Cousette Copeland Creative Arts:Mitsu'sPage

The Best Golden Retriever in the World!

Mitsu was born (whelped) on January 31, 1995. Sire was Theodore Calvin; dam was Goldie Lox Foxx. Breeder was Donald C. Duellette from Morgan Hill.

When Mitsu came home, she hid under this bush. Later she ate the bush. Then she was big enough to sit on the bush!

Here she is with proud Daddy - Stuart !

She's a big field-size (95 lb) Honey-colored Golden Retriever. She's my brother Stuart's dog, but she is also my special friend and beach buddy. On Sat. March 11, 2006, she was diagnosed with lymphoma - one of the more serious canine cancers. I was devastated.

Mitsu and her beloved Daddy - Stuart

What do you do when you get such a diagnosis? At 11 yrs old, Mitsu is at the tail end of her life expectancy. But I didn't expect her to "go" this way. If I don't believe in the desperate measures of chemotherapy for myself, would I subject Mitsu to it? I had to make decisions quickly because canine cancer progresses quickly. Without treatment, her life expectancy was about 6 to 8 weeks.

This is the story of Mitsu and how she is fighting cancer.

Because my brother is a professional chef and the restaurant he works in was preparing for a grand opening, he was working every day. My mother and I took turns taking care of Mitsu. When Mitsu's illness became apparent, my brother relied on me to take Mitsu to the vet and to make the primary care decisions.

In early March 06, I noticed that Mitsu was not as energetic as usual. Even though a week before, I had been thinking that "she's just like a puppy." But this week, we began seeing blood in her stools. At first, we did the "wait and see" thing. But a week later, there was still blood in her stools. I took her into the vet. (She just had her complete physical a month before and nothing was wrong.). They took a blood sample on a Thur Mar. 2. and said they would get back to me. Her vet, Dr. Berger, recommended that I have x-rays taken on Sat Mar 4. So that's what we did. When I went to see the x-ray results, I saw the beautiful insides of Mitsu, and was reassured that other than a little arthritis, there was nothing visible.

But the bloody stools continued and Mitsu did the unthinkable - she refused to eat! She also had trouble jumping into the back seat of my car - I had to lift her behind so she could get up. We knew something had to be wrong. I took her into the vet on Thur Mar 9 and she had an internal digital examination (that's a finger up her rear!), and I got some vet approved canned dog food. The vet hospital owner, Dr. Wiener recommended that I have an ultrasound done. So I brought her back Sat Mar 11 for the exam. At 7 pm that evening, the radiolist sat down with me and very seriously explained the results of the exam. There was a mass on her small intestine with a thickening on the intestine wall. I remained calm until I asked what the prognosis was - how long did she have? He replied, maybe a month or two. I began crying. He explained that he'd like to take a sample from the lymph node to confirm the diagnosis. I agreed and went outside to cry while he performed a needle aspiration (inserted into the lymph nodes to collect a small sample). I took Mitsu home.

I did a lot of research on the internet that weekend and was shocked to find out that over 65% of the dogs diagnosed with cancer were Golden Retrievers. I also discovered that the type of cancer that Mitsu had was usually diagnosed in much younger dogs, and that the average lifespan for a Golden Retrievers was 10-1/2 years. None of this made me feel any better. I ordered a book about Helping Your Dog Fight Cancer.

Dr. Berger called me on Monday Mar 13 and I told her our reluctance to submit Mitsu to the horrors of chemo. She told me that canine chemo is quite different from human chemo, but that if I was going to start treatment, it would have to be soon because of how fast the canine cancer can progress. She recommended the South Bay Veterinary Hospital in San Jose. I called and made an appointment to talk with the vet oncologist on Thursday March 16th. I received the book on helping your dog fight cancer, and it frightened me. Some treatments can cause severe diahrea and vomitting, and the waste products must be handled with latex gloves because it was toxic. Was it worth it - to make Mitsu suffer? Was I doing it to improve her quality of life, or keep her alive for us - her family? Those were the questions that I wanted to ask the vet oncologist.

