My Fire Hydrant

I’ve been surfing around the web site of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) because this is National Veterinary Technician Week.

NAVTA has been around for 28 years. From their web site: “The mission of NAVTA is to represent and promote the profession of veterinary technology. NAVTA provides direction, education, support and coordination for its members, and works with other allied professional organizations for the competent care and humane treatment of animals.”

Jen, Kim, and Em at our recent PAWS rehab

Something I never considered is the wide variety of specialties that a Vet Tech can have expertise in. Things like:

• Dentistry
• Anesthetics
• Internal Medicine
• Emergency and Critical Care
• Behavior

I work with three really fabulous Veterinary Technicians on a regular basis. I want to give a big shout of thanks to Emily, Jen, and Kim for all the help they give me each day! 

I also want to give a big shout of thanks to the Veterinary Technicians at Bigger Road Veterinary Clinic, where I take Bailey. They’re competent, empathetic, and I’m always confident that Bailey is getting the very best care when she is in their hands.

VETERINARY TECHNICIANS ROCK!!

Around 3 AM Bailey woke up. And that was basically the end of sleep for both of us. She continues to fight me when I try to apply the Tritop®, and so far no salve has made it to Bailey’s neck (I’ve gotten it on the sofa cushions, my shirt, the ends of Bailey’s ears, my bed sheets, etc).  Today, the hot spot looks much better.

Asleep under my desk as I write this post.

But I’m wondering if some of the urge to scratch that Bailey continues to feel might be due to a little razor burn. When they examined and cleaned the hot spot yesterday, they cut/shaved away the fur around the edges of the wound. Today, I can see what is either the scratches from when she was able to itch before I stopped her OR the rash that indicates razor burn. I’m sure everyone says this about their dogs, but Bailey has very delicate skin. Nearly every time she’s shaved to treat a health issue she winds up with razor burn (there are a couple of exceptions associated with Dogtor B who truly understands how sensitive Bailey’s skin is).

Well, she’ll be able to spend today sleeping and getting well. I, unfortunately, have chores to do so I will have to put off making up for the sleep I missed last night. At least she seems to be more comfortable.

We had a vet appointment today, and it wasn’t exactly fun. The cancer remains MIA–no sign of it {HAPPY DANCE!}, but Bailey has a hot spot that’s nasty.

Warning: This post has an “ewwww!” factor of 9. Stop reading if you’re easily grossed out.

Close up of the wart that was on Bailey's neck.

For a long while now, Bailey has had old dog warts. Califlower-shaped nodules, they’re all over her body. However, there are two that have always been a little troublesome. One is located on her head, the other on her neck.

Bailey likes to rub her muzzle and face against the side of the sofa as she walks by–which often causes the two warts to break open a bleed a little. There’s almost always a little scab of blood on both of these warts. I’ve talked about this with the Dogtor–to remove them would mean putting Bailey under anesthesia, which we want to avoid. The Dogtor says it’s better to just leave them alone–even though they’re icky looking–and to clean the scabs off as needed.

On Tuesday we noticed that there was blood smeared on Bailey’s neck where we expected the wart to be. Somehow, she had managed to slice off about 3/4 of the nodule.

I cleaned it up and put some Tritop® ointment on it, and that seemed to be the end of the matter. Except Bailey kept scratching it with her back foot. I did all I could to discourage her from scratching. I even tied a scarf over the wound so that if she scratched when I wasn’t able to stop her it wouldn’t do damage. I thought the wart was getting better.

When I went to put the Tritop® on her yesterday, she wouldn’t let me get near that part of her neck. She did her best imatation of a board, and stiffened up on her hind legs with her back against the sofa cushion so that I couldn’t get to her neck. I knew we had a vet appointment scheduled for the next day, so I didn’t worry too much, and didn’t press the issue.

Bailey's hot spot after the fur was clipped away and Tritop® applied.

