Miss Elsa, 8 weeks old and very confident. The beginning of our life together.
Good afternoon, I wanted to share a health update on Elsa. It’s taken me a few days as we have been processing ourselves. Elsa has a birthday coming up in July; she will be 15, amazing. And I have to say with everything that she has had to deal with health wise so far in her life, she is just amazing all round.
Last Tuesday Elsa had a really bad day. She was coughing, dealing with acid reflux and was generally restless. By the evening she was better but I was very worried. I called and got her into the vet the next day. At times like this I don’t take no for an answer when I call the vet. Basically I tell them I’m coming so they better make room; which they typically do. So to the vet we went and I waited outside in my suv with her and would only bring her in if I had to. She is terrified of falling and the floors are very slippery inside the vets. Even with her boots on and me holding her by the harness handle she is still very stressed.
The vet came out to us and had a listen to her lungs. She was very worried by the sound and so into the vet we went. She wanted to xray her lungs. Elsa has had a nodule in her lungs for over a year. At our last check up on it, the growth had been very minimal and it was still considered a nodule. After her xray on Wednesday, they brought her out to the waiting room and she was never so happy to see Mom. She lay beside me and the vet came out to get me. “I want you to see this, I’m worried,” she said.
I didn’t want to get Elsa up and drag her to the back again so they had a tech come and sit with her. I headed to the back; I was trying to focus as I took a big breath and tried to compose myself. When we arrived at the xray visual, the vet said “her mass is huge.” I could clearly see it, I didn’t have to be told. The tiny nodule has now grown to a 7cm cancerous mass; and there is a shadow of more above it. Not good news.
The vet proceeded to give me the 3 options. I barely heard what she was saying as my mind went back to Luke, Tilley and Jessie. I shook my head at the first as I have many times before; CT scan, biopsy, chemo etc. etc. Medicate her to see if we could make her feel better or choose humane euthanasia now. At that, I asked the vet to send the xray to a specialist, which she did. I left the back room and went to get my girl.
The xray was sent to a specialist and confirmed. It looks like a cancerous tumor but without a biopsy we can’t be sure. But either way, at almost 15 we are not operating. I went home and did a deep dive into Elsa’s health issues. I found out that prednisone can help a great deal with inflammation of the tumor. This could help with her coughing. Well, as happens often with Elsa, it was not the right thing. It caused her to be more anxious and unstable on her feet and very restless. So we quickly weaned off the prednisone.
Today, June 1,2026 she is feeling better off of the prednisone and has not had another day like last Tuesday. We are at the “quality of life” stage. No one wants to be here, but here we are again. We have had extensive discussions around our girl and we will not let her suffer. Unfortunately this tumor alongside her Laryngeal paralysis is a double breathing hit. She has extremely high blood pressure which she is treated successfully for and was hit with Vestibular disease late last year. But she’s rebounded amazing after that.
Elsa had a spinal stroke at the age of 8 and since then has had neurological issues to deal with. Her GOLPP may be related to her spinal stroke. We haven’t gone anywhere since last August after Vestibular hit. She is inspirational; I honestly can’t believe how she has taught me to keep going when you think you can’t. Don’t complain, just go forward.
Each and every time she has been knocked down and we think that it is time; she shows us that it is not. She shakes it off like “just kidding, I’m fine.” It is different now, knowing that there is a darkness looming from inside. Something we cannot see but know that it is there. Even without the mass, Laryngeal Paralysis is not going to get better. Making sure that she does not suffer is my main focus now. This is all about breathing for her. There will be a decision to make in the near future. But for now, she is napping peacefully.
“She has good days and bad days, today is a good day.”
(Christmas with the Kranks)