update on oscar

I've really dreaded sitting down to write this update, because it's not good news:  Oscar has bladder cancer and doesn't have much time left.

I recently posted that he and Leo had to go for re-checks. Leo checked out OK, but Oscar needed an ultrasound, which was this past Wednesday. The doctor who does the ultrasounds (he travels from office to office) didn't get to the office until 4 pm, so I had to wait until Thursday for the news. The vet explained that there was a tumor in the bladder and that it was most likely a carcinoma. There was a chance of a melanoma, but not all that likely. The tumor is large and if they remove it, they will need to remove 50% of his bladder. There's the option of chemo, which isn't quite as good as surgery. With both options, there's no guarantee it won't come back. In fact, it's likely that it will. There's also a chance that it's metastasized to the chest. While doing the ultrasound the doctor noticed suspicious spots in the chest area, but x-rays would confirm. After speaking with the vet, I opted to allow him to live out his life. They think he's about 14 years old, and I don't want to put him through all that.

It's so strange, because he's running around--and actually playing--just like usual. There's no indication whatsoever that anything is wrong, other than that his urine output is low.  But I know soon enough the time will come.  I asked the vet how would I know he's ready to go and she told me the signs to look for.  So, that's what we're going to do:  let him live for as long as he has, and give him anti-inflammatory pills to help with any inflammation and maybe slow the growth of the tumor a little. When it's time, it's time.