Life Span

Once we found out that Cassie had a brain tumor, we read up on canine lifespans with meningioma's. The initial read was pretty shocking, maybe two or three months of life left. But, the data invited all sorts of questions (and hope). And yes, hope is just that. We are braced for the idea that Cassie could die any day now... The trick about the data is that it is based off of really small dogs-with-meningioma samples, maybe 20-30 dogs in total. Most pet owners never find out, through hard evidence like viewing the MRI themselves, that their dog has a brain tumor. So, you chalk it up to old age, premature ageing, and maybe something in their head. But, you never know. We, on the other hand, do know. I can still see the image in my head, the neurologist pointing towards a tumor the size of the large bone in my thumb. It seemed so big. It was hard to imagine that there was room for it inside of Cassie's skull. So, what does this mean for Cassie's expected lifespan? If you go purely by the check list data, ie. that she has a meningioma, then the median life span is 2-3 months. But, how do you account for the fact that we had her MRI done after only one seizure, when we suspect that most owners have it done, at best, after dozen's of seizures? Does the fact that her diagnosis happened early mean anything? And, what about the fact that the MRI showed very small dural tails (learning more than I ever expected to about brain tumors), which indicates very little swelling and a likelihood that Cassie has had this for a while? And what about the fact that epilepsy (basically, just repeated seizures) is a 'breed characteristic' for shetland sheepdogs? Our last sheltie had what looked like a stroke one day (it could have been a tumor, but we don't know -- we didn't get the MRI). So, we're playing this day by day. We hope for the best. [And what is it? For me I'd like to dream that it's another 3 years with Cassie. But, I don't know.] It's like having a sword over our head. Some day it will fall. Cassie will die. True, all dogs and all people die. But it is not pleasant to think about the fact that it very well will happen sooner for her rather than later. [Plus, it hurts to think that inside her little head is this very large mass, this tumor.]