On Thursday March 16th, I spoke with Dr. Tara Haddad, the vet oncologist. She expected me to bring in Mitsu but I wanted to talk first. With Mitsu, there wouldn't be enough time and we would have both been distracted. Her lymphoma was internal and couldn't be determined by any external examination anyway. So we had a long talk and she went over the elements of the suggested protocol. I told her that I wouldn't continue this if it made Mitsu suffer, or if it was something we could not handle at home. She understood. But she wanted me to consider that starting the treatment immediately would give Mitsu a better chance - possibly 6 months to a year longer. Her staff prepared the estimates and treatment is expensive. I never bought canine insurance - I should have.

But I decided to go ahead with the first step and see how Mitsu tolerated it. So I brought Mitsu in that afternoon to have an injection of Elspar and to get a prescription of prednisone. They gave her an injection of benadryl first and waited 15 minutes before giving her the Elspar. Elspar has a minimal chance of a severe anaphalytic reaction, which can result in death of the dog. So the vet staff are very careful to monitor her. I had to leave her for an hour. But while she was waiting and being observed, the vet technician Kathie pet and brushed her. When I came back, Mitsu was ready to say "thanks, but I gotta get outta here!" I took her home.

Mitsu didn't like the canned dog food any more. Nor did she like the canned pumpkin recommended by the vet. My brother made her a "gourmet" dog food. He mixed cooked oatmeal with boiled, shredded chicken breast. He warmed that, added in some chopped apple (her favorite human treat), and then drizzled in some plain applesauce. Mitsu began eating again. Every day, her appetite improved. So did her energy. Her stools were still bloody, then dark. But 4 days after her first treatment, Monday Mar 20 the stools returned to their normal color!

At this time, I talked with my brother about the 2nd stage. Vincristine. This has a 10% chance of causing diahrea and vomiting, and possible loss of appetite. Because of my own health issues, I was not working so I could stay with Mitsu during the day for the 48 hours after the Vincristine injection, but he would have to be attentive to her for the evening shift. He agreed, in spite of his demanding hours at work. We would go ahead without the ultrasound confirmation that might show if the treatment was working on the lymphoma. The vet oncologist's radiologist only came to the office on Wed mornings and because I was an hour away, I could not bring Mitsu in that early. My own vet's radiologist was not working that Sat, so I would have to postpone for a week. But I figured that since he viewed the cancer and the lymphoma cells the first time, he would make a better comparison.

Four days after the first treatment, Monday Mar 20 I was cheered to see Mitsu able to take longer walks. Mitsu surprized me on one walk. For the last couple of weeks, she was barely making it to her the outdoor area where she relieved herself. But that day she continued on to the creekside trail. I let her go at her own pace and she would let me know when she wanted to go home. All of a sudden, a woman jogged by - her young dalmation in the lead and an old chocolate lab trailing behind. Mitsu (off leash - I am indulgant), ran after them and kept pace with the young dog! The woman had to leap over Mitsu to keep running! Mitsu wagged her tail and returned to me when I called, smiling, I'm sure to show me that she was OK! She was also able to eat her meals and treats, to play with her toys and with us, and to not have blood in her stools. This was the miracle for me. I am hoping for more good things in the next few weeks.

Mitsu seemed like her old self on this walk....

On Tues. and Wed. Mar 21 and 22, Stuart was able to take time off to spend with Mitsu. He said she seemed playful - like her old self. He told her that he loved her - many times. On Wed. morning, she had went to be groomed. Victoria at Chez Shampoo got her out in 2.5 hrs so she wouldn't be stressed. She looked elegant and beautiful as ever.

Sad news today Thur Mar 23: Sad news. I took Mitsu to the vet today for her 2nd treatment. I dropped her off at 9 so they could send out her blood to the lab. I came back after 2 pm to see what the results were. Turns out that the blood tests revealed a high white blood cell count, indicating that she is fighting an infection (the cancer). So the vet recommended an ultrasound before the treatment. She asked me to come back in an hour after I agreed. When I did, and I saw her face, I knew it was not good news. The first injection should have stopped the cancer. But it didn't. She was only feeling well from the steroids.

