dogs not get chemo, like our Jerry, and live waaaaay beyond the normal life expectancy. It’s a crap shoot either way.
You’re doing great and we are so happy you are sharing his story here. What a great blog you’ve got started. Keep it up, we love following along.