Brunos battle with cancer is over

On Friday October 7th Bruno underwent a 2nd operation to remove a lump that had appeared on the site of his amputation. It had grown very quick and was the size of a tennis ball by the time he had his op. The vet seemed unconcerned about it and said it would only be a 20min operation. He recovered quickly and was up and about as normal by Monday 10th.

On Wednesday 19th Bruno seemed off colour, nothing to alarm us but because we know our dog we knew something was not quite right but another lump was growing. He had his stitches removed by our local vet. That evening and into Thursday 20th he was in pain and would let out a little cry when he moved. We took him to the hospital having convinced ourselves that maybe he was a little low following his chemo session on 5th.

The results from the biopsy that were taken during the operation came as complete shock to us. The cancer had spread, the chemo had not worked and there was nothing else that could be done. The awful decision to let Bruno go and free him from his pain was made there and then. A heart breaking event that all pet owners go through.

So now the initial shock has gone we are all getting used to life without our big brave gentle Bruno. Its hard and things still have us in tears, like when Khumbu sniffed where Bruno had last laid outside and then lay down in the same place, like when Tapa got a little excited and went to check for Bruno under the table (Brunos favourite place to lay). Khumbu seems very flat today, not the bouncy husky we know, we will keep an eye on him.

The support we have received from all over the world has been incredible. From people who knew him, from people who had never met him but followed the adventures of the dogs on Tails from the Pack and from people who have had dogs with bone cancer and gone through the same agony. We would like to thank everyone of you for your kind words through this tough time.

Have you heard of 2 Million Dogs, well read on. The 2 Million Dogs Foundation is committed to discovering the common links between canine and human cancers and the causes of these cancers through comparative oncology research through education and awareness, empowerment and mobilization (such as the Puppy Up! walks) and through investment and research.

Luke Robinson and his two Great Pyrenees, Hudson and Murphy, embarked upon a cross-country walk from Austin, Texas to Boston, Massachusetts inspired by his late dog, Malcolm, and his life and fight with the disease. The walk actually kicked-off a nationwide grassroots movement to bring awareness to the plight of canine cancer. The trio walked from town to town for 826 days, sharing Malcolm’s story and educating people about the disease. While out on the road, Luke had a vision. “If two dogs can walk 2,000 miles for cancer, then why couldn’t we get two million dogs to walk two miles for cancer awareness?” And the 2 Million Dogs foundation was born.

There are no walks in the UK / Europe, if you think you are up for being a walk coordinator / host either leave a message on here or contact the foundation. It would be great if we could get some puppy walks organised and start to make people aware of this disease.