After the last couple of days events, our oncologist wanted to see Rio, so we went to see Dr. Sarah this morning and… and we are OKAY! Good vitals, the appetite is back (with a vengeance, I might add) and her energy level is much, much better. We even played ball out in the yard for a teeny bit today (it was so, so nice and it’s been such a long, cold, grey winter).
And (shout out for the Woo), it’s been two months Continue reading
Today is our worst day, so far. Rio has seemed a little “off” the last couple of days — nothing terribly obvious, she just didn’t really seem to have as much energy as normal. But this morning, it was pretty obvious she wasn’t feeling well. She barely wanted to eat her breakfast, and that is just NOT like her.
It’s APRIL! Rio’s birth month!!!! We don’t know what day, but she was about 7 or 8 weeks old when I got her on Father’s Day, 2000. I still remember that little face. I tried to walk away. I actually decided I couldn’t take her (we were selling our house and didn’t have a clue where we would live while we built our new house). But my friend said, “you can’t leave without saying goodbye to the puppy.” I convinced myself I was strong enough, but I knew deep down that if I went back to “say goodbye,” I would be taking that tiny girl home.
Today we administered Rio’s third round of chemo (CCNU). She’s been doing really great, although last week’s CBC numbers were considerably lower than when we started. Dr. Sarah, our oncologist, prescribed Cerenia for vomiting, since she did get sick on the Vinblastine two years ago, but we haven’t needed it so far. Continue reading
Rio had her first swim therapy this morning. It went great. The therapists were really amazed at how well Rio took to the hydrotherapy pool. They kept saying how impressed they were that she did this well on her first session. I wasn’t surprised, because she is a very smart and adaptive dog. I think she was just relieved that nobody was trying to stick her with needles, so she just went with it. They had an orange and blue Chuck-it ball — her favorite — and she swam to get it and played with it for about 20 minutes of the half hour session. The ladies massaged her and stretched her and guided her around as she swam, and aside from being a bit nervous and resistant when they were backing her into the pool, she seemed to enjoy it. So we signed her up for another session next week.
Rio's an excellent patient!
And now she’s completely shot and snoozing on the couch with her sisters.
We finally got some nice weather here in the Puget Sound. It’s been monsooning for weeks now, so we haven’t been able to spend much time outside yet this spring. So when the sun finally came out and we had a glorious spring day, we spent the entire day outside. Continue reading
Today we went for our first dose of Vinblastine. Rio had some episodes of nausea last time we had Vinblastine (2 years ago), and the doctor gave us some Cerenia in case it happens again this time. So now we don’t have to go back to the oncologist for another month (fingers crossed). We go for a CBC next week, then the next chemo is oral, so we’ll just do it here at home.
She’s now sacked out on the couch, exhausted after the long morning at the doctor’s. But while we were there, we met lots of really tough dogs and the people who love them. We met a dachshund who was recovering from a broken back, three dogs with repaired knees/legs, an elkhound with transitional cell cancer, and Jetson, another tripawd just like Rio. He is somewhat of a celebrity to the local tripawd community (or at least to us!). He was a K-9 cop prior to his diagnosis with osteosarcoma. You can learn about his story here: http://www.komonews.com/news/problemsolvers/113246294.html. Rio thought he was very handsome, yet managed to not appear starstruck, even though he’s way more striking in “person” than he was on TV! Because of all of the publicity surrounding his retirement, he got enough donations to cover all of his medical expenses for the rest of his life!
I am trying so hard to stay positive, but this many times “in the ring” leaves you vulnerable to those moments when you question everything. Rio had her first round of chemo two weeks ago, and has already had one really bad day. (Last time, we were nearly done with the chemo before it got too bad.) Continue reading
Hi there! This is Rio. Mom has been reading a lot about the Monkeybutt dogs on the Tripawds site, and I’m considering joining the AMBF, because I have two of my own: Zephyr and Tosca. Sheesh, every time Mom wants to give me a cookie or a lovie, these two have to practically knock me down to get in on the fun. Continue reading
Today, the weather is vile and Rio isn’t feeling very well. Her CBC came back with good numbers, but she’s developed a bad case of diarrhea. She’s pooped so many times I’ve lost count, and she seems completely lethargic. Temp is normal, though. A call to the vet hooked us up with some metronidazole, so hopefully that won’t take too long to kick in. I also picked up some unflavored Pedialyte and mixed it with low sodium beef broth, and she’s been drinking that down when I offer it to her. I don’t want her to get dehydrated, and she has no interest in just plain water.
On the upside, when the vet checked her leg yesterday, she said she didn’t feel any signs of “laxity” or “crepitus” which sounds promising. However, she’s still having some difficulty getting around. The clinic where she is going for her oncology treatments is all specialists, so I’m going to see if I can get the ortho specialist to look at it when we’re in next week.