Harper

Hello All.

We have some sad news to share about Harper. Those of you who have seen Harper in the past 5 years know that he has had a tumor on his hind leg. We have taken him to veterinarians in both Orlando and in Odessa and all opinions were that the tumor was harmless and removing it would serve a cosmetic purpose only. Therefore, we have left it alone.
Last Friday we took him to the vet as the tumor had doubled in size in just 5 days. It had gotten so big that it was broken open and bleeding. They were able to withdraw cells from the tumor and determine that it was indeed cancer. It is actually called a Mast Cell Tumor. We take him in tomorrow morning to have some further testing and possibly have it removed. We are going to have the lymph nodes checked to see if the cancer has already progressed to that point. Dependant on those results we may have the tumor removed. We won't be doing any further treatment for the cancer, believe it or not they recommend chemotherapy and radiation for dogs too, as he is already almost 9 years old.
At the present time, Harper is in good spirits and is doing very well. In fact, if you couldn't see the tumor you'd never know that he is ill. He still romps and runs with Kalvin, energetically runs around the yard, snuggles with his daddy, and is eating as well as he ever has. I know that complicating the decision making process.
We'll write another post after tomorrow's appointment. In the mean time, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. As you all know, Harper is a part of the family and we all love him dearly. He is Kalvin's best friend and he holds a very special spot in Kelsey's heart. It goes without saying that this news has been difficult for all of us.

More to come-
Melissa