Oh My Dog!

Emmett gathers his toys

Yesterday Emmett had his three-month check at the oncologist in Indianapolis. Though he’s been having his leg checked monthly at our local vet, this check was the big one, to see if the cancer had metastasized in his lungs.

The oncologist gave him a thorough exam, checking his lymph nodes (clear!!) and his leg (also clear!!). So the only thing left were the xrays. But, frustratingly, they’re digital xrays and their servers were down… so they were able to get the pictures, but not the results. He said they’d call us on Thursday.

Imagine our surprise when we got home tonight to a voicemail from the oncologist letting us know that the xrays were all clear! There was nothing to indicate metastasis and nothing that is cause for alarm! So we are celebrating tonight! WOOHOO!

Our next steps are to continue the monthly leg checks at our local vet – there is some scar tissue building up, but so far no signs of recurrence – and to go back for another round of chest xrays in January.

We are ecstatic and just so relieved. But all we can say at this point, from the bottom of our hearts, is thank you. Thank you, everyone, for all your happy thoughts and good wishes. You have no idea how much your kind emails, comments, cards, thoughts and prayers have helped us and have, obviously, helped Emmett. Thank you so, so much. We are forever grateful.

“Ever consider what our dogs must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul: chicken, pork, half a cow.   They must think we’re the greatest hunters on earth!”
– Anne Tyler

Wrapping up another busy and puppy-filled weekend… Emmett and Lucas spent a large part of their Saturday romping with cousin dog Turk and neighbor dog Cady. A photo gallery recap of the day’s activities are below!

Also, a quick little money-saving tip: We include a couple tablespoons of pumpkin in the boys’ dinner each night as a healthy little supplement. We’ve been buying the canned pumpkin, but this past weekend, we bought two pumpkins for $1 each at the farmer’s market and made our own using The Pioneer Woman’s recipe. From those $2 we probably have enough pumpkin to last a couple months, versus the $1.25 can that lasted a week or two.

And now for the pics (click on each picture to enlarge)…

“Dogs, bless them, operate on the premise that human beings are fragile and require incessant applications of affection and reassurance. The random lick of a hand and the furry chin draped over the instep are calculated to let the shaky owner know that a friend is nearby.”
– Mary McGrory

Last night, we went out to get after-dinner lattes. We got home to find our little box of recycling had been flipped over, Dr. Pepper spilled down the wall, and a lid and tin can of Blue Buffalo lamb dinner missing… to be discovered on top of Emmett’s bed, licked clean. While that is just annoying because, first, we should know better than to leave recycling in the house and because, second, Emmett will never be able to control his counter surfing… I was just so relieved that neither of them were injured from the tin can. I have a scar on my right index finger from when I  slashed it on the lid of a tuna can when I was about 10 years old. So as soon as I saw what happened, I was prying open their mouths checking for any cuts or scrapes. UGH.

But that got me thinking…

This past spring, we took a Pet First Aid class sponsored by the Red Cross. Luckily, we’ve barely needed to use the knowledge that we picked up; however, a few things have come in handy, like which products are safe to clean wounds (hydrogen peroxide, antibiotic ointment like Neosporin). It’s also reassuring to know that we do know what to do in case one of them chokes, stops breathing, or ends up with a more serious wound. Here are a couple of useful links to reference:

Prepare.org: First Aid for Animals

First Aid Skills Can Help Save a Life – Your Pet’s by the Red Cross

I would also recommend picking up the Red Cross’ book, Dog First Aid. We got a copy as part of the course, and it’s proved to be a useful resource.

The important thing is that you do all this preparation before an emergency, because the last thing you want to do if your dog is choking or has become injured is to start googling what to do!

This past weekend we watched our neighbors’ adorable puppy, Cady. She is the sweetest, cutest little thing, and it was a total blast. Friday Cady and Lucas spent the day chasing, wrestling, playing with toys, and very, very rarely taking quite little snoozes. On Saturday, Harper and Bella came for a visit, and after they left, Emmett, Lucas, and Cady were more tired than I had ever seen any of them! After the fun weekend of lots of puppy playtime, Emmett and Lucas are snuggled in their beds, sound asleep.

It was hard to take too many pics while the fun was underway, but I did get a handful of good ones (click on the individual pictures to enlarge).

My bully-mix baby Emmett and baby cousin Ava

John and I debate the Michael Vick topic pretty regularly. Why? Because every time I see something on a blog or in the news, I get all riled up. John, always the logical one, regularly (and correctly, I suppose) points out that this is a country built on second chances, that he served his time, and shouldn’t he get a second chance, just like his dogs are getting? I know a lot of his victims are getting excellent care and are doing beautifully, and for that I am eternally grateful for all the fabulous organizations working for their welfare. In the meantime, I can’t help but hope that something good comes of all this, that it somehow affects change.

I came across this post, Philadelphia Eagles Launch TAWK,  which summarizes the Eagles’ new TAWK program. Yes, it seems pretty contrived; with all the controversy, they had to do something, right? But maybe something good can come of this. Maybe a kid somewhere will see one of his football-player role models and it’ll change his attitude toward pit bulls and dogfighting? Here’s hoping…

I suppose I should just say cancer sucks. Because it really does. Emmett’s cancer is top-of-mind right now because he has his second leg check today. We actually had him at the vet’s a little over a week ago because he had a bump forming in the scar, which we worried was the start of another tumor. The vet felt confident that it was simply scar tissue, so he’s going back today to have it re-checked. Luckily, over the past week or so, it doesn’t seem to have gotten any bigger, which is a very good sign. His lung x-ray follow up has also been scheduled for the 27th. That’s the one I’m really worried about, so for now we’re just holding our breath.

In other news: We’re watching our neighbor’s super adorable puppy this weekend. She’s been here for about 45 minutes and already Lucas can barely stand! He tries so hard to keep up with the youngsters even though, at 3, he gets tired way faster. So far the only pause in their running/wrestling has been when all three settled down with a toy.

This will be a very fun weekend for the boys with lots of puppy playtime. Lucas in particular loves nothing more than a pup willing to chase him around the backyard for hours, which Cady is more than happy to do!

Lastly, I’ve been meaning to update about the 30-day Challenge. Up front I have to admit: I haven’t hit 20 minutes every day. That being said, we’ve been working on “place” almost daily. Because of the weird shape of our living room, I decided that “place” had to be the tile surrounding the fireplace because it’s far enough away from the front door that Lucas couldn’t launch himself outside, but it’s still within eyeline. They’re doing pretty well on the concept, except Emmett keeps pushing Lucas off the place to get his treat. Need to work on it one at a time, I suppose! I have had a lot of opportunity to work on “enough” with Lucas. There’s a lot of construction going on next door, and he loves nothing more than to let those workmen know that they are not welcome in our yard… so that’s given me ample opportunity to practice “enough.” I think we’re making strides. Well, as long as I’m nearby. If Lucas is downstairs and I’m upstairs, the “enough” command isn’t enough. Not yet anyway. Time to double my efforts and really commit to the 20 minutes per day!

I scour the internet practically daily (with Emmett’s help, of course), reading tons of great posts and articles about pup-related topics. There were a few from this week that I wanted to pass along:

Dolittler: Five practical tips for weight loss in pets

The Other End of the Leash: Love, Guilt & Putting Dogs Down

Bad Rap Blog: Dogfighting videos = free speech?

What about you: Any good links to share?

“Happiness is a warm puppy.”

– Charles M. Schulz