First off, she survived one of the worst scenarios you can have with a dog or anyone for that matter, septicemia. My own mother succumbed to the same disease process and that is what took her life, so to have a small, just under 10 pound dog beat the most aggressive form of blood poisoning after undergoing a resection of her small intestine because of a perforation caused by a 4 cm tumor, is beyond remarkable. She recovered and within two weeks was jumping (I couldn't stop her) and running to go outside. We tried to control that behavior for a huge amount of time but by four weeks the surgeon said, she's good to go.
We agreed to surgery only because we were told we would have to agree to give her chemotherapy during her recovery and afterward or there was no point in putting her through the surgery. After giving our consent we watched as they ran into the room to give the surgeon the go ahead. They made sure we knew that the only way we could proceed was to agree to the 16 treatments of chemo and that was her only option. We agreed. At that moment we were not ready to let the little girl go. So she surprised us with her ability to bounce back from a surgery that was basically exploratory in nature and stem to stern stitches with her entire belly opened. She literally came back to life and she was given the first of many chemo drugs the first week after surgery, and she got through that as well.
But now we're on week five to almost six...Not really sure if we are on the upswing of the process or the downswing of the treatment, we're not really sure, but the oncologist gave her a drug that on most blogs and support groups on FB and other social media sites is one of the roughest to have and to get through. So far, which is to say we've had some rough moments, she's tolerated the last four, the fifth has been a butt kicker. The most obvious sign of any issues has been the lack of appetite and the nausea. Thankfully we have an anti-nausea drug, apparently the Cadillac of anti-nausea drugs and the most common one they give, that by the end of the day allows her to feel up to eating dinner. But for the most part the drug's effects have worn off by morning before her next dose and she is not into breakfast at all. She will turn her head away as if to say, nyet, when this was the dog who inhaled her breakfast and treats without tasting much of anything.
She is hovering at the 9 lb. weight level and without weight gain we are at a standstill. Weight gain being the benchmark for recovery in some cases, she is barely able to maintain the weight she has. The noticeable part is the skinniness of her back and sides. She is small anyway, but it's so obvious that the weight is not sticking with her. We give her more than her brother Mack, and often times he's the recipient of what she turns her nose up at, so he's put on some weight, which is ok, because after his cancer 8 months ago, he'd lost some weight as well.
So it's been an up and down process with her obviously not feeling great to her willing and able to play frisbee which she chooses to do when we are watching television and she is in her usual spot with her frisbee close by and watching me with one eye. They watch for patterns and cues that tell them what time it is and what is next, so sure enough during the night, she knows this is the time we play frisbee and she has actually gotten up and dropped it at my feet, saying it's time. This is a good sign and we play until she is tired, which hasn't been that long because you can see she is tired more quickly than before.
To be honest we are facing an uphill battle, she has lymphoma and to be truthful I have no idea what stage or degree of cancer involvement because they have not shared that with us. But to find that they have started her on the most aggressive of the entire arsenal of chemo drugs gives me cause for concern and yet I've since read that the one particular drug they have given her this time has been successful in controlling and eliminating the cancer cells it seeks to destroy more effectively than any other drug. It's just too bad that the effects are such that she suffers and doesn't feel good enough to eat that makes me crazy from the very start of the day till the end of the day when she wants to eat.
I felt the other day that maybe I was doing a disservice to her after all. Who would wish this on their best friend and companion if they didn't have a say? Who would put their beloved pet through this torturous route and figure well, I'm getting a few more months with her? I began to doubt my original thoughts about giving her the chance she deserved and then she grabbed her frisbee and I knew that for the time being I'm doing something that is giving her some precious time and maybe she is truly happy and we go to the next day and start all over again.
Sweet Oreo, fight on little girl. We're here on this journey together and we will do what you ask us of us no matter how hard it may be. Just as long as you grab your frisbee and play we'll keep up the fight for you.
