Greta and Betti got into a squabble last week; it was the first row they've had in a year because Betti crawled under the baby gate and Greta jumped her. Anyway, Betti grabbed Greta's leg and she walked away with puncture wounds. I gave her antibiotics, but as the swelling from the wounds healed, the leg maintained a malformed patela. I took her to the vet and he x-rayed, coming back to say he wished he had better news, but that it was osteosarcoma (bone cancer). He said it is highly invasive and we discussed the treatment options. With this kind of cancer there are really only three treatment options: (1) Amputation, (2) Radiation Therapy, (3) Chemotherapy. The expected survival from time of diagnosis is 2-4 months. Since this cancer spreads to the lungs rapidly, the treatments serve to prolong the life of the pup, but in Greta's case I feel and think it will only prolong suffering. I care most about quality of life, so I do not want to see her suffer just so that I can have her around a few months longer. Right now she eats all kinds of people food, takes an anti-inflammatory, and relaxes a lot. We've built some ramps for her to walk down steps to avoid putting pressure on her leg (it's the right front) because with this kind of cancer bones can break easily. We are taking it one day at a time. But, like I said, I will not allow her to suffer. The hardest part will be knowing when the time is right...to let her go.