Every day is an eating challenge

I ate like a hog on Saturday. When I woke up Sunday I didn't feel so good. I moped and looked miserable all day; the exact opposite of Saturday. In the evening I threw up and in a few hours I felt better enough to eat some turkey stew before I went to bed.

Food was good on Monday but I slipped away from mom and ate grass in the afternoon. It's Tuesday, I'm not feelin' so hot again. I had some breakfast and a mid-morning snack. Mom has been cooking turkey stew all morning in the crock pot - a turkey leg with sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, mushrooms, and broccoli. Mom says it's ready when I am but I'm not ready yet. She said there are a surprising number of small flat bones in a turkey leg. She thinks she got them all out. She has to squish all the meat through her fingers to make sure (pretty awful for a vegetarian!) to make sure because we have not come all this way to have me choke on a bone!

Smokey went to see his friend April today. He was beginning to look fuzzy and hot. She will give him a bath and a haircut and cut his nails and he will be so handsome when we go to pick him up. In the meantime, I'm coolin' on the cool floor hoping I feel better real soon.

Sticks and Stats

Mom took me to a new vet last night - one who practices Eastern medicine as well as conventional medicine. She stuck me full of needles and I looked like a metal porcupine! It was a little scary at first but then I relaxed and dozed off.

I'm also on a new diet. Today I've had some stew made with ground turkey, sweet potatoes, spinach, carrots, and mushrooms. I love it! I also get some special herbs. And my pred and a multi-vitamin.

The WORST is that I can't have any more peanut butter and cheese right now! Still, I feel pretty good today so I guess I can give up the PB and cheese for awhile.

Mom looked back for several months. She remembers that my voice changed last fall when she had the new roof put on the house. Smokey and I barked at the workmen a lot. The vet thought maybe I had barked myself hoarse. Sometimes I sounded hoarse and my voice was higher pitched. Didn't stop me from joining in with Smokey though.  Over the winter I was a little ouchy when getting out of my chair after Smokey and I had been romping in the yard. Mom thought that was because I'm getting middle-aged and Smokey plays pretty rough. I got knocked around, but I 'm a tough girl. Not sure if either had anything to do with my cancer, but I'm just sayin' that you need to watch the changes in your pet.

Remember I went off my food in the middle of April and was diagnosed with cancer on May 3. I had chemo treatments on May 11, 18, 25, and June 1. I had a week off but the cancer was back by June 15 and I've had no chemo since June 1.

I'm still here 2 months after my diagnosis with GI lymphoma. I think I'll stay a little longer.

Appetite waking up

So tonight I tried the liverwurst again and it was good! Then I had a little chicken. Then mom put some peanut butter in the dry food (Taste of the Wild Bison and Venison). I had a couple duck and wellness treats for dessert. Still not liking the sardines or cat food though. Little steps, er, bites, at a time.

Sometime my appetite takes awhile to wake up.

Never, EVER boiling chicken bones again

Hooo boy. Mom should not cook. I mean, she can cook pretty good if she keeps her mind on it. Yesterday she put some chicken bones on to boil to get the good stuff out. Sometimes I eat that stuff and once I ate broth but I'm not crazy about it. So she put the bones on to boil and then we all went on the porch. Smokey and I watched squirrels and mom read a book. She forgot about the bones.

When we went inside the house was full of smoke and Smokey and I started sneezing and wheezing and had to go back outside. She turned off the AC and opened all the windows and doors and turned on all of the ceiling fans. She also lit a bunch of scented candles. Boy, did the house stink and the pot was all crusty black inside. Y U C K! Mom soaked the pot all night and used baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, some nasty degreaser, and mustard to clean it. Not sure how good mustard is as a burned pot cleaner but it was next to the lemon juice in the fridge so - why not?

This is after some significant scrubbing.

Trust me - the pot was coal black inside

After more scrubbing

Looking better

Almost as good as new!

Chowing down

I've been eating pretty good for the past week. A few tablespoons at a time every 2 or 3 hours so my system is not overloaded. I was doing so well that last night mom offered me raw carrots. I really like the crunch of raw carrots. But eleven hours later, I threw up. Now I'm not eating again - not even my favorite cheese and peanut butter. Mom has done lots of research and she isn't panicking this time. Going off the food is fairly common among canines with cancer. The problem is not knowing IF my appetite will come back and what will trigger it.

