Our Hanny

We learned last week that our little girl Border terrier, age 10, has bladder cancer.  We are devastated.  She began her journey with the Fowler family, as our daughter Amy's dog.  However, when Amy moved to an apartment during Hanover's first year, she liked to "sing" when Amy was gone.  A Border terrier's singing is a cross between a yodel and a howl - and is LOUD.  After the Apartment manager asked a friend of Amy's to go into the apartment to check on Hanny, only to discover that all Hanny wanted was company, she moved to our house, where she became a member of the Fenway and Camden pack. 

We think the cancer is in early stages, being only 1 cm in size.  However, it is a metastatic cancer and will grow and spread.  She is on a medication that has helped some dogs' cancer slow.  We are hoping we have her for many more months but are showering her with even more love and affection than normal.

Both Fenway (age 13) and Kauffman (age 10 months)  sense something is wrong.  However, they like the home cooked meals they are getting to help Hanny's kidneys function better.

To have two dogs get two different types of cancer in less than 18 months is baffling.  Although we have always fed high quality prescription foods we got at the vets, they had lots of chemicals and preservatives.  We've switched to home cooked or all natural dog foods in the hope we can avoid having this happen again, particularly with the puppy.   

I just love this photo, taken a few nights ago.  Hanny is always cold in the winter, so wears sweaters.  Someone  visited in January and when he saw her in this pink and green glittery sweater, he exclaimed "Are you going out tonight" to Hanny.  What a cute, sweet little girl.  Of all our pups, she is the one who just wants to love and cuddle.  We can do that!

P.S. I am recovering from my knee surgery fine and will return to work next week after an 8 1/2 week absence.  We are working on long dormant quadriceps muscles in physical therapy.  The progress is slower than I had thought it would be but it was liberating graduating to a cane recently.