Today, when she would not allow me to put on her collar, I knew there was a real problem. When we got to the Dogtor, the technician was able to hold her in such a way that I could finally see that Bailey’s skin around where the wart used to be was seriously red and angry looking. When the tech brought her back from the treatment room, she had a 2-inch  patch of fur cut off and a very mean looking scab where the wart used to be.

The Dogtor put Bailey on antibiotics and gave her a shot of pain medicine. Bailey’s diabetes adds some complications to how the wound is treated and what meds we can use–no styroids. It’s already looking better, though it still makes me cringe. She’s stopped trying to scratch it, and she seems to be comfortable.

I feel stupid for not taking her to the vet sooner–but up until yesterday I thought it was healing. Poor little dog! I’m a horrible mom!

What a mess!

Yes. It’s true. I have been ignoring my dog (she said trembling as she entered the blog confessional). Life has been hellish for the past 3 weeks.

My mom and I share a house (that’s not what makes life hellish). We generally split home-owning/house-keeping duties down the middle. My mom had heart surgery during the third week of March.

So I have been doing all the home-keeping and trying to fit in my 40-hours/week at Iams (my boss is the best! Thank you Marti!) plus taking care of mom–in the hospital, and since she got home.

But our routine was totally interrupted during the time my mom was in the hospital. For those 7 days, I came home to feed and walk the pooch, and to sleep. Bailey was not pleased.

Since my mom got home I have been devoting more time to her and the house-keeping than I’ve been able to devote to the puppy princess. Bailey doesn’t understand the extra time I spend doing chair exercises in the kitchen with my mom. Or why I need to jump up off the couch just when Bailey’s gotten comfortable in her favorite position on top of me (head down, butt up). She resents the need to move, and gives me many looks of long-suffering annoyance. Thank goodness for pee pads!

I will admit, I have been lucky. Bailey has exhibited her displeasure in mild, not-too-destructive ways. Sometimes she expresses her feelings by pulling all of her food out of her dish. She gets fed a combination of dry kibble, canned food, and about 1/2 cup of water (to help with the stones.) Look at this photo! This is what she’s decided to do with her food lately! She pulled out all of the kibble and ate only the canned food and water!

The other thing she does is “the look”–anyone with a dog or a cat knows what “the look” is. Only a dog or cat can really pull off this extreme look of displeasure or distaste. Bailey frowns at me and silently chews me out with her eyes for forcing her to move from on top of me where she has just achieved snooze nirvana. She is mightily displeased that I’m not at my desk so that she can take her morning nap in her bed underneath my desk. And what’s up with all the time I’m spending in the kitchen sitting in a chair and waving my arms around with Grandma? Let’s not even talk about the looks I get when it’s raining out. I have truly displeased the Queen!

Before this, we (Bailey and I) had our regular routine–get up in the morning (Bailey always supervises my teeth brushing while she grooms my feet). Go to work in the office (again, Bailey supervises from her bed beneath my desk–any questions that I can’t answer, she can). We quit around 6 in the evening (usually after Bailey has sat in the doorway and moaned at me a few times–”It’s time to quit and feed me NOW”). Watch TV until Letterman drives us to bed (Bailey has a favorite spot as high up as she can get on top of me up against the back of the sofa–she prefers to put her butt in my face, but I generally squelch that idea).

To top things off, we’ve had several rainy days in the past 3 weeks. Bailey really hates going potty outside when it’s wet. And it’s really important that Bailey go potty on a regular basis because she is prone to bladder stones and bladder stones like to grow when the bladder is not emptied often enough. It got to the point where she would refuse to cross the threshold of the door–she would just stop. If I tried to persuade her to step outside by gently tugging on the leash, she would get this mutinous look on her face while she locked her legs and dug in her feet–”ain’t no way you’re gonna drag me out into that nasty wet grass!”

