Won't Eat

For about a week, we have been able to get Presley back on all of her supplements with no side effects. However, yesterday she had a bit of diarrhea and this morning she refused to eat her breakfast. I tried to give her just canned food, then just kibble, but she turned her nose up at both. She was even hesitant to eat any treats.

Her poops are solid, so I don't know what's going on. Presley and Diesel are going to Steve's house for the night. Maybe Daddy can talk her into eating her food.

We had a really nice time at the park yesterday. Presley spent a few minutes alone wandering in a small patch of woods in the middle of the park. Maybe she ate something that upset her tummy. Of course, she didn't want to leave when it was time to go. She just laid in the middle of the field watching us walk/run away.

Before we got to the Jeep, we played on the playground equipment. Diesel loves to climb up the platforms to the top of the jungle gym. Bristol climbed a couple platforms but wasn't too keen on crossing the swinging bridge. Presley finally joined us but I didn't encourage her to climb on anything. She just sniffed underneath, probably looking for something to nibble on.

This is really getting old but I'm trying to be patient and not take my frustrations out on Presley. It's like trying to put a puzzle together but I don't have all the pieces. Presley loves her food, so she must be feeling bad to not want to eat. Sometimes I think she's getting a little senile in her old age. She's going to be 10 in a couple weeks. Most of the time she's very predictable and then out of the blue she does something new that makes me wonder where that came from.

Like last night, for example. Scott and I were watching a movie ("Knocked Up", cute movie), while the girls all slept in the living room. Presley woke up at one point and kept trying to get my attention. She would put her head on the couch and stare up at me until I pet her or talked to her. Then she got up, grabbed a toy and brought it over to Scott. He threw it a few feet away, she retrieved it and brought it back to him. This went on about three times until she settled back down on the cushion and fell asleep.

I'm not sure why I think this was unusual. Dogs play fetch, right? It just seemed strange at that moment. Presley would normally be asleep at that time of night. Maybe she was happy to see Scott because he's been working so much. Maybe she just needed to stretch her legs for a few minutes.

Who knows. I shouldn't try to over analyze too much. Sometimes I forget that she's a dog, not a human.

Girls and Their New Toys

After a couple of very busy days visiting with family and playing with new toys, the girls have been pretty wiped out. Until today.

Scott fed the girls at 6AM but they went right back to bed. The day really started at 7:30AM. Bristol and Diesel wrestled and played tug-o-war for three hours in the living room, with Presley closely monitoring and correcting them when they got too rambunctious.

We napped for a couple hours. Then playtime started all over again. I took them in the backyard while I picked up poops, but they don't seem to have as much fun in the yard. It's cold, wet and muddy. Maybe they can sense that I really don't want to be out there either.

The living room looks like a toy store blew up. Unfortunately, many of the toys haven't faired very well. The fox is only half-stuffed. The squirrel is missing its tail. The squeaky ball is missing its squeaker. At least I know the girls have been enjoying their toys.

Just now I was going to take the girls to the park to run around, but they are all taking their afternoon nap. Presley and Bristol are butt-to-butt on the cushion and Diesel is on the carpet. I'll give them a few more minutes then we'll head out. It will feel good for all of us to stretch our legs and get some fresh air.

Sneaky

We ended up taking the girls with us to my dad's house this afternoon and they had a chance to run and play in his huge backyard. Needless to say, they were pretty wiped out when we got home.

Just a few minutes ago, Diesel and Bristol were sleeping soundly on the cushion in the living room. Presley came out from the bedroom and I could tell by the look on her face that she wanted to lay down on the cushion but there was no room for her next to the other girls. That's when she got sneaky.

She grabbed the squeaker ball and brought it over to Scott as if she wanted to play. He threw it, she kinda ran after it. They did this three times until Bristol got up off the cushion to chase after the ball. Presley grabbed the ball before Bristol could reach it. Then she hopped over to where Bristol had been laying and plopped down on the cushion. Very sneaky!

Christmas Eve Day

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here at chez Sprangerberg. The palm tree is decorated with twinkle lights and the stockings are hung from the entertainment center with care. We only have a few presents under the tree because Bristol is too interested in the packages.

Scott and I have a special delivery we have to make today. We're going to surprise my dad and Nancy with a garden arbor that Scott built for their yard. The arbor is going to take up most of Scott's van, so we might not be able take the girls with us.

In preparation for their afternoon at home alone, I took the girls to the park this morning to let them stretch their legs a bit. There wasn't a whole lot to do at the park, so we just ran around. When it was time to leave, we ran back to the Jeep, and Diesel and Bristol jumped right in.

However Presley was dragging her feet. She just sat in the field looking at us. After I got the younger girls loaded in, I started the engine to get warmed up (it's only 27 degrees out). Presley might have thought we were going to leave without her so she hustled over to us. When she got to the Jeep, I opened the passenger door and she jumped right in without any help.

The fresh air must have worked because they haven't been able to keep their eyes open since.

Barking, growling - having fun or pissed off?

This morning Diesel and Bristol have been wrestling for about an hour. They are both loving it.

Presley on the other hand seems agitated by them. A couple times, Presley has jumped in growling and pushed Bristol to the ground. Bristol goes belly up. Then Presley puts her face in Bristol's face and continues growling. This gets Diesel excited, so she gets in Bristol's face and starts barking with a very high pitch. I've had to break this up several times because I don't want it to escalate into a fight.

Usually Presley reprimands Diesel, but now she's going after Bristol first. And she seems pissed off. She's trying to tell Bristol something but I'm not sure what it is. Hopefully Bristol can interpret the message correctly and all will be right with the world. The growling and barking is a bit much for me first thing in the morning.

All I Want For Christmas...

Here are my Christmas angels with Santa Claus.

In this first shot, everyone looks pretty serious. At least in the shot below, Presley shows us a little smile.

Fetch raised $400 on Saturday for the Royal Oak Animal Shelter. It turns out that Santa is the hubby of Fetch's owner. I guess that makes the owner Mrs. Claus. The photographer was Santa's sister. Nice job!

Agitated

For about the last 90 minutes or so, Presley has been very agitated. I've been trying to watch the season finale of "I Love New York 2" but Presley has been whining, crying, staring at me, doing anything she can to get my attention.

I've been paying attention to her, talking to her, petting her, but nothing seems to pacify her. She doesn't seem sick. So this is very strange.

However, I just realized as I'm typing that she may have gas.

The angels visit Santa Claus

Today I took Presley, Diesel and Bristol to visit Santa Claus at an independent pet supply store in Ferndale called Fetch. It's on Woodward, north of 9 Mile on the west side. I had never been there before but had just read about it in the local Southfield community newspaper.

I was nervous about handling all three of the girls at the same time. In past years I've taken the big girls to see Santa at other stores and sometimes it's a madhouse with dogs and people everywhere. I was hoping that maybe a smaller store might have a smaller turnout.

My mom also came with me and took her dog Dakota. We all piled into the Jeep and luckily found a parking spot just a few feet from the back entrance.

I took Bristol in first to get the lay of the land, while Presley and Diesel hung out in the Jeep. There were only a couple of other dogs in the store, including a 5-month-old Rottweiler that Bristol was really interested in. After the other dogs got their photos taken, Dakota got her chance to visit with Santa. She posed very nicely for the camera.

In exchange for the photo, the store was requesting a $10 donation that will go to the Royal Oak Animal Shelter. Mom paid her donation and I decided to pay my donation in advance so I wouldn't have to fumble around while I had the girls with me.

Everything in the store seemed pretty calm and under control, so Bristol and I went out to the Jeep to get the other girls. After everyone had on their leashes, they were all pretty excited and kinda pulled me up to the door. It was a little tricky getting into the store because I got tangled up in Diesel's leash, but once we got inside they calmed down.

They were all pretty sniffy and had to check everything out, but overall very well behaved. No one was in line to visit Santa, so we walked right up. They all sniffed around him, not really paying too much attention to him. Then Santa gave them some treats and I started to position them for the photo.

First I handed Bristol's leash over to Santa. I thought she might be a little scared and try to pull away, but amazingly she was actually the best one. She sat right between Santa's legs the whole time and when she saw the camera come out, she posed like a professional model.

I then positioned Presley near Santa's left knee. She sat very nicely. However, the tile floor was a little slippery and she slowly slid away, so I had to reposition her.

Then I positioned Diesel near Santa's right knee. She was the hardest one to keep still because she really doesn't like to sit. I think it bothers her knee where she had ACL surgery to sit for too long. She kept standing up and trying to move toward the camera, but Santa had a firm grip on all of the leashes so no one was going anywhere.

As the photographer snapped away, I kept trying to get the girls' attention by waving my arms, whoo-hooing, and jumping up and down. I asked the photographer's assistant if she had a squeaker toy, which got the girls' attention.

All of the girls posed so nicely for the camera and were extremely well behaved. During the photo session, they were looking around a little bit because the people who were watching were oohing and aahing, which was a little distracting. But the photographer kept snapping photos until she felt she had gotten the shot. We get to pick up our photo on Monday, so I'll be sure to add it to this blog then. I can't to see how it turned out!

