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Operation only briefly extends dog's life
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Zeus (photo courtesy of Tara Frable)
Zeus lost his left leg to bone cancer in an operation that vets hoped would extend his life at least several months.
Instead, he lived for seven weeks.
Zeus, an Anatolian Shepherd and English Mastiff mix, died Oct. 23. He was six-years-old. "I still can't believe he's gone," said Tara Frable of Moscow, Pa.
Zeus was diagnosed with bone cancer in July, shortly after he began favoring his left leg. When a veterinarian made the diagnosis of bone cancer, Frable immediately had Zeus' leg amputated. The procedure is often used to treat bone cancer in dogs.
The disease is most common in large-breed dogs, vets say. It often spreads quickly and carries into the lungs.
Right after the operation, Zeus bounced back and was maneuvering on three legs as if he was born that way. He proceeded as usual, barking at large rocks in the back yard, destroying squeaky toys and eating hamburgers.
As the days passed, Zeus started acting tired, and his breathing became labored. Then he refused to eat.
A day before Zeus was scheduled to be euthanized, Frable's husband had to carry the 100-pound dog into their home. Zeus, a gentle giant the Frables adopted from a family member about two years ago, had become too weak to walk. Frable called her vet and said she couldn't take it any more.
Zeus was put to rest that night.
A few hours later, "Zeus" posted a message on his Myspace blog titled I'm Free.
Before the procedure, the vet left the room so Frable could be alone with Zeus. "She told me how special I was and that there will always be a place in her heart just for me," the blog post reads. "Mom held my paw as I drifted to sleep and she explained to me that she was doing this for me; that I deserved better. And I will be free of cancer."
"Mom didn't think she'd ever stop crying."
His final resting place is in his yard.
Friends that Frable met on her Myspace page for Zeus donated about $150 for a headstone to rest on his burial site. Frable has found comfort and support among the friends, who also raised money to pay for the surgery for Zeus.
When faced with the death of a pet, many people move through the same stages of grief that happens with the loss of a family member or a close friend. Experts say the grief can be just as painful, and for some people the loss of unconditional love given by a pet can even make it more traumatic.
The Web site pet-loss.net offers tips on dealing with pet loss, along with links to many other sites.
"I don't think I'll ever have another dog like him," Frable said. "He was really one of a kind. It was easy to fall in love with him, and he'll always have a special place in my heart.
"He was my Zeusie."
The headstone Frable's friends
bought in memory of Zeus.
Read the full story about Zeus here.
Bone cancer in dogs:
Tripawds
2 dogs, 2000 miles
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