So I’m riding a big guilt trip. Things are getting better–my mom is able to do more for herself, and I’m trying to win my way back into the pup’s good graces. I didn’t make things much better when I took her to the vet on Saturday for her monthly check. The look of outrage I received as Dr. B. stuck her fingers up Bailey’s butt cut me to the quick! But it had to be done–and the good news is that the cancer is still laying relatively quiet.

What a wonderful world it could be: My mom living another 80 years (ok, maybe another 30) and Bailey defying oncologist logic and living another 10! Heck, I’d settle for a little less–maybe 9?

Today is Bailey’s birthday, and we just got home from the vet. Incredible news! What Dr. B. thought was the tumor returning (see “Poop” we now think was merely scare tissue! Dr. B. said that the alleged-tumor was much smaller and felt different! And she found no tumor-like tissue in the pooch’s rectum (part of the exam I am happy to have missed.)

We have a big trip to Canada coming up in August–I’ve been half afraid to make any kind of hotel reservations because I don’t want to jinx Bailey’s progress (OK, I guess that is kinda silly). I really want to be able to live in the moment, but it’s hard because I’ve got to make SOME plans for the future and some of the biggest plans I need to make for this year happen around Bailey’s 8-month mark. Am I getting to be a self-pity whiny ass?

Bailey is stretched out on the bedroom floor snoozing–she just gave a decidedly lazy stretch, not a care in the world. Happy birthday little pooch! Life is good.

So here we are 3 months, 1 week, and 4 days from the surgery to remove the cancer, and we’re not finding any cancer tissue! THIS IS GREAT NEWS!!!

OK, so now I’ve got to dial it down and step back and remember that there were dirty margins left and the cancer (though not apparent now) is still there just waiting to rear it’s ugly head. Every time I buy her a case of food, every time I make a grooming appointment for 5 weeks from now is a statement of faith that Bailey will be around and healthy enough to eat or get groomed.

We went to the vet yesterday. Dr. B. found what she thinks is a tumor.

It’s a little to the left of Bailey’s anus, and about the size of a dime. I can feel it. It’s a hard mass beneath her skin. I’m supposed to keep an eye on it (maybe it’ll do a dance or something). So much for my houseboat on denial river.

The good news is that as it grows it should not interfer with Bailey’s ability to poop.

Please allow me a moment to gush…Is this not the cutest dog you’ve ever seen?? I took this photo right after Bailey’s last grooming. She’s saying “get this dopey scarf off me! It’s too sissy!”

We are now 8 weeks out from Bailey’s surgery. Tomorrow, we’re gonna have a quick visit with Dr. B. to check Bailey’s little rectum to see if Dr. B. can detect any tumor growth. The last oncologist I spoke with predicted a 3 to 6 month life span if we took no other action but the surgery. Even with that bleak statistic, I still firmly believe the right decision was to not subject her to the atrocities of radiation or chemo. We’ve had such a good January that I almost hate to start February with a visit to the vet. Can’t be helped. Need to know.

So yesterday I was enjoying my last holiday before work. Bailey was stretched out on my legs and we were both enjoying the La-zy-boy recliner. I was beginning to think that maybe some of the normal I had been wanting was coming back. Uh, nope.

She got up, didn’t move, but yelped loudly. Then she jumped off the end of the foot rest and disappeared under the bed. Later, we walked down to the fire hydrant (need to post a photo of that) and back. As we were getting ready to go back inside, Bailey noticed one of our neighbors across the street walking her dog, Oscar. Bailey gave a few soft barks as if to say “Yo Oscar! How ya doin’?” and Oscar and his mom started across to street and Bailey literally screeched. She wasn’t moving, but what a yelp she let off. And her back legs were trembling. We went into the house and she went under the bed and moped the rest of the evening.

She wouldn’t get up in the bed with me last night, wouldn’t let me lift her up. She slept mostly in her own bed, but when I got up to pee at 6 she was snoozing in her crate–something she hasn’t done in a long long time. And I had a really hard time getting her to go out for her first potty of the day.

