April Fool's, a day early!

This snow is just incredible. We are to receive about 10 inches or so, before the storm moves on.

And the little girl is just loving it! When we're outside, she's bouncing around, chasing Ansel and playing like any dog in the heavy wet snow. This is a dog's dream of weather--it isn't very cold, anything that moves is easily seen in all the whiteness, and the smaller animals (squirrels, rabbits, etc.) struggle to run away.

But inside, she is a different dog. There's a lot of moisture in the air, and I think it really affects her arthritis. She has difficulty getting up out of any dog bed, and by late this evening she'd decided the floor under my desk was the best location to snooze. Her walking movements are stiff and look painful, not by her expression but by her motion. She swings her back legs around, instead of bending at the hock, and her head bobs with her arthritic shoulder in front. But her expression? Her face says, "When are we going out to play again?"

The Tumor

Warm sunny day...black dog...she opens her mouth to pant, and let's me take a photo of the tumor. Just above her black lip, you can see the dark red dot, about the size of a pea. The fleshy mass in front of it is also part of the tumor, but not so easily discernible as the dot.

Happy Birthday, Nina!

Today is Nina's birthday!

So we'll start today's with a tired Everett, sacked out after our morning walk.

And end with my sister and her youngest daughter, Avery. The girls had a piano recital this evening, so we attended the performance, then off to dinner and birthday cake. I hope you had a great day, Nin!

Pondering the Next Course of Action

It is a beautiful day, today. It should be quite warm--maybe close to 50. Everett is outside, watching the backyard with careful, sleepy eyes.

We had an interesting night, though mostly because of Ansel. I think he ate too much dirt yesterday, because he was very restless. I had to tuck him in several times--he had crazy, action packed dreams with jerking legs and muffled barks. The last time I had to wake him up! Everett was not amused.

I am unclear what to do about Everett. She's slow today, but that might be because she's tired from yesterday. The stench from her mouth is not as bad as its been, but still noticeable. I don't think she's uncomfortable, as she inhaled her crunchy food this morning.

So is it a convenience thing for me, to decide when to put her down? Do I shell out another roughly $6000, to go through treatment again? Do I wait until she appears to be in too much pain--only demonstrated by when she refuses food?

The doctors can only advise me; they cannot tell me when to euthanize the little girl. It will be my decision, my action to take her in and put her down. I am hoping she dies in her sleep, after an action packed day of stick, walks, and general carousing with Ansel.

Cancer Girl

I ask you, does this look like a dog who has cancer?

That is one of my 'dog gloves,' an interesting shade of green which has not improved with wear, but easy to slip on and off as clipping/unclipping leashes to collars, unwrapping poop bags, or warming up cold paws might necessitate. They are also very warm--an excellent attribute when the temperature is below zero.

Everett's tumor is visible again. I thought this might be the case, as I mentioned yesterday. Damn this cancer! Everett has done everything asked of her. She made it through the treatments, in the coldest time of year. She healed nicely, recovered weekly, and never lost her drive to play, play, play, as her energy level would allow. She ate all the nasty drool she could, and put up with (moderate resistance) my attempts to wipe away the drool she could not. And yet this growth has shown the same kind of resilience and fortitude as its host, the little girl.

Check up #1, Thursday

I missed noting the official first day of spring (March 20th), which was a few days ago. Early this morning I saw this--who knows what it is--coming up in the garden. Yet another sign of spring!

Will know more about Everett later in the day--stay tuned.

Wednesday #1, No Radiation

Ansel and Everett, observing the day.

It's not very warm, and it IS very windy. Don't they look like they don't want to leave the porch? I had to shoo them into the yard.

Everett's spirits are great. She wants to play, chase Ansel, chew on her toys. She continues to eat crunchy food, and our walks are getting longer almost every day. Sometimes, in the mornings, she slides around on the hard wood floors, but I think that might have more to do with the floor, than her health. Ansel slides too!

Unfortunately, she seems to be doing a lot of air licking again. When she is checked tomorrow, I suspect we'll see some bad news. But for now, we'll enjoy this gray day, and just take what comes, tomorrow.