Final update

Cindy was pts on 12th November 2012 after a tumour on her neck burst. She had several more appearing on her back and there was just nothing left to take off. Once burst, they caused her immense discomfort. For her last day, the 11th, we took her to Dunwich Heath where she enjoyed a fantastic day - the weather was fantastic and she was able to run, swim and dig in the sand - enough joy to break through the misery her tumour was causing her and she was still on a high when we let her go at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, where her body was taken to be used to help them in their research into this vicious disease. You can learn more about their canine cancer research and help them with their various campaigns,here: http://www.aht.org.uk/cms-display/science_oncolres.html

After vinblastine, and masivet

We are now on our third chemotherapy drug (can't remember what this one is called) that will stop my nasty tumours, which are growing rapidly and itch me so badly I want to bite them. I have to wear a t-shirt all the time and it is a bit annoying, but I am being very good and when we go for lovely walks and play with my toys I forget about how itchy and annoying it is.
My mum is very worried though and is desperate to try and make things better for me. She says she doesn't mind that I bleed on the duvet and on the sofa throws, or even on her clothes, she just wants to stop me bleeding.

Today I didn't have chemo

My mum has been very worried about my lumpy bits coming back, especially as she noticed me trying to scratch them with my back leggie.
I was really excited to see all my friends at the doggie hospital today and I gave my vet a good facewash, hoping that he wouldn't make me go and have needles in the back room.... butt he still did :(
More needles this time too - they put them in my lumpy bits, which made it really itchy. They told my people that they would take fine needle aspirations - so I guess that was what this was - so that we all know exactly what is going on.
Its really itchy now, but I'm getting lots of cheese to take my mind off it. I like cheese.

Fourth day of chemo

Yesterday was hospital day, and it was really exciting cos I saw Mumsy pack my new toy and some cheese in 'her bag' - she's always reminding me it is hers and not mine, I think friends should share bags though. I was a bit miffed that my breakkie was not forthcoming mind!

I was bouncing about - half hoping this might remind Mumsy about my breakfast, but also cos I knew we were going in the car. I love going in the car.

When we got out of the car, we were at doggy hospital. We had to wait a long time, but the doctors and nurses and receptionists all came over for cuddles while we waited. I also played tuggy with my toy and did a few tricks for treats.

Then the vet came to call us in. Mumsy said she was a bit scared my lumps were growing again, or that she might just be being a bit paranoid and thinking they were growing. I got lots of tickles an cheese while the vet, Rachel, felt me over... and said we should still do chemo today as they are very small, and we can compare more easily in a fortnight...

Then she tried to make me go with her, but I know what happens out there now - they put needles in me!!! I didn't want to go at all. Mumsy said she was really sorry, but I had to be such a brave girl, and so she took me in... and left me there. I wailed a bit but it was over quite quickly... then I was allowed to go back in the car and got even more cheese! I likes cheese, so I let Mumsy off for being a traitor, for the time being, anyway.

Mast cell cancer

On the 2nd of April 2012 Mum noticed a little lump I had on my shoulder was very sore and bleeding. She thought I'd knocked it while trying to make the chickens flap in the run - I'm naughty for doing that, but its so much fun!

I have few lumps now, they usually happen when I bang into things, and I had some tested a few years back, which were all just fatty cysts, so my Mum wasn't worried when this one popped up around xmas time - it coincides with the corner of the coffee table and I sometimes bash that when I want to jump off the sofa to collect the postman's goodies.

Seeing how sore it was, she knew she had to take me to the vet and they tried to make it heal by covering it so I could not bite it, and giving me yucky tablets, but it would not heal so I had to have an operation to take the whole lump off. Thats when we discovered I have a very nasty cancer.

At first, we were a little confused, our vet wasn't explaining it very well and Mum knew some dogs had this cancer and were fine for years, and some got very ill and didn't live very long at all. She asked the vets to refer me to Dick White Referrals centre in 6 Mile Bottom, Newmarket where we learnt I had the worst kind, a grade 3 mast cell cancer, and I had new tumours coming up at the site of the removed one.

My family were very worried about what to do. I am a fuss-pot and a super star, and a bit of a wuss about some things, like rain, so they thought it might not be so good for me to have treatment, but the vets at hospital said that it was unusual for dogs to suffer side effects for this kind of cancer treatment, and if I did, they could stop. If all went really well, we could achieve remission and I could live for much longer, so they decided to give it a go and I started chemotherapy with steroids.

I like the nurses a lot cos they fuss me and give me lovely treats, so I am happy about my treatment, and they say the tumours have shrunk right back to being barely 'gnat bites' which means I am responding very well. Mum and Dad are thrilled.

Problems I have had are that the steroids make me want to drink more, and pee more, and sometimes this has happened while I've been sleeping at night, which is a bit weird, but no one has been upset with me.

Another scary thing is that the pills make me hungrier too and it was too hard to resist stealing the chicken carcass (I'm barf fed) Mum was bagging up for the freezer, from her hand. I swallowed it whole, then my tummy started blowing up and got very sore. Mum said I was 'bloating' and grabbed my tummy to push the air up again, and after 2 goes I belched and my tummy was better.

The next week - last week - I drank all my water, and then drunk my eggies with my pills in. I have my pills in eggies to stop me being clever and spitting them out when Mum isn't looking. Mum didn't think about all that liquid - eggs are food after all, not a drink - and then my tummy started doing it again and it was so painful I could barely stand up, I felt really sick. Mumsy was really scared but squeezed me, and then rung daddy to come home to take me to the vet, and then squeezed me again, and then tried to ring the vet but they were engaged. She squeezed me again, but it would not stop, so she tried to ring the vet again and got through to tell them I was being brought in as an emergency... phone down, and Mum squeezed me again, and it worked! I still felt a bit icky and she had to stop me from eating grass, but I was fine when daddy came home. Everyone was happy :)

My steroid dose dropped down to one tablet every other day as of today, so hopefully I will not need so much water. The vet at the hospital said if my tummy does it again I should have an operation, but we hope we can avoid that. Tummys are for tickles, not for scalpels!

I would like to give a mention here to my wonderful insurance company vetsmedicover.co.uk for ensuring I can have the very best of care and Mumsy highly recommends this company anyone with a cat or a dog. Our lives are too precious to take a chance on.

This was me at 5 weeks old, in my 'dad to be's' strong arms... Two weeks later I went to my new home to live with my new family in Stansted, Essex.