All For the Good

It's been way too long since I've been able to just sit and write about our Shelly. Sadly life has a way of spinning out of control when we allow it. There's a laundry list of things I could share, but for now it's all about a way overdue update on Shelly.

Our hearts are heavy this morning as we returned from our second ophthalmologist veterinarian appointment this month.

Since my last post, we've switched chemotherapy protocols. The first two intravenous chemo drugs were not providing the results Dr. Greene at VCA was looking for.

We are now on a daily, oral pill that I give her each day. I have to be careful in handling this little capsule since it is toxic. I am instructed to wear gloves. My first question was then why should I be giving it to Shelly to ingest? The answer is obvious... it is our only chance of extending her life. So far, over the past week or so, it's been well tolerated and we won't know the success until we revisit her oncologist the week of Thanksgiving! Wow - did I just say Thanksgiving??
Yes, life has been WAAAAY too busy for us lately...so now we wait.

We're still seeing Drs. Salee or Tartof each week for our routine acupuncture at The Whole Pet in Bartlett. Shelly really likes going to see them, as I'm sure it does make her feel better. Funny how intuitive dogs really are...
Well about a month ago, Shelly's right eye was becoming red and appearing somewhat cloudy . I was keeping my own watchful eye on hers and last week it was beginning to look very bad. While we were in seeing Dr. Tartof for acupuncture, she did a pressure reading on her eye and became very concerned. It was high, and she suggested we go see Animal Eye Consultants ASAP. Fortunately, we were able to get an appt. the very next morning at 6:30 a.m. I didn't know veterinarians started work that early!! The reality is that Dr. Lindley was squeezing us in due to the severity of the situation, and she works closely with her referral veterinarians, namely Dr. Tartof.

So, after going through the history, examination, etc. Shelly's eye pressure had increased substantially just overnight. Dr. Lindley, needed to give her an injection into the eyeball (ewe!) I couldn't watch that... and she sent us home with 3 different eye drops to which we need a combination for 12 total times per day. It makes for an even busier day.

We needed to make a follow up appointment which brings us to today.

After Dr. Lindley re-examined Shelly's eye, she told us that it definitely appears to have cancerous cells. So what exactly does that mean? She stated she hoped we could get about 6 months out of her eye before it will need to be removed. Poor, poor Shelly. At this time we don't know if it's gone anywhere else, but Dr. Lindley did say she remembers a previous Oncologist DVM, diagnosing a dog with bladder cancer just because of what he saw in the eye. I've never heard of cancer in the eye before for human or canine.

So where do we go from here? I'm thinking I need to connect with her oncologist, Dr. Greene sooner rather than later. Perhaps she has another recommendation for treatment of this new development.

In reflection, it never ceases to amaze me just how quickly things change. The same truth can be said for each and everyone of us. It most definitely was the case for a woman named Natalie. She was driving her car one day last month and in the blink of an eye was t-boned by a truck. By all rights, she should have been pronounced dead at the scene, however, God has different plans for her as she's now in a long term rehabilitation hospital. No one knows her future at this time.

Lately, I've been studying this scripture from Romans 8:28, And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

This is one of the most quoted scriptures, especially in difficult times. Does it mean that God caused Shelly's cancer or Natalie's accident? No. It means that He can use these situations or circumstances for good. I am finally truly understanding this as it was written.
How can something tragic be good? The real antithesis of this scripture can be found in additional scripture.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8

There is definite good in Christ's death. For by it, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins by laying down his life for us. Wow! For those of us who believe this to be true, we also know that it is the only way to eternal life in heaven with Jesus and his father, God.

We are both very sad about Shelly's situation, however, I do believe it has allowed me a platform to freely share my faith in these blogs. Whether you agree or not, this is the good that is coming out of Shelly's illness. If just one person reading these blogs would hear God's truth and respond to it, then Romans 8:28 is being fulfilled in the truest sense.

What about me?

It's hard to believe that September is officially half over as of today! Where is the time going??? Much has happened since my last post, which explains why it's taken this long...

First of all, my husband is now home full time. Bittersweet...although the good news is that he can now help with some of Shelly's caregiving needs! Like walking the twins as we call April and Paige for their 2+ mile daily walks again. It's easier to leave Shelly home when someone can assure her that she's not unloved by being left behind...

