May 18 and 19, 2011

We got up early Wednesday morning to head to Gainesville for my second chemo treatment. The hard part about the drive is that we leave in the dark and drive east into the rising sun. Generally by the time we head home, we're driving west into the setting sun. At least on that particular morning the temperature was cool - did not get above 50 degrees until we neared Gainesville around 8:30 in the morning.

This is the Small Animal Hospital at UF. Pretty impressive, eh? I wonder about the small animal part since the first dog we saw this morning was an Irish Wolfhound. He was really tall! No one would have to bend down to pet him.

 

 First I had to get on the scale - I gained 2 whole pounds! Everyone was happy about that. Then my student vet came in with some new people and mom had to leave me behind. I didn't want her to go. She promised to be back and I believed her. My student vet has to take time to study for tests so she won't be here the next time I come. She's really nice and I'll miss her, but I know the others will take good care of me too.

Mom went to visit her friends who live in a pleasant retirement community run by the University of Florida. They talked and then went to lunch and took a walk on a nature trail after that. By then I was ready to go home!

Mom came to get me. Everyone was pleased with my progress and I had my second dose of chemo, a pill called Cyclophosphamide (I can't pronounce it either) along with something to make me pee more. They don't want the drug to sit too long in my bladder as that could cause problems later. Mom gave me food and water. (What she didn't know is that I had been eating grass when Smokey and I were on patrol out of her sight for a little while on Monday and Tuesday.) We stopped at the first rest area on I-10 and I went for a walk. I tried to eat grass and mom said, "No!"

Then we started off again and a few miles later I threw up everything I had eaten including a lot of old grass. YUCK. I was embarrassed and I felt bad too. I've never thrown up in the car. Mom said it was OK, so I curled up and went to sleep again. A few miles later, I got up and stood between the front seats. That is where I like to ride when we drive - when I'm awake. I like to see where we're going. Mom reached up to pet me and she saw the look on my face - "I'm gonna hurl, NOW!" And I did - mom's shoulder, the console and the seats. Oh, I felt awful!

Mom pulled off the road and got me out of the car so we could walk a little. She tried to clean up the car some with one towel. The big clean-up would have to wait until we got home. I really felt bad but mom said it was OK and petted and talked to me a lot. Then she put me back in the car and I didn't throw up again. Until we got home. In the house. On the rug.

I didn't not want any food but mom got me to take an anti-nausea pill with some peanut butter and a couple of treats. She ran out of daylight for cleaning the car so had to finish that this morning. Smokey supervised.

 

This morning I had my prednisone and anti-biotic pills with peanut butter and treats but I didn't care about real food. Mom got me to eat a half-cup by dribbling some peanut butter on it. I have to go out in the side yard now and Smokey can't go with me. I like when we get to go out together. Truth to tell, I don't really feel like patrolling today. I just want to sleep and feel better. Maybe I'll eat a little dinner later. Mom says I can't have any more grass!