First mom finally bought a water filter so we can all have filtered water now. Everyone should drink filtered water, especially dogs with cancer. Then mom bought a lot of different foods to see if I might like something. Here's the rundown suggested by one canine cancer site:
Chicken - Smokey ate it
Liverwurst - Smokey ate it
Sardines (lots of Omega 3) - Smokey ate it
Taste of the Wild Bison and Venison - I ate a little
Some fishy cat food - Smokey and the cats ate it
Treats made from duck and cod - Smokey and I like these
Wellness Treats (thank you Karla!) - Smokey and I like these too
At last, I ate a little cheese and peanut butter so I got my prednisone today

I'm drinking more water too so that will help. Got to keep hydrated. I'm not ready to go yet.

Thought I was gonna die last week but I rallied

She didn't mean it, but mom tried to kill me last week. I started throwing up again and I stopped eating. Mom stopped giving me prednisone because it has to be taken with food, and I didn't want any food. Not even peanut butter! I was feeling pretty puny I can tell you. On Saturday I was taking a nap on mom's bed and she lay down with me. I managed to croak out (faintly) "give me prednisone."

She got it! We went downstairs and she put the pred in a little cheese which I managed to get down. In a few hours I felt like eating some chicken. So now I'm back on the pred and getting a couple tablespoons of chicken every 2 or 3 hours.

I think Smokey has about had it with me. He's annoyed because I won't run and tumble with him. Sometimes he tears around the yard by himself but you can tell he doesn't really enjoy it. We all (well, me and Smokey and mom) went for a short walk; the cats stayed home. That was nice so we'll do it again. Mom just doesn't want to wear me out but we like sniffing new grass.

In any case, Smokey has submitted these grievances to mom:
1. Why do I have to sit to get one treat and SHE gets a handful without having to do anything?
2. Why doesn't SHE have to eat dry dog food and I do?
3. You think I don't see, but why does SHE get 4 times as much chicken as I do?
4. Why do I get yelled at when SHE growls at me because SHE thinks I'm in her space?

I probably do get more attention than Smokey does right now, but one day I won't be here and he'll get all the attention. He's just feeling sorry for himself. He'll get over it.

At last we've had several thunder storms and rain. We like to sit on the screened porch and watch the rain and the birds. They are very happy and all the flowers and bushes have perked up.

I'm going to take a nap now.

AHHHH! Snake!

I'll get to that in a minute. Last night I felt uncomfortable. My tummy was distended and mom thought, "uh oh."

But I was fit as a fiddle this morning. Mom thinks maybe she overfed me yesterday. I will have to disabuse her of THAT idea real quick. I'm happy to eat a couple cups of dry dog food (with peanut butter and fish oil) plus some chicken and roast beef slices and whatever doggie biscuits she'll throw my way.

We just went outside. Smokey and I chased some squirrels. Mom sat on the glider and I came over to visit. I think Smokey was digging under a log. Anyway, there is this PLOP next to us. We thought it was a stick but it was a Snake! A little gray rat snake about 2 feet long that was trying to swallow a wren! Now a wren is a small bird but maybe a little too big for this snake.

I'm sure the fall knocked the breath out of the snake but more than that it thought, 'Oh Crap! I'm on the ground. I have to get this darned bird out of my mouth or I can't crawl away!" It slithered into the leaf litter and mom had to dispose of the dead bird before Smokey or one of the cats found it. I decided I didn't want a snake to fall on my head so I went inside.

I know mom cooked some chicken thighs this morning so I'm trying to convince her to give one to me. I'll probably have to share with Smokey though.

I'm still kicking

I'm gaining weight and eating well. Mom still gives me chicken and roast beef but I eat at least 2 cups of dry food a day, but mom has to mix it with a little fish oil (which I would not touch a two weeks ago) and my FAVORITE peanut butter. My ribs are not so pronounced although my hip bones and backbone still stick up a little. I don't have much energy (who does in this heat??) and I probably sleep more than I used to but I'm still kicking.

