In July, Rion’s veterinarian discovered via an x-ray that Rion probably had a mass in or near his bladder. A specialist vet with advanced imaging equipment determined that he had a five cm inoperable mass growing from either his abdominal wall or his bladder. She very gently explained what we could expect as the mass continued to grow and how to keep him comfortable as long as possible.
Thursday morning, Rion ate his breakfast with his normal enthusiasm. Three hours later, something major happened internally, and Rion looked like a dog on the edge of collapse. He spent the rest of the day in what resembled a coma, and was euthanized by his vet late that afternoon, two weeks and one day past his thirteenth birthday.