The lymph node cancers are getting bigger. The intestinal cancer is thickening on the intestine wall. The cancer on the intestine was large enough that the radiologist thought it was a blockage at first, and then saw that it is growing into the surrounding tissue.

The vet oncologist said there is no use continuing treatment. To just enjoy our remaining time, which may be 6 weeks. I brought Mitsu home and then took her for a walk. After I got home, Stuart called when he got home. We agreed that if either of us was with Mitsu when she needed to go to the vet to be put down, we would do it and not wait. We'll say our goodbyes before then.

At this point, we'll just enjoy her and make her comfortable. No miracle for Mitsu. So we will make sure she knows she is loved.

2004........................... Mar 20, 2006

On Friday Mar. 24, Mitsu and I needed to rest. She had been through a lot and I was spending a "dog's day" with her - just laying around, with me petting her. I had bought a doggie staircase to help her get in and out of the car, and up and down from her favorite chair - but Mitsu was having none of that. When she didn't want to learn how to use it, I said "OK. Here's a biscuit." I lay on the couch reading, and patting her. Soon she dozed off. She certainly knows how to relax - that's a lesson for me....

I did speak with her Dr. Berger and we discussed what to do when the time comes for Mitsu to leave us.

Talking with my mother, she wanted to know if she or any of us had noticed earlier, could we have made decisions faster. I don't think so. In retrospect, I recall how I thought Mitsu was acting like a puppy sometimes. But other times, I put it down to just getting older when she couldn't make it to her "usual" place by the trail to relieve herself. We began having to pick up her stools on the street, and then across the street. But it wasn't until we noticed the blood that we even suspected anything other than natural aging. We just have to believe that this is Mitsu's time to go and there's nothing we can do to keep her here much longer. No self pity. Mitsu doesn't even know what that means. A nice walk, a bowl of food, a biscuit or two, and a loving word and lots of pats.

Sat. Mar 25 a difficult day for all. Mom and I arrived and opened the door. There was no happy face greeting us, no wagging tail as Mitsu would normally have as she ran outside to relieve herself. The room was dark. I looked in and called her name. Mitsu slowly came out of her crate and then to me. She seemed to be forcing herself to walk outside. I walked inside and turned on the light, and I found that she had vomitted near the entry. I cleaned it up (noting the large undigested chunks of apple and chicken) and threw out the uneaten meal in her bowl. I then tried to take her out so she could relieve herself, but she stopped in the middle of the street and relieved herself. I could see large undigested chunks in her stools. Mom took her back inside while I cleaned up the waste.

Inside, Mitsu just seemed to collapse on the floor. I wasn't sure what to do. I looked at her chicken and saw that Stuart had diced it, rather than shredded it. So Mom began mincing it into tiny pieces. I racked my brains and thought of what I could do to relieve her nausea. I gave her a pepcid in peanut butter, but had to force it into her mouth. I left and went to nearby Whole Foods and bought some ginger aids (drops and chewables), gelatin, beef broth, and more apples. When I came back, I made some beef broth jello and put it in the ice cube tray.

Then I phoned Dr. Berger and left a message. Next I made another meal for Mitsu, heating the broth and the meal, and then pouring the broth over the food. Mitsu lapped up the broth right away and began nibbling at her food. I then gave her one of the ginger chewables and she tentatively munched it, and then swallowed it. Dr. Berger called back and I told her of Mitsu's condition, and she suggested that I resume the daily schedule for prednisone, use chicken (already doing that), and said it was ok to give up to 2 cups of beef broth (sodium was not a concern - getting her to eat was the concern). She said her own golden, Bailey, was also having a bad day. She really understood what we were going through, and I told her I would think good thoughts for Bailey as well.

My sister Fran arrived. She had a dream of Mitsu barking and was worried that Mitsu didn't have much longer. She wanted to say her goodbyes too. So we all sat and talked, pet Mitsu, and fed her biscuits. Mitsu's appetite seemed to be returning. Sometimes we sat outside on the patio chairs, with Mitsu at our feet. Other times, we sat inside. After we had our own lunch together, Mom and Fran left and I lay down on the couch, petting Mitsu at my side.

