Sad news.

Reese had another vet appointment today and we got some very dreaded, sad news. Her abcess had done nothing so Dr. Branch kept checking around. Judd said he was about to cry when he told him the bad news. Reese has lymphoma. It's very aggressive and has already spread throughout her body. Both sides of her face are completely swollen and her neck is starting to swell as well. The lymph nodes in her legs are hard and tender. As much as we love her, we're going to have to let God have her back. We wanted to spend one Christmas with her and since she doesn't seem to be in pain, we're going to wait until Friday to have her put to sleep. I've cried all day and Judd is completely heartbroken. He put so much time and effort into her...and she follows every step he takes. Only 1 out of 55 million dogs her age get lymphoma - that is why our vet was so reluctant to say she had it. He did xrays to rule out the other possible disease so we're positive this time. She seems to be going downhill very quickly so we aren't going to try to prolong her life anymore than past Friday.

Just wanted to give an update since yesterday we thought she was going to be okay. We would like to ask for your prayers in helping us get through this difficult time. Although she is "just a dog," she has meant so much to us. We raised her and cared for her and now she is leaving us at such a young age. She truly is part of our family.

We love you, Reese.