Remember Jack....?

[ramanth]

Oh Jenn. How devistating for you and Kate. Poor Jack.

I agree with her decision to let Jack heal too. *HUGS*

[tatsxxx11]

Thanks for the update, Jennifer. We are all in support of Kate and whatever her decisoin may be. She loves Jack with all her heart and soul and I'm sure she will do what is best for him And Kate and Jack are so lucky to have you and Duncan as their best buds, Jennifer. We all know that along with Kate, your heart is breaking too You all continue to be in my thoughts and prayers and hoping the best for precious Jack. When you see Jack, please give him a big hug for me And thank you so much for sharing the beautiful pictures...brought tears to my eyes. Love, Sandra

[K9soul]

I did not know Jack before, but as you've stated those golden pups truly steal your heart, and even seeing him here for the first time I'm so very taken with this sweet, gentle boy. I support and understand fully the decision to let him heal, she has to make the decision that she feels will give Jack the best quality of life, and I think that is what she's doing. He will be in my prayers, and I hope with all my heart that he'll continue on, strong and happy for a long time to come. What a very special boy he is.

[dragondawg]

and for sure a leg amputation without any guarantee for success would be a hard decision.

She should look into the Chemo, and possible radiation. I can't speak from first hand experience about radiation. But from what I have heard it would probably cause a skin burn and loss of hair on the area where it's given. It might have a dramatic effect on the cancer mass. The Chemo especially for a dog that has no digestive problems would probably be easily tolerated, and would have a good chance of shrinking the tumor, and by inference help eliminate some of the lameness or pain. I know the word Chemotherapy sounds scarey, and it was for me initially with my lymphoma puppy, but it really isn't bad for dogs. Katie should consult with Cornell and an Oncologist.

Another try at some pallative relief if the cancer has spread to the bone is a bisphosphonate such as Fosamax. These drugs were originally intended to prevent bone reabsorption or use in Osteoporosis. But they also interfer or slow down the progression of bone cancers which liposarcoma can mutate into. The strengthening of the bone then translates into less pain.

[LuvGold00]

Oh, this is so sad. Poor Goldies have such problems with cancer, I will be thinking of Jack often and hope he can pull through this for many more happy years.

[anna_66]

Oh Jennifer, I'm so sorry to hear about Jack. What a tough time for him and your friend. I can't imagine having to make that decision, but as someone already metioned...only she knows what's best.
I will for sure be keeping them both in my thoughts and prayer.

Please keep us updated on his situation.

[jennifert9]

I spoke to Kate yesterday. Jack is doing really well. She hasn't had any further surgery but he doesn't appear to be in any pain. He is eating and playing and acting completely normal and healthy!!
In fact, she told me that he has a job now!!! He passed his test to become a therapy dog and now her and Jack visit patients at the hospital she works at in Syracuse!!! I'm so happy for the two of them! Kate has been saying for years that she wanted to do something like this and Jack has the best personality in the world for this type of thing. He is the sweetest, most loving, thoughtful dog I have ever met! He always seems to know exactly what a person needs and provides it, from acting silly to make people laugh or just a shoulder to cry on. In fact, before I got Duncan, Jack helped me through many a rough times.
So this is wonderful news! Such a great way for the two of them to spend their days together too.
I knew Jack was an angel on this earth and now he will leave behind a legacy of love. Hopefully not for quite some time though!
I have emailed her for recent pictures and will post them as soon as I get them!
Thanks again for all your kind thoughts and best wishes for Jack. He's making us all proud once again!

[Logan]

Thank you for the update, Jenn! How wonderful that he is doing so well and is working to make other people happy!

[jennifert9]

Here are some recent pictures of Jack...These were taken the day he passed his exam to become a therapy dog! I am so proud of him!

[pnance]

Great news! and congrats to her and Jack. We have a dog which had a large mast cell tumor when we first got him. We had it removed but the vet's couldn't be sure they got it all because of its size and location so we played a wait and see game and kept a close eye on the area. He's been clean for almost 4 years now, so I have every confidence Jack has a lot of time left!!! Congrats!!!

[Sudilar]

That is great news!! I'm so glad that Jack is doing well!!! Congrats on becoming a Therapy Dog, too. Wow, this is all wonderful news! Thanks for the update!