I was so proud of my girls and a little surprised. I knew they were well behaved, but this went above and beyond my expectations. They were like angels. My little Christmas angels!

Tired Dog = Good Dog

Last night after work, I picked up Presley and Diesel from Steve's house. Presley is now eating well, so I'm going to slowly add her supplements to her food one at a time so I can figure out what gave her such bad gas and an upset tummy. For now, she'll be eating one cup of kibble, one scoop of canned food and one Glucosamine/Chondroitin pill covered with Cheez Whiz. We'll see how she does on that for a few days.

When we got home last night, Bristol was so happy to see her sisters. At first, the big girls didn't seem too excited about the little one being there. Then at around 8:15PM they all went into serious "play" mode. For two hours straight, I played fetch and tug-o-war with all three of them. Diesel and Bristol also did a bit of wrestling on their own.

During tug-o-war Presley mostly stayed on the sidelines barking at the other girls, but during fetch many times she was the first one to retrieve the ball. It's amazing how fast she can move when she wants to. The funny thing about her barking at the other girls was that she had a huge smile on her face the whole time.

In this picture, you can kinda see her smile and the sparkle in her eyes. She was loving it the whole time.

Finally, at about 10:30PM the girls started to slow down. One by one, they fell asleep in the living room. Bristol was still wired so it took a little longer for her to wind down but she finally settled down next to Presley on the cushion.

At around midnight, I moved the crew into the bedroom and got all the girls snuggled in their beds. At one point, one them was snoring but I couldn't figure out if it was Presley or Bristol. It took me awhile to get to sleep because every time I heard that little snore, I would laugh.

This morning the girls slept in until 7AM, had breakfast, then went right back to bed until about 9:30AM. They were all wiped out, which reminds me of what Scott always says: "A tired dog is a good dog."

Finicky eater

Presley and Diesel are still at Daddy's house. Steve reports that Presley has been turning her nose up at her food. I thought maybe the Maitake Extract was upsetting her tummy, but he said she is refusing to eat the canned food.

This is crazy because about a month ago after she came home from the hospital after the bad reaction to chemo, she refused to eat her kibble. That's when we introduced the canned food, which she has loved ever since.

She also had really bad diarrhea the first night he had them. Now her poops are more solid but she is being a very finicky eater. She'll eat most of her kibble and any of Diesel's kibble that Steve gives her and not much, if any, of the canned food. Of course, she'll eat her treats.

Something is clearly upsetting her tummy because it still gurgles very loudly and she has really bad gas. The diarrhea is a bit troubling. This is like a puzzle.

Steve also reported that Presley only woke him up once in the middle of the night with her moaning. He lets her sleep on the bed, which he has put on the floor so she doesn't have to jump up or down. Steve says when he heard Presley moaning, he looked up to find her staring at him. So he laid his hand on her and after that, she slept soundly through the rest of the night. He thinks she just wants attention.

Stop jumping

It's very quiet around here. Presley and Diesel went to their Daddy's house yesterday for a few days.

When Steve came over to pick up the girls, Scott and I tried a little experiment. We tried to let Steve get in the door without the girls jumping all over him. We are having family over for Christmas and I'd like the greetings to be a little more civil, but we've been very lazy in this area of training. It's quite unpleasant for most people when they visit us because they get jumped on and pushed around by two big, overly enthusiastic dogs. Steve is the perfect person to help train the girls because they probably jump all over him the most.

When Steve came in, we kept the girls on their leashes and kept their attention with treats. Bristol stayed in her crate. It's too hard to train three dogs at once, especially when we don't know exactly what we're doing.

Presley and Diesel actually did very well. Of course, they were so happy to see their Daddy but we remained calm and assertive (just like the "dog whisperer" Cesar Millan suggests). Steve was able to get in the door, through the living room and into the kitchen without being attacked. Granted, the attacks are with hugs and kisses, but not everyone appreciates this type of affection.

Bristol seems a little lonely without her big sisters. Since day one, she has been Diesel's shadow around the house and in the yard. During naps, she likes to cuddle up to Presley. It's so cute how quickly she has bonded with them, but I'm not sure they feel exactly the same way about her. Sometimes she can be a bit too much.

Diesel likes to play tug-of-war and chase with Bristol, but she doesn't like it when Bristol jumps all over her. I think Presley likes to watch them and sometimes jump in for a little tugging or chasing of her own, but she doesn't like it when Bristol jumps all over her either. Hmmm, I sense a pattern.

Time on my hands

It's very quiet here today. Scott took Presley and Diesel to my dad's house. So I'm home with Bristol. She's being a very good girl and not licking her stitches (too much).

Check out this holiday message from the girls:
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1222843219

(You may have to copy and paste this URL into your web browser.)

Winter Fun

Presley had some winter fun today with Diesel. Bristol is laying low because she is recovering from surgery. We had her rear dew claws removed because they weren't attached to the bone and they could easily tear off. It's hard to keep a 7-month-old puppy calm, especially when Presley and Diesel are around because she wants so badly to play with her sisters.

With Bristol out of the picture, Presley and Diesel were back at it today, wrestling in the living room and playing outside in the snow. Presley had a chance to bark at the shovel while I cleared some snow from our patio. She sure enjoys giving the shovel "the what for".

Today Scott stopped by the Nine-Tel Animal Hospital to pick up a new "buster" collar for Bristol so she can't disturb her stitches. The collar we got yesterday was too short and she could easily reach her back feet. Scott took Presley in with him so he could weigh her. She weighs 80.8 pounds, which is great. It's been almost 2 whole months since her surgery and she's maintaining a good weight, although she's not as active.

Yesterday Scott picked up Presley's supplements from OVRS. Her new DHA capsule is HUGE! She is supposed to have two of them with each meal, but yesterday she left one in the bowl, after licking all of the canned food off of it. Luckily, these can be broken open and the liquid can be poured over her food. Scott says the liquid smells like fish and is really oily. She seems to like it.

Presley is laying next to me right now and her tummy is gurgling. Loudly. Her tummy might be a little upset from all the new supplements. It's just a matter of time before the gurgling turns to gas. So we have that to look forward to.

Dog's formula for life

Although the weather has been pretty cold the last few days, it hasn't stopped the girls from wanting to play outside. Yesterday (before the sleet and freezing rain) Scott and I took the girls to a park and ran around in the snow. I took some video and hope to post something on YouTube soon.

I hate the cold and the wind makes it 10x worse. All I want to do is hibernate. Thankfully, Scott took each of the girls one-by-one for their walks.

While Scott was out with Bristol, I played with Presley and Diesel in the backyard, but Presley was hesitant to chase the tennis ball. She bounced around like she wanted to play, but when I'd throw the ball, she'd just look at me. Then she tried to wrestle with Diesel, but D was busy with her own ball.

I'm not really sure what Presley wanted to do. I think she was just happy to be bouncing around in the yard with her mama and sister.

Now all the girls have settled in for an afternoon nap. They really have the right idea. Eat, go potty, exercise, play, sleep, repeat.

Patience is key

Once again, Presley has been surprising me by being very patient with her new little sister.

During naps, Bristol loves to cuddle up to Presley by putting her head on Presley's hip. It's quite adorable and unusual because Presley barely tolerated Diesel when she would try to snuggle up. She always had this horrified look on her face whenever Diesel would try to cuddle. With Bristol she barely flinches.

Presley surprised me again today. As the younger girls played tug-o-war, I gave Presley a really good rub down, especially around her neck and hind legs. She loved it so much that she pretty much ignored the other girls, even when they entered her personal space.

Usually Presley gets pretty upset when another dog gets too close. She'll growl, snarl, bark and/or move away depending on how annoyed she is.

However, today she was very patient and at times seemed amused by them. Quite a few times, Bristol even sat on Presley's hip or leg as she played with Diesel, but Presley mostly ignored her as I kept rubbing. She really didn't seem to mind Bristol sitting on her.

The only time she reprimanded Bristol was when the little one stepped on her belly. I don't blame Presley for getting pissed because that must have hurt.

Bristol is learning a lot from her big sisters. Presley is teaching boundaries and when it is time to chill out. Diesel is teaching how to play nice.

Good walker

Presley and I took a little bit longer walk yesterday. At first she acted like she didn't want to go and sat on the front lawn just looking around. After thinking about it for a few minutes, she finally decided to go the other way down our street toward the dead end part of our block.

I thought when we got to the end of the block, she may need to take a rest but she just turned around and kept on going until we were back home. She surprises me everyday with how strong she is.

Mixology: supplements, vitamins, meds, more

I talked to Dr. Bannink on Monday about Presley's supplements. We're still waiting for the Vitamin D3 to come in at OVRS and I was hoping to pick up the DHA (to replace the Super EPA) at the same time. Dr. B said I could reschedule Presley's blood test until four weeks after she starts taking the D3. We will need a CBC to check her Calcium levels, which can be depleted from the Vitamin D.

I also mentioned to Dr. B that I couldn't find the recommended 4,000IU of Vitamin A, but I could find 10K or 5K plus Vitamin D. She didn't want Presley to have the additional D, so she said Presley could take 10K every other day if that was all we could find. I asked about the 5K+ that is already in Presley's kibble, but Dr. B said it isn't concentrated enough.

