One year on

 Gail here.

It's now been a year since Bertie was diagnosed with a malignant tumour (transitional cell carcinoma or TCC) near the neck of his bladder, and I was told that such tumours tend to be aggressive and treatment options limited. I won't pretend the past twelve months have been easy. There have been many ups and downs. 

Bertie still has his good moments, as captured on video last Saturday during a sunny and idyllic walk along the banks of the beautiful river Dee.

https://youtu.be/44OT1itLq7Y

But then there are the times at home when he stands bewildered, looking uncomfortable. 

I am trying to come to terms with the fact that the last year has in effect been a 'bonus year', and be grateful for that. 

Comfortable for now, but...

Gail here: 

I know that some of Bertie's friends will be wondering how he is really doing, given his late September diagnosis of cancer of the bladder.

Well the recent blog posts do not lie. The dear little fellow has been relishing his autumnal walks, lively as ever, and at home he is calm and content as in the picture above. His appetite is good, the 'accidents' in the house have, for the moment, ceased and he is not obviously straining to pee. The anti-inflammatory tablets, 'Previcox', appear to be doing their job of easing his symptoms.  

And yet.... sadly that is not the whole story. Yesterday, for the first time, I clearly observed blood in Bertie's urine, something I had been warned to look out for, and a sure sign that the cancer has progressed. 

So we continue to live in the moment. In a week when in the wider world, to quote Heaney via Biden, "hope and history rhyme", I'm made aware again of the dark cloud on the local horizon (though thankfully Bertie is not) and I try to savour each day that my beloved pup remains comfortable, with his zest for life undimmed.

Caring for Jake

It is confirmed that my flat-coated retriever neighbour (and erstwhile foe) Jake has a horrid cancer in his leg and shoulder. He is receiving something called 'palliative' care. That means he needs lots of pals to care for him, right?

I saw him in the park today and gave him a goodwill sniff.

I think he appreciated it, but he also indicated he wanted to be left alone, which is OK, 'cos there's a whole world out there to sniff, isn't there pups?

P.S. You still have plenty of time (well, a few days anyway) to submit your entry for the 'Darwin-lite Award' competition. Closing date 30th June. For details, click here.