Gunner

Gunner ‘Bubs’, black English lab who would have been 8 on March 18, 2026.
My sister had helped me take all 3 of my labs to the vet for their checkup since my husband had to work. On January 27, 2024, I received news that may or may not become reality within a week. His vet said that his lymph nodes were enlarged. Not only in his throat, but in his legs too. I started balling my eyes out. They aspirated the ones from the neck and said the results would take about a week.
But first here is a little background on Bubs. You can not wish for a more relaxed, down to earth, old soul dog since day 1. When we got him and his sister, Luna on May 12, 2018 he was no ordinary puppy. He had his energy spurts, but he was the one that just wanted to chill and do nothing all day long.

3 years to the day he had eye surgery as he had Entropion. ‘Entropion is a condition in which the eyelid rolls inward, causing the eyelashes and surrounding hair to rub against the dog’s sensitive cornea. The upper and lower lids can be affected in one or both eyes. Entropion results in eye irritation, and if not remedied quickly, can lead to corneal ulceration.’

On October 25,2022 he had TPLO surgery.

On February 6, 2024, at around 7pm I was sitting in my sons room going through a few things. My phone rang and heart sank and I answered within seconds and said tell me the news. The vet was even crying when she called me. I put her on speaker phone and text my husband to come upstairs. I could barely comprehend what was being said.

I called 2 places for an appointment and was on the wait list with both. Within about 2 weeks he couldn’t even make it on his full 1 mile walk we do daily. His food wasn’t sitting in his belly right.

I called one of the oncologists to see if there were any cancellations and God was on our side. We went on February 19, 2024, to Eclipse in Whippany, NJ. Prognosis is very good. Bubs had his first treatment that day. Unfortunately, he cannot stay home for a week just incase he gets sick and no one is home to clean it up quickly as his 2 other sisters, littermate- Luna, and Harley Quinn, may clean it up themselves and since he has chemicals in his body, it is not good for them.

His treatments were every 2 weeks for 5 months.

January 13, 2025, my son calls me and he doesn’t call me during the day at all. Its always a text message. My heart sank as I knew what was coming next. That weekend, Gunner was ‘different’. He doesn’t like to go under tables or go through small spaces. I turned around and he was walking out from underneath the table. He would walk to his water bowl, sniff the water, go in circles, and repeat this a few times before he would even take a drink.
My son told me Gunner was breathing hard, would not get up, not even for a treat. Rushed him to his vet. My son carried him in. My heart sank even more than what it was. His vet came in, did some ultrasound tests on him. His cancer was back and this time it just was not in his lymph nodes, it was also in his liver. I cry every day. I am even crying now well writing this. I wear him around my neck. I have a capsule of his ashes for my car key (which is the only key I will use). Call me obsessed, but I also have his paw prints and his face tattooed on my thighs with his ashes that we mixed in with the ink.