Scott and I checked a couple different places to find the recommended dosage of Vitamin A. After striking out we decided to give her the 10K Vitamin A at dinnertime on even days only. It's not a perfect schedule, because some days have 31 days, but it's the best we can do.

Meal times for the dogs are like a chemistry class. Breakfast can be a little confusing because Presley has been waking us up at 5AM. For those who know me, you know that I'd sleep in until noon if given the choice. So trying to put all of this together at 5AM is really hard. Each dog has a different food and different meds or supplements.

For Presley, the formula is:

• 1 cup kibble (Natural Choice Senior)
  
• 1/2 can of wet food (Natural Choice Senior Turkey & Rice Formula)
  
• 1 scoop L-Glutamine powder
• 2 Chemo Blood Support pills
• 2 CAS Options tablets
  
• 1 Glucosamine/Chondroitin pill
• 41 drops of Mitake Extract (dinnertime only)
  
• 1 Vitamin A (dinnertime on even days only)
• Mix it all together so that everything is evenly coated with the wet food, otherwise she won't eat it all.
• Check her bowl after she's done eating to make sure there are no pills left in the bowl because Diesel and Bristol like to lick Presley's bowl.
  

To make sure we don't miss anything for Presley, I've created a "med sched" that we posted on the cabinet door above where the dogs' meals are prepped. It's a great way to keep track of everything so we don't have to rely on our fading memories.

Scott and I are both thankful that the L-Glutamine powder is almost gone. Mixing this into her food has been the biggest pain. It dries out the canned food and doesn't mix easily. Dr. B said we could discontinue this one when it is gone.

For Diesel, at each meal we give her two cups of kibble (Natural Choice Large Breed) and one pill of Glucosamine/Chondroitin with a dab of Cheez Whiz. Diesel usually finishes her meal first before the other two girls, then waits to see if there are any remnants in the other bowls.

For Bristol, we feed her two cups of kibble at each meal -- a mixture of one cup Science Diet and one cup Natural Choice Puppy. We're slowing weening her off the Science Diet, which is what the shelter was feeding her. To each meal, we've been adding one pill of antibiotic and a half pill of Rhimadyl, both with Cheez Whiz. We finished the Rhimadyl tonight and we only have a couple more days of the antibiotic left.

While all the girls are eating, I refill their water bowls. Presley and Diesel share an elevated feeder that has three bowls with the middle bowl designated as their water bowl. Bristol eats from her own elevated feeder, so I also have to refill her water bowl.

After all of the girls are done eating, I clean (or at least rinse out) their food dishes. The bowls are stainless steel and they look really nasty when they are caked with dried food and saliva.

Up all night

Last night, Presley kept me up almost all night. She woke me up at 2:30AM and kept me up until about 6AM by moaning and whining. I think her tummy was upset because I could hear and feel it gurgling. And of course she had gas. I'm not sure what she ate that would make her tummy so upset.

Several times throughout the night I let her outside to go potty. I also rubbed her belly, scratched her back, patted her head, and cuddled with her, but every time I went back to bed, she'd moan again. At one point, I turned on some college football on the TV for her, but even that didn't work. And she loves to watch football. Nothing would pacify her.

It seemed like she was seeing things that weren't there. She'd look off into the other room but there was nothing there. I think her eyesight may be going. It's possible she could have cataracts. Her pupils kinda look cloudy and her right eye especially has had some very thick goop in it a couple times.

She ate breakfast like a champ and later in the morning, she hung out with Papa in the office. In the afternoon she played with her sisters in the house and in the yard, went for a walk wearing her new harness, and visited with our neighbor Bob. Her favorite part of the day was when her Daddy and Carrie came over to play and visit with her. She had a huge smile on her face the whole time Steve was here.

After all of this activity, she was pretty wiped out. Since dinner she's been sleeping almost the whole evening. She played a little bit with Diesel and Bristol, but then she went right back to sleep. I hope this continues throughout the night. I need to get some rest!

Tomorrow I am going to talk to Dr. Bannink about Presley's supplements. As of Friday, OVRS hadn't received the order for her Vitamin D3. I don't think she needs to take additional Vitamin A because I checked the label on her kibble and it already contains the recommended dosage. She needs a new bottle of CAS Options and DHA (instead of Super EPA -- fish oil). I hope the DHA works as well as the Super EPA. Her coat is so shiny and virtually no shedding.

Scott made an interesting observation the other day. He always lets Presley give him lots of kisses on his face and he noticed that Presley's breath does not stink like it had before she had surgery. He thinks her fresh breath has something to do with the tumor being removed. He could be right. Maybe it was her body's way of telling us that something was not right.

The Pack

I'm really going to have to start carrying my camera with me. This photo was taken with the web cam on my computer. The quality isn't great, but I just had to capture the moment.

Presley, Diesel and the pup (now named Bristol) are all conked out in the living room. Diesel is on the left in the foreground, Bristol is on the right, and Presley is in the back. Just before I snapped this photo, Bristol's head was resting on Diesel's hip. It was soooo cute!

The girls are getting along better every day. Lots of games of chase and fetch. Of course, they all want the same toy at the same time, but so far no fights.

Presley is always quick to discipline Diesel if she growls too loudly or if she plays too rough with Bristol. Although Presley won't let Bristol get too close to her for too long, she has been very tolerant. Thankfully, Bristol hasn't been an overly wild puppy so far. We'll see what happens as she gets more comfortable in her new home.

Presley has never been very touchy, feely -- only on her terms. Diesel, on the other hand, loves to be held and cuddled. It looks like Bristol is going to be a love dog, too.

Happy Thanksgiving

The pup had Presley, Diesel and me up pretty early this morning, while Scott slept in for a bit. She is a bundle of energy and loves to play with her new sisters, but they are not used to so much activity. By late morning, we were all beat, but the pup just wouldn't stop. After Scott got up, he played with the pup in the living room while I took Presley and Diesel with me into the bedroom for a mid-morning nap.

At one point during our nap, I heard Presley moving around the bedroom. I can easily hear her now because she kinda hops when she walks. I heard her go into the pup's crate, grab the pup's bone, then return to her spot on the side of my bed. She chewed on the bone for a few seconds, then went back to sleep.

A little while later, I heard Presley moving around the room again. Once again she went into the pup's crate, but this time she laid down and fell asleep in the crate. It was the cutest thing to see her curled up in there.

The crate is actually the perfect size for Presley. She probably felt really cozy in there, just like when she herself was a young pup. As she got older and more trustworthy when on her own, we eventually abandoned the crate. Apparently she missed having a little den to call her own.

Our family sure has a lot to be thankful for. Although dealing with Presley's cancer was hard at first, she now seems happy and pain free. I almost forget she has cancer.

For awhile, I have been questioning whether or not I made the right decision to have her leg amputated and to discontinue the chemo. But to see her the last couple days playing with her sisters and smiling that beautiful Rottweiler smile, I feel better about those decisions.

This whole ordeal has made me thankful for every day I get to spend with my little pack. Yes, life is good.

Puppy Needs Name

Today the girls played fetch with Papa. It was like a black cloud of fur running back and forth from the bedroom to the living room. At rest time, Presley sat next to Papa with a huge smile on her face.

We still don't have a name for the puppy so we've called upon a higher power: eBay. The winning bidder gets to choose the name and all proceeds go to the Humane Society of Huron Valley.

Check out our online auction on eBay.com and search for
Rottweiler Name.

Or copy and paste this URL in your web browser:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230194697722

So tired

We all had a great night sleep. The girls woke me up at around 5:20AM and they all went potty outside, ate breakfast, then went back to bed. The pup had a stuffy nose.

A few hours later, Scott took the girls outside for another potty break but the puppy didn't want to leave her crate. Finally, when she got up she was limping and her nose sounded even stuffier.

We took the pup to the shelter clinic -- we get free vet visits for the 7 days after adoption. She slept in the Jeep the whole way there.

She weighed in at 39 pounds. The doc took her temp and she had a slight fever (103.2). The doc did not find any swelling or breaks in her leg. Probably just a soft tissue injury from too much roughhousing with Diesel. The doc gave her an injection to kill the pain and ward off inflammation. She prescribed antibiotics for 10 days for the fever and runny nose, and Rimadyl for 7 days for the leg. We have Rimadyl left over from Diesel's ACL surgery last year.

The pup slept all the way home. When we got home, the pup went right to her bed and the big girls just hung out. They still seemed pretty tired from all of yesterday's activity and excitement. At dinnertime, everyone ate and played gently in the living room. The pup must have felt better because she kept trying to snuggle up to Presley and Diesel, but they weren't really keen on that.

Overall, Presley has been more tolerant of the pup, which is very surprising. She has let the pup lay next to her a couple times and they usually end up taking naps pretty close to each other and sometimes touching.

Diesel doesn't want to have anything to do with the pup while we're in the house, but in the backyard she wants to play chase. Unfortunately, we have to keep the pup calm until her leg feels better.

We've been trying out several names but it's difficult because I'm sure we haven't seen her real personality yet. We don't want "meat stick" to stick so we want to make a decision soon. We've probably listed at least 50 names but some of the more realistic names are Bandit, Brisket, Bristol, Charlotte, Cabernet, Diamond, Driver, Kobe, Pusher, Rowdy, Trucker, Whiskey.