My heart broke today as she repeatedly barked while watching as the twins left for their walk without her. We found out the hard way a week or so ago that taking her is just too hard on her now. Even her holistic veterinarian agreed that it's probably too much for her.  It's so hard when the mind is willing, but the body is not...So mom decided to spoil her with some special treats for staying home. She really enjoyed those!

We both took her for an acupuncture treatment last week. Shelly actually needed two treatments in one week as she had been very up and down with her energy and eating. As you can see in the picture, she has a series of needles in her back, all parallel to one another. This region is stimulating the bladder. For whatever reason the doctor told us that there was excessive heat being generated here. Interesting how all of this ancient medicine works! Shelly is also on various Chinese herbs to help boost her immune system, and help support everything during her chemotherapy.

When taking chemotherapy treatments, eating is essential for maintaining an immune system. It has been difficult getting Shelly to eat willingly every time. Some meals she wants, but most she does not. I've been coaxing her with many add-ins, but it's becoming increasingly more difficult. We just put her on Mirtazapine to help stimulate her appetite. I found it interesting that this being a human drug, it is prescribed mainly for depression. It's working for Shelly though. She's now eating more again thank the Lord!

This morning while giving Shelly some of her herbs and medications either encased in goat cheese with honey, or buried into one of her natural treats, Paige approached me with this look, "What about me"??? "Where's mine??" Paige has absolutely no idea that I'm only giving these apparent treats to Shelly because she's sick and needs her medicine. Paige is also on a diet to loose weight, so even giving her a little of the cheese or treats is off limits. I told her that she just has to trust me which is  truly tough love.

It then came to my mind right away that many times this is how we are with God. We look at those around us and compare ourselves to them. We see them getting more than what we get. We see them with more than we have and we say to ourselves, "what about me?" Maybe it's not even material things, but a job that someone has that we wish we had, but aren't qualified for or even capable of having.  Maybe it's a relationship that we yearn for that we see others having when we don't or can't.
Whatever it is, we feel left out. We truly feel like God's not listening. The truth is He is. He knows our every thought.
You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.  You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.  You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.   Psalm 139:1-4

God is sovereign and in control even when we can't see it. Just like Paige with me this morning. She can't see the entire picture because it's well beyond her realm of being. This is exactly the picture of us with God. He knows the complete picture, we do not. He knows what is best for us, we do not. Just like with a fine tapestry God is the master weaver. He sees the top side of the complete and finished piece. We only get to see bits and pieces of the underside where the entire picture can't be seen. How can we know what is best when we don't see the entire picture? The answer is we can't. We need to trust him, because we should.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5,6

Trusting God is not easy when we don't know the outcome. Our human nature is to want to be in control. Notice I said want because God is the one in control.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28

As much as I want to control Shelly's cancer, it's obvious that I can't. I can only pray and ask God for his wisdom in treating it. After completing two rounds of acupuncture last week, Shelly is now feeling better and eating more regularly. Just in time for her scheduled third round of chemotherapy tomorrow. Assuming she gets it, we'll have to hope and pray the herbs and medicine continue doing what they've been doing this past week.
Well at least for today, Shelly is in her happy place...

Chemical warfare

As I was talking to someone the other day about the general course of events we've faced with Shelly, she asked me, "How does something like this happen"? Great question! How does something like this happen to an otherwise very healthy animal?

When I dealt with lymphoma in Tessie, my previous tri-colored sheltie, it was a huge surprise but then it all seemed to fit as she had several other major health issues pretty much her entire life.  We knew her immune system was already compromised, so when cancer struck, it wasn't a shock of disbelief. I do remember however feeling like I had been sucker-punched the day I learnt she had it. It was a terrible feeling that started in my gut. I guess that all goes along with the unknown territory of cancer...

 

 

It's hard to truly see in the above pictures, but she suffered from DM, a degenerative disease of the skin, muscle and blood. She was diagnosed at the age of 1-1/2 years when her occipital protuberance/sagittal crest was becoming more and more pronounced. This is the bone felt at the top of a dogs head, between the ears. The reason for this was her muscle was wasting. This also caused her eyes to appear droopy as the muscle surrounding her skull was further eroding due to the disease. She actually lost about 2-3" of the fur on the tip of her tail early on. The poor baby. I remember it getting bloody during our cold harsh winters, worrying it would literally freeze. As she became older, her jaw would periodically quiver, which was attributed to a loss of muscle. If that had ever become so severe to where she couldn't swallow, euthanasia would have been the only option. Fortunately, it never reached that point.

