Lessons I learned from my dog, Bear

We found out this past Monday that my dog has Hemangiosarcoma. Hemangiosarcoma is a very aggressive, high-grade soft tissue sarcoma with the most common areas affected being the spleen and heart. A highly malignant cancer which preys on blood vessels, it can spread rapidly, causing tumors almost anywhere in the body. Hemangiosarcoma is insidious, as it attempts to build it’s own blood vessel network, making blood blister like formations which disrupts normal organ function. It is commonly in the advanced stage before detection, making it virtually a silent killer. Thank goodness it wasn’t so silent. We brought him up last Monday to the vet since he was acting a bit off. Luckily we did since he was hemorrhaging internally. He needed an emergency splenectomy. Bear has survived the surgery and he is doing well. We have him on 8 different supplements to keep the cancer from aggressively growing as well as a homeopathic regime.
At this point we have opted not to do chemotherapy. It can’t cure the cancer , and we don’t want to put him through it at this time.
Amazingly so, this experience hasn’t made me angry or upset with God and the Universe. I actually feel so much more love in my heart for everyone and everything. Bear was the dog that comforted me through my divorce. When I cried, he would lie by my side. He learned how to hug and jumps up on those he loves (and even strangers) to give them a big hug. It is now my time time comfort him. When we found out Bear’s diagnosis my husband said “Bear is dying” I turned to him and said “We all are dying” Life is in fact a terminal illness… If we were able to live our lives every day knowing what a precious gift every day, every minute was then we would be living our fullest. Bear’s recent crisis has brought this to my attention once again. I thank Bear for this valuable lesson. Love you Bear:) Keep on keeping on….