R.I.PKwameLoved4Ever.avi

My Beloved Friend Kwame Passed Away on 24 Sept 10. R.I.P my brave brother, please give my love to Dad (Grandpa), Mojo and Khalla, I miss and love you all dearly and I will never forget you.

Kwame 01OCT2000 - 24SEP2010.

If you've seen my previous videos about Kwame, you'll know he had battled Osteosarcoma (Bone Cancer). Unfortunately he had it spread to his lungs very aggressively. The video is a compliation of Kwame @ the park on 19SEP10, at home on 22SEP (bedding) and on his last day on 24SEP (couch and ute). As you can see he went downhill quite quickly, the x-rays showed numerous tumors which were soon about to cut off his lungs from breathing, and as much as I would have loved to have him home for a few last days, I simply could not risk putting him in that sitaution where he could have died very uncomfortably.
On 10SEP I took Kwame and Saniay to the Vets for their yearly shots. Before Kwame had his, the Vet did an examination and found what she thought may have been a lump on his spleen. We did some CT scans a few days later, and Kwame was still fine apart from being a little bit more tired than normal. The results came up clean, no growths or anything abnormal on the spleen or liver, but there was a buildup of calcium around the kidneys which couldn't be explained. As you can see Kwame's belly was shaven, and in the later part of the video you can really see how quickly it onset. He barely ate from 21 SEP, and refused to drink on the 24SEP so you can see how quickly this spread. You'll also notice in the early part of the video that his nose has a dry, white mark on it, and there is a lump on his back right leg. I saw exactly the same thing, along with the clouded eyes with discharge, when Khalla had cancer in JUN09. I share this video in the hopes that if someone else sees similar conditions on their own dog that they get to a Vet immediately, even though, as was the case with Kwame, there is little you can do except the Humane thing.
Naturally I was hoping that Kwame would be with us for a few more years to come, but I feel blessed to have had him for as long as I have. Despite the relatively average time-frame that he survived post-amputaion and chemo of 7 months, I feel it has been worthwhile. Kwame had lots of happy days these past few months, and was very healthy up until a short time ago. The extra time I had with him was invaluable, and in the end, he showed me that he was ready to leave in his own loving way. He has taught me so much about dealing with adversity, I can only hope that I am 1/10 as brave and life-loving as he was when facing such hardships. I still shake my head in amazement when I think of him. And I laugh when I remember his antics, he was such a great, fun loving, happy dog.

I'll make a slide show of pictures I have of Kwame and put them up later on.

To any owners who's dog is facing the same obstacles as Kwame did, have hope. Don't hesitate to do what I did, it's worth it, even if you can only give your best friend a few more months of a happy life. It should be noted that there is no way of knowing whether the cancer which took Kwame's life is related to the bone cancer which he tested as being clear of after Chemo treatments 2, 3 and 4 and seemed to have beaten given his excellent general health and well being.

Once again I would like to acknowledge the Staff at the Paws Galore Beach Road Vet in Adelaide, South Australia, for their caring and love of Kwame. There is much I could write about this, but I will sum it up by saying that Kwame still loved going to see the Vet and always greeted the Staff with affection. I could see by how he reacted to them how much they had loved and cared for Kwame. My undying gratitude to you all for what you've done for Mojo, Khalla and Kwame.

All My Love Until we meet again Kwame; I'll imagine you young and healed, playing in a sunny green field with Khalla & Mojo, next to a house by a mountain stream where Dad lives and takes care of you. I will see you all there one day.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Rottie
• Tripaw
• Osteosarcoma
• Bone
• Cancer
• Kwame
• Rottweiler
• amputation

[higherloveabove]

I'm so very sorry to learn of Kwame. Like Kwame, Jade's cancer had returned aggressively almost overnight. We lost her on 12-13-10. You and your dog were always an inspiration to us! You helped us in many ways over the months and we shall be forever greatful! You will forever be in our thoughts! Our best to you and yours for a Healthy and Blessed New Year!

[mokhkw]

@higherloveabove - Thank You to you and yours for the kindness and support. So sorry to hear about Jade, I hope your heart mends and in time you rememeber Jade as she lived. R.I.P Jade, you beautiful soul.

[92359hg]

I hope you heart is on the mend ...... beautiful tribute to a beautiful friend

[mokhkw]

@92359hg Thank You. Yes, I remember the happy times again, not his sad departure. I've already contacted Kwame's breeder (Alchemy Rottweilers) - new puppy should be here early next year for Saniay to play with. :)

[supralisha]

I am so very sorry for your loss. He seemed like such a amazing dog and a great best friend. I'm glad you had those extra 7 months with him though, if you would have taken the other route, you would have had less. You are an amazing owner that fought this disease right along side your dog. Thank you for reinforcing the precious time I have left with my dog.

[mokhkw]

@supralisha Thank You so much for your support over the past 7 months. Your kind words and shared videos have been of great comfort and support. It's great to see such wonderful Rottie owners taking care of their friends with such love. I will keep looking for updates about Thor as he grows old and grey with you both. :)

Any Yes, the extra 7 months was more than worth it - I would do it all again tomorrow without hesitation. Give Thor a big hug from me and some wet kisses from Saniay.

[ozwasp]

Hi mate, I just replied to another earlier video before I saw this. Sorry to hear about your Rottie. My 11yo rottie has just been diagnosed with bone cancer in his front right leg and I'm weighing up what to do. He's fit and healthy and I think he'd do ok with an amputation, but am not sure about the Chemo. The vet reckons that people who've done Chemo on their dogs wouldn't do it again. Can you tell me what you think is worth doing? The Cancer still quite early. Cheers

[Jubjub1878]

I am so sorry for your loss. It seems like all of us have that one special pet in our hearts that we forever remember every day. I had a cat that got cancer, she was put down on Sept 7th,2010, and I miss her everyday. She was the only thing that I took with me when I escaped from a cult in the middle of the night. There was NO way I was leaving her behind. "Sometimes a sweet spirit comes into our lives and leaves a footprint on our soul. Only for a moment, but the memory lasts for a lifetime."