o'cockaigne

This morning I brought Calhoun to the vet. At the moment his left rear leg is amputated. On Monday evening, November 26th, I see, while Calhoun walks me off, that it is slightly thickened above his left heel. It is only at least undeniable. The moment I get over it with my hand, my heart beats a few strokes. I know enough. The next day I sit at the vet and it makes equal pictures and takes biopsies of the lymph node. It is clearly visible on the pictures. The next day we get the rash, not cancerous cells in the lymph node. That is all but the next day there are biopsies of the tumour under anesthesia. Result: nothing found. Calhoun has quite quickly really suffered from his paw. When he has raced, he stands on three legs. Larger biopsiess have to be taken so on Monday 3 December but again under anesthesia and with a thick needle tissue out. The results we get a little later does not matter much, but it indicates the direction of osteosarcoma. The biopsies must be descaled and that will take a while. This just turns out to be weeks. After two weeks of waiting the tumour has grown and Calhoun really hurts a lot. Unlike with Craffitsh, who had only last hurt. On Wednesday 19 December I was sitting, that waiting is really horrible and I am like the death that the cancer has spread in the meantime. I call Rens and talk what to do. We make a principle appointment for amputation for today. (I write it easier on it than it was!) I talked to the pathologist yesterday, but it also says that the final result is very likely to be osteosarcoma. Partly because of the enormous pain that Calhoun is experiencing and hoping that it has not been sown yet I remain with my decision, hopefully Calhoun can then be with us for a while without pain. In these pictures you can see how very quickly such a tumour can grow. In 18 days time from barely visible to such an egg. I'm now waiting for a call from Rens. Luckily I have Rescue Spray that keeps me a little calm. That this Calhoun has to come over I find so awfully bad! He is now just at its most beautiful, grown out to a fantastically beautiful, stable hound with such an incredibly fine character. He is super sensitive, which is quite tricky but on the other side so appropriate to him. He is extreme in everything. And as far as I am concerned he is the most successful Deerhound ever because what other hound has ever performed to win the combination of European coursing champion (+ many other coursing titles), 2 x the Jahresausstellung in succession and world champion (+ Many other beauty titles), Glean!!?? It will hurt an awful lot to see him on three legs rondhupsen but better than that I have to say goodbye to him now. I don't have to think about it!! I am also absolutely convinced that it will succeed to be happy yet again, he is a true life-loveer. And his sister, Cheytah, who has yet to wait for him!