Sad News About Bristol

I have known for quite some time now that Bristol would soon be retiring. However, I wish it did not have to happen the way it did. Bristol is now in a medical retirement.

A few weeks ago, Bristol got a nose bleed. Neither my parents nor I could figure out what caused it. I took him to the vet and on his x-rays, there appeared to be what looked like a small metallic object in his nasal cavities. The vet scoped his nasal cavities and on a second x-ray, there was nothing there.

I wish I could say that this is the end of the story, but sadly it is not. The vet sent off tissues taken from the scoping to be tested to be sure that nothing else was going on. A week later, I got some devastating news. Bristol has cancer.

He has spindle Cell sarcoma which is a connective tissue cancer. He also has osteo sarcoma which is a bone cancer. At this stage in the cancer, there is not much we can do. Radiation is an option, but it would not cure him.

So I have made the decision to allow Bristol to live out the remainder of his life as comfortable as possible. He is now living with my parents.

Even though it is not the retirement for Bristol that any of us wanted, we are trying to enjoy him. I am taking him to have fun with all of his many friends to have fun. Everyone who knows him is having fun spoiling him.

We are taking it day by day with Bristol. We do not know how long he has left. The vet said it could be tomorrow or it could be a year. It really depends on how he is doing. For now, he is still doing okay. We have to keep him cool and calm to prevent nose bleeds. We have medication that we can give him to help with the nose bleeds.

I am trying to cope with his cancer diagnosis and with not having a new guide dog. I am back to using the cane which is a constant struggle for me. I feel as though I have lost most of my independence. I am not sure when I will get a new dog. I am hoping to have a new dog by the beginning of my fall semester. If I don’t, I’m not sure what is going to happen.