09/02/2026
My boy has been struggling for a while from cancer and we decided to put him down yesterday so he didn’t suffer any further pain.
He started limping in November and got ACL repair surgery in January. That failed and they suspected cancer, but all of the biopsies were negative. They thought he had IMPA as a result. He started steroids and was doing great, but then ate a corn on the cob on accident because he was so hungry. He had to get it surgically removed, almost died of pancreatitis, and was hospitalized for a week. He finally came home and was doing really well, when I noticed a lump on his leg (same ACL tear leg). I took him in for another biopsy and they finally diagnosed him with histiocytic sarcoma. His lungs looked clear though and his lymph nodes felt normal. Despite that, they anticipated that he had cancer the entire time (since Jan) but that the first biopsy was a false negative. They said he looked really good though, and to go month to month.
We went on a vacation with him last week to cannon beach and he loved it. The day we were set to leave for cannon beach, he stopped using his leg again and didn’t want to eat because he hated his pills. We managed to feed him and get there and after a few delightful hours at the beach one day, he was wiped. He continued to decline rapidly over the week - and seemed to be really struggling. We ended up deciding to put him down yesterday to end his pain after a grueling 9 months. He had a cheeseburger, fries and ice cream cone the day before along with a bunch of other goodies.
He was my best friend and the light of my life, and he’s gone much too soon. I thought I’d have several more years with him as he was only 10… but cancer is an ugly bitch. I only had about 8 years with him after rescuing him in 2018 and im absolutely gutted.
How did you guys process this grief? Any helpful advice or things to share?
I’ll miss him forever. It doesn’t feel real.
