I think we can all agree that we love our pets with our hearts. Each relationship is special in it's own way.
But if we are very lucky, there comes that "once in a lifetime" special fur ball that just captures your heart and
won't let go. I was one of the lucky ones. When Oscar came in my life it was an instant bond. It lasted his
lifetime and even now. Although I don't have him here with me to touch and hold, he is in my heart.
He actually belonged to my daughter in the beginning. But I convienced her he should be with me. Laughing!
She had no choice, I would have kidnapped him. I would even call her and ask if he could come and spend the
night. I think she finally took pity on us, and let it be. Thank you so much for this treasure you gave
me to enjoy. It was the best gift ever.
There is no way that you could ever document all the feelings and happiness this little guy gave to me so
willingly. Through out his life, he taught me so many things. His kind little ways, so patient. Sometimes
he would almost roll his eyes at me, as if to say, "Don't you get it yet?"!
Oscar was a Maltese. We had a really fun time trying to keep that fur of his while living in the country. Of course, he didn't care whether it was brushed or not, in his eyes or not.. he just had fun running in the yard. And the leaves, and the burrs. But he would patiently wait while I did his grooming. He would just look at me, his eyes asking, "Is this really necessary? I'm just going back outside again!" And of course, off he would go, flying through the doggie door, giving a look back as if to say, "A dirty doggie is a happy doggie". He was so funny.
You know, all I had to do was pick him up and hold him close and it seemed all was right with the world. He
would touch my forehead with his, and just sit there letting me hold him. It sure made my day.
I need to tell Oscar's story. Please forgive the length of this. But I feel it's important to have the whole
outline of his last year. Mainly as a "gold star" for his endurance, and secondly to educate the
people of his disease. It's not common enough for most vet's to have any experience with it. It is a mystery.
And human's can have the same thing. It would be a little easier to treat a human. And I pray that someday
they will have a pill that will supplement what is missing.
When he was almost 7 years old, I was taking him in on a dental visit in January. I discussed with the vet at
the time if he was too old to be neutered. The vet said there shouldn't be a problem at all because he was in
such good health. And it's a relative simple procedure. It was decided to go ahead and do the procedure, in
hopes of preventing future problems. He recovered from the surgery with flying colors, but there was just something
not right. I took him back to the vet in February. He did some x-rays because he was having difficulty breathing.
They were puzzled, it was an appearance like congestive heart problems. But not completely. The vet withdrew fluid
from around the heart. We put him on medication for high blood pressure, and prednisone. Within two weeks, he was
right back in the same condition. They took more x-rays, and withdrew more fluid. This poor little guy was so
brave, never gave them one whimper. A model patient. They sent the fluid off to the path department, because
the vet then told me, he suspected lymphoma. I was devastated. How long do you predict then? A couple of months
was his answer. But let's wait now until we get the results back. That was on a Friday. What a long week end.
I didn't think I'd get through it. Then Monday was almost over and the vet had told me he would call. Finally
I got through to the office, and they said.. oh.. I'm sorry, it's not back yet. Maybe tomorrow. By then, I was
starting to get a little frustrated. Finally, on Tuesday, I again waited and waited. Now, please don't take
me wrong. I do understand how busy they are and that each pet is as important as the next. But I was waiting
to see if he was going to die. I was frantic. I couldn't wait any longer and called again. OH, yes we have
it, just a moment while I get the Dr. When he came on the line, I was bracing myself for the worse. But he
said, I'm sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. The path report shows negative for lymphoma. I was so relieved
and then angry. But the relief was the strongest. But he said, there is still the unanswered question of why
all that fluid is recurring. We need to set up another appointment and see if we can find the problem. I was
at this point not very satisfied with the treatment there and decided to try another vet. I went on a search
of one I felt comfortable with.
When I took Oscar to his new Dr. they were a dream come true. He all but got the red carpet treatment. And
later, if they could have that is what they would have done. He captured all the hearts of the clinic. We
begin with an almost all day exam. This Dr. would leave nothing unturned. He checked everything on this little
guy. At the end of the day, we had a diagnosis. Wow!! But he really wanted to comfirm it with a sonogram.
