Milo has cancer

I don't even know how to begin this post. I've never had a dog with cancer. I wish I had known the signs. He had a growth inside his cheek that I wasn't aware of until I could see it protruding from the outside of his cheek. He had developed some bad breath a couple months ago, which I had attributed to his teeth. They need to be cleaned, but the vet said we could wait until after the holidays. He also was opening his mouth very slowly from time to time, and that was the same thing that Teddy did, before he had his dental cleaning and some teeth removed. So, once again, I thought it was because of his teeth. Once, I discovered the growth, I got him in to the vet right away. She looked at it, and her face dropped. She told, me it looked like cancer. The following day, we had it removed, and a smaller one that was found behind it, as well. They sent it off to be biopsied. It came back as cancer. Malignant Melanoma is very aggressive, and to make matters worse, she was unable to get all of it. So where, do we stand from here? Well, we brought Milo home and Operation Spoil Milo has begun. His prognosis is that he has a 50% chance of living 7-15 months more. That is better than I had feared. So, right now, I am watching him closely, paying attention to any and all behaviors that may seem abnormal for him. So far, he is doing great, playing and being his sweet self. He is eating rice and boiled chicken for his meals, with an occasional can of dog food when he wants it, and peanut butter and treats as well. He has a comfy bed right next to the Christmas tree and we are giving him lots of hugs and love. He is a special dog, and we know that God chose him for us. We adore him and thankful for every day that we get to have him with us.

Before, his diagnosis. 

You can see the growth in his right side of his cheek.

Right after surgery. 

Feeling much better.

All snuggled up.