IN MEMORY OF PRINCE ~ 1/11/2004~30/4/2010

Prince January 2010

On Friday 30 April my beautiful boy left this world and joined all the other fur angels north of the Rainbow Bridge.

Prince had been very brave over the past six months ~ not only did he have to battle cancer but he had to learn to adjust to almost completely losing his eyesight. My once very energetic best friend had to accept a life with many limitations and I know not being able to do zoomies with his sister/best friend Summer was very hard for both of them to accept.

Prince and Summer February 2010

We did everything we could to fight the cancer, he handled the metronomic chemotherapy very well and we had almost six wonderful months together after he was first diagnosed with Fibrosarcoma in November 2009. We will never know if the treatment slowed down the growth of the tumor and gave us more precious time together.

For those of you that don't know, Prince's tumor was located beside his spine. He had a CT scan last December and we were hoping it would be able to be surgically removed but that wasn't the case. The tumor had invaded and eroded some of his vertibrae and his spinal cord and nerves were compromised. The surgical specialists and radiologist could not believe that Prince was walking normally with the pressure that was already on his spinal cord.

Prince January 2009

I always knew my boy was tough, he was always so stoic and took everything in his stride. I truly believe his stubbornness and determination helped him fight off the effects of the tumor for so many months.

On Wednesday 15 April Prince and I headed to our vet clinic for routine blood tests. He loved going to our vet (which was just as well as we were there so often!) ~ always got so excited when we pulled up outside and he would normally announce his arrival before and after we entered the front doors with enthusiastic woof woofs. He had his tests and we went home. The next day our vet phoned and the results were not so good ~ his white blood count and platelets were very low and after consultation with the specialists, it was decided to withhold the cyclophosphamide for a week or so and re test him, the plan was to then start him on his chemo on a dose of every third day.

Saturday 17 April I noticed a change in Prince's back legs - they were a bit uncoordinated and seemed to be weaker than before. 5-6 days later they seemed to be even weaker and a couple of days after that they were collapsing on him at times. I knew in my heart that the time I had dreaded for the last 5+ months was here ~ my boy was losing his battle with this horrible disease. We had a few more vet appointments for blood tests and his WBC only increased ever so slightly. His bone marrow was no longer producing white blood cells and platelets. This meant his immune system was highly compromised so he couldn't be exposed to other dogs or places where he could pick up any bugs. He had to remain at home and had to be kept as calm as possible.

Prince and his 'Dr Ruth' April 2010

Prince and his favourite vet nurses Lana and Tracey

Prince's vet 'Dr Ruth' had gone on a three week holiday so we had been seeing 'Dr Jeff' the last few times we were at the clinic. Dr Ruth was wonderful with Prince and I didn't realise how much I had come to rely on her until she wasn't there. I decided to wait until she returned to make a decision about Prince. She was due to return to work on Monday 3 May. I wanted her to see Prince and confirm what I already knew deep down. The waiting was driving me insane and was very stressful, I then had a phone call to say Dr Ruth was returning early and that she would be available to see me anytime from Thursday afternoon onwards. I almost panicked ~ that seemed way too soon!

On Friday 30 April Prince, myself and my Mom went into the clinic to meet with Dr Ruth. She confirmed my worst fears. She said that because his back end had gone from basically normal (a little bit weak when he was tired) to collapsing, sometimes he even walked on his paws with them curled under in a time frame of a week and a half, she wouldn't be surprised if he was paralised within a week. She felt I really didn't have much time left with Prince. I decided that it was time to end Prince's battle. In the last week I could see he was beginning to struggle and when we began this journey I promised him and myself that I would not let him struggle or suffer. At 5pm Dr Ruth and Tracey came to our home. Approximately half an hour later Prince passed peacefully in my arms.

Team Husky June 2009

Team Husky November 2009

It was the hardest decision I have ever had to make but I knew it was the right one. I miss Prince so much, he will always be my main man and I will never ever forget all the wonderful times we had together. Prince was the very best companion I could have ever imagined and I am fortunate enough to have his son Kodiak, to carry on his fathers legacy. If he turns out to be half the dog Prince was I will be very blessed.

Prince and me February 2010

Run free my sweet boy, wear your silver harness proudly. You are now free of pain and can see and run again with all the other fur angels north of the Rainbow Bridge. When my time comes to leave this world it will be very comforting knowing that you will be there waiting for me and we will cross the Bridge together ~ forever. I will never ever forget you for you have left so many memories and paw prints on my heart. I adored you and loved you so very much.

Mom
xxxx