Sarge

Sarge enjoying a nap on his favorite office couch.

Last Sunday night I discovered a growth inside Sarge's mouth. He's our brown dog. It looked pretty scary and definitely needed to be checked out. The vet thinks it is a melanoma which is very bad. I won't repeat all of the terrifying things I have read online about it because I am still holding out hope that it is not a melanoma and even if it is, well, we believe in prayers and positive thinking. I had nearly constant anxiety attacks for two days after my Internet research until I finally decided I will pray and let God handle the rest. Sarge is only nine years old but apparently oral cancer is the most common cancer dogs get and melanomas, particularly, usually strike around his age, especially in male dogs. Thankfully, it is on his lip side of the inside of his mouth so the vet feels she can get it out with "clean margins." The next part is worse. It is very aggressive and can quickly spread to their lymph nodes and lungs, even after the removal. Although I almost hate to write about it, like I'm making it true or real, I figured the more prayers the better. These dogs are like our children, albeit messier, hirsute, four legged children that bark. Sarge is my real live teddy bear and Duke's big brother. Duke has been with Sarge since Duke was six weeks old. The two of them have never, ever, ever been apart from one another so I don't know how he will handle Sarge being in the pet hospital tomorrow all day, much less handle Sarge's eventual death, whenever it may come, hopefully years from now. Duke is the scaredy-cat little brother, whereas nothing phases Sarge. I now worry about Duke almost as much. Well, now that I have managed to provide myself with a spanking new anxiety attack I guess I have said enough. Sarge goes in the morning and won't be home until early evening. They will also do a chest x-ray. I don't know when we get the pathologist report but I will update you then. In the meantime, please say a prayer for Sarge.
Duke, Eddie and I could use your prayers too.