In addition to the DM, she had severe, extremely severe allergies which required monthly shots. She was allergic to everything - including grass! Think about that for a minute. To us, that would be like being allergic to air. In essence, she basically was allergic to that too...

 

All things brought about because she had a weakened immune system, very likely from birth. Later on I learnt it was irresponsible breeding, but back then I wasn't going to return her! She was mine and I loved her, health issues and all. Please let this be a lesson if you're reading this, to be very, very thorough in purchasing a puppy from a breeder!!

 

So, getting back to my friends excellent question of "how could this happen?"

 

I felt led two years ago, by the Holy Spirit, to get rid of all lawn chemicals. We live in a HOA where we share common property, and therefore have a landscaper that yes, uses lawn chemicals!! I've actually been told in reading the MSDS specs on the chemicals used, that they are safe. Well, these are likely the same chemical companies that tell us that GMO foods are safe for us as well. Let me ask a rhetorical question - what part of CHEMICAL sounds safe to you??

 

Yes, I believe in my heart without question, that the lawn chemicals are to blame here. I specifically mention that I was led two years ago to do something, which further backs up my belief of this and how the holy spirit acted to inspire my action then.

 

When Jesus walked on the earth, He guided and taught His disciples. They could talk and listen to Him, gaze upon Him, and even reach out and touch Him. But on the day Jesus ascended into heaven, He told His disciples that He would lead and guide them in an entirely new way—through the Holy Spirit (John 16: 7–15).

 

In looking at Shelly's health history, the TCC (bladder cancer) that she now has, first showed symptoms in June 2013. When symptoms appear, the inflammation is already present. Had I done something the summer before in 2012 when I first felt prompted, perhaps she would have avoided the toxic chemicals that transitioned her healthy cells into cancerous cells.

 

Gods timing is perfect! "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

 

There is no such thing as coincidence.

 

So why didn't I do something 2 years ago?  I did, I tried.
I managed to get the HOA to eliminate chemically spraying pine trees that actually touch our back deck where we spend most of our summer evenings. Yeah - victory won! Sadly though, I dropped the ball on the lawn treatment. I tried. I was told by the HOA that we could eliminate chemicals on our immediate lawn area only, but they would continue to treat the common area. You'd have to see our lawn/common area in order to understand this was as good as saying no. How would we tell our shelties to stay just to our immediate lawn area? How would we manage the chemical residue to stay just to the common area and not leach into our personal property? It became complicated to say the least. Therefore, nothing changed, and they continued applying chemicals to the lawn.

 

I am happy to report however that as of Shelly's diagnosis, the HOA has agreed to quit chemically treating our lawn area! Yeah - another victory won! I also am happy to see that several other homeowners are on board with eliminating chemical use community wide. If you're in my subdivision,  please help be proactive in getting our HOA to eliminate chemical treatment throughout our tiny community.

 

For anyone with children reading this, please, please, be aware that even though this post is all about my dog Shelly, it could just as easily be about your precious little Jack or Emma. One story... We humans are just as susceptible to chemical toxins as pets. Real facts are that over extended time, it's only a matter of just that until the toxins begin to leach into our cells and thus begins the inflammation process...ultimately cancer of some form. Doubt what I'm saying? Just look around. They're continually building bigger and bigger cancer wards - why? Because more and more people and children are getting it. It's a sad reflection of our times today. I personally believe it all starts with what we allow into our bodies. Chemicals attack us and our pets everywhere, everyday even in our own Dangerous Backyards. This is another post for another day. For today it's about Shelly.

 

 

So...after beating myself up over this, it occurred to me that my beloved Shelly doesn't look at me today and ask me why? She looks at me with her eyes full of love and devotion just as she does everyday. She honestly has no idea what's going on. I believe with my whole heart that even if Shelly did know, she'd still forgive me. That's her nature, that's a dogs nature, that's God's nature.

If God can forgive us of our sins when we meet him at the cross where he laid down his one and only son to die for us, why can't we forgive ourselves? Yes I feel just awful. Heartsick about this, but I can't change it. I can only move forward one day at a time, to graciously accept the manna God provides each day. I like to call it grace. It's all a choice, and I do choose God. He's the only way to find that deep down peace we all yearn for and that peace is called Jesus.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.   John 3:16

Trust yourself

Today while catching up on my paperwork, including the dreaded insurance company claim forms, I put together a time line for when Shelly's symptoms first began.
To my astonishment, it looks to be about May 2012 when we first had an occasion to do a urinalysis. Since that was an isolated incident, it's hard to pin that as the start of Shelly's TCC.

