On May 3rd 2011 Sophie visited her first neurologist. At first we thought she has glaucoma and was going blind. Having a blind dog seemed like the end of the world…until May 3rd. After an MRI and a blood test, it was determined that Sophie had a large mass deep in her brain stem. On June 24th Sophie was diagnosed with a primary malignant brain tumor. I didn’t know my heart could hurt that much. This blog is for those who have been asking me how she is doing, how I am doing and keeping us in their thoughts. It is a chronicle of the toughest time I am having with my best friend.
sophie's fight 
Hi, I found you through the GME dogs website and I love your blog, I am going through exactly the same thing at the moment and it is so good to know someone else is feeling the same as I am. (not good but not alone!)
My golden lab Basil is the love of my life and we have been treating him for GME for nearly 2 months now – the vets think he has a tumor that was missed in the first MRI so we are back in for another one on Wednesday and if it confirms a tumor we start radiation.
This is so heart breaking and I really relate to how you feel about trying to appreciate every moment but it hurts at the same time because you know how limited the time is. My boy is a aged shadow of his former self so I am hoping this MRI brings some light.
I notices Sophies eyes at one stage became quite large with the whites showing, These crazy eyes have started with Baz and I was wondering if it is a symptom, did Sophie’s develop and if so did they get better?
Sorry I am babbling – and thanks for you blog.
Shirli
Hi Shirli,
Sorry for my delayed response. Thank you so much for your comment and I’m so sorry for what you and Basil are going through. One of the reasons I started this blog was because the GME site helped me so much from just going insane with all these thoughts and information overload… it was nice to know people were dealing and have dealt with it too. I hoped that this would someday help someone and I’m beyond grateful to know that it maybe for a second made you feel the same. So thank you.
I saw your update on the GME site and that is good news that it is not a tumor. Did they ever diagnose GME? If so, I do back the recommendations for Dr. Sisson. He is the doctor that diagnosed Sophie when our last doctor was letting it slip through the cracks and if not for him, I truly think Sophie wouldn’t be here today.
In regards to your question about Sophie’s eyes…they have always been crazy, haha She is half Boston and half Pug so they are buggier than the average dog’s. Neither me nor the doctors have noticed any change so I’m going to say that its due to breed.
I hope you keep checking in. I really do appreciate it.
Best of luck to you both!
Raelynn
Shirli,
I am creating a video featuring dogs who have been affected by canine cancer. I discovered your story through research and I would love to feature Sophie in my video! For more information about the video and on how to contact me please visit my canine cancer moral support blog at http://mybestfriendhascancer.weebly.com and click on the cancer video page. Thank you.
Hi Kayla ,
Shirli is a woman who commented on the blog. I’m Raelynn 🙂
Sophie, unfortunately, passed away on December 15, 2012. If you would like to feature her story in your video please contact me at raelynn.zappulla@gmail.com to discuss.
Thanks!
Raelynn