This is Manni. He lost his leg a year ago due to cancer and inspite of his chances of survival not being all that high, he goes on adventures and enjoys life to the fullest.
I just try to keep up and do the same.
After surviving the first few months of his life in the streets of Greece, Manni came to Germany as a rescue. Being a healthy mix of who knows how many breeds he was never ill in the first 8 years of his life. Shortly before his ninth birthday, however, he all of a sudden could only walk on three legs and even when lying down held one leg up because he was in so much pain.
At the vet clinic he was taken into the MRI after no medication, not even opiates, helped with the pain. then came the horrible news: “Manni has bone cancer, osteosarcoma, and we did not even wake him up because he is just in too much pain. It’s either amputate or letting him go”.
Honestly? You want me to make that decision out of the blue in, like, ten minutes? Wow.
Give Manni a fighting chance on three legs, with risking a lot more pain, falls and possible trauma? Putting him down at the peak of his life but sparing him from further pain?
What is the right decision for the dog and not the owner??
To me, and to this day, it comes down to this question.
I decided to give it a try. Because you can only put an animal down once, can’t you?
But I also, in my mind, gave Manni four weeks to manage. Basically, if I felt after 4 weeks that he was not doing ok, I would have had him put down then.
And it was close, to be honest. The first 2 weeks were horrible. If I had known that before, well… but what really made all the difference was getting him motivated again. In Manni’s case motivation came in the form of his big doggy love Lilly, our neighbor’s dog. The poor man had to bring his dog over three times a day so mine would go outside. From then on, improvement was constant, except for the phantom pains that stayed with us for 6 months before slowly disappearing. Physical therapy and training made for additional improvement, balance and power.
We just had our 12-months x-rays taken. I expected the absolute worst, was entirely sure of it, BUT!!! so far, we are all clear!!!! 12 months!!! Going strong.
Today, we enjoy each other’s company more than ever before and cherish each moment together. While all the odds are against us and the likelihood of metastases is extremely high, the bond between us has never been stronger and our adventures together never more beautiful.
What I will ever do without him, I don’t know. But we are not there yet. Strive to survive.
Wow – what a handsome guy! Welcome to both of you!
thank you! for both the welcome and the warm words!
What great news! Happy 1 year ampuversary! And what beautiful pictures! Thank you for sharing Manni’s story with us.
thank you! I am just so glad we’ve made it this far!
Obviously you and Manni are a great team and there is a lot of love. Congratulations on making 12 months. Every photo of Manni shows a different feature – he is so handsome.
OOOOMMMMDDDDD!!! I want to smooch his beautiful .ug!! He just looks like a cuddle bug!!!
HAPPY ONE YEAR AMPUVERSARY MANNI!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Manni, you are a ROCK STAR!!! It lights me up to hear all about tyou and this wonderful milestone!! You are a true Warrior!!
Curious, was Gabapentin used to try and treat the phantom limb pain? Also, did you do chemo? Any types of special supplements, etc?
Tha k you sooooo much for sharing this story of inspiration a d hope! Manni really is a Beacon of Hope for anyone starting this journey!
And a big hug to neighbor dog Lilly! Best “treatment”‘ever!!
And you did a great job of staying the course and knowing your sweet Manni could get through this and get on with living life ro the fullest!!
Looooove the pictures of Manni! Keep ’em coming! And celebrate this great milestone with some ice cream and cake 🙂 🙂
LOVE!!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Manni’s a handsome boy – love the pictures! One year – woo hoo!
What a wonderful neighbor to bring Lilly over to help in recovery and doggie moral support 🙂
Tracey & Tai
What in inspiration you are, Manni!! Happy one year ampuversary! How sweet of Lilly to motivate him. 🙂
So wonderful to hear his X Rays came back clear. Can’t wait to hear more about your adventures with the ever adorable Manni!!
I”m in tears!!! 😀 What a beautiful story!! Manni is so handsome wow those are great pics! Enjoy every bonus day with him. He is a blessing, just like I know you are to him! Your neighbour is a wonderful kind soul! I hope they know that made all the difference in getting Manni motivated again
Happy 1 yr ampuversary! Please keep us posted xox
Chris & Kylie xo