Life and Stories of an Amazing Tripawd Girl
Brendol’s x-rays today showed no signs of anything to be worried about. 😀
Here is baby girl on our way home.
She got some ice cream on the way home and is now resting comfortably at my feet on the couch. And, the other day I ordered a “Bubbletastic Dog Bubble Machine” that comes with 8 oz. of bacon scented dog bubbles! We should have it in time for her 3 month ampuversary. She is going to go nuts.
I dropped Miss Brendol off this morning for her 4th chemo treatment and the bloodwork was a go. Yay! I thought it might be because she has been more energetic this round than the last. When Dr. Dorfman came out to talk to me today, he suggested that since we are close to the 3 month mark, we get her chest x-rays done today too. I’m glad we didn’t “schedule” this, or I might have been more anxious about today. My gut tells me that they will be good.
I will post later when I have results. This morning, Dr. Dorfman said she was busy in the back giving everyone kisses 😉
It was a beautiful day outside, although pollen riddled. The girls and I spent some time outside, my primary goal was to work on “Come” with Adelaide. But we got some playing done too. I pulled out the bubbles (non-toxic animal friendly) and Brendol had some fun.
(Sorry it’s not fully centered on Brendol, it’s difficult holding the phone and the bubbles and blowing bubbles all at the same time)
Here are some of B’s happy shots.
Well, our bloodwork was good today so round three is done! Brendol’s white blood cells came back up to normal from last week and her neutrophils were good too. She was a happy girl going into see the vet this morning. Our plan is to do bloodwork in three weeks and see how it’s looking and then perhaps get number four done. Her protocol was anywhere between 4 and 6 treatments, depending on how well she is doing on them. I’m still concerned with her being so tired, so I’ll be keeping a close eye on her after this round.
Today is Brendol’s 2 month ampuversary! Two Months! Whew.
She’s doing pretty good. It’s been more hectic the past 3 weeks with the introduction of her new sister Adelaide. Brendol is fairly neutral about the new addition. She still has her spot on the couch, her spot next to me in bed and her toys. As long as that doesn’t change, I thinks she’s like, “whatever”.
She has gotten some new toys. Which she always loves of course.
And now the weather is getting nice, so we are spending more time outside playing with Aissa and Adelaide.
Her third chemotherapy treatment is on Monday. The only thing that’s had me concerned is that it seems the chemo is making her pretty tired. She hasn’t had any GI issues, no nausea, no lack of appetite. She had lost a little weight the first few weeks after her amputation, but now she’s getting really yummy food with her regular kibble, so at her last weigh in she had gained 1/2 a pound. 😀 We will see how she does after her third chemo, but part of the decision to go forward with the chemo was contingent on her still having a good quality of life, and if the chemo knocks the wind out of her sails too much, I may decide to stop that avenue of treatment.
But for today, we are happy and cuddling. Happy Ampuversary my dear sweet baby girl!
Brendol went in today for her 3rd chemo treatment. Well, April Fool’s, her bloodwork isn’t good enough to proceed today. No chemo for us. We will try again next week. Other than being tired, she has been doing well. We even managed to get her to gain a 1/2 a pound this past week. Here was B on our way to the vets (sorry for the quality, I was at a stop light trying to get a shot).
First, a quick update, Brendol is doing fine. She has been real tired the last week to 10 days but her bloodwork looked good on Monday so her third chemo is on schedule for this coming Monday. We spend a lot of time curled up on the couch. Also in the news, if you didn’t see the post introducing Adelaide, Brendol has a new sister. She is only a year old and she’s a husky, so our cuddle time does get interrupted more than it used to. 😀 You can check out Addy on her page at http://adelaide.tripawds.com
Below is a sweet poem that was sent to my off the Bone Cancer Dogs group… so I can’t take credit for it. But I wanted to share because it is so sweet:
TAKE JOY IN…..OLD DOGS
Their joys are simple. A soft bed. A scrap fallen from the table that
the younger dogs missed. The memory of a treed squirrel. A storm-less
night.
White whiskered faces and legs crooked as question marks.
…
Old Dogs…their sweet Buddha bellies hang over crossed legs as they
fall asleep in a coveted patch of sun. Dreaming of out-racing their
shadows down long, shady lanes.
Once they danced by your side. The very definition of joy unleashed. A
perfect poem caught in shining eyes and wagging tails. They have
followed you faithfully for years. And would plunge into fires,
untamed wildernesses, raging waters if you asked.
Now, they struggle to catch up. Their pace slow but their hearts still valiant.
Their cloudy eyes are starting to dim and go distant, tuning in to
some invisible world. Just beyond your reach.
Don’t go you say, as you scratch the tender part between their ears.
Stay longer. I can’t imagine a world without your fur pressed close to
my cheek. There are still so many roads we haven’t explored.
And they look up at you with a wisdom that just slays you.
Their backs are bent, not from the weight of years, but from the
invisible wings they are growing
That will soon take them to a place where once more they are warriors of speed
Drunk with the sights and scents of a thousand meadows.
Able to leap high enough to touch the wing of the tiniest butterfly.
A place where they will now wait for you to catch up…
(from facebook, no author known)
Brendol had her second round of chemo today. All went well. Platelets were back up to normal. Her white blood cell count actually went down from last week which we weren’t expecting but the vet wasn’t alarmed by that. Brendol had a full fun day – I know – a fun day getting chemo. But she loves going. Check out her video from this morning when she found out we were going.
So the vet tech commented on how Brendol doesn’t appear to have been slowed down one bit by her amputation. And, while I see a little bit of a change, I have to agree that she is getting around really well. It’s not quite been 5 weeks, and you can see how good she’s moving.
We came on home (in the yucky rain), and I think this look is one of “I don’t want my picture taken, mom!”
Now that we are home, she is pooped. The below pic is her getting ready to crash on the couch with her buddy Mathilde. Okay, so they aren’t usually really buddy buddy, but for tonight we are all cuddles. I’ll take it!
It’s been one month today! And what a month it has been.
Brendol began limping at the beginning of the year. At the end of January, I took her in to be looked at because it was getting worse, not better. And that was when we got the terrible news. One week later, on February 6th, her bad painful leg was taken away!
Now, one month later, she is running and playing and getting into things she isn’t supposed to. Stairs still give her some pause, as does trying to get down from the bed (but it’s a really tall bed). She’s getting Chemo, second one is next week. And things are going good.
I know my baby girl still has cancer and this is only the beginning of this journey. But, for now, I am hopeful it is a long journey. And now we celebrate the time we have. For today is one month pain free!
This post is gonna be a quick one. I just wanted everyone to know that Brendol ran full-speed, no holds barred, down the hill to the back of the property this morning! She even still beat Aissa. (Poor Aissa has short little legs, so she’s just not as speedy).
I have seen Brendol run the past couple weeks, like she runs to greet me at the door. But that kind of running isn’t the full out kind. This morning, there were kids walking through the woods behind my property and Brendol and Aissa decided it was their job to go tell them that they didn’t below there. And boy did she take off. I was sure she was going to biff it head first she was going so fast, but she managed to do a great job! It made me so happy to see her still able to take off like that. My little speed racer!
Her one-month ampuversary is on Wednesday, we’ll have more to report then.