She spent most of today sleeping under my desk–we’re starting to get back to the routine of me working at my desk all day and her managing and advising me from under the desk (so helpful to have such an intelligent little dog to guide me through my work day!). There was a moment at lunch time when she looked at me with that sleepy-doopy look on her face and her little pink tongue sticking out like a goofy stuffed toy–Dr. D. (at the office) says that when dogs are very relaxed they can seem to loose control of their tongues–the tongues sorta flop out of their mouths without them knowing it. I had never seen this on any of the other dogs I’ve shared my life with. But when Bailey is really relaxed and cozy that old tongue just pops out and she hasn’t got a clue that it’s not in its proper place. I thought maybe things were approaching my normal again. Uh, nope.

She did too much snoozing today–and hardly any pottys. After lunch, I tried to get her to go out and ended up taking her to the pee pad by her leash. She flooded the place! She did not want to leave the bedroom. But then around 5:30 she “asked” to go out, so we walked down to the corner. She pooped (finally!) and peed and when we got back she refused to step up the single step to the front porch–I had to lift her. My stomach acids started churning.

I fed her–she wanted to eat, in fact she asked for cookies on and off all day long. But she was hugging the bedroom–wouldn’t come out while I fixed her supper (she usually supervises) and wouldn’t come out when I called her for a cheesy treat (ah! the joys of pilling with the Laughing Cow!). So I brought her cheese cube (which secretly held her antibiotic) into the bedroom and gave it to her. She was standing. She ate the cheese then let out another yelp. And I decided, enough is enough. Called Bigger Road (God bless them!). They’re supposed to close at 7 but at 6:30 I was on my way with the pup.

Dr. B. manipulated her back legs–sure enough she was feeling some pain. I’m thinking, it’s gotta be a big tumor pressing against a nerve or something, once again the water works are going. Dr. B. took Bailey off into the dreaded back room to do a rectal exam and also to take some x-rays. Turns out, it’s arthritis! My poor little pooch has a pocket of arthritis in the ball joint where her right back leg joins her pelvis.

So, another shot of pain killer, another prescription (Metacam), and she’s been under the bed since we came home–except for the very few moments she came into the office and took a tremendous dump on the pee pad. When she showed me the x-rays, Dr. B. pointed out all the little poops waiting to come out–lotsa them. She figured that it probably was painful for Bailey to squat down into the poop position. Guess the shot helped.

I’m still looking for that normal time…

Had another scare this week.

Bailey’s trachea has always been a small issue–it’s partially collapsed. So, anytime she has surgery there is a danger of more damage.

On Wednesday at 12:07 in the afternoon, Bailey (who had been sleeping soundly under my desk in her bed) popped up, jumped out of bed and rushed into the bedroom to have a prolonged session of “backwards sneezes.” It lasted for 25 minutes!

Backwards sneezing is not uncommon for Bailey–she has them every now and then, and I believe they have some relationship to her partially collapsed trachea. But the sneezes have never gone on for such a long period of time. After it was done, she had 2 vomits–both were mostly white goopy stuff, one had pieces of biscuit in it. Off-and-on for the rest of the day she had short sessions of reverse sneezes. And her breathing was noticeably rougher. (It sounded like something was stuck in her nose–all I could think about was what one of the oncologists said about her sneezing when the stitches came out, “It could be a tumor…”)

Of course I panicked (DUH! I’m neurotic about this dog, remember?). First I spoke to Dr. D. at the office (so glad I work for Iams!), then I called my own vet, Dr. B. and left her a voice mail (after all, Bailey was breathing–though roughly–and did not appear to be in any immediate danger, and I’m trying not to be like the boy who cried “wolf!” I don’t want to bother Dr. B. any more then I have to in order to keep my sanity.) Dr. B. called me back within an hour (such a compassionate doctor!! I am so blessed that she’s Bailey’s vet!), and reassured me that it was probably OK. She suggested we try some Children’s Benydril to see if it would dry up any congestion.

