How I Happily Spent Over $5,000 in a Futile Attempt to Save my Dog - Associated Content from Yahoo!

My pug Drea was a petite 18-pound, feisty pug that made me laugh for 13 happy years until cancer consumed her. From diagnosis to saying goodbye, she lived seven months. This is her story.

Learning the Horrible Truth

Giving Drea a belly rub one night, I felt a hard substance. It wasn't there before and I was immediately concerned.

Our first visit to the vet was tearful. Upon examination, he told us Drea had something in her mammary glands and needed X-rays. I didn't have a good feeling about it, although Drea didn't seem concerned. She trotted off to the lab to show them what a movie star she could be.

The X-rays revealed small masses. A sonogram was needed for greater clarity. The initial visit was $125, X-rays were $285 and the sonogram was $420. The total was $830.

Scheduling the Surgery

Our vet was patient and kind to explain the options. He said that, although there were no guarantees, the tumors appeared to be small and self-contained. Therefore, Drea had a good shot at recovery - if everything could be successfully removed. It was not a hard decision; she was scheduled for surgery the next day at a cost of $1,182.

The vet was happy - the tumors were easily removed and not embedded in tissue. He hoped he got it all - but reminded us there were no guarantees. It was just a matter of seeing what happened in the next few months.

Making Hard Emotional and Financial Decisions

Unfortunately, we didn't get months. The pathology report came back as cancer and within five weeks, the tumors grew back - this time bigger and harder than the original ones. It was difficult to believe it could happen that fast - but, it did.

via associatedcontent.com