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...