This is what I had to eat yesterday: 2 cups of dry food with fish oil and peanut butter, a drumstick, a thigh, 4 slices of roast beef, and some treats. I'm still getting my prednisone, antibiotic, and multi-vitamin (in peanut butter). No vomiting and no runs and I don't really want to eat grass anymore. I know the cancer is still with me but I think all of those chemo drugs are about out of my system now.

I admit that Smokey is not all that happy about the return to dry dog food but he'll adjust. However, mom baked some chicken so we need to have a snack now.

No chemo today

We went to Gainesville again today and I had my ultrasound which showed that another mass has grown and the lymph nodes have not shrunk at all. My cancer thumbed its nose at the chemo. Mom decided not to try the second level treatment for it would only give me a few more months and not years.

We came home and I slept most of the way. Then I ate some chicken and had a vitamin with peanut butter. We all napped this afternoon.

We just had a small lovely rain shower. Not nearly enough but every drop counts.

Mom is in the deep end of despair and also in full hermit mode. The phone is off and she won't check e-mail. Smokey says he'll work twice as hard to take care of us.

A week off and now back to Gainesville

We had a week off from treatment and we go back this Wednesday for blood work, an ultrasound and maybe some more chemo. I had blood taken last week and everything looked OK. The ultrasound will be the test to see how things look inside me.

I've had good days and bad days. Some days I want to eat but I've had several days when I don't want to eat. Mom got me rotisserie chicken from Publix and I liked that a lot at first. I might be tired of it now.

It's been so dry with no rain. Mom has to water the flowers every day but the grass is crispy and the leaves on the fig tree are turning yellow. The pears are still small and the trees would get no water at all except the blueberry bushes are nearby and they get watered. We thought the wrens had abandoned the mailbox nest but the eggs have finally hatched and the babies are growing. Mom said we could not take pictures until they are bigger. The mailbox is in the top right of this photo.

Smokey and I spend quite a bit of time in the yard except when I am feeling bad and want to eat grass. Then mom makes me stay inside. When Smokey and I are on watch nothing can slip past us. Smokey is such a good protector, I can grab a few winks when he isn't looking.

Otherwise, we've got our eyes open for squirrel invasions and our ears open for diesel trucks which Smokey does not like.

When I'm inside I can perch on the stairs to keep a look out.

In these times of saving electricity, Smokey has come up with a plan. He sleeps on the air vent in the bedroom. He stays cool but the rest of us get a little warm so we turn on the ceiling fan. Not sure if we are saving any electricity!

Floor vent

Floor vent with cover

Betrayed!

Well! Mom has written to the pet nutritionist at UF. She thinks a diet of chicken and beef is not balanced enough for me. She thinks I need to eat Dog Food. It has taken me hours to train her and this morning she regressed!

Normally, I would be chowing down on my second helping of MEAT by now, and making sure that Smokey understands that this is MY MEAT.

Instead both dishes are full of dry - DRY - food. What is she thinking? All I can do is sulk. I have to start retraining her soon.

Matching purse and shoes

After they took my blood (maybe they are vampires? They always want my blood first.) I stayed with mom in the waiting area. In addition to dogs there was a ferret and a colorful parrot almost as big as me! Some of the dogs were very nervous and cried a lot. I know those dogs got lots of special attention to calm them down. There are old dogs and not so old dogs and most have bald patches like me. There was a dog with a cast on its leg that made a thumping noise when it walked - it was clearly worried about what was going to happen. One little dog ran up to sniff my tail and I let it know that was NOT acceptable. There were some cats too.

We're not the only family that comes from far away. The diagnostic equipment and knowledge is top-notch at the small animal hospital. It's definitely a place to go when the local vet is stumped.

If you are of mom's generation then you remember when a woman's purse and shoes had to match. Surely this was some ploy driven by the fashion industry which, happily, does not seem to matter these days. After my chemo treatment on Wednesday the staff wrapped a purple bandage around the IV spot that matched my purple leash. So here I am with matching 'purse and shoes.' I look a little out of it don't I? I had to be sedated a because it took 20 minutes for the IV drip. I got lots of other drugs too - anti-nausea and something to prevent an allergic reaction plus the woozy drug. No wonder I look stoned.

I slept soundly allllllll the way home with my head on my paws between the front seats so mom could pat me easily.