And then we did a biopsy. Just to show you how the clinic had been so taken with him, when he started to wake
up from the surgery, the nurse sat and rocked him and sang "Oscar Myer Weiner song" to him. Is that special
or what?!
At last we finally had an answer. Oscar had intestinal Lymphangiectasia. A fitting long word for a royal little man! I only wish there had been something positive about his diagnosis. There is no cure. The body doesn't produce protein. And you can't give any fat food. They have to have a completely No fat diet. It was so hard to find something that this little guy would eat. He was always such a good eater, loved his dog food. Not fond of people food either. But the taste of this food he had to be on was just terrible. He'd try, and gag and walk away. I know he was hungry and my heart was breaking. After so many tries, we finally came up with a workable source of food. I boiled hamburger meat.. drained it... rinsed it till there was nothing left in it. Added this to rice and that was his food. I had to supplement it with bone meal and other things. He was put on a liquid MCT oil. I fed this to him every day with a syringe. He hated it, but would do it. He knew he had to and I was bigger and would win anyway. Basically what happens is the protein leaks through to the abdominal cavity. This cause swelling of course and puts a lot of pressure on the respitory. It causes a lot of distress because it is hard to breath. His little tummy would look like a barrel. But he never stop trying. This all happened in February 2000. He would improve, then go down again, a roller coaster ride for the duration. He had a pretty good remission for about 6 months. I was able to keep the swelling down by feeding him yogurt, cottage cheese and his regular food along with the supplements and that nasty MCT oil. I was even allowed to give him yogurt ice cream. yummmm. He did enjoy that. But it was time consuming, feeding him a little something every couple of hours. He couldn't hold enough at one feeding to last him. There was always some swelling so the pressure pushed against his tummy making it hard for him to eat alot at one time. Early diagnosis is the key. If you catch it before the pet has gone downhill too far, there is a good chance you can get a workable diet and routine. So, pay attention everyone. And always get a second opinion on major things like this. I'm so glad I did. I was allowed a little longer with my pal.
Then this past February, my little friend could no longer fight anymore. His little body was just too worn out. I knew it was coming and I think he did too. We spent a lot of time along in the wee hours of the morning just talking. I cried for weeks before he died. I just didn't think I could face the loss of his companionship. He would come over to me, and snuggle up to my back, wanting to make it better even then. I told him he was so much stronger than I was. I was having a hard time letting go. I know he was waiting for me to say I was okay with it. He knew I was going through a rough time adjusting to the seperation and divorce. I believe he stayed because he knew I needed him so badly.
Then he had a set back. He had gotten really bad. He had swollen to the point of not even being able to get out of the doggie door. I decided I'd try the vet again. I had moved by then to another state. I liked the vet that I had chosen in this new town. He was very familiar with this disease and supportative. When I took him in, I asked if he should have the fluid drained again or was it just too late. I didn't want him to suffer any longer. The vet checked him over and said no, he thought he was just fine and his heart was strong. He felt that draining him again was the way to go. After that was done, he of course is tiny. And had been carrying that extra load for so many weeks, he had a hard time getting his balance again. It was comical to watch. After that procedure he is always very weak, and rests a lot. But I had a gut feeling that all was not right. He died in his sleep that night. And I know he made the decision to go, sparing me the ordeal of making a choice.
My little Oscar taught me so much. He showed me that there is no reason to ever give up. You can adjust even if it means giving up some of the things you like. Watching him adjust as more and more was taken away from him in his physical capabilities was heartbreaking to me, but at the same time, I watched as this little soul figured out another way to accomplish what he needed.
I know your pain free now, Oscar. And you can run and eat all you want. Have all the fun you want, but keep watching for me. There is never a day that goes by that I don't miss Oscar terribly. He lives in my heart of hearts. And I will love him always.
HOME