I like the idea of the name starting with a letter that rhymes with "e", like P for Presley and D for Diesel. A nice to have, not a need to have.

The girls are all sleeping in the living room right now. It's cool that they are on the same feeding and sleeping schedule. We'll see what happens when the pup starts feeling better. The first 3 days that we had Diesel, she was so reserved and quiet. Then she turned into hell on wheels.

Puppy photos online

Check out more puppy photos at:

http://mspranger.shutterfly.com

New Baby Sister

This is Presley and Diesel's new baby sister that we adopted today from the Humane Society of Huron Valley in Ann Arbor. She's a 6-month-old Rottweiler and weighs about 41 pounds.

We're going to choose a new name for her after we get to know her a little better. She had been called Trina. For now, we call her "Meat Stick". I know it's weird but she is quite beefy, so the nickname fits.

At the shelter, we went through an extensive introduction process, first with Presley, then separately with Diesel to see how they would get along. Neither of our girls were really interested in playing with the pup, even though she kept trying to get their attention. Presley was her usual self -- growling and snarling at the pup every time she came near. Diesel just wanted to investigate all of the strange and wonderful smells in the pen.

After about 90 minutes of letting the girls get acquainted and talking with the shelter staff (Kaia and an assistant), we agreed that the pup was "the one". We filled out the adoption paperwork, paid the $200 fee, and were on our way.

I tried to hold her on my lap on the drive home, which was really difficult because she is quite heavy and squiggly. Presley and Diesel ignored her all the way home and the pup kept trying to wriggle free so she could check everything out. She licked my face, ears and neck quite a few times, which caused me to break out because my skin is very sensitive to dog slobber. I looked like a lobster.

When we got home, we let the pup explore the backyard on her own. When we let Presley and Diesel into the yard, within seconds Diesel and the puppy were roughhousing and playing chase. Presley stayed more reserved and actually reprimanded Diesel for playing too rough with the baby.

After dinner, the girls all chilled out in the living room with bones. At one point, Presley let the pup lay near her on the cushion and even let the pup put a paw on her. It will take a few days for everyone to get acclimated, but so far so good.

We took her to PetSmart to get some supplies, then to my mom's house to get the crate. We forgot how huge this crate actually is. After rearranging some of our bedroom furniture, we now have beds for all three girls in the bedroom. Bedtime is bound to be interesting tonight.

The pup had been surrendered to the shelter one week ago today. Her prior family had two young children and could not handle her. They thought she was too "mouthy", which is typical puppy behavior because they love to chew and put everything in their mouths. The family indicated that they tried to discipline her with a paper, a rolled up newspaper, I imagine. They had adopted her from a family member but the shelter did not know her exact birth date.

She knows how to sit, comes when called, and plays fetch. She also likes to look at herself in the hall mirror. She's not 100% house trained and has had two #1 accidents in the house.

I'd better sign off. The baby is rubbing up against Presley, to her slight displeasure. More photos and updates to come.

Visit from Gramma & Auntie

My mom (Gramma) and my youngest sister (Aunt Christine) visited today. My mom kept commenting on how soft and shiny Presley's coat is. I've also noticed that she isn't shedding as much as usual.

I think the Super EPA (fish oil, omega 3 fatty acids) has really helped her coat, which is usually dull, dry and sometimes flaky. Over the years, I've tried a wide variety of supplements and different kibble, but nothing has ever worked like this.

Presley still has some diarrhea and gas. Scott gave her some meds after dinner. Hopefully by morning, her GI will be back to normal. If not, I'll call OVRS for some advice.

I took Presley for a walk to the corner today. When we got to the end of the block, it seemed like she was contemplating going a little further, but then she thought better of it and headed back home. She is definitely getting stronger every day.

Stinky Butt

This afternoon when I went outside to put something in our mailbox, Presley and Diesel made a beeline for my neighbor, Bob, who was standing on his front lawn out near his mailbox, which is near the street. Bob is a retiree who has lived on our street since day one when the houses were built in the 1950s.

Bob has scooped up Diesel many times from the neighborhood when she escaped from the yard or the house. And he is always helping other neighbors with various projects.

As I chatted with Bob for awhile, Presley kept running up to him, leaning up against him, offering her butt to him, and looking lovingly up at him. At one point, she even started "talking" to him to pay attention to her. In general, he likes animals, but he's not overly affectionate or attentive toward them. So it's funny to see Presley try to charm him because the more he ignores her, the more she tries to get his attention.

Bob is originally from southern rural Ohio and thinks all dogs are boys. Although Bob loves his yellow lab, he keeps Harley outside in the backyard. They go for at least three walks a day, rain or shine, but Harley isn't exactly part of the family. Bob has a little different mentality toward his pet than we do. Don't get me wrong. He takes good care of him but I hate that Harley has to stay outside all the time. I think a pet should be in the house with the people.

I told Bob about us looking to adopt another dog and I mentioned that there are so many pit bulls up for adoption. We both agreed they can be great dogs, but that they need the proper training. Just like Rottweilers, or any dog for that matter.

Bob told me a story of when he lived on the family farm when he was a young boy, they used to put unwanted litters of puppies in a burlap sack, tie a rock to it, then throw it in the lake. Their family couldn't afford to get their dogs spayed or neutered, and they definitely couldn't afford any more mouths to feed. Bob knows now this isn't the right thing to do, but at the time, his family did what it had to do.

It's amazing how attitudes toward pets have evolved over time. We as a society still have a long way to go, but thankfully, attitudes are changing for the better. One day, I hope we never have to euthanize adoptable animals because we can't find homes for them. And we don't fight animals for sport. And we no longer tether our dogs in the yard, throw them scraps of food and think we are responsible pet owners.

Bob mentioned that he hasn't gotten Harley neutered yet because he might want to breed him so he can have another dog, just like him. Harley has a big head, is very deep-chested, and has a small waist, which is not the current standard for a yellow lab. I think Harley represents what the breed originally looked like years ago.

As I visited with Bob, the girls wrestled in his plant beds and Presley pooped all over his lawn. It's so embarrassing when she does that, but he didn't care one bit. He didn't even want me to pick it up, but I did because I certainly don't want anyone to leave their dog crap in my yard.

After visiting with Bob, I wanted to go to PetSmart to check out their specials on Natural Choice dog food. Presley has been eating a can a day and I only had one left.

Before leaving for the store with Diesel, I left Presley at home with a special bone from her Aunt Nikki. When we got home from the store, Presley was still working on the bone but she eventually ate the whole thing. Now we've been suffering the wrath of the stinkin' Rottweiler butt all night.

But she is still cute as hell. Earlier in the evening, we were playing with another bone that I hid in one hand and asked, "Which hand is it?"

I thought she would nudge the correct hand with her head or muzzle, but no. She surprised me by raising up on her back legs and using her one front paw to select the correct hand where the bone was hidden. When I praised her excitedly, she looked so happy and proud of herself. I just had to show Papa. So I called Scott into the room and sure enough, she did it again.

She has been acting so cute lately, doing things like this. She seems to enjoy making me laugh. And she really enjoys visiting with people. Scott thinks she seems nicer since the surgery. I think she's happier without that painful tumor in her shoulder.

It just occurred to me today that according to the statistics, Presley only has until April to live -- six months after surgery without chemotherapy. I'm not sure why this hasn't occurred to me before. I guess I've been in denial or so focused on the surgery and therapy. This was kind of a wake up call to relish and enjoy each moment, because in reality we don't know when her time will be up.

Wrestlers

Today the girls went with us for a car ride out to visit the motorhome at the storage yard. While Scott was working inside, I let the girls go potty in a nearby field. Within a few minutes, they were wrestling.

This is the first time I've seen Presley really wrestle with Diesel this hard.

Of course, Diesel ran around like a crazy dog as Presley lunged at her full force.

It was awesome!

Conked out

This afternoon, after Scott and I took the girls for a walk (Presley to the end of the block, Diesel for two miles), they fell asleep together on a large cushion that Scott brought into the living room.



Here you can see Presley snuggled with her Furcedes. So cute!



It's interesting how sometimes Presley lets her little sister get close to her. You can see in the photo above that they are butt to butt. At other times Presley won't tolerate Diesel touching her. Like tonight, for example, Presley laid right in the middle of this cushion and would growl if Diesel tried to lay on the cushion with her. Diesel finally gave up and went to her own bed.

Recycle Bin Robber

On Tuesday night when Scott and I went out to dinner for sushi, someone stole this can out of the recycle bin and chewed it up. We inspected both girls for cuts and abrasions, but we found no evidence on either of them. The thief is still at large.

Moving Forward

I found Presley sleeping on her left side again this morning. This photo was actually taken yesterday morning but you get the idea. I don't understand why she likes to sleep with her head off of the bed. It looks so uncomfortable.

Scott and I took the girls for a walk down the street today and Presley wanted to sniff every mailbox post. When we got to the end of the street (four houses), she had to rest for a bit before heading back home with Papa. (I took Diesel for a little bit longer walk.) Presley looked really happy to be out and about in the sunshine with the family.