 I got a new tag while I was there. Does this make me part of the 'Gator Nation'?

I don't like Pill Pockets

It's been quite a week. When I came home from the emergency vet last Monday with more pills, mom thought Pill Pockets would be nice for me. As if! Those things are icky and the only way I'll take one is for mom to cram it down my throat. At least they go down like an oyster - or like I think an oyster might slide down never having eaten one.

Smokey likes them but he is becoming a dog of less discerning tastes than he used to be. Anyway, I  ate pretty good on Monday and Tuesday. Then we went to Gainesville again and I had another dose of chemo. We got home with no mishaps. I ate a little chicken Wednesday night and a little more Thursday morning and then my appetite went to sleep and I didn't want food any more. Mom got worried. On Friday she went to Publix and bought organic chicken breasts and thighs, little cans of gourmet dog food, sliced roast beef and roast turkey lunch meat. I turned down everything - even peanut butter.
 

There is no nice way to say it - mom panicked. She called Gainesville. The doctors said not to worry, sometimes dogs don't eat for a couple of days after treatment and suggested I go to the vet up here for a quick check. So off we went. I got poked and prodded and squeezed. But my blood was OK, I had no temperature, and my tummy wasn't tender. I wasn't really dehydrated but I'm not drinking as much as I should so they gave me some fluids. I look like I have a goiter. What next?? The vet said it would disappear. Mom said she would try not to panic but with the holiday weekend coming and me not eating she was still worried.

We went home and all took a nap. When we woke up mom remembered an errand she had to run. We dogs jumped around and barked, "We wanna go!" I looked so lively - and my goiter was gone - so she let us get in the car and we were very happy. We had to stop on the way so mom could move a turtle out of the road. When we got back home, one of mom's friends called. She works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and she's in Alabama coordinating oil spill cleanup - yes, there is still lots of oil coming ashore on the Gulf coast and it isn't pretty. Anyway, her husband had gone out of town on a fishing trip and her daughter would not get home until late in the evening and the dog needed to be let out. So mom left us and went to take Miss Molly for a little walk. Molly was very appreciative.

When mom got home some other friends called. There was a hawk in their yard and it would not fly away. What to do? Mom said she would be right over. She handed out treats and I was interested so she gave us more treats. Then she went off. The bird was a young red-shouldered hawk that must have fallen from the nest. It looked healthy but still had some down. It could fly a little but not much and it was really scared. Mom got a box and a broom and explained what she was doing and why to the bird. It calmed down a little and mom got it into the box and taped the flaps shut. Then she took it to the wildlife rehab place. 

By the time she got home my appetite was really awake and I had some roast beef and crunchy raw carrots but I didn't like the roast turkey. Smokey and Buddy had some. When that package comes out we all line up. I had roast beef for breakfast the next morning. Mom had to go to Publix to get prescription refilled for me and some more roast beef and she got some rotisserie chicken too. WOW! That was really good! So mom baked the chicken thighs and I had some of that too. 

Sunday morning I ate a little bit of dog food but I really want that meat. Mom says she feels like a carnivore but she'll do it for me. For every big bite I get, Smokey gets a small morsel. So far, he hasn't noticed the difference. One day he'll have to go back to regular dog food, but for now mom is happy that I'm eating. She says my ribs aren't quite so noticeable. We have two more days to build up my weight and then back to Gainesville for more chemo. Even though it's a different drug I will probably have no appetite for a couple of days so I really need to bulk up. Mom feeds me four or five times a day but if she'd set all that stuff in front of me at one time I think I could eat it. In between meals I nap on mom's chair or bed or outside. It's warm now but I still like to be outside and sniff and listen to the birds. 

That silly Smokey likes to roll in the leaves.

Smokey and Pasquale are on the wrong side of the door.

We follow mom while she looks at what's happening in the yard. The beauty berries are beginning to bloom. They have pretty teensy pink flowers that become clusters of purple berries in the fall. They are kind of bitter so birds don't eat them until almost everything else is gone.

And the mailbox wren finished laying her eggs and is now on the nest.

Beady eye of wren.

That's it for now. I'm resting but mom promised me a couple slices of roast beef before we turn in for the night.