In a while, Fran came back to leave something for Stuart - and Mitsu gave short chuffing barks. Not her lovely deep bark at all. Mitsu walked outside to the car where we waved good-bye to Mom and Fran. Then Mitsu and I passed the afternoon together quietly. She rested and even snored a bit. Then in the late afternoon I gave her another ginger chewable and fixed her another bowl of food with broth. This time, she ate heartily. We went outside and she relieved herself, and then we took a little walk to where she usually relieved herself of her stools. On the way, she stopped, ears up. I said "what's up Mitsu?" She was looking intently and I saw that a siamese cat was blending into the landscaping, but her big eyes were focused on Mitsu. They stared at each other and then Mitsu barked her chuffing bark and strained at the leash, and the cat ran away. We walked on to the trail area where Mitsu relieved herself. But she didn't seem interested in continuing. So we went back home. I gave her some more biscuit, which she ate happily. Then I told her Daddy would be home soon.

In the evening, Stuart called and said that Mitsu was by his side, tail wagging, and seemed herself. So there will be up times and down, and we will adjust to them.

Yesterday, Sunday March 26 Mitsu went to sleep forever at 1 P.M.. In the morning Stuart said Mitsu had her medicine, had some diahrea, and refused her food. When I arrived, she had thrown up last night's dinner. I think some food was passing through her intestines, but part couldn't get through and that was what she was losing in the morning. I encouraged her to go outside and relieve herself, but she went outside and lay on the concerete outside, watching me as I cleaned up the vomitus. Then she got up and slowly made her way to the garden area and releived herself. There was no more happy rushing outside and racing inside. It seemed an effort for her to make it back inside the house. She lay down by her big chair.

I heated some broth and some chicken pieces. I tried to feed her a ginger tab to settle her stomach, but she nibbled only half. When I heated the broth and called her to her dish, she came wearily but only lapped up some water. Then she went back and lay down. I lay down and kept looking over at her but something was missing in her eyes. She was not well. She needed me to do something. I defrosted a meat jello ice cube and put it on a plate. I ran my finger in the melting liquid and put it on her lip. She licked at a couple of times and then firmly shut her mouth. I put it away.

I came back and lay along side her, petting her and telling her how much weloved her. Her breathing was labored and then sometimes hardly anything at all. I decided to call the Dr. Berger. The office was closed but the message gave me the name of the United Emergency Vet Clinic. I called and they said to come right in. I got Mitsu's leash. She looked up at it's jangle, but didn't jump right up. I said, "come on Mitsu, we're going for a ride." It took Mitsu a great deal of effort to get up. She walked slowly and carefully out the door. She tried to lay down on the concrete again, just outside of the door but I encouraged her to walk with me to the car. When I opened the door. She just looked at the seat. Obviously it was too much for her. I brought her close and then lifted her front paws to the seat and she tried to jump up but had no strength in her back legs. I lifted her in and she stood hunched in the back seat, instead of circling around and rubbing her head into the seat. I drove carefully out so she wouldn't fall, and gradually she lay down.

Happy Memories of Mitsu's Big Fun!

Where is everyone?

Hey! I'm a HOUSE dog! Let me in!

Yeah - that's more like it! Me and Daddy Stu!

Stu's Mom is so tiny! I'm bigger than her!

I don't want to dress up - I just want to bark
and scare the kids! hehehe

Mitsu's Last Christmas

Hanging out at the doorstep - waiting for
anyone who wants to visit me!

Ah - this is the life! Hanging out at the Beach!

By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea,
You and Me, Oh How Happy We'll Be!

One more summer, or two, at the beach? I wish it were so!

At the vet hospital, I parked and opened the door. She carefully stepped forward but slipped and couldn't get up. I tried pulling her but she is still 90 lbs. So I went from behind her and gently pushed forward so she was close to the opening. I got her under her front legs and lifted her towards me so she could come out of the car. We walked slowly into the hospital.

