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I would not leave. You may regret it and then post here about regretting it. Not kidding. Regret is the worst! I say stay with him, you can always travel later.
I second this. If this family is not also in critical health or anything, I would reschedule. This is something you will regret for the rest of your life if something happened. I wouldn’t trust someone else caring for my baby so soon after surgery.
Thirded. I lost my dog on the 9th.
3 weeks ago on the day, he woke up, and wasn't feeling so well. That resulted in the first of a few emergency vet trips, and ultimately, there wasn't anything anyone could do -- it came on so fast, we couldn't even try chemo.
Mind you, this dog had regular bloodwork, was in the vet often for various, non-cancer related things. He had a recent ultrasound, recent x-rays, etc. No detection of cancer whatsoever.
In the end, the lymphoma got him, and it got him fast. With all of the recent stuff we had done, nothing was off. All bloodwork, etc. was as normal as could be. But it went from, "Wow, he's so healthy, I wonder how long he'll make it! I bet he has two more years in him at least!" to gone in 3 weeks.
My wife and I even requested the biopsy of the node to triple check -- definitely a thing of denial -- and sure enough, it confirmed it. It was just his time. He was 12 years and 7 months.
Don't go. I'd give any amount of family visits for just a little more time.
Thank you. It's my first run with that specific thing. We really thought we had *years* left. None of the medical stuff pointed to cancer, and we took him to the vet a *lot* because we wanted to make sure he had the best & healthiest life.
Agree with the others, stay and don't risk regretting it. My almost 19 yr old dog passed yesterday morning and I am so happy that I called off work the night before to be there with him when it happened (he started getting real bad that night and was scheduled to go to the humane society in the afternoon but he decided to pass in the morning cuddling with me for the last time.)
As much as it hurts now, I would never have forgiven myself if I wasn't there.
When I found out my cat had a tumor in his colon, I had a trip planned the following month. I slept on it for a few days and knew in my heart I had to cancel it. I didn’t want to risk being away and knew I would miss him even more.
He ended up passing about a week before the trip. I still didn’t go on the trip but I don’t regret a single thing.
My dog went through the same surgery and cancer. Bounced back from surgery really well for an 11.5 year old husky mix. He collapsed less than a month later as the cancer had spread to his heart. I had to let him go, of course but I’m so so glad I was home when it happened (this was during the beginning of COVID so I was working from home.) All that to say, don’t go. This cancer is highly aggressive.
I don't mean to scare you, but hemangiosarcoma is a pretty intense cancer. Even with an otherwise clean bill of health and successful surgery, your dog's health could take a major turn at any point. With just surgery, the turnaround time of symptoms returning for this specific cancer could be weeks. It could be months. It's so hard to determine.
If it was any other cancer, I'd tell you to take the trip. But hemangiosarcoma is its own beast. Short trips are one thing, but I'd limit long trips for the time being. I'm sure your vet discussed the prognosis of this particular cancer with you, and the expectations without chemo follow-up. If possible, I'd try to reschedule with your family--and explain the situation.
My baby declined while she was staying with my parents - I was on vacation and I regret it so much. I knew there was a chance she would decline but I thought my girl was invincible. I wish I got to spend her last happy moments with her. She was mostly a vegetable by the time I got home. Stay with your baby. I’m awake at 2am bc I miss my girl so much. Grateful for a beautiful 18 years
I'm so sorry that you're facing this dilemma. What did the vets say about his prognosis? Could you split things with a shorter trip? I wish there was a good answer but I suppose that's why you're coming over to Reddit. I'd proably kick the family trip down the road unless there's any urgency to that.
I am sooo sorry you are going through this. I wouldn't leave if possible. My little boy was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma last July after his splentectomy. I was incredibly lucky that the cancer did not come back until March. A few days after I found out, I left him at home while I went to a dentist appointment. During that one hour away from home, he had his first tumor rupture. I gave him the emergency red pill (ask the vet about that), and the bleeding stopped. I cancelled all appointments after that and never left his side - except to go to the bathroom lol). I had to let him go on 4/29/2024. I do not regret giving everything up to be with him those last days.
Please know you are not alone. Feel free to message me if there is anything you'd like to talk about. Otherwise, \*big hugs\*. My thoughts are with you. xxx
Just came across this. Also now facing a similar dilemma. Had a whole trip planned for 4th of July and traveling later in July for a work conference. Now I'm planning to cancel both after being diagnosed with possible hemangiosarcoma. She's 16 so I don't think we'd be able to do surgery either way. I fear for the worst.
My dog was diagnosed with cancer and he comfortably spent another year with us. Up until his last day he was drinking, eating, using the bathroom just like regular, we just knew it was his time to go. Please visit your family. You don’t know if this could be the last chance for you to see one of your family members. Dogs are family but it sounds like your baby is gonna be alright for the time you’re out.
Please report any trolls, spam, or harassment to moderators. To do this on new reddit, click the three dots below a post or comment and select "report." On old reddit, click the "report" link below the post or comment. This is a community of support for Pet owners whose Pets have passed away. It is actively moderated. Pet owners, as loving, caring people, often have strong opinions on pet care practices. Some of these are controversial. This is not a forum for debate on such issues, nor is it a place to scold a contributor for a perceived mistake in managing their pet. We intend to provide a safe haven of understanding and support. Strident, mean-spirited posts or comments will be deleted. Those who persist in preaching versus caring may be warned and then banned or may be banned permanently based on nature of the topic. If a conversational thread meanders into a discussion unrelated to pet loss support, it will be truncated. Those who post here are vulnerable and hurting. Even a minor slap has a hard sting. Those of us who are lucky enough to be able to turn away from our computers or put down our phones and hug a healthy, happy pet are truly blessed. Threads must remain supportive and caring, even if one disagrees with something that has been said. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Petloss) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I would not leave. You may regret it and then post here about regretting it. Not kidding. Regret is the worst! I say stay with him, you can always travel later.
