The "drain hole" (as I have been calling it) has been there since November of 2012. Yes - over a year. It helps to regulate the swelling in her nose which is a good thing, unfortunately, I have had to put up a fence in the kitchen because I can't keep up with the mess it leaves around the house. I bought a dog door for our sliding glass door and she LOVES that. She comes and goes all day long. Sometimes all night long too. Both sides of her nose have bumps that grow and shrink at any given time. Sometimes they get so big she has to turn her head to look out of one eye. Don't think that for a minute that she slows down because of it, she still chases bugs every chance she gets.
*The next paragraph may be graphic but as I document Sydney's fight agains cancer, it is an important part of her battle and I only tell about it in hopes that it can help another dog somewhere.
Occasionally, her drain hole would get plugged. There are some things people do, regardless of how hard or how disgusting, because they know it will help the one they love. This is one of them - I would VERY GENTLY put some pressure on it and it would pop, similar to a pimple. The relief that I could see in Sydney's eyes was totally worth the mess. I'm guessing the pressure it put on her head was agonizing. On the week of April 7th the "good side" of her nose swelled up quite large. So much so, that it stretched the skin and made it almost paper thin. I could tell she was in pain and she had stopped eating. Her hole had plugged up again so I drained it. I could tell she instantly felt better and began to eat again. The only difference was the paper thin skin began to scab over and make a sore about the size of a silver dollar on the side of her nose.
Everything was going as usual until I got up the morning of April 11th. Although she was acting completely normal, she had rubbed her face on the grass outside and the scab came off her nose. She didn't know it, but she had opened up the side of her face to a gapping hole. I'm guessing this hole was where the tumor used to be and where the fluid has been residing for the past 2-3 years.** I knew it was only a matter of time before infection set in. The wound was just too big. I always said I wanted a sign to know when it was the right time to put my beloved Sydney down. I don't think I could have had a bigger sign. She was still in great spirits and we played fetch and I hugged and loved on her all morning, This was also the only day in the past 3 years that she did not feel anxious or try to leave when I cried. She just stayed by me, which almost tells me she knew it was the day. At 11:00 AM we took her to The Wyoming Medical Center of Wyoming and they were absolutely wonderful! We had been through so much together so I stayed with her to the end. I laid her in a beautiful casket my husband had bought for her back in 2011 and we buried her up on the top of a hill on my Grandpa's land under a cedar tree. I always wondered what that day would be like. It is comforting to me to know she was not in any pain and I had done everything I possibly could to help her. It was also a beautiful, sunny, warm, Wyoming, April day (which is hard to come by).
This post has taken me over two months to write because I still miss her terribly. When I cut vegetables, or just look out in my backyard sometimes I expect her to still be there. The house seems very quiet now and miss those eyes and her tail that said she was so glad to see me. Pets are not on this earth long enough, but they sure have a way of getting into our hearts in a short time.
Sydney taught me so much. About cancer, health and life. About unconditional love. Companionship. Trust. And willpower.
I believe God chose Sydney just for me, and I was blessed to have her for 13 years, 3 of which were on borrowed time. I also believe God wouldn't create such a beautiful animal and beautiful relationship without reuniting us again. I hope I have learned from Sydney's experience enough to stay on this earth for a long time, but when my time is up, I know Sydney will be there to meet me.
R.I.P. Sydney Pooh
** Notice I said "used to be". There was NO TUMOR. Which goes to prove the things we did with the Cesium Chloride, DMSO, Potassium, Florescence, dietary changes, etc., really did kill the cancer cells! However, I think the damage to her bone structure, cartilage and tissue was too extensive. My only regret was that I didn't do it all sooner. Unfortunately, it was a learning process.
The rest of her body was in great condition. As she became an "old dog" her hearing started to go. Of course sometimes I think it was selective hearing like any child. Her muscle mass started to depreciate, but she was 13 years old!