Instead of pacing nervously around and looking me with her "let's get outta here" look, she just lay at my feet panting. We were called in, had her weight checked, just over 90 lbs - she had lost 5 lbs only but it was an important 5 lbs. I waited in the waiting room with Mitsu and began thinking about how long she had been sick. She had the ultrasound and was diagnosed Mar 11. She had an x-ray on Mar 4. She had bloody stools on and off for the 2 weeks before that. So yesterday, she had been sick 4 weeks. And who knows when the cancer started before that. On Mar 11, the radiologist said that with her type of cancer she might have 6 to 8 weeks.

First the nurse, Stepahanie came in and took her history and vitals. Then the vet Dr. Repp came in to examine her. He told me his dog also had lymphoma. Today it's hard to recall what he said. I remember him talking about the possibility of giving her IVs and her having to keep coming back to get the nutrition. But I knew what had to be done when I arrived. With blood in her stools, Mitsu was bleeding internally for over a month. I only saw one day when she seemed to have normal stools. She was having trouble eating, and when she did eat, to get nutrients because she had vomiting and diahrea. We tried the chemo route, but Dr. Haddad's face, after seeing Mitsu's last ultrasound, told me there was no hope and that was her word also. I remembered what our whole family had discussed, what Stuart and I discussed - no unnecessary pain and suffering for Mitsu. We were not trying to keep her alive for our own benefit - but to keep her comfortable.

That morning, I no longer saw Mitsu's spark, her love of life, in her eyes. I felt that she was telling me that she was ready to go. I discussed this with Dr. Repp and he explained to me what would happen. While I went to sign some papers with the nurse, another nurse/technician placed an I.V. with a pink band on Mitsu's left paw. Back in the room, Mitsu tried to place herself against the wall, in a protective position but Dr. Repp said he needed to be on that side. I called her to me in the middle of the room and with great effort Mitsu got up and stood in front of me. I think she knew if that she lay down, she would be unable to get up one more time. She sat, and then lay down. Dr. Repp said I could hold her head in my lap if I wanted, but I lay down on the cold linoleum with her. I held her head in my left hand, placed my face on hers, and held my right arm around her petting her.

Dr. Repp explained the process but I still wasn't understanding. The first injection was the euthanasia agent and he said it would be quick. The second injection was the flushing agent. I was watching Mitsu and then saw the second injection. I said "is that the one?" "No" he replied "she's alerady gone, her heart has stopped beating. This is just to flush it through her system." I saw his hand on the stethescope. He already heard her last heartbeats. I couldn't believe how fast it was. Or maybe I couldn't understand time passing, or Mitsu passing. She was still warm and lovely. Her eyes were open. Dr Repp said, "they only close their eyes in the movies." He then said, "you can stay with her as long as you like." I lay there, petting Mitsu and telling her she was the most beautiful, wonderful dog in the world. The most beautiful wonderful dog we ever knew. I don't know how long I lay there but all of a sudden, I felt that Mitsu was not in the room. Just like that. It was just her shell. I got up and pat her side and thought, I should get a clipping of her hair. I opened the door and asked the technician and she came back with some clippers and a plastic bag. She gently clipped a lovely curl of her hair from her leg, put it in the bag and gave it to me. I said good-bye Mitsu and left. That was the last time I saw Mitsu.

I went back to Stuart's and cleaned up Mitsu's sick supplies. Left her toys where they were. I wrote a note for Stuart and the lock of hair and somehow I managed to drive home. When I got home, I told Mom and Fran about it. I had a pounding headache and went to bed. But I got up in a little over an hour and decided I better go back to Stuart's and tell him in person. When I drove over, he was already home, his eyes red from crying. We talked about it. He told me that in the morning, when he left, he felt that it might be the last time so instead of saying "bye-bye Mitsu" he said "Good-bye Mitsu." We talked, cried, and hugged. We agreed that Mitsu was the best and most wonderful dog in the world, that Mitsu saved his life, that Mitsu gave us so much joy and love, and that it was her time to go. When I left, I walked away and looked down and saw that I had come over in my bedroom slippers.

Live long and prosper in Doggie Heaven, Mitsu! May there be lots of sunshine, ocean waves, balls to chase, biscuits to eat, and happy people who want to play with you and pet you! We'll see you again some day.