The big decision

I have started Dylan on the higher dose of the Pardale and Tramadol. I can't see a huge amount of difference at the moment. But then he would be in some additional pain due to the biopsy (and he certainly has quite a considerable bruise around the site), so perhaps that is the reason.

He is eating well though and goes to toilet normally, so hopefully he will pick up over the weekend.

I have started today leaving him separated in the kitchen when I go out. I am just worried that either one of the others will react out of character due to his illness and hurt him, or that he stumbles or something and they react... or indeed that they touch him accidently where it hurts and he reacts. So I think it is safest and best to just keep him separate when I am not there to supervise and interfere immediately if something happens. I know he doesn't like it too much, but luckily I am at home most of the time at the moment, so it isn't stressful for him really.

Just now I had a call from Davide. They couldn't get any useful result from the spleen biopsy. So we have no further help from there. Now it is down to making a decision: do we amputate (and leave him to carry extra weight on a leg that has got a metal plate in it), do we use radiation, or do we just use pain medication and when it doesn't work (anymore) take that final and last step.

I will take the weekend to think this over. I have a feeling that pain medication won't work, as it just isn't making enough difference now. My gut feeling about an amputation is that it will not be to Dylan's advantage, as he will struggle a little, and it will only give him a few extra months at most. So I suspect I will be going down the route of radiation until that stops helping enough to give my Dylan a reasonable quality of life.