21
April
2012
Bailey ate his regular dog food today when it was hand fed, but still refused treats. When I got home from my overnight away he ate some of my daughter’s Harvest Nut Bar (she was trying to help and offered it to him) and a few little pieces of bread, but refused dinner. We made him so hamburger (special treat here as we don’t eat meat) and he ate that. Seems like his appetite is finicky right now (or he is smarter than me and holding out for the good stuff), but the new issue is he has not had a bowel movement. He is trying (which kills me to watch – a rear leg amputee having a bowel movement seems so difficult – he stumbles) but is only having a very little amount, basically a speckle, of diarrhea. I used to give him boiled white rice when he had difficulty, but with the chemo I just don’t know if I should resort to old solutions or just let it ride as this is common after chemo. We are on day 6 following his first chemo treatment which was on Monday. Any suggestions?
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20
April
2012
Bailey went to the vet this morning because he still had not eaten. I just picked him up to bring him home. The vet said his behavior (not eating, vomiting) is definitely from the chemo; his blood work looked good. They gave him some IV fluid, an anti-nausia injunction and Cerenia. He was happy to see me when I arrived – he actually starting whining in the back when I came in that they guessed I was there. He is sleeping right now but still has not taken food yet. He did drink some water when we got in. He is now on the Cerenia for four days. I hope he starts showing some interest in food soon. I have to go out of town tonight and really wish he would eat before I left (I will be home tomorrow). My husband will be home babying him though.
Thanks again for all the paws that are crossed.
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19
April
2012
Bailey has not eaten at all today – no treats, nothing. Getting a little nervous. The vet wants to see him tomorrow if he doesn’t start eating. He has been drinking and goes outside to soak up the sun and the light breeze, but then back to sleep. He threw up once today, but it was basically mucus since he has no food in him. He does not seem unhappy, sick or uncomfortable, but he is not interested in food at all. I know one of the comments said he could just have a bad taste in his mouth from his chemo, but how long does that go on for and is it normal to have it four days later??? UUUGGGGHHHHH
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18
April
2012
Today was not as great as the last two. Bailey actually refused some treats today. He came back and got all but one within minutes. This is not a common behavior. Bailey lives for treats. He also seemed a little more lethargic today. I took him to work with me to keep an eye on him. but he was definitely a little more mellow.
Tomorrow he is home alone for the first time. My other dog, Prancer, has to go for her dental cleaning and both my husband and I have to work. I could take him to work with me but I think it will be more stressful for him tomorrow with the particular people coming to my office. I think he picks up on people’s anxiety. My husband will be home within a few hours so it won’t be too long he is on his own but I have “mommy anxiety”. I am sure he will sleep most of the day.
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17
April
2012
I am pretty sure my dog should be studied by the medical community. Today was all about him wanting treats. If he was having any problems he sure did not show it. I gave him a little bath, we ran around the yard, played and he is now sound asleep in my bed. I am hoping we are past the side effects but I never asked if day three can still produce any; we always talked with the vet about the first 2 days.
As an update on Bailey in general, he has slowed down somewhat – he doesn’t run and play as much but I think he is still figuring things out, however he is a happy dog. Today after his bath he didn’t roll around on the towels – he used to loved to do that and kick them up in the air. It saddened me a little that he couldn’t but we found other ways to play with the towel and he seemed fine with that.
I hold my breath daily waiting for the other shoe to drop – I know there is going to be a day that it does and that is what makes it so hard. Sometimes I find myself forgetting that we have this down hill road in front of us but, I know I am lucky right now as all seems uphill right now and Bailey really seems OK.
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16
April
2012
So far so good. Bailey, as always, was a trooper. He handled chemo, so far, with the grace he has handled everything. I watched him all day for signs of anaphalactic shock, a side effect I was not prepared for, and fortunately I found out I did not have to worry about once I picked him up ( I didn’t find that out until the end of the day when I spoke with the vet ).
He did not eat before treatment, per doctor, and in true Bailey style came home famished and ready to eat. He had a light meal when he came home (didn’t want to push it) and his normal dinner. Paws crossed (love that saying I have read on this site) he will have no side effects. His doc says tomorrow is the day we have to watch that he doesn’t have nausea, upset belly,etc. He said if he does he can give him anti-nausea medications next time. He said Bailey has some good genes; he is happy with his progress so far.
Thank you all for your continued advice, stories and support. I feel like we have acquired a whole new “tripawd” family.
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15
April
2012
Tomorrow is Bailey’s first day of chemo. We are hoping for the best but anticipating the worst so we are prepared. Fortunately, as I have posted earlier my vet is letting my other dog of 14 years go with Bailey to keep him company when he gets chemo.
