Tuna has been diagnosed with cancer.

Seeing as Tuna is only 5 years old, this news is especially sudden & utterly heartbreaking for Leah, Thomas, myself, and everyone that knows and loves Tuna. Tuna goes to work with Leah and has made so many friends over the years. Leah & Thomas rescued Tuna about 3 years ago and split the time with her because they both love her so much. Leah and Tuna are joined at the hip when they are together, and I’d say that at least 95% of Leah’s camera roll on her phone is pictures & videos of the “Fish”. She just loves her that much. Tuna is an angel and can do no wrong, she often says. It’s just not fair.

One night a few days before New Year’s, Tuna couldn’t sleep. She was pacing in the bedroom at times throughout the night, gently growling and panting and seemingly wanting to go outside. We took turns taking her for walks to see if she just needed to do her business but to no avail. The next day, she seemed to be extra cuddly and wanted to be snuggled, which is a clear sign that she is unwell. Usually, if you go to cuddle her, she just growls like a grumpy bear and snarls a lot lol. The following evening, she slept through the entire night without disruptions and we thought that she just had a bit of a cold and was getting better.

On New Year’s Eve, she was set to stay with Thomas. He picked her up and usually she's super hyped to just run on the leash beside him while he’s on his bike. Thomas called us a few minutes later to tell us that Tuna didn’t want to run at all. She was just sitting there, which was quite odd. He brought her back and she spent the evening with us. The next day we kept an eye on her but nothing too out of the ordinary seemed to be going on with her other than her being quite tired. On the 2nd, Leah decided to take her for a checkup and get some bloodwork done at the vet. It was found that Tuna’s red blood cell count was hovering at around 14. Normal would be 44. They recommended an immediate blood transfusion so we went to Canada West where they could take care of her properly and diagnose what was going on with her by also doing an ultrasound. She spent the night there and they ran some tests as well as performing a blood transfusion. It was an anxious and worrisome night wondering if the transfusion would work. There was also a concern since there was a shortage of blood in the Lower Mainland and if they would need to source more it would likely have to come from the States.

The next morning, Tuna’s blood count was up into the 20s and climbing so the procedure was deemed successful. The ultrasound revealed that an ulcer at the bottom of her stomach was causing the blood loss. They also discovered bumps and swelling around the same area, inside her lower stomach. A biopsy was planned to see if it was just swelling or something more ominous. To do the biopsy though, Tuna’s blood count had to rise some more. They wouldn’t be able to perform it quite yet, as she might pass away during the operation from the anesthesia, so we had to wait anxiously for another day.

We visited Tuna on each of the 4 days that she was at the vet. Each time she was so excited to see us, so playful and energetic. This was a good sign that she was recovering, and we were hopeful.

On the 3rd day, she had a biopsy on her stomach and small intestines. The results would take 3-5 business days and it was now Wednesday.

On Thursday, the vet called to say the biopsy went well and that Tuna had recovered well enough that we could take her home that evening and enjoy the time we had with her while we wait for the results to come back from the lab. She was on a rigorous schedule of 7 different medications throughout each day.

We kept a close eye on Tuna over the next week. Tuna alternated each evening between our place and Thomas’. We all chose to enjoy this time with her to the fullest and not to think about what the results from the biopsy might be until we got them. During each day we planned fun activities with Tuna, spending quality time doing the things that we love doing with her and the things that she loves to do. On her first night home, we had a belated “Fishmas Party” for her with some presents. Another day it was a long walk through Pacific Spirit Park for her to explore. Walks with Sparky on the seawall to the beach for a dip. Friends over to visit her. Tuna stopped by her work to see her co-workers and get lots of love. We took photos and videos of her doing anything and everything, even just sleeping. We held her close even though she growled. Remember, her growling meant she seemingly felt alright. We took her to Aqua Paws a couple of times so that she could get a few indoor pool sessions in warm water. Swimming in the ocean at a secret spot fetching sticks. Lots & lots of good memories and reminders of her enjoying life. We were optimistic especially because she was only 5.

A week ago, the vet clinic called to inform Leah that the biopsies from the ulcerated mass-like lesions from inside Tuna’s stomach were indeed cancerous. The worst possible news. We were all devastated to hear this. The exact type of cancer wasn’t clear without more testing, but the pathologist called it a “round cell cancer” with the most likely differential being gastric lymphoma.

Due to the extent of the lesions and their location, surgery is unfortunately not an option for the removal of Tuna’s cancer. They would have to remove a very important portion of her stomach and the transition portion to her small intestines which carries a poor prognosis. Therefore, regardless of whether it is gastric lymphoma or some other type of cancer, palliative chemotherapy is really the only option for treatment. The exact type of chemotherapy protocol would depend on which what type of cancer it is and the goal then would be to buy more time since a cure is not possible.

Chemotherapy will not be pursued for a few reasons, so then our goal would be to keep Tuna as happy and comfortable as she can be for as long as possible (quality of life). In this situation she would continue with her medication which would allow Tuna to do all the fun things that she enjoys. It is hard to predict her prognosis without knowing her definitive tumour type but without treatment the clinic said that they anticipate she may have weeks to months if we are lucky.

When her disease progresses, we would expect to see signs like when she presented to the hospital (vomiting, diarrhea, blood loss, lethargy). At that point, the recommendation would be to pursue humane euthanasia at home.

In the meantime, we want Tuna to be happy, enjoying life at home for whatever time she has left. It will be a very sad day when she tells us that it’s her time to go, for sure. It’s truly heartbreaking. I’ve never known someone who loves animals as much as Leah does.

After having had Tuna for only 1 year, it was discovered that she had a gastrointestinal disease that was not curable but could only be controlled through medication & diet. If this wasn’t discovered back then, Tuna would have died. So, in essence, she has already lived a full and happy extra 2 years since then, filling our hearts with joy & laughter at the silly things that she does on a day-to-day basis.

Any dollar amount that you choose to donate to Leah & Thomas would go directly towards paying the large medical bills that they incurred during Tuna’s vet clinic care, including her numerous tests & procedures as well as her medication supplies. They both wanted to know that they did everything possible to find out what was wrong with Tuna and get her healthy again. Cancer was the last thing on their mind.

By donating, you will help ease the financial burden that they have been left with. The stress and rollercoaster of emotions continue to be overwhelming. Hopefully, Tuna is healthy & happy for a few more weeks. Every little bit helps.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Kenji

To live in this world

you must be able

to do three things:

to love what is mortal;

to hold it

against your bones knowing

your own life depends on it;

and, when the time comes to let it

go,

to let it go.

Mary Oliver

In Blackwater Woods