Sarah is my 11 yr 5 mo purebred labrador retriever. She is an awsome lab and loves trucks and ducks. :) she had lost 30 over the past year going from 94 down to 55. because of not having the money and not a vet around in my small home area that would allow me to make pmts so she was deteriating slowly. I moved some 200 miles on the other side of anchorage and found a vet who would which I owe so much thanks no matter the outcome which surgery just last thursday gave us a victory.

Weeks leading up to this, I felt hopeless and disgusted at myself not being successful enough to even help my dog. I’m going to get off this dang social security disability and go back to work because i’m sick of being poor and not able to get by when things happen.

She had her bad nights and good nights and though this move I know she tried to remain strong with what i didn’t know at the time how big it was, but she was carrying a 2 lb tumor that was all over one of her kidneys. Sarah had become just as depressed as i had been over the course of those 3 weeks. When we would go for a ride most of the time she would just plop down on the front seat of the truck and not look up. her head sometimes hanging slightly over the seat with her paws outstretched almost as if she was wondering how many more rides will she take in the truck with her condition! She knew something was seriously wrong and i was there and couldn’t do anything but still pray and ask God for a miracle. A few days before her surgery she would finally sit up in the truck like she used to do at the beginning of the rides. She hadn’t been because of her condition. But she did it like a strong dog, wanting to be tough, wanting to do what she used to do.

Then one day she wanted to fetch her ball and i saw a dog who wanted to live so i ran back upstairs to call this local new vet i had taken her to and pleaded with them to please help me. The doctor did. when we went to the office, and he walked in the room, sarah walked over to the doctor and stood right in front of him ask if to say “will you please help me”

I was so grateful to this vet in allowing me to make pmts no matter the outcome and it was her only chance so i went with my gut feeling and was still hanging onto the truth that God is good. Sometimes our outcomes are not what we had hoped and prayed for. These are times that life almost feels like you wish you were not here to continue. I felt like that.

the night before her surgery i was wondering if it was going to be my last night with sarah. i washed her bowl that morning and put it back where she eats.

When it was time to call me during the operation the vet tech came out to get me and I thanked God that she appeaered to be in better shape then what we thought. that 2 lb tumor had engulfed that 1 kidney but the other was fine and her liver was perfect being a beautiful maroon color just the way God made it. The doctor said her spleen looked normal for a lab her age so we left it in. He told me to go take a seat and i was crying my eyes out thanking my savior Jesus Christ. We sent a chunk of that ugly thing off to pathology and soon will get the results.

Of course, she might not be out of the woods just yet but she’s eating her dry food again, is happy, is wagging her tail and i have my dog back. : ) I’m just hoping that it was just a benign tumor that just got out of hand or possibly a stage I tumor. It was localized so I’m just so grateful for the news so far. Here is a pic of sarah on the couch hours after her sugery. She is at this moment a very happy dog.

Dan from AK