Regular activity on this symptom began in June of 2013. I have invoices that show the frequency and number of urinalysis' done along with prescribed antibiotics. There was even an ultrasound done last July by my routine vet.  I had brought Shelly in three times before this complaining of her increased urinating. He clearly told me nothing was showing up in her bladder, so not to worry. All totaled, I now see at least 8 different times where we did a urinalysis and prescribed antibiotics between then and her recent diagnosis earlier this month.

My whole reason for sharing this information today, is to help anyone who may be experiencing chronic symptoms of any health challenges without any resolution, either for themselves or a beloved pet. Trust yourself!

You see, my everyday veterinarian is of a very conservative nature. That's obvious, otherwise we would have diagnosed Shelly's condition much sooner I believe.
I was trusting him when he did not give me reason to worry about any potential serious health issues. There's something about our innate belief of wanting to believe everything is alright, when intuitively we know it's not.
I told myself he's the doctor, he studied veterinarian medicine, I did not. Trust him. Perhaps his offer of an explanation that Shelly was possibly just marking on her walks was possible. She was clearly showing signs of serious arthritis in her hind legs, which he said could have caused her to stop frequently (to urinate) in order to slow our walks down...

Even in writing this now, I clearly see why it's hindsight that's 20/20...

That little voice inside me was just beginning last July in an attempt to capture my attention. I squelched it quickly and quietly. No problems, not now, not ever...

DON'T do that!! Don't ever, turn down the volume on your little voice. Always, always listen to it loudly and clearly.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  John 10:27-28

Do you hear God's voice??  Don't turn away from it as it can cost you your eternal life if you do.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.  Revelation 3:20

I question myself how come I didn't push more when I felt something was wrong. All it took was for my veterinarian, a professional, to assure me that it's all o.k. I even worked in the industry, seeing insurance claims processed daily for hundreds of pets with all kinds of health reasons. I called on over 200 different vet clinics/hospitals, and became quite knowledgeable about many pet health issues. I should have known better when it came to my own pet. So why didn't I?

Because I wanted it to be o.k. more than I wanted to face the possibility it wasn't. Aren't we all like that? It's easier playing ostrich, than it is to face our fate head on. It's difficult to take a hard look in the mirror and have that conversation with the face looking back. It's just easier to take someone's word when it's really what I wanted to hear. No one wants to hear the truth, especially when it hurts!
I could have easily taken Shelly to another vet, for a second opinion, as I now know I should have. I didn't. I played it safe, or so I thought.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God  Romans 3:23
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23


Our innate nature is to be self sufficient, to be in denial to our true selves and to be autonomous people, not wanting to be accountable to others. The sad truth is we aren't self sufficient, we do deny the truth and we are accountable for all that we do. God's word is clear on all of this. When we go down the wrong path, at least for me, I am so grateful to know our heavenly father is there to pick me up, dust me off and set me straight.
One of my favorite life verses is this:

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
    out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
    and gave me a firm place to stand.
Psalm 40:2

Halleluiah!
Won't you be sure your feet are on solid rock this day and everyday? There's no turning back when you're on solid ground!

   

Crazy or what?

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. That was my first thought upon awakening yesterday morning as my eyes quickly settled upon Shelly's pill laying on the floor. It still had a few residual crumbs left on it from being cleverly encased in one of her favorite nugget treats, or so I thought!
I can't believe that little stinker. I actually got up at 1:30 a.m. to walk downstairs where Shelly was sleeping to give her this crucial pill that I had forgotten earlier. She appeared to take it...that is until I saw it on our bedroom floor. Not only did she fool me, she transported it to the second floor!
So why did I bother getting out of bed in the middle of the night just to give Shelly a pill? Perhaps I'm the one who belongs in an asylum!

Last week we started on a journey with an integrative veterinarian. This is all new to me even though I've been through the cancer thing several years back with our other tri-sheltie, Tess, who was also 10 years old upon a diagnosis of lymphoma. This time, I'm going to do all I can with Shelly to win this fight and try to give her more happy years of being our Frisbee dog!
It also helps when you have pet insurance, which we do as I had previously sold it for Trupanion. So glad I kept it!

