Toby the Dobe's Cancer Crushing Journey

For those who don’t already know, Toby is officially a #tripawd. As we were working on gaining the funds for Toby to enroll in the study at Auburn University, we were also looking into other options because well… $5,000.00 is A LOT of money to raise in only 2 weeks, and based on our daily average it didn’t seem likely that we would reach our goal. And as you know, time is of the essence when you’re dealing with osteosarcoma so we didn’t want to put Toby at risk by waiting any longer to pursue treatment. Dr. Nicki Williams, who originally diagnosed Toby with osteosarcoma, was kind enough to investigate the treatment options that were provided to us by the oncology department at Auburn. After many long discussions with each other, family, Dr. Williams, and the kind staff at Galleria Animal Clinic (GAC), we made the decision to have the amputation performed by Dr. Allen Borden at GAC. Here are a few pictures from Toby’s last night as a 4-legged baby. The tumor had clearly gotten larger and more painful. We were obviously feeling very emotional and took a million pictures…

We dropped Toby off on Monday morning for the amputation. Whew… Let me tell you… That was a rough moment my friends! Although we strongly felt that we were making the right decision, we also felt so bad for Toby. The fact is, it’s life. Things happen. People and animals get sick. No one is promised tomorrow. But when it’s your dog, family member, or friend it just doesn’t seem fair. Then the waiting began. Dr. Williams called that afternoon to report that the surgery had gone well. So that was it. The first big step to beating this terrible disease called cancer had been taken.

Tuesday morning we called GAC to see how Toby was doing. No answer… Our minds were all over the place. We anxiously waited to hear back about when we could pick him up. When Dr. Williams returned our phone call, she said Toby had been up moving around early in the morning with the staff but was still struggling with his balance. She also said there was a lot of fluid draining from the wound, and he had pulled a few of the staples out over night. Therefore, she made the decision to keep him 1 more night. We were disappointed and concerned, but she reassured us that Toby was being pampered. In fact, she had even kept Toby in her office with her so that he wouldn’t be alone. We chose not to visit based on her recommendation, but she did send us a couple of pictures which Toby gladly posed for in exchange for treats. Here he is looking as adorable as ever.

Finally on Wednesday, we received the news that we had been hoping for. Dr. Williams was happy to report that Toby was doing much better, and would be allowed to go home later in the evening. He had pulled a few of the staples out again. Yes, AGAIN! That little booger! But overall was doing well with movement and was more energetic.

We anxiously waited all day for 5:00. We were so nervous. Would he be angry at us? Would he seem sad? Or would he greet us as happily as usual? How would we react to seeing him with only 3 legs for the first time? We shouldn’t allow him to see us cry. Noooo… That might make him more upset. These were all questions we asked and discussed before picking him up. Maybe these things seem completely silly to most, but we would never want him to think that we feel anything other than love for him.

When Dr. Williams brought him out to meet us, we were both at a loss for words. All of a sudden, things felt so much more real. There was our boy standing in front of us with only 3 legs. He was clearly happy to see us, and we were probably even more happy to see him but it was tough. We shed a few tears, gave him a lot of hugs and kisses, then loaded him in the van to head home.

I rode in the back of the van with him on the way home. When we pulled into the driveway we were discussing how to get him out without making him spaz out. He hates to be picked up. As we were talking, I opened the back door of the van and before I knew it he had gotten up and jumped out like it was no big deal. I was amazed! He made his way to the steps, which I assumed would be a struggle, then went right up them like he’d only had 3 legs his whole life. This picture was taken right when we got home. He looks a little angry, but really he was just very tired.

Toby got plenty of rest last night and this morning, but when we removed the t-shirt (which was soaked in blood) the wound appeared to be opening up at the bottom. We quickly called GAC to let them know that he was having some issues. They made an appointment for us to see Dr. Borden this afternoon who was happy to see Toby up and moving around. He placed new staples in the area to close up the wound then we talked a lot about supplements and diet changes before heading home. This is Toby before we left to see Dr. Borden today. The first picture features Charlie’s tail. He has been a very concerned little brother.

Toby is wrapped up in a blanket on his bed snoozing peacefully right now. I’ll have updates again for you guys soon! Thank you all for the love and support!

You can follow Toby’s story and help to spread the word on Instagram: toby.the.dobe

#cancersucks #osteosarcoma #cancercrusher #bonecancer #fightcancer #suckitsarcoma #dobermansofinstagram #doberman #dobermanpinscher #dogsofinstagram #dogsofbham #doglover #tripawd

Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: bonecancer, cancercrusher, cancersucks, doberman, dobermanpinscher, dobermansofinstagram, doglover, dogsofbham, dogsofinstagram, fightcancer, Osteosarcoma, suckitsarcoma, tripawd