Category Archives: Eggs

Hoppy 2 Year Ampuversary to Me!

Ampuversary, Eggs, Little sisters, Loungin', Rally-O

It’s me, Butchey Hudson.  We are going to get fired from this blogging business, because our last post was in March.

But we are definitely posting today, because it is my 2 Year Ampuversary!!!

Momma says she can’t believe it, she is so happy she still gets to rub my belly and scratch my butt everynight.  Even when I ask her for a bum scratch when she is sleeping.  She loves me.

So – but of course – Cheesy Eggy Goodness.  With candles no less!

Get those flaming things out of my eggs!!!
Get those flaming things out of my eggs!!!

I cleaned the whole plate!

DSC_0407

I even got presents!  Momma got me a big squishy bone, and Nana got me a big squishy ball.  I also got a new bed for my crate and new food bowl holders.  Although, I don’t think those had anything to do with my Ampuversary. I pooped in my bed a while back, so I needed a new one.  The food bowl holders might have something to do with the impending mobility of the Hairless Pup.  Momma said something about easier to clean.  But here I am tucking in to my new squishy ball after lavishing in my C.E.G. DSC_0411

I love squishy things.

Let’s see, what else?  Well I actually had some shrinkage in my tumors a few months back.  We gave Oscar and Felix, the unnamed ear lump and The Manitou a ‘what-for’.  I had another two treatments of Adriamycin and that got us that shrinkage.  But now I cannot have any more of that, so it we are trying Mitoxantrone.  I have had two doses of that and we re-scan my lungs in a couple of weeks to see if it is working at all.  So far, I am handling the treatments very well.

Other than that, I had some really bad allergy (tree pollen has been terrible this year) and skin issues that finally seem to be resolved (thanks to cephalexin) and I had the Clap again.  :0(  Oh well, that got cleared up, too (also thanks to cephalexin).  So I am back to feeling good.  Lola is still a pain in my tail.  I get lots of scraps from the table (no carbs, though).  Life is good!  I’ve still been Rallying and earned my Veteran title.  That’s for us dogs age 8 and over.  Lola got some stinking big prize, too.  Here is a picture of us.  She’s such a show-off. photo10

I hope everyone is doing well.  I’ve been promised some swimming time up at the lake house as soon as the pollen subsides up there.  Hopefully we’ll have some pics again real soon.  Until then, enjoy some loungin’ time!

Lounging on the couch with Grimm on a rainy day.
Lounging on the couch with Grimm on a rainy day.

 

 

 

1 Year Ampuversary!

Ampuversary, Eggs

Wow, it has been a while since we posted.  I’ll have to bug Momma about that.

Today is my one year ampuversary!  Momma & Dada are real emotional about it.  They keep telling me how much they love me….AND I’ve gotten more belly rubs than Lola today!  Ha!  I wonder…how long is a year anyway?

In traditional fashion, we celebrated with some Cheesy Eggy Goodness.  Lola got her own plate, so she wouldn’t try to thieve mine.  Momma made us wear party hats.  I’m not sure who Sponge Bob is, but Momma and Dada wore them, too.  Me & Lola weren’t happy about the hats, but we kind of forgot about them when we got to (finally – after ALL the picture taking) eat our C.E.G.

  So, things have been good.  I had clean scans the beginning of May.  Then I had a bout of some vomiting.  That seems to be squared away now, or so we hope.  Momma tells me to keep my paws crossed for good luck, but I can only cross the front ones. 

I wonder…now that this big year has passed, will I continue to get special treats on the 14th of each month…..?  I sure hope so.  But maybe somebody could remind my Momma and my Dada, though please!

Here’s some more pics of me.  I like stuffed things, especially big stuffed things….like my Big Bunny.

 

 

OK – Got to go.  Momma says she promises to post more later, but right now she is wanting some cuddle time with me.

 

8 Month Ampuversary

Eggs, Momma says

Happy 8 Month Ampuversary to my best buddy! 

Tonight we enjoyed some cheesy eggy goodness and made a wish.  I know what I wished for.  Butchey’s wish was for me to stop taking pictures so he could eat his cheesy eggy goodness.

Thank you to all who replied to yesterday’s post on what never gets old!  I loved all of your stories – keep them close in your heart.

 

You only need 3 legs to get an obedience title

CDSP, Eggs, Little sisters, Loungin', Videos

So on Saturday, Momma took me and the MonkeyButt Lola to another CDSP Obedience Trial.  I got to play in the ring and I earned my Companion Dog title!  Here is me and my nice looking ribbon:

Momma says you need 3 qualifying scores to get a title.  I guess people call them “legs”.  Which is great, because that is all the legs I have!  The first run in our morning trial, I did not qualify.  I had a nice run (which is the video below), but then you have to do an “honor”.  An honor is when you have to sit still and stay beside your person.  Well, I was so geeked up that I just couldn’t sit still and stay.  But I was a good boy for the second run in the afternoon and Q’d with a 193.5 with my crooked Tripawd sits and all.  Momma said she don’t care what happens – Q or No Q – high scores or low scores, as long as I’m having fun.  And I was having fun!!!  See….

So Lola…..she had an okay day, but she really wasn’t into stays.  She says stays aren’t her thing.  And then she bit me in the front leg.  She’s mean I tell you….mean.  At least I got eggs with my supper AND for breakfast this morning, too!

Well the day after I enjoyed some well earned R&R.  I think I just suckled my fluffy soccer ball all day.  I like these.  I have a few of them.  Slobber sponges.

Living Large

Eggs, Little sisters, Nice people

So last Friday night we stayed at a hotel in the big city Boston.  Me & Lola got to have steak from a really nice restaurant called Grill 23.  Here’s a special woof-out to Jason, Yannick & Justin for taking care of our very special treat.  Thanks very much!  These guys are nice people!  I give them 3 paws up!  I’d give them 4…but…I only got 3 to give.

Here we are demonstrating our very nice “Leave It” manners.  I actually did sneek a piece in when I thought Momma wasn’t looking, but she caught me.

Momma forgot the good camera, so Dada took this pic his cell phone camera and Lola looks like she has CRAZY EYE.  But then again, she IS crazy.

When we were headed out for a potty run in the big city, I met this nice fella in the lobby of the hotel.  He wanted to greet me.  Well, generally during a greeting I like to have my butt scratched.  I tell people this by trying to walk through their legs and leaving my butt out there to be scratched.  Seems pretty clear, right?  Anyway, he seemed a little shocked when he realized I was missing a leg in back.  Oