Klondike never smoked, never hung around bars, avoided asbestos and coal mining...but that's how life plays out sometimes. He has some other issues, bladder stones being the one that make me wince the most and he's got a bazillion of them - the x-rays look like he swallowed a bag of rocks. However he doesn't seem to be bothered by them. He's not rushing to get outside or experiencing any difficulty killing our few remaining plants by choosing them as his target.
We're told though that the bladder stones could dislodge and then become "stuck" - anyone else wincing now? If so, he'll have to have immediate surgery to provide "relief" in the literal sense of the word.
He's also got arthritis and stuff you'd expect in an old dog, diseases which can be treated if you're willing to shell out 2+ dollars a day for pills.
Our main worry is the very real possibility of cancer. If that's the diagnosis then our only options are to love him, keep him comfortable and well fed, and generally make his life as pleasant as possible.
In truth, that's the same treatment plan we've been following since he was a puppy.
