The Cancer That Took Ophelia Away From Us - Hemangiosarcoma

Visceral Hemangiosarcoma

I had never even hard of this.
I did not know a tumor could form INSIDE my dog's heart.
I did not know that there was a deadly cancer that can show no symptoms until it's actively killing my dog, and it would be too late to treat it when symptoms did surface.
I did not know there was a cancer in dogs that not only does all of the above, it's resistant to treatment anyway.
I did not know dogs could get a cancer of the blood vessels, and there was no cure for it.
There's so many things I didn't know.
I really am hard on myself for not knowing these things, even though I'm not a vet or vet tech. I know a lot about canine health, and I feel like I should have known something was wrong with my baby.
I should have at least known that this kind of cancer exists.
But I didn't know any of the above.

In Ophelia's memory, Derek and I want to raise awareness about this incurable, horrible, deadly disease, in the hopes that no one else's dog has to suffer with having such an aggressive cancer take their life away suddenly. We want no other families to have to watch their beloved dog go from healthy, to suffering, to gone, in a matter of just a few days.

Here are some links to learn more about Hermangiosarcoma.

http://caninecancerawareness.org/canine-cancer-diagnosis/hemangiosarcoma

https://www.vetary.com/dog/condition/heart-tumors

http://www.wearethecure.org/the-road-from-despair-to-hope

The National Cancer Canine Foundation

If you would like to make a donation to canine cancer research, you can do so in Ophelia's name here. 

When I got Ophelia as a young puppy in April of 2007, I remember thinking "She's not a purebred, she's got at least 2 or 3 different breeds in her. Hopefully since she's a mix she won't ever get cancer, since that tends to happen to purebreds."
I was so very wrong, and I wish I had never had that thought.