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I would never choose insurance that had any type of cap. Murray was diagnosed with a brain tumor in August. He had thousands of dollars in diagnostics (including a $2,000 MRI, chest X-rays, extensive bloodwork, abdominal ultrasound) and an overnight stay in an emergency hospital (almost $900). That cap would have covered the early bills, but there would have been ittle money left for the expensive cyber knife radiation treatment ($9,700) that followed. Veterinary care is very expensive. We were able to make all our decisions about how to treat Murray without ever having to think about money. What's the point of insurance if you still have to worry about how you're going to pay for treatment once you exceed your cap? We have Trupanion. Murray has a $350 deductible and 90% coverage. They reimburse very quickly. The only thing I do not like is their per incident deductible. I've been with them for seven years and won't change companies now, but I will not insure another dog with them if they don't change that per incident (vs. annual) deductible policy.

Thinking about you and Manny. Hang in there.

Great update, Mary.

Holly is taking it all in stride. She's the easiest dog in the world.

Murray had a wonderful day resting on the sand in Dewey Beach. He was even able to climb up the stairs up to our beach house, something he could not do in July at Grapehounds. We are so thankful to have him here at the beach this year. I know many of you understand.

I'm so sorry.

Great news!

Congrats!

...but today he finished his last cyber knife radiation treatment, and his prognosis is very good! When my school year ended in June, I took this photo of Murray and wondered aloud how I could be so lucky to have a twelve year old dog in such excellent health. Twelve and healthy! It seemed miraculous. Murray was acting like a seven year old dog in June. I knew that he needed a dental, so I spoke with my vet who felt that Murray was healthy enough to to undergo the procedure. Murray lost fourteen teeth in mid-July, right before Grapehounds. He never seemed to bounce back from that dental, though. I realize now that we missed some of the subtle behavior changes caused by the tumor growing in Murray's brain At Grapehounds, Murray had lots of trouble with the stairs and hardwood floors we encountered in our cabin and in wineries. (We have neither in our home.) He'd never had issues before. Murray seemed so flat and lethargic. He'd lost weight. I kept blaming that on the dental he had had the week prior. We called our vet as soon as we returned home. Murray was having accidents in the house that week, too. Our vet ordered a CBC ($45), a urinalysis($33), and gave Murray a complete physical exam. Nothing seemed obviously wrong. Something was definitely wrong. Two weeks passed, and we noticed that Murray was increasingly restless, circling around the house for long periods of time. He had a terrible time trying to sit down on his bed. He seemed agitated. He continued to have accidents in the house. We went back to our vet for more tests. We had a repeat urinalysis ($33) done via cystocentesis ($8). Idexx processed the urine culture ($112). Murray was given tramadol ($34). His thyroid was tested and Idexx processed those results ($56), as well. Murray was also sent to a speciality hospital for an abdominal ultrasound ($375). Again, nothing was wrong with our dog. Something was very wrong. Two weeks passed while I was in India with my mother. When I returned, Murray was even worse. He cried at night. He stood panting next to our bed. He never slept. He dragged his feet when he walked. He put himself in tight spaces and seemed to get stuck. He had stopped eating. He was still losing weight. He was seriously ill. I called our vet and explained these new developments. We returned to our vet for a chest X-ray ($140) and rimadyl ($26). If cancer was spreading, we'd surely see it on the X-rays. Nothing showed up on the films, but something was very wrong. Get Murray to a neurologist as soon as you can, I was told. Don't wait too long. In hindsight, I should have driven Murray the e-vet the night I returned from India. We had to wait a week to see the neurologist, but within minutes of Murray's arrival, the neurologist told Burke that Murray would have to spend the night in the hospital. It was quite clear to her that he had a tremendous amount of pressure on his brain. He would need an MRI first thing in that morning. He was very ill. He was given fluids, dexamethasone, and Cerenia. He spent the night in the speciality hospital ($827). Someone would finally help us find out what was wrong with our dog. The next day, Murray had his MRI ($1995), and we had a diagnosis. Pituitary macro-adenoma. A brain tumor was growing on Murray's pituitary gland. We were given hope, though, as soon as we were given the diagnosis. This tumor wasn't malignant, but it was growing in a bad area of the brain and causing Murray all of his odd symptoms, restlessness, and discomfort. The neurologist told us that these tumors are very amenable to radiation. As a matter of fact, SRT cyber knife radiation would only require three treatments with almost no side effects. The radiation would shrink the tumor and buy us more time. And, better still, the nearest cyber knife location was right next door to the speciality vet (and only 30 minutes from our house). As a matter of fact, the radiation oncologist from the cyber knife location had been in the room for Murray's MRI that morning and was familiar with Murray's case before we even spoke. A brain tumor, but something we could treat. I felt strangely lucky that day. I was also optimistic about the future. The main downside of this treatment is, of course, the cost. Three shots of radiation and a CAT scan to plan where that precise radiation would be delivered in Murray's brain would cost almost $10,000. We were also concerned with the fact that Murray would have to be anesthetized three more times. (The radiation is painless, but dogs must be perfectly still for treatment.) We were assured that a board certified anesthesiologist was part of the team and that they were very familiar with sighthounds. Burke and I took one night to make our decision. Put a twelve year old dog though a painless treatment that could extend his life 1-3 years? Yes. Our vet agreed that this was a sensible way to proceed. Murray made it through his three treatments like a champ. He started treatment last Tuesday finished today. All done ($9658). Murray will continue his prednisone for six more weeks. We will follow up with the radiation oncologist in a month. Within hours of his first radiation treatment (in combination with prednisone), we saw immediate improvement. The pacing and whining stopped. Murray's appetite picked up. (He gained three pounds in one week!) He slept peacefully and could walk with Holly outside. We know that the tumor will grow again, but for now it will continue to shrink, to recede. Murray is becoming more like the dog I remembered from June, the dog I've missed so much for most of the summer. Several Greytalkers talked me down off the ledge and helped me through my anxiety about the decision to proceed with treatment. Thank you to Tracy, Robin, Jen, and Jackie. They were so thoughtful and checked in on Murray's progress throughout the summer. We are thankful for our vet who tried very hard to eliminate everything else that could have been wrong. We are grateful to the caring neurologist and vet techs who cared for Murray while he was in the hospital. We are thankful for the stunning technology that exists in this world and for doctors who know how to use it, technology that can extend our beloved dog's life for a few more months (and hopefully years). And we are truly thankful for the Trupanion pet insurance we've had for six years. They've paid 90% of every figure you see here. We never considered money when making our decisions about how to treat Murray. It's a tremendous relief to make medical decisions about a pet, free from this type of worry. So, we are headed to Dewey on Friday. When I think about where we were in August, I was convinced that Murray would never see the ocean again. I am counting my blessings tonight. Hug your hounds.

Such a stunningly beautiful tribute for your sweet boy. Cancer is a son of a bitch.

Oh my God.

So true on all counts. Wish the outcome could have been better for you both.

Can you please add Tori? She belonged to a good friend. We loved you, sweet girl.

Oh, crap. I'm so sorry.

Congrats!

Oh my God. I'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry that you lost your beautiful boy to that evil cancer.

Great news!

She's beautiful. I'm so sorry for the diagnosis.

Mary and Jeff

I'm so sorry that you've lost your beloved Mirage, Lisa. It was always so obvious how much you loved him. Thinking about you as you mourn the loss of your sweet boy.

Thinking good thoughts for Jeff.