So after our initial visit last week, I came home with a handful of bottles containing natural homeopathic herbs and such. I'm a true believer that we are what we eat, and I do believe this extends to our furry friends as well. I also believe without question that mother nature holds the keys to all of our illness'. After all, how did people get healed before there were CVS pharmacies on every corner???

We've bumped up our program substantially. Now I give Shelly powders, pills and oils a couple times a day. Oh yes, did I mention that I'm supposed to give her liver and dark leafy greens? The liver isn't a problem for her, it grosses me out, but dogs aren't herbivores by nature!! Fighting with her daily is beginning to wear in just a short week. There's only so many ways that I can disguise kale or spinach to satisfy a canine's palette!

So why am I really doing all of this? I've questioned myself. We both love Shelly as she has been our family member for just over 10 years now. While exercising on my spin bike this a.m., it occurred to me why. LOYALTY. TRUST. LOVE.

Shelly is truly a devoted and loyal dog. She always comes by my side whenever I go into the basement like I did today. She will lay there as long as I take to finish my workout. What a sweet face! What's really cute is when I start singing to my music, she'll jump in too. She barks and barks and barks...
Is there anyone more loyal than a treasured pet? Perhaps this is a model we can observe as to how God is with us. He is faithful and just. He never changes.

2 Timothy 2:13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.

I guess it's also really a matter of my compassion. I also know that our heavenly father looks at all creatures with love and compassion.

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matthew 6:26

In reflecting upon this, yes, God places a high price on us as humans. So much that he sent his one and only son to die for us! Do you know of any other person that has died just for you?

God also provides the birds for our benefit. They sing beautiful songs, they provide beauty. I know I surely enjoy our feeders which brings them to our backyard. So if God provides for even the birds, wouldn't he surely provide for us as his word above says?

Therefore, it's another model of compassion that God shows us of his great love for us! How great a love as this?

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1John 3:1

 

Is it no wonder that some say dog spelled backwards = GOD??

 

Hear and Listen

Day 5 since our first chemo treatment. So far so good. Wait. What's that I hear? Squeak, squeak, squeak...it's Shelly's hedgehog that's been in hibernation for sometime now. She's pulled him out again. What a joyous sound it brings rather than it's past annoyance.  

 

 

 

Funny how little things like a squeaker toy can trigger all kinds of thoughts and emotions. In days past, Shelly couldn't walk past her toy basket on the stairway landing without grabbing one of them to carry away in her mouth, squeaking it incessantly along the way. By the end of the day, there'd be a pile of squeaky toys all over the family room floor. As of late, there's only been a few un-chewed rawhides along with clumps of dog-hair as a subtle reminder that we do have a small pack of dogs living here!

 

When did Shelly forget about all her squeaky friends that have been lying in wait? How did I miss this? That's one of the components of an illness. The first sign is the absence of playfulness. It if came with an announcement, then it would have been much easier to understand what was beginning to happen in Shelly's little body, but sadly it didn't.

 

"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Deut. 6:4,5

This was the reply Jesus gave when he was asked what the greatest commandment was.

I found this interesting that such an important question was preceded by the word - HEAR.  In order

for the audience to grasp the meaning of what Jesus was about to say, he had to first tell them to listen! Don't we do this when we have something important to say to others? Listen! For this is very important...

Unfortunately with our canine fur babies, it's very difficult for them to tell us LISTEN! In fact dogs are so adept at masking their pain, that our jobs as their shepherds, becomes even that much more difficult. When you have a senior pet as Shelly is, subtle changes are about the only clues they provide. We must be in tune to any changes they may be experiencing. In Shelly's case, I sadly dropped the ball on her, and am now questioning things from vet visits to my own "listening" ability. In hindsight, what I do understand is that our pets truly rely on us 100%.
 

 

They are the most loyal and devoted creatures I know of. We must "listen" to them with our own hearts, soul and might, otherwise me might just miss the importance of their very lives.

 

On this day, it's difficult to turn anywhere without hearing about the tragic loss of Robin Williams. How very sad. It is now clear that he had suffered greatly. How could those closest to him have missed the importance of his own life? Did they really "hear" him, were they "listening"?

This is something that I believe God was working through his son Jesus in the above response. Hear O Israel...He wanted to capture the moment by impressing upon them to truly listen to his answer. Not merely let the words wash over them.