That night, Bailey’s breathing was the roughest it’s ever been. Of course, she snores–what dog doesn’t? (for that matter, what human doesn’t?) But she could not seem to get comfortable for sleeping, she kept changing position and finally jumped down to go under the bed (not a really good sign). I got very little sleep–her “tossing and turning” kept me awake AND I was worried about her. (Again, so glad I work for Iams–what other employer would be so understanding when I called yesterday morning to say I would be late because my dog was not feeling well and kept me up most of the night?)

And right after I let S. know I would be a little late, I called Bigger Road and got a 5:30 appointment with Dr. B. Just making a plan made me feel better.

Dr. B. heard the rough breathing right away (see? I’m not as neurotic as I appear!) So Bailey got a shot of cortisone and some antibiotic pills (Sulfameth/Trimethoprim) to guard against pneumonia.

Today, the Pooch’s breathing is much more like normal–sometimes it’s a little rough, but I can hear a difference from yesterday. And I am feeling a little guilty. In the 2 weeks since her stitches were removed, she’s put on a pound. If I’m doing my math correctly, that’s almost a 6% weight gain (1/17.5=0.057) which is the same as a 150 pound person putting on 9 pounds in 2 weeks. Obesity can have an adverse effect on partially collapsed treacheas, and all the biscuits Bailey has gotten in the past 2 weeks may have contributed to the backwards sneeze session that started the whole cycle.

You think I’m placing too much weight (pardon the pun) on a 1 pound increase? Doesn’t matter. Dr. D. said something of the same thing to me last week: I want to make her last few months happy, but that’s no reason to make her so fat that the weight causes extra problems. So I’m gonna have to be more careful about how much I give her. Before we started down our current pathway, she was getting between 300 and 400 calories a day. A half a can of EVD Low Residue is 224. That leaves between 76 to 176 calories for biscuits and treats–around 6 biscuits a day.

I’m not sure who gets the most pleasure out of the biscuits–me or her! I’m just gonna have to squash the urge to overcompensate by giving her food.

I want my dog well! I’m scared to death that we’re not gonna get back to “normal” — with nothing causing her pain or sickness so she can be her sweet snotty spoiled self like it was back in October before she started drinking so much water. I WANT SOME NORMAL BEFORE I HAVE TO GIVE HER UP!

One day at a time. One day at a time. I’m starting to sound like a member of AA.

Yesterday was the last of our “social obligations” for the holidays, so today I feel a sudden yen to count my blessings.

1. We have left-over home-made cheesecake. Yes, my mom made cheesecake and it was part of a lunch we had with my boss and former boss on Friday, and the neighbor gathering we hosted last night (both of these meals have become a tradition for us). There’s probably 4 slices left and I am going to get my fair share–even though neither one of us should be indulging in the fat and calories.

2. We have turned down a get-together with my counsin’s family today so that we can have an entire day to ourselves where we don’t have to do anything. Every weekend since before Thanksgiving has had some kind of social gathering that we’ve attended and with all that’s been going on it’s really nice to have a day where we can sorta goof-off and not have any obligations to worry about–including straightening up the house for guests. Not that we don’t love everyone we’ve been seeing, but sometimes it’s really wonderful to re-charge your batteries by not doing anything at all.

3. As I write this, I’m finishing off a bottle of a really delightful zinfandel. Now, I realize that some people might look at the words “delightful zinfandel” and possibly see an oxymoron, but I am not a wine snob and I really like the taste of this Zin and it’s giving me a low-grade buzz that is not unpleasant. I’ve never worked on my computer with a little buzz going on–may have to do that more often.

