Staffyluv

I agree, don't feel selfish... It always seems to be a roller coaster when they are ill... To be so happy one minute and so concerned the next - if only it was smooth sailing... (It is a wonder that we are not all on medication for our emotions)... You and Kal are in our thoughts and our fingers are crossed that this is just a small hurdle to overcome... Jodie

Thanks guys... He is still bouncing along... Waiting for his porridge at the moment... He has chemo again next Tuesday if his blood work from Monday comes back OK... This is the tablets and if he goes down hill it is usually between 4-7 days after these ones... So fingers all crossed we can go a whole chemo session without stopping this time... Cheers Jodie

Deepest sympathy for you and your parents... These decisions are never easy... RIP Tex Jodie

You have to make it a positive experience... Ollie takes 6 tablets in the morning and another 4 at night (and that is when he doesn't have an infection)... I stand over him, kiss the top of his head and say 'open for me, please' and he opens his mouth ever so slightly and I open it a bit wider and put the tablets down... You see he gets a half an arrowroot biscuit (or any other type of plain bickie) every time he takes his tablets, so now he actually lets me give them... He was not always like this, he could hack up a tablet 10 minutes after it was given to him in the beginning of his treatment... Jodie

I have been following your thread about Kal... You sure have had some ups and downs - it is so hard sometimes... I just wanted to let you know that Ollie's holistic vet in Sydney has never seen him (so no poking and probing)... She gets all of her information from me and our vet... He faxes all test results to her and I liaise with her on the phone about how he is doing and any new symptoms... We speak at least once a month... Lots of hugs and prayers to you and Kal from Ollie and I... Jodie

RIP sweet boy... So sorry for your loss Jodie

So sorry... Jodie

I am sure that Lucinda is the same as Ollie, they don't even acknowledge that they are sick most of the time... There is usually a 4 to 7 day window where, if he is going to get ill, that is when it will happen... He had chemo last Friday, so we are up to day 4 now... But all is well in the Ollie dog house... Jodie

Glad to hear she is well... I think of her every time Ollie and I are curled up together... Give her a big smooch from Ollie and I... He is great at the moment... Having a ball at the park with all the fallen leaves... Jodie

How is Lucinda? Did she have a nice weekend? Cheers Jodie

Oh how excitement We will want pics and constant updates as soon as it is all out in the open... Thanks muchly for including me in the secret... My lips are sealed Jodie

oh lordy...coffee on the keyboard again!! hey staffyluvvy....you'll just have to bombard mistress Daisy with PM's !!! ;) Right then - I'm onto it

I promise to try and keep a secret if someone tells me J

There is no such thing as a secret on DOL... C'mon fess up I have to know because I can't stand not knowing...

Not Zeek, Daisy??? Jodie

Another update... Ollie had chemo today... The vet said he was really naughty (he is usually very good) and now he has a bandage around both front legs because he jumped and bent one of the canulas (sp??) used to administer the chemo... He is very happy to be home... He was talking all the way home in the car - I felt like he was telling me all about what happened today and he was not happy about it... He is back on the macrolone (1 and half tabs once a day) and now he has to have antihistmine (polaramine - 2mg twice a day)... He has been great the last week, his walks are full on - mostly running and trotting the whole 40 minutes we go for in the morning... I might try and reintroduce his afternoon walk and see how he goes... He is still losing the weight he put on when his thyroid stopped working, now he only needs to lose another 2.5kg and he should be fine... Cheers Jodie and Ollie dog

Could be a thyroid problem... Ollie went the other way, kept putting on weight even though he used to vomit up his dinner... We use Vit C tablets and Ollie has one and a half twice a day... I would be getting blood work done to be sure... Hope he is OK Jodie

Thankyou, they really are a very beautiful dog... Jodie

How is the angel today? Hope she is well... The boofer has just come home from a romp in the park with all the falling leaves - he acts like a puppy when the leaves fall on him, he tries to catch them (crazy guy)... pampa, that lump is not unlike the one that Ollie had on his back toe. But, not all lumps are created equal and it is probably nothing at all. In saying that, I personally would still request a fine needle aspiration of the lump... But I am now paranoid about dogs and lumps - goes with the territory I guess... Helen, do you have more pics of Lucinda? If you do, I would love to see some... One of my clients has Maremma's, they live in the chook shed and protect the chickens. They are truely beautiful dogs... Jodie

Hi pampa, Ollie had one on his back toe that looked like a wart but became red and inflamed because he kept licking it - mast cell grade 2... Ollie had a lump on his right rump - this was under the skin but felt like a pea that was a few layers of skin down (if that makes sense) - mast cell grade 2... The others are all like this one They can take quite a few different forms, from what my vet tells me... Knowing what I know now - I would test every lump and bump as soon as I found it (fine needle aspiration)... Mast cell cancer is one that if caught early (grade 1), it is curable... Unfortunately once it turns up in multiple sites, it is not... It has also been found in Ollies lymph system, so we know it is on the move around his body... As our lovely Lucinda has more than one lump, I would assume it is in her lymph system and moving around her body... But a true testament to fighting spirit, both of our beloved pooches are still here... Lucinda's story is an inspiration to me... I know that I can have Ollie with me for much longer than originally diagnosed by the specialists... Cheers Jodie

Bless her, ill as she is and still wants to look after everyone else - typical female... Hope she had a great weekend. A question: Does Lucinda still have mast cell tumours and does she get new ones? I ask because Ollie has a couple more lumps - I am not getting them tested, I don't want to know. I believe that they are tumours as they look and feel the same as the ones that were removed and the one that was tested and confirmed a while ago. TIA Jodie

Hello you two... How is our lovely Lucinda this week? Hoping all is well - as it is with us... Thinking of you Jodie and Ollie dog

Please know that you are in our thoughts... Hoping that no news is good news... Jodie

That is right pampa... No news is good news... I am starting to think that I jinx us, every time I tell everyone how great he is going he seems to have a set back... He is his wonderful bouncy self... Loving his walks and his food but mostly his humans... It is getting cold here in Canberra and OH wears a beanie in winter, Ollie loves to wait until he sits on the lounge, then he pounces on him, takes his beanie and OH chases him around the house for half an hour trying to get it back... It is a nightly ritual in winter... I will try to get some more recent pics this weekend when we are doing more work in the yard, so I can post them... He looks great... He is still a bit on the heavy side but he has been very spoilt the last few months and pretty much getting whatever he wants... He is due for chemo again next Friday, so hopefully his blood work next week will be good... His chemo has been delayed that many times that he is out of remission now... He has one more definite mast cell tumour but he also has a few lumps that we have not bothered testing... I don't want him to have anymore tests than he has too... His time with us is as precious as he is and not for being poked and prodded any more than is necessary... Cheers Jodie and Ollie dog

Helen, He had a great weekend... We went walking (which he was not supposed to do - due to a little lameness) but he loves it so much and sits at the door while I get dressed every morning (he has done this his whole life)... On Sunday we roasted some chestnuts and I peeled him a few - he loves them... I am so glad that Lucinda had a good weekend - it makes the heart sing when they are well... Jodie