Tonight I posted another "music video" of the girls on YouTube. This time they are playing with the rake -- a favorite pastime this time of year. The song doesn't literally describe what is happening in the video. Rather, I understand the lyrics to mean that no matter what is happening around us in the world, we just keep moving forward. Do what you think is right and keep walking in a straight line.

CBC normal, more supplements

Presley had another CBC today at OVRS and everything is within the normal limits. She weighs 81.2 pounds (gained a couple pounds since last week). Scott and I spoke with Dr. Bannink about moving forward with the following alternative treatments:

• Vitamin A 4000IU daily
• We can get this at the drugstore
  
• Vitamin D3 1000IU daily
• OVRS ordered this for us; should have it within the week
  
• CAS Options 2 tablets twice daily
• Presley is on this now and should continue indefinitely
  
• Fish Oil 1200mg daily
• Presley is on Super EPA but we need to increase her dosage to 3 gelcaps twice daily
• When bottle runs out, we'll switch to DHA 2 gelcaps twice daily
• Maitake PET fraction 41 drops (2.5ml) daily
  
• Glucosamine/Chondroitin 3 tablets daily (human dosage)
  
• L-Glutamine Powder
• Presley is taking 2 scoops twice daily
• She can stay on this indefinitely but we can discontinue after this bottle is finished if all of this is too much. We'll see.
  
• Chemo Blood Support 2 tablets three times daily
  
• Finish the bottle we currently have

I decided not to do the Hoxsey Formula. From what I read online, I feel like there's too much controversy surrounding it and I don't want to give anything to Presley that is going to taste bad because she is eating really well right now.

Presley will need a recheck chemistry panel in one month, especially to check that these supplement levels (especially calcium) are not affecting her kidneys or other organs. Her next appointment is December 14 at 3PM.

Further chest x-rays are also an option. If lung metastases are found, chemo or surgery to remove the tumors are the recommend treatments. To remove the tumors would require major surgery to remove an entire lung lobe, which in general is not a great option for a girl of Presley's age. And we already know how Presley reacts to chemo. So I don't really see a need to do any more chest x-rays.

Based on the majority of Osteosarcoma cases, we can expect the cancer to eventually spread to her lungs. If we don't do x-rays to catch the tumors early, then by the time she starts showing symptoms, such as trouble breathing and coughing, the tumors will have grown so large that there will be no more treatment options.

There is also a possibility that the cancer can spread to other bones. If she starts showing signs of pain or discomfort, especially in her limbs, then we can do x-rays to see if there is a tumor. If the tumor appears to be non-progressive (slow growing) or small, then radiation may be an option to shrink the tumor or stop the tumor from growing further. There are usually no side effects to radiation.

We'll have to cross these bridges if and when they come. For now, I just want to concentrate on having fun and feeling good.

This afternoon, we took some video of the girls playing in the backyard and chasing after the rake. I hope to have a new video posted on YouTube in the next day or so. Maybe tonight.

I've been having a lot of fun cutting videos of the girls and their new cousin, Sophie. Check them out at:
youtube.com/justmichelle13

Diesel on YouTube

Last night I posted a video of Diesel on YouTube. Check it out at:

youtube.com/justmichelle13

Chemo canceled

I spoke to Dr. Bannink at OVRS today about canceling Presley's chemo treatments. She was very understanding and offered several alternative therapies that will help boost Presley's immune system.

She did remind me, however, that this next round of chemo would not have been as suppressive to the bone marrow. She also reminded me that without chemo, the typical survival time after amputation is 6 months because other masses can develop in the bone and/or lungs. I explained that I understand the prognosis but I don't want to take the chance of making Presley sick again.

Dr. B wants us to come in on Tuesday to check Presley's CBC again because the chemo can still affect her blood count. She said we can talk more tomorrow about the alternative therapies but she offered these supplements that have no known negative side effects:

1. Vitamin A & D3 either via pills every day or injections at OVRS every three weeks. Neither one is more effective than the other. If we decide to do the pills instead of injections, Dr. B said Vitamin A is easy to find, while Vitamin D3 might be a little trickier and she may have to order this for us.
   
2. Fish Oil (Super EPA) pills 3 times daily. Presley is already taking these, which I would like to continue. I think her coat is softer and shinier because of this.
   
3. Maitake Fraction (pronounced: my-tock'-ee) is a mushroom extract that increases T-cells that help fight cancer cells. This is a liquid that is administered daily.
   
4. Hoxsey Formula (cocktail of 9 herbs) is a liquid tincture that is given 2-3 times daily. There are currently no clinical trials but in lab studies this liquid has shrunk tumors. For a dog of Presley's size, the liquid would cost about $120/month. I think Dr. B said this liquid contains alcohol and most dogs find that it doesn't taste very good. Dr. B recommends to heat up canned food or baby food, then add the liquid to the hot food and let it sit for about 10 minutes so the alcohol can burn off. I'm not too sure about this one.
   

Dr. B said she will discuss all of these options with us tomorrow, as well as costs. I'm also going to do some research online tonight.

Presley had another good day today. She absolutely loves her new food and she's taking all of her supplements. Such a good girl.

After her late-morning nap, she was sleeping on her bed in the bedroom on her left side. I have never seen her laying on her left side, so this was an exciting moment. I massaged her right side, which she loved. If I paused even for a second, she would tap for me to keep going.

After the massage, I encouraged her to go outside because it had been five hours since she went potty and I wanted to see how she would get up. She wouldn't budge at first. So I bribed her by offering a treat. Then she rocked herself back and forth a couple times until she was able to get her right leg under her body and push herself up. It wasn't graceful, but then again Presley has never been know for grace.

I tried to take her for a walk, but she won't go without Diesel. She just sits on the front lawn and looks back at the gate where D is standing. I can't take them together because they act like idiots. They don't listen to me and they pull me down the street if they see something that they want to check out. So I returned Presley to the house and took Diesel for a 3-mile walk.

Later in the afternoon, Presley initiated a short wrestling match with Diesel in the living room. She jumped up on her little sister a couple times and Diesel chewed on her neck. Just like the old days.

I hope today was a glimpse into the new "normal" that I am looking for.

What's next

Today was another good day. Presley ate breakfast and dinner very well, including all of her meds and supplements mixed in with her food.

This afternoon, we took the girls to a nearby park and they chased after the squirrels. Presley pooped 6 or 7 times all over the park. Scott had difficulty picking up the poops because they were pretty soft. The new food might be upsetting Presley's stomach just a little bit. However, it doesn't prevent her from inhaling her meal. She absolutely loves the canned food.

Earlier in the day we all went for a drive to Petco in Lake Orion to look at a puppy being fostered by a rescue group. Kiara is a very sweet and extremely smart 5-month-old rott/border collie mix, but we didn't bother introducing the girls to Kiara because we realized she wasn't "the one". We went yesterday to meet a 6-month-old shepherd mix named Dora, but there was no spark between us either.

Scott and I have a list of criteria that we want our new pup to fit, but I didn't realize it was going to be so hard to find a dog. There are so many dogs that need forever homes that I thought we'd have no problem adopting our next baby. What I realized last night was that I want another Presley or Diesel. Or at least a dog that has their good qualities, which is a really tall order.

I mentioned this to Steve today when he stopped by to visit with the girls and he brought up a good point that the girls are products of our love, guidance and training. We helped make them into the dogs they are today.

Scott and I have been talking about getting a third dog for years and we think it is time. Presley still has lessons to teach and Diesel needs a playmate now that her big sister is slowing down. I think a new pup would re-energize our family and help us focus on living for the moment. This Friday we're going to visit several rescue groups at the Pet Expo at the Novi Expo Center. Maybe "the one" will be there.

I plan on calling OVRS tomorrow to cancel Presley's chemotherapy appointment and talking to Dr. Bannink about next steps. There's no guarantee that chemo will extend her life and the fact that it has been making her so sick makes me feel like we're losing quality time with her. The cancer will most likely spread to her lungs sometime within the next year. So until then, I want her to feel good so we can all enjoy the time we have together.

Regardless, the time will never be long enough.

A little perkier

Had a pretty good day today. Ate all of her breakfast. Took all of her meds and supplements. Visited with Zuck, Mimzy, Nikki & Mike. Went for a ride in Papa's van to Taylor. Ate all of her dinner. Took all of her meds and supplements again. Gramma (my mom) called to say hello and see how she is doing. Grammy called to say hello and lend moral support. Chilling out tonight with Mama and Papa, who are miraculously both home at the same time. Yup, overall a very good day.

Not 100% yet

Scott picked up Presley from OVRS yesterday afternoon but she's not quite 100% yet. She doesn't have that sparkle in her eyes and she isn't eating very well.

At first she wouldn't eat dinner last night until Scott mixed in some "treat dust" from the homemade pill pockets. Even then, she wouldn't eat all of her dinner. Same thing this morning at breakfast. She wouldn't even look at her bowl until I mixed in some treat dust.

This afternoon I talked to Kelly, a vet tech at OVRS, and asked her what they had been feeding her. She said a bland formula canned dog food by Prescription Diet, available only at the vet and she personally fed Presley a whole jar of baby food with her pills mixed in it. Some kind of pureed beef and vegetable concoction. Kelly also suggested I could boil some ground beef or chicken and mix it with rice.