4. The weather is mild and our snow is gone. Most people would want a white Christmas, not me. Bailey has been very inconvenienced during the past 2 and a half weeks because the snow was covering the grass and she didn’t know where to do her business (the pee pads sometimes just don’t cut it). I cleared a patch of grass around the patio and by our front door (causing our visitors to offer up many chuckles, much laughter and not a few jokes about how I had missed the sidewalk when I shoveled), but these areas soon lost their charm and Bailey wanted to go further afield for potty pastures. Alas, the snow put the kibosh (would you believe I found that word in the American Heritage Dictionary?) on that plan! But now the snow is gone and we’ve actually had 2 walks all the way down to the end of the block and back! (She was totally pooped–pardon the pun–after both walks and had to have a good snooze).

5. Bailey groomed my ankles this morning. Ever since she was a puppy, every morning when I brush my teeth she has come into the bathroom and licked my ankles, grooming them. OK, maybe that sounds a little kinky. I have to admit that sometimes it tickles. But I’ve always looked at it as Bailey’s way of helping me start my day–make sure mom’s ankles are clean. She has not done this since the surgery. It may sound silly, but it was a very welcome experience. She’s starting to feel better from the surgery.

6. I figured out why Bailey has been moaning. She started moaning Thursday night. I think she hurt herself the last time she jumped down from my bed–she hasn’t been asking to come up on the bed or the sofa. In fact, she’s been hiding under the bed a lot–especially if she thinks I’m about to pick her up. Thursday night she started doing little moans from under the bed. Not a “I’m really in pain” kinda moan, but a “I feel crappy and I’m sad because I’m lonesome” kinda moan. Every few minutes. Enough to rip your heart out. And she won’t let me do anything about it because she won’t come out from under the bed. I ended up sleeping most of the night on the sofa on Thursday, Friday and last night because I couldn’t stand to her her moan–it kills me and I can’t do anything about it. Of course I took her in to see Dr. B. first thing Friday morning (God bless Dr. B. and all good vets like her! She had a killer day on Friday and she made time for us!) Dr. B. checked everything out–she made sure there was no infection from the surgery or any other problems that might cause her to moan. We both concluded that she might still be in some pain and might even be a little depressed (yes, dogs get depressed just like humans sometimes do after surgery). So she gave Bailey a shot of some “narcotic” which made Bailey feel pretty good. Friday night the moaning was lessened, last night it was lessened even more–but still going on. At 4 AM a lightbulb went on over my head and I suddenly realized that she has not spent any time in her bed for the past few days. So I picked up her bed (a half-moon foam-walled thing with a fuzzy cover), and made up a bed for her with pillows on either side, a rolled up quilt along the back (along the foot of my bed), and a couple of “doggie blankets” on top of a thick sherpa-fur pad. I put a cookie (Iams, of course!) on top of it and she crawled right in. After I turned out the light I could hear her digging up the blankets to make a nest and she slept the rest of the night without a peep until around 8:30 this morning. Today, she seems more like her old self–the whole time I’ve been typing this she’s been in her “bed” under my desk (I’ve made the same changes to this bed as I did to the one at the foot of my bed) whining for cookies. She even tried to sneak into my mom’s room today in search of tissues! A good sign that she’s on the road to mending from the surgery.

7. I have an incredible circle of people supporting me. The vet techs and ladies behind the desk at Bigger Road have given me an endless supply of empathy and kindness. I have no words to express how much I’ve appreciated Dr. B’s support and help. I think I must work with some of the most caring and understanding people in the world–I had a long talk with Dr. Carey a couple of days ago (he has so many responsibilities within the company that I hate to take up his time, plus he was on vacation!). He really confirmed in my mind that I’m making the right decisions for Bailey. My cousins and aunts are so wonderful, and my neighbors have offered all sorts of kindness and support. I am truly blessed because I have all of these wonderful people in my life right now.

(Of course, there is a voice deep in my heart that says I would really be truly blessed if Bailey’s cancer would just go away. Yeah, like that’s gonna happen. I’m really gonna make an effort to live in today, and not think about what’s coming up in the future when she starts drinking lotsa water again. Omigosh. Did I just make a New Year’s Resolution?)

To anyone reading this: Merry Christmas. And, please God, let us all have as Happy a New Year as is possible.