Sparky Poem by Katie Moore

Normally very in touch with my pets' health I ignored a sign that there was something seriously wrong. The large lump near his throat seemed to be another one of those innocent, fatty tumors that he had gotten before. I was not feeling rushed to get him to the vet cause I 'just knew' that's all it was. Even as his health very quickly went downhill, I still did not make the connection. He began to stop eating and drinking and was so weak he could not walk. It was only then did I rush him to the vet to be put to sleep as he obviously had something seriously wrong, did the vet confirm my worse fears. Sparky had lymphoma. A very fast moving cancer that began as what I though was an innocent lump on his neck. Though Sparky went downhill very quickly from something I wasn't sure of, the vet said even had we brought him in earlier to have this lump checked out, he would not have pulled through. I could have saved him his suffering by having him put to sleep much sooner. Prior to his obvious symptoms, Sparky never complained, bless his heart.