I'm not much of cook, so I loaded up the girls in the Jeep and we went to Pet Supplies Plus. They stayed in the Jeep while I picked out four different Natural Choice canned foods: two for sensitive stomach, one for senior, one lite formula. Of course, I also had to pick up some treats.

At dinnertime I fed Presley her kibble and she turned her nose up at it. Then I mixed in a 1/4 can of the sensitive stomach chicken and rice formula with her kibble. She licked the bowl so clean that it almost shines! Then I mixed in a couple supplements with more of the canned food and down it all went.

Turns out she had been spoiled at OVRS and she was holding out for some better cuisine. I know she's still recovering from this latest illness, so that could have accounted for some of loss of appetite but I can't believe she would basically starve herself because she didn't want to eat the kibble by itself. Can she be that stubborn?

This last trip to the hospital really has got me thinking. Now I don't know if we should continue with the chemotherapy. She has 5 more sessions to go through over a 15-week period. For those of you keeping score at home, that's almost 4 months of treatment. There's a possibility that she may not show any side effects from the 2nd round of chemo. However, if she gets this sick again, I don't think she or I can take it.

I'm not sure if four months of treatment for possibly another six months to live is worth all of this. Presley had some really good days in the last couple weeks and to see her so sick again is killing me.

And I hate to bring money into the equation but the remaining chemo treatments will cost another $3-4K, if she doesn't have any further complications.

Her next chemo treatment is scheduled for this Tuesday. I'm going to see how she's feeling over the weekend before I make a final decision but I'm really leaning toward canceling her appointment.

Presley & Diesel on youtube.com

I just posted my first video on YouTube.

Check it out at:

www.youtube.com/justmichelle13


It's actually just a slide show with photos of Presley & Diesel, but I'm still learning how to use my Mac. Thank you, Steve, for giving me the idea. Enjoy!

Stubborn Rottweiler

Presley was pretty restless last night and she wouldn't eat breakfast again this morning. She looked really blah.

I took her to OVRS for our 9AM appointment. I guess I was a little anxious because we arrived about 15 minutes early so we had to wait for a few minutes in the waiting room. Unlike last week, Presley was disinterested in her surroundings, except to sniff at a kitty that was in its carrier nearby. After I weighed her (78.3 pounds), she laid at my feet and dozed off a bit.

Whenever the vet techs have to take Presley in the back for x-rays, tests or whatever, I always have to pretend to go with her. Otherwise she won't go. She tries to sink into the floor so we can't budge her. This time was no exception.

After the vet tech Kelly took Presley's temperature (103.5) and CBC (complete blood count), she escorted us to Dr. Bannink's examination room and told me that Dr. B wanted to talk to me about some discrepancies in the CBC. She also explained that Presley has a fever because a dog's normal temp ranges from 100 to 102.

Whenever they bring you into a room, you know there is a problem. Otherwise, if there is no problem, they just send you on your way.

Dr. B explained that Presley's white blood cell and platelet counts were low. The white blood count was 600 and it should be 2000. She said this was from the Carboplatin that she was given during the first round of chemo two weeks ago. She also said they would not use Carboplatin again, because Presley is so sensitive to it. If Presley reacts well to the Adriamycin during next week's chemo session, then they would continue with that drug as the single source of treatment. Her blood work also showed that she does not have pancreatitis.

Dr. B wanted to admit Presley for 1-3 days to get her on I/V fluids, antibiotics and nutrients until her blood count was normal, or closer to normal. She said her white blood count may never be fully restored. Dr. B said Kelly would be back in with a cost estimate for the hospital stay and treatment.

After Kelly presented me with the estimate (there goes another couple grand!), she also gave me a "CPR or DNR" form to fill out. Kelly said this issue shouldn't come up during this hospital stay, but they wanted it on file in case something does happen. Basically the form asked for my permission to do CPR on Presley if she stops breathing or if her heart stops beating, or let her die. (DNR = Do Not Resuscitate)

I struggled with the form because I wasn't prepared for this question. Kelly left me alone to think about it while she checked on a "house" for Presley in the back. I finally decided on DNR because if Presley stops breathing or if her heart stops beating for some reason, then she must be really sick. And if she is that sick, then it's time to let her go.

Kelly came back in to get Presley so she could take two chest x-rays to check for pneumonia or lung metasis. We had to trick Presley again to get her out of the room. Stubborn!

I was starting to feel sad and scared about what was happening. After a couple minutes, Kelly brought Presley back into the room and I sat with her on the floor while we waited for Kelly to develop the x-rays.

I tried to sing to her, but every song I could think of made me want to cry. I started with "Can't Help Falling In Love With You" by Elvis. This was the first song I ever sang to Presley on her first night with us when she was only six weeks old and she weighed only five pounds. When she was little, I tried to cuddle with her when I sang this song but she never really liked it. She was too squirmy and wouldn't settle down. Today I only got to the third word in the song when a big lump in my throat developed.

I grabbed a tissue and tried another song: "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles. I got to the second set of "do-do-dooo-doos" before tears started welling up in my eyes.

So I switched it up and sang "Cocky" by Kid Rock. That did the trick. Presley slept while I sang and I was able to get through the song all the way twice before Dr. B came in to tell me that her lungs looked and sounded clear. Phew! She also wanted to check her urine for signs of infection, but I'll have to talk to the tech in the morning for the results.

Dr. B left and Kelly came back in. It was time to take Presley away for the night. This time, Presley really didn't want to go. She rolled over on her back and showed us her belly. I had to trick Presley again by saying "good-bye" and walking out of the room toward the hallway where Kelly wanted to take her. When I was out of sight, Presley jumped up and went into the hallway with Kelly, while I slipped back into the room and shut the door.

Kelly took Presley outside with another tech (Michelle) who was carrying a stainless steel bowl. I watched them from the window as Presley squatted to go pee. Michelle snuck up from behind and slipped the pan between Presley's legs. For some reason, that whole scene brought a smile to my face.

At 9:47PM, I called OVRS and talked to Jordan. Presley's temp is normal at 100.7 and her other vitals are normal too. She's on I/V antibiotics. At 6PM, she eagerly ate all of her dinner.

It sounds like Presley is doing a lot better. This is just another example of what a stubborn Rottweiler she is. Presley truly is a fighter.

Not feeling well

Presley had a strange night last night. At one point, she was really restless and her ears felt really hot, her nose was dripping and hot, and her paws felt hot, but she was shivering a little bit. I thought she was going to throw up again so I grabbed a towel and put it in front of her. Then I laid down next to her and tried to console her. After a few minutes, she wanted to go outside. I couldn't see what she was doing because it was so dark.

When the girls came back in the house, Presley went into the bedroom to sleep. Diesel crashed on the bed in the living room. A little while later, Presley came into the living room and looked pissed that Diesel was on "her" bed. Instead of kicking Diesel off the bed, I dragged in another bed from the spare bedroom. Now it was a game of musical beds. Diesel decided she wanted this bed instead and Presley gladly laid on the original bed.

It was really cute to see the girls sleeping so close to each other. Diesel has tried to cuddle with Presley since day one, but usually Presley doesn't tolerate this closeness. Last night, Diesel kept scooching closer and closer to Presley as they slept side-by-side on their beds. At one point, Diesel event put her head on Presley's front paw and fell asleep. It was so precious.

After checking on Presley throughout the evening, I finally went to bed at about 3AM. Presley slept through the night but she wouldn't eat breakfast. Then she woke me up moaning and whining several times after breakfast. I finally got up at 9:15AM.

She laid low all day but when I was getting ready to take Diesel for a walk, Presley looked like she wanted to come. So I took both of the girls down the street only a couple houses, then brought Presley back home.

Presley only ate a couple morsels of her dinner. I gave her another Metoclopramide with a pill pocket for nausea and she's been sleeping ever since.

We have an appointment at OVRS in the morning to check her CBC. I'd like them to take her temperature to see if she has a fever and hopefully they can shed some light as to what is going on.

Upset tummy?

Scott had to go out of town for the next couple days. So last night, he built a ramp so I could easily get Presley in and out of the Jeep. She has a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and I can't lift her out of the Jeep. We can't let her jump out any more because it puts too much strain on her front leg.

While Presley was practicing last night on her new ramp, Diesel jumped in front of her and Presley slipped and tumbled down the ramp. She looked really scared when she was trying to get up. It broke my heart to see her struggle to get up.

We had her use the ramp one more time (without Diesel underfoot) to show her that she could do it. She successfully went up and down without incident but I asked Scott to add some treads to the ramp because the surface was quite slippery.

While Scott was working on the ramp in the garage, the girls and I went in the house. I was cuddling with Presley on the floor when I noticed that she had scraped her back leg during the fall. Her leg happened to be shaved in that exact spot from the chemo session. I cleaned the scrape with some hydrogen peroxide and wrapped her leg in some gauze because I didn't want her to lick the scrape.

Later in the night while we were in bed, Presley woke me up several times. I would get her settled in, but a little while later she would wake me up again. I wasn't sure what was wrong. I thought maybe she was sore from the fall but I just wasn't sure. This morning she did not want to eat breakfast at all. She just went back to bed and she was mellow all day.