 

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and

with all your might. Deut. 6:5

 

Do His words just wash over you, or do you really Hear them?

Perhaps if we took this commandment as seriously as it was given, there would be much less pain and heartache everywhere. We'd all learn how to "listen" to those around us so that we could walk in God's truth, showing others the way to true freedom as well.

 

As I stop to "hear" what my dogs are now barking at, it appears to me that they only do so because I'm not "listening" in dog language. Funny how some belly rubs and snuggle time quiets not only them, but my own soul as well.

 

 

 

 

The Fight

Well o.k. we at least now know with absolute certainty that Shelly has TCC. Pathology reports confirmed this. Was this a major surprise? No. Not with all of the symptoms presented as they pretty much aligned with what Mr. Google told me about canine TCC...

So we have decided without any doubts that we'll try Shelly on chemo. For some of you reading this, I'm sure you're shaking your head about the validity of treating a canine pet in this manner. For others, you may have even done the same thing yourselves with a beloved pet. So if you're in the first camp, I'll speak more directly to you here.

We left on our journey into Chicago yesterday afternoon with Shelly for our first oncology visit. We knew it meant a consultation, and hopefully a treatment. As I posted initially, she has a very large mass in the urethra which is the tube connecting the bladder to allow urine to pass outside of the body. It was so large that the DVM doing the scope earlier this week, couldn't actually get his scope past the tumor into the bladder. That's LARGE!
The good news is we were told there doesn't appear to be any further growth in the bladder itself. This was determined upon viewing a recent ultrasound. Thank you Lord!
So the game plan right now is to shrink the existing tumor to eliminate a possible complete bladder obstruction. That would be very bad, as it would require emergency surgery for Shelly to survive that. Last weekend, she did start bleeding externally and it totally freaked us out. Lots of prayers later, it did stop on it's own. I had talked to my regular vet about it then, and this is where I soon became educated about complete bladder obstruction.
We still observe her every outing to be sure something's coming out...

 

God is just so amazing in how he orchestrates every detail in our lives. I recently saw someone I know battling cancer in their own style, down to the valiant end. For this person, they have been battling a long and valiant fight.  Through many, many, prayers, I was beginning to believe they just might accomplish a victory won. Sadly though, upon seeing them, it is quite apparent that it just likely isn't going to be.
The gray ashen skin that literally sucks away your breath as this color is no where to be found on the skin color palette wheel of life. It now loosely hangs over bones that once supported strong muscle and body fat. The extreme coarse and brittle hair so thin leaving a fairly visible scalp line around the entire head. All of the familiar battle signs of a long fight from the harsh effects of chemo and cancer. I started thinking to myself, when does the will to stop fighting end? It's physically clear the battle is almost won by the cancer itself. What makes a person fight so long and so hard?
If you've ever gone through this process with a loved one, and I'm sure some of you have, myself included, it's just not a fair battle. It never can be, because cancer is smarter than most of us reading this.

So bringing this back to the first camp of people mentioned above.
If we as humans put up such a good fight, why shouldn't our beloved pets be allowed to do the same? What makes us think that when things go wrong, we should just give them a lethal injection to eliminate their very breath of life? I've heard the argument before...well we should be able to do the same with people when they're suffering. Really?? Since when should we play God?
...nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; Acts 17:25

God is the only one who can give breath and life. Doesn't it then stand to reason that he is the only one who should take it? He is the one who give us all things! This includes the strength to bear whatever he brings our way.

I'm not advocating that we let our pets suffer beyond reason. Mercy is also something that God teaches us. My only point in all of this is there is absolutely nothing wrong in treating a pet in hopes that they will see longer life from it. We all want this as humans too, it's the way we're designed, in the image of God! We want to live, not die. It's in our DNA.

The really good news, is that we don't have to! Yes, you heard me right. I once heard a quote from pastor James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Church and absolutely love what he said.

"Born once, Die twice. Born Twice, Die Once."

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  John 3:16

Please do not simply exit from reading this blog today if you are the least bit unsure of what this all means. You can click through to a website link from the quote above in blue. You can call someone you know that walks with Christ. Talk to a pastor, a friend. Open a bible and start reading John 1:1 all the way through this gospel. Do what you feel led from the spirit. Whatever you do, don't loose this fight because it's the most important one you'll ever face.

God Bless.