Thursday's Recovery

Ansel, feeling the spring thaw, is literally running circles around Everett (and the tree).

Here is the reverse direction, and this time Everett is visible in the photo; in the other all I managed to capture is her shadow.

Today we lost almost all the snow in the yard. If tomorrow is anything like today, I'm going to have to stop letting the poodles in the yard for a day or two, so it can dry out! As it is there are some really muddy spots--great for Ansel to dig in but not so great if the mud is just grass in disguise....

Both poodles spent most of the day outside. Their beds are on the patio, in the sun. It seemed the Everett only asked to come inside when she was too hot! Ansel has so little hair--I think baking in the sun felt really good to him. Because I can't see them on their beds outside from where I sit at my computer, I have to get up to look at them, which I did often. Everett's diarrhea seems to be better already, or maybe I just think so because she didn't need me to let her out, so I lost track of her trips to relieve herself. Since she's been inside for the evening, she has only asked to go out once, which is good progress in my mind.

Since she skipped dinner last night I am not sure how much of her antibiotics she consumed, if any (I'd dissolved it in her food), but we have 8 more days of them, so I am hoping her system will not notice the interruption. And I have still been unsuccessful in enticing her to have any tea. I mixed it with broth--didn't help. I think I'll make a special batch of bacon fat, canned dog food, and tea, and see if that is more appealing to her. The tech said her weight loss since starting on the radiation may be cause for concern if it continues, but to be careful of feeding her too much. The 3 lbs. she's lost so far might be mostly muscle mass since her activity level has declined so much, and it would not be helpful to her if the same 3 lbs is replaced by fat.

If anyone has any suggestions on how to get Everett to consume the tea (in liquid form) I would love to hear them. I know the stench from her mouth represents a good thing as the tissue from the tumor dies off, but the odor is just awful. And who wants to flinch, when the little girl is greeting you?!