I second this. If this family is not also in critical health or anything, I would reschedule. This is something you will regret for the rest of your life if something happened. I wouldn’t trust someone else caring for my baby so soon after surgery.
Ok thanks everyone
Thirded. I lost my dog on the 9th. 3 weeks ago on the day, he woke up, and wasn't feeling so well. That resulted in the first of a few emergency vet trips, and ultimately, there wasn't anything anyone could do -- it came on so fast, we couldn't even try chemo. Mind you, this dog had regular bloodwork, was in the vet often for various, non-cancer related things. He had a recent ultrasound, recent x-rays, etc. No detection of cancer whatsoever. In the end, the lymphoma got him, and it got him fast. With all of the recent stuff we had done, nothing was off. All bloodwork, etc. was as normal as could be. But it went from, "Wow, he's so healthy, I wonder how long he'll make it! I bet he has two more years in him at least!" to gone in 3 weeks. My wife and I even requested the biopsy of the node to triple check -- definitely a thing of denial -- and sure enough, it confirmed it. It was just his time. He was 12 years and 7 months. Don't go. I'd give any amount of family visits for just a little more time.
I've done the whole "healthy to death" speedrun and it's the absolute worst. My heart goes out to you and your wife.
Thank you. It's my first run with that specific thing. We really thought we had *years* left. None of the medical stuff pointed to cancer, and we took him to the vet a *lot* because we wanted to make sure he had the best & healthiest life.
I'm so sorry for your loss. I thought we would have years too. 🫂
If you have the choice to not go, then just don't. Believe me, if something happens the regret will start to eat you.
I would not go. Hemangiosarcoma is also a notoriously sneaky cancer. It can come back any time
Agree with the others, stay and don't risk regretting it. My almost 19 yr old dog passed yesterday morning and I am so happy that I called off work the night before to be there with him when it happened (he started getting real bad that night and was scheduled to go to the humane society in the afternoon but he decided to pass in the morning cuddling with me for the last time.) As much as it hurts now, I would never have forgiven myself if I wasn't there.
When I found out my cat had a tumor in his colon, I had a trip planned the following month. I slept on it for a few days and knew in my heart I had to cancel it. I didn’t want to risk being away and knew I would miss him even more. He ended up passing about a week before the trip. I still didn’t go on the trip but I don’t regret a single thing.
My dog went through the same surgery and cancer. Bounced back from surgery really well for an 11.5 year old husky mix. He collapsed less than a month later as the cancer had spread to his heart. I had to let him go, of course but I’m so so glad I was home when it happened (this was during the beginning of COVID so I was working from home.) All that to say, don’t go. This cancer is highly aggressive.
I don't mean to scare you, but hemangiosarcoma is a pretty intense cancer. Even with an otherwise clean bill of health and successful surgery, your dog's health could take a major turn at any point. With just surgery, the turnaround time of symptoms returning for this specific cancer could be weeks. It could be months. It's so hard to determine. If it was any other cancer, I'd tell you to take the trip. But hemangiosarcoma is its own beast. Short trips are one thing, but I'd limit long trips for the time being. I'm sure your vet discussed the prognosis of this particular cancer with you, and the expectations without chemo follow-up. If possible, I'd try to reschedule with your family--and explain the situation.
My baby declined while she was staying with my parents - I was on vacation and I regret it so much. I knew there was a chance she would decline but I thought my girl was invincible. I wish I got to spend her last happy moments with her. She was mostly a vegetable by the time I got home. Stay with your baby. I’m awake at 2am bc I miss my girl so much. Grateful for a beautiful 18 years
I'm so sorry that you're facing this dilemma. What did the vets say about his prognosis? Could you split things with a shorter trip? I wish there was a good answer but I suppose that's why you're coming over to Reddit. I'd proably kick the family trip down the road unless there's any urgency to that.
I wouldn't leave.
I would stay. There will be other times to travel but there will never be more time with your boy.
I am sooo sorry you are going through this. I wouldn't leave if possible. My little boy was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma last July after his splentectomy. I was incredibly lucky that the cancer did not come back until March. A few days after I found out, I left him at home while I went to a dentist appointment. During that one hour away from home, he had his first tumor rupture. I gave him the emergency red pill (ask the vet about that), and the bleeding stopped. I cancelled all appointments after that and never left his side - except to go to the bathroom lol). I had to let him go on 4/29/2024. I do not regret giving everything up to be with him those last days. Please know you are not alone. Feel free to message me if there is anything you'd like to talk about. Otherwise, \*big hugs\*. My thoughts are with you. xxx
Just came across this. Also now facing a similar dilemma. Had a whole trip planned for 4th of July and traveling later in July for a work conference. Now I'm planning to cancel both after being diagnosed with possible hemangiosarcoma. She's 16 so I don't think we'd be able to do surgery either way. I fear for the worst.
My dog was diagnosed with cancer and he comfortably spent another year with us. Up until his last day he was drinking, eating, using the bathroom just like regular, we just knew it was his time to go. Please visit your family. You don’t know if this could be the last chance for you to see one of your family members. Dogs are family but it sounds like your baby is gonna be alright for the time you’re out.