Not knowing what to expect after after tomorrow we have had a fun filled day already. We started out at church and my daughter asked for special prayers for Bailey today. After church Bailey and Prancer came with us to my father-in-laws for breakfast and had some left over eggs and bacon and ran round in the yard. Then we attended our church picnic outside held at a local garden/park – hamburgers were on the menu there ( quite a treat as we don’t eat meat – the bacon mentioned above wasn’t real bacon).
Bailey was treated like a rock star. I don’t think there was a kid or parent there that didn’t pet him or ask about him. Prancer got special hugs from us as she is usually the center of attention as she is quite a beautiful looking dog, but today it was all about Bailey. I will post pictures as soon as I figure out how.
On another note he is stressing me out a little as he is making attempts to jump off the bed and out of the car when we get home. I’d like to know what he is thinking, but I think to some extent all is back to normal for him; he knows he can’t jump up but not quite there on the jumping down.
I will keep you all posted on chemo.
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12
April
2012
Well the dreaded call came – they want to start chemotherapy on Bailey right away. The cancer is aggressive, although not found anywhere in his body other than in the amputated leg. They tell me if it is there it is somewhere….From the research I have done dogs handle chemo fairly well, although, as with any chemo it can harm his organs and he can have side effects. We may have a few extra months with him if the chemo goes well.
There have been so many times over the last 18 years I wished I could talk with Bailey, but boy is this week one of those weeks. I know he has so much wisdom in there that I want to hear from him on what his thoughts are about all this and explain to him what is happening.
After much soul searching we are going to try it – Monday is his first day. I have already discussed with my vet if he doesn’t handle it well, i.e., gets too sick, my intentions are to terminate the chemo. Quality over quantity is the goal. Fortunately my vet is allowing my other dog, Prancer, who is 14 years old and has been with us for 13 years, to go with Bailey for his chemo so he will have company to make him feel a little better. Hopefully, I will be able to pick them up within a few hours. I think they will feel better being together. I wish I could be there with him, however I recognize with Bailey when I am around he worries more about me than himself.
Despite the day Bailey had a good day. I took him to the tennis courts and another dog there came near us and Bailey actually growled at the dog twice his size. He walked all around the tennis area enjoying the breeze and all the new smells. Our only issue today is the car ride. He insists on standing the whole time and tends to lose his balance – I will never understand why he just does not sit down in the car.
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10
April
2012
It amazes me that two weeks have gone by and life is almost back to normal. Bailey is using the doggie doors, chasing the mailman around the yard, barking at anything he hears or sees (sight and hearing is diminished – he is after all 17, specifically 17 years, 9 months). At least it is back to normal for him. I still have not left him alone, he has come to work with me (my office if full of dog lovers and Bailey supporters – he is the king of the mountain there), tennis lessons, anywhere I have to go if my husband is not home. I am still worried he will lick the wound area or hurt himself if I am not here to watch him. I have scheduled in alone time for Bailey late this week – baby steps. My vet says his can lick his wound but not chew – so far so good he has only tried to lick every now and then and his incision area seems almost healed. It amazes me how quick dogs heal over humans. Why hasn’t somebody studied that…or have they????
We also have a lot more rugs – the only shopping I do right now is for rugs or dog beds. The house is almost “tripawd proof” – no big areas of slippery tile and plenty of dog beds for the dog who always slept on the couch or bed. If you can believe this – I found a BeautyRest dog bed at the HomeGoods Store (Marshalls). It is nice and big and soft and sturdy. He looks so comfy on it. He still sleeps in bed with me but spends the rest of the day on the numerous dog beds around the house, he particularly likes the one by the front door which gives him a view of almost the whole house and the yard..
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6
April
2012
Bailey is doing great. Back to his old self charging out of the house as if he was a 100 lb dog that will defend us from all intruders. He still forgets his limitations, but is managing well.
I think he has been licking his incision today as it is a tiny red and not as scabbed up as yesterday. I haven’t caught him licking, but I might have to put the collar on tomorrow – I hate doing it but definetly do not want him to get an infection.
I am continued to be amazed at people’s reaction when I tell them what happened – the shock and look of disbelief amazes me. Then there are the others that never question you. My father-in-law, who is not a big animal person, I think summed it up perfectly when my husband told him. He simply said “it’s better than dead”. I loved how simply he looked at the decision and how unabashedly he supported our decision. My mom was the same way, she simply said “you do what has to be done”. I have been blessed in so many ways and so appreciate those that don’t make you feel like you did something wrong.
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