I took Diesel for a walk in the early afternoon but Presley wasn't too interested in going outside. I finally got her to go out to go potty and she pooped all over the yard.

I took the girls with me to run some errands and both girls successfully used the ramp to get into the Jeep. At first Presley was really hesitant to use it. So I supported her body as she went up.

When we got back from running errands, we all stayed in the house. It was getting cold and blustery, then it started raining.

The girls both heartily ate their dinners but about an hour ago, Presley threw up. It was mostly bile. I gave her some meds for nausea/vomiting with a couple treats. I'll definitely give her another pill later tonight.

Thief

Scott and I went out to dinner with Nikki, Mike and a few of their friends last night. Scott had been working some long hours the last couple weeks, so I was looking forward to having some fun and hanging out with my hubby. Before we left for the evening, we prepped the house in the usual manner:

• Shut the spare bedroom door
• Shut the bathroom door
• Place a big pillow and several magazines all over the bed
• Turn on the twinkle lights in the bedroom
• Turn on the palm tree lights in the living room
• Turn on the TV to Animal Planet, Speed Channel, or a sporting event (Presley prefers football, hockey and baseball, in that order)
• Put pillows, blankets and magazines on the couch in the living room
  
• Make sure the child-proof latch on the door to the kitchen garbage is secured
  
• Block access to the recycling bin
• Shut the office door

We've had to add steps this routine from time to time as the girls (or one of the girls) learns a new trick, like opening the food bins or opening the living room window and jumping out the window. Diesel is usually the most destructive of the two dogs while we're away. However, Presley has caused her share of trouble as well. Unfortunately, we usually don't catch either of them in the act. So we really don't know who the culprit is when something is amiss.

Last night, it turns out we should have cleared the kitchen counter of anything that might be interesting to the girls. They've swiped things off of the counter before, but they haven't touched anything up there in a while.

When we got home, we found some items missing from the counter:

• Ziploc bag of homemade pill pockets
• Small bucket of treats
• Two medication bottles
• One supplement bottle

Remnants of the baggy and cardboard bucket were left all over the living room floor. The pill bottles were on the floor, but thankfully, they had not been opened. The cap from the supplement bottle was damaged but it didn't look like any of the supplements were missing. I was quite upset because if either of the girls had eaten the medication, I'm sure that wouldn't have been good. Again, we didn't know which dog or if both of them were guilty of this latest infraction.

At about 3AM, Presley woke me up from her moaning/whining. My first thought was that maybe she had eaten a lot of those missing treats or maybe ate some of the plastic baggy, and now she had a stomach ache. When I let her outside to go potty, she peeped and ate a lot of grass but no poop or vomit.

About an hour later, she was up again and she was really agitated. At this time, I decided to stay up in case she was going to get sick. Of course, Diesel had to get up too but she seemed normal. Well, after a few hours of watching TV in the living room and keeping an eye on the girls, neither of them got sick. So I decided to go back to bed at 7:30AM.

That was a close call. We're definitely going to add clearing the kitchen counter to our pre-departure checklist.

There's something about that rake

I was raking the leaves (again) today and Presley wasn't paying too much attention at first. Then, little by little, I could see her out of the corner of my eye getting closer and closer, and then sneaking up from behind. When she got close enough, she would lunge for the rake. If I held the rake up above her head, she would bark in her deepest Rottweiler bark.

I told her to step back or go lay down or go say hello to Harley, but she just kept lunging after the rake. At one point, she took a running start but I was a little too quick. Before I knew it, Presley was flying past me and falling onto her side, on her left side.

She looked startled and a little worried as she struggled to get up. She was having a hard time righting herself because she didn't have a leg on that side to help push her up. Finally she got up and sheepishly came over to me. I consoled her and told her to take a rest. (I can't tell her to take a break, because break sounds too much like rake). She went over to where Diesel was hanging out in the dirt that she had just dug up and I continued raking.

After resting for a bit and conspiring with her sister, Presley came back strong and now Diesel wanted a piece of the action. Before I knew it, they tag-teamed me and now both girls had a piece of the rake. They pulled me around the yard for a bit as I tried to pry the rake from their mouths.

And then, CRACK! Half of the rake broke off into Diesel's mouth and I was left with a handle and half a rake. That seemed to satisfy both of the girls and they went back to the dirt pile. I was finally able to finish raking, with half a rake.

Another good day

Presley had a good day today. She got to dig in the yard, bark at the rake, take a walk with mama and visit with daddy. Yes, a good day indeed.

She did have some diarrhea today. This morning, I successfully gave her the meds to fight the diarrhea. However at dinnertime, it was a little trickier. She kept biting into the treat with the pill in it and spitting out the pill. Finally, I threw her a couple treats in a row, then I threw her the loaded treat and she gulped it down.

Then I rolled one of the other supplements (the one with the Omega 3 fatty acids -- good for the coat) in the pill pocket dust and gave it to Diesel. Well, Presley saw that and decided that she wanted one of those too. So I rolled another gel cap in the pill pocket dust and Presley gulped it down like is was the tastiest treat that had ever passed her lips. Hah! Fooled ya!

Photos added

I just realized that I could add more photos to the blog. Duh!

Check 'em out below...

CBC Normal

Presley's complete blood count (CBC) was normal today and she weighs 80 pounds. Scott and I took her to OVRS to have her white blood cell count tested and thankfully she is absolutely normal. This is great news because (if I understand all of this correctly) the chemo weakens the immune system and the white blood cells are crucial to fighting off bacteria, infection, etc.

A normal CBC means she does not have to take antibiotics or any other medication, which is great because I can't get her take her pills anyway. However, she really should take her supplements, but I'm not going to force her at this point. Short of shoving the pills down her throat, I'm out of ideas. She's onto the trick of hiding the pills in peanut butter, Cheez Whiz, cottage cheese, and yogurt. And she's figured out the pill pockets.

One of the vet techs recommended covering the pills in cream cheese and Scott suggested hiding them in American cheese slices, but this is getting out of hand. One of the supplements is about the size of four quarters stacked up. Another supplement is a horse pill (i.e. quite large). And another supplement is a powder. So I'm really at a loss right now on how to give these to her.

Anyway, to celebrate the good CBC report, when we got home we went outside and dug up the yard. Actually, I tried to fill in the holes but the girls were digging them as fast as I could fill them. Presley took a few nosedives into the dirt, but it didn't stop her from doing her "work". And she really gave the shovel the "what for". She kept barking at the shovel and trying to bite it. Her nose, tongue, body and paws were covered with dirt, and she couldn't have been happier.

Later in the afternoon, I took Diesel for a nice walk. Then I took Presley down the street for a little walk. She only wants to walk toward 9 Mile. When I try to go the other way, she just sits down in protest. At the end of the block, she rested for a few minutes as I stroked her fur and hugged her. I am so proud of her. She is such a fighter.

About an hour ago, I was cuddling with the girls on the living room floor. At one point, while I was giving Presley a light hug and whispering in her ear, she started making little noises with every breath. Scott heard the noises and said she was purring. I think he's right because when I stopped hugging her, she would tap, which means that she doesn't want me to stop. So I'd hug her some more and she'd start purring again. It almost sounds like a growl but it's really light. She is so amazing.

We have to get Presley's CBC tested again next Wednesday. Then the following week she has her second round of chemo. Overall she's doing very well, which makes me feel a bit more relieved about having her leg amputated. At times I still struggle with her amputation, especially at times when she isn't feeling well. Luckily, those days are becoming fewer and farther between.

Still recovering

Presley has been very tired the last couple days. I took the girls for a car ride yesterday, which she seemed to like but wasn't overly excited. After hanging out in the backyard for a few hours and sitting in the sun, when she came into the house I noticed that her gray-ish fur was really hot where she was shaved. The black part of her fur was warm, but not hot. That seemed really weird. Scott thought maybe she got sun burnt. Could be.

I haven't heard the girls cough in the last couple days. So today the girls played with Harley (the neighbor's dog) and Presley was jumping all over him and growling at him, just like the old days. She even chased him into his yard. I'm shocked at how fast she can run.

After I took Diesel for a long walk, I took Presley for a short walk to the corner. Someone had dropped some bread in the street and Presley scooped up a piece for herself. She dropped it as soon as I told her to.

She had been a little picky for her last few meals, but she gobbled down tonight's dinner. I didn't give her any supplements or meds. I haven't seen what her poop looks like, so I don't want to over-medicate if she doesn't really need anything.

Besides I'm not sure how to give her the meds. This morning, I hid a small pill in one of the treats that Scott had drilled out. The pill is really small anyway, but I thought I'd outsmart her by making it even smaller. So I cut it in two. Well, that was useless because after she took the treat in her mouth, she lightly bit it in two and spit it out. Then she ate the treat and left the pill on the ground.

Tomorrow morning we have to take Presley to OVRS for her blood tests to check her white blood cell counts. We could take her to Nine-Tel (her regular vet) but I don't have a warm fuzzy feeling about Dr. Georgiev. I'm mad that she misdiagnosed Presley in June and we wasted so much time treating her for arthritis. Presley was in pain all summer and it makes me angry.

I can't totally fault Dr. G because she was partially relying on us to tell her what the problem was. Granted, Presley did have a swollen wrist back in June, but after more than month of not responding to the meds, I had to ask Dr. G to take x-rays to find out if something was broken or if something else was going on. That's when she found the arthritis in Presley's wrist and toes, but she really didn't have a good way to treat it, other than painkillers and Glucosamine and Chondroitin.

Thanks to my friend and co-worker Scott Vacek, we found Dr. Bannink. After trying a couple acupuncture treatments with no results in two weeks, Dr. B discovered the Osteosarcoma right away.

Anyway, it's very frustrating that Presley just can't tell me what's wrong. Or maybe she has been telling me but I haven't been listening.

New photos online

To view photos of Presley & Diesel taken earlier today, go to...

mspranger.shutterfly.com

(You may have copy and paste this link into your web browser.)

Couch Potato

Presley has been feeling pretty good the last couple days. Friday night she threw up a couple times, which almost made me throw up. The smell was so nasty, probably from the chemo. It was like a pot roast that had gone bad. Hot, chunky, sour. Blah!

On Saturday, she ate well and took her meds. So I thought she was up for a little walk with her sister. Well, they almost pulled me over! Our neighbor John came out to say hello and the girls tried to take off to greet him. Somehow I got turned around and was running backyards so I had to let Diesel go. Presley was still pulling so hard, I almost ended up on my ass. Guess I won't be walking them together anymore.

It's a gorgeous Sunday afternoon today. Crisp fall day. I tried to rake the backyard but it was very difficult because Presley kept trying to bite the rake. I instructed her to "stay" in one spot at the opposite end of the yard so I could keep raking, but she would race (not hop, but run) across the yard to bark at the rake. Finally, she got pooped out and had to rest.

After a few minutes, she went to the back of the yard and did some digging. She figured that out in no time.

We then head back into the house so I could take a shower. When I got out of the bathroom, there was Presley curled up on the couch in the spare bedroom. I sternly told her to "get down" and she took her sweet old time getting off the couch.

She was mad at me for making her move and she went into our bedroom behind the bed to pout. Too bad. She really shouldn't be up on anything that she has to jump down from because it puts so much pressure on her good front leg.

No way! I just looked into the spare bedroom and there she is -- on the couch again! She is so stubborn.

Tired today

Presley has been very tired today. She may have done too much yesterday and I think her tummy is still bugging her. She barely ate any breakfast and I wasn't able to give her any meds this morning.

In the afternoon, I gave her a new pill (to help ease nausea) by hiding it in the pill pocket but I had to alternate a pill pocket with a regular treat. At first she turned her nose up at the treat and put her head down. So I put the treat right in front of her nose and she couldn't resist.

At dinnertime, she ate all of her kibble (half from the bowl, half I had to hand feed) and I've had to get very creative giving her the meds. When Scott makes pill pockets, he drills holes into the soft treats and keeps the leftover "dust". I used this dust to coat a few of the pills and Presley gulped them down. After she eats the treats and pills, I always cheer her on and give her praise. Of course, Diesel is right there waiting for her treats and praise.

Presley is still coughing a little bit but it seems to be getting better. Diesel has barely coughed today. Scott and I are pretty angry that the girls got kennel cough from OVRS. Dr. S mentioned that a few of the staffers at OVRS said their dogs also got kennel cough from being at the clinic. The staff is allowed to bring their pets to work, which is cool, except when they pass colds on to each other.

Life as a tripod - Great day!

Presley had a great day today. This morning she tested her digging skills in the backyard and actually did very well. She took a nosedive into the dirt a couple times, but just snorted the dirt out of her nostrils, then kept on digging. After stopping to inspect the little hole she made, she looked really proud of herself.

I tried to fill in some of the dirt that Diesel had dug out because her hole was so huge, and Presley barked and tried to take a bite out of the metal shovel. Just like the old days.

Presley also said "hello" to our neighbor's dog Harley through the fence. Presley likes to bark her hellos to Harley.

She may have a bit of an upset stomach. She was eating some grass while we were outside and had a little trouble with her poops because after she took a big dump, she was squatting all over the yard, but very little else was coming out. I have some meds I can try to give her if she has diarrhea or vomiting. (More on that below.)

Just before dinner, I was going to take Diesel for a quick walk around the neighborhood. Presley had been hanging out in her dog house for most of the afternoon, but when she heard us at the gate, she came out. I asked her if she wanted to go for a walk and she looked at me as if to say, "Of course I do, mama!" So I got her leash and the three of us walked four houses down the street.

Before heading back, we rested for a bit so Presley could catch her breath because she was coughing quite a bit. I was afraid she wouldn't want to turn around to go home, but when I told her it was time to head back, she did. She "walks" very fast. It's actually more of a gallop.

When we got home, she hopped up the back steps (forgoing the ramp) and retreated to her bed in the living room. As she groomed herself, Diesel and I slipped out the back door to finish our walk.

When we got back, I prepped dinner for the girls. I thought since Presley liked the cottage cheese so much that I could mix it with her meds and kibble. My bad. She would not eat any of the cottage cheese, so I couldn't get her to take her meds. She would only eat after I gave her a fresh bowl of kibble and if I hand fed her. Her tummy must be a little upset if she won't eat cottage cheese.

I tried to hide the pills in the homemade pill pockets, but she would bite into the treat and drop all of the pieces out onto the floor. Then she'd eat just the treat, only if it didn't have any residue from her pills. She's too damn smart!

Stitches out, chemo

Presley did so good today! We went to OVRS for blood work, suture removal and the first round of chemo. First, she weights 80.9 pounds. She's lost more than 10 pounds since going in for surgery. I don't know how she's losing all this weight because she is eating really well and not exercising. Her leg and the tumor couldn't have weighed that much?!?!

While we were in the lobby, she was really social, visiting with another dog (Kelsey, who has lymphoma), some of the parents and staff, including Dr. Bannink. Her tail was wagging the whole time, she kissed one of the vet techs, and she even let Scott and me pet Kelsey without growling at her. She got pretty tired while we were waiting, but she was a very good girl.

Dr. Sauerbrey confirmed that Presley has kennel cough and prescribed the antibiotic Cephalexin for 7 days to ward off any secondary bacterial infections, since the chemo will suppress her immune system. Dr. S also prescribed Robitussin DM, as needed. She recommended we try to keep her away from Diesel until the coughing stops because they can keep passing kennel cough back and forth. I'm not sure if we're going to be able to do that.

The doctor said Presley no longer needs to take pain meds, unless we see that she is uncomfortable, which she doesn't seem to be. Just tired.

Dr. S recommends we give Presley several supplements:

• CAS Options (for cancer patients)
• Super EPA (rich in Omega-3 fatty acids)
• L-Glutamine Powder (for her stomach lining)
• Glucosamine/Chondroitin (for joints)

The first round of chemo was Carboplatin. Dr. S also prescribed two meds in case Presley has diarrhea and/or vomiting. We have to go back next Wednesday and the following Wednesday for follow-up CBC (complete blood count) tests to check her white blood cell counts. Then on the third week, she gets her second round of chemo.

After getting her 35 staples removed and the chemo, Presley was ready to go. As soon as we got outside, she pooped and peeped. Then she jumped up in to the van all by herself. (Papa still helped her out of the van when we got home.)

She slept all afternoon. At dinnertime she ate all of her dinner, meds and supplements. I put peanut butter on the pills, but she rejected that. In fact, she put one tablet in her mouth, sucked off the peanut butter and spit out the pill! I mixed the pills with cottage cheese, which she loved, loved, loved. Phew!

She is really wiped out after her big day. I'm so proud of her. She has been so brave and strong. What a good girl!

Fur growing back

This photo was taken yesterday afternoon. Right after I snapped the photo, Presley retreated to her dog house and wouldn't come out until Papa came home.

I noticed today that Presley's fur is visibly growing back. It looks mostly gray, but I'm sure it will be black once it all comes in.

She's been pretty sleepy that last couple days, spending a lot of time in bed or in her dog house. One more day of laying low, then she can do whatever she wants (within reason!).

She's been eating very well and taking her meds like a good girl. She hasn't been coughing too much, although poor Diesel is still coughing a bit. She's been very alert, when she's awake. This morning, she came into the living room and watched Animal Precinct on TV with me. She's been watching a lot of TV lately. So cute ;-)

In the dog house

We had a rough night last night. Diesel kept everyone up most of the night from her coughing. Presley woke me up twice crying. Needless to say, we have been pretty tired all day today.

It was a gorgeous day (sunny and almost 80 degrees!) so Presley decided to spend the afternoon in the backyard, mostly in her dog house. She wouldn't even come out when my mom and Christine stopped by for a visit. "Grandma" (who has had two hip replacements) sat on the concrete in front of the dog house and gave her treats, but Presley wouldn't budge.

Then a couple hours later, Daddy came over. Presley finally emerged and went back into the house, where Steve cuddled with her in the living room. After he left, she took her meds, ate dinner and laid back down on the cushion in the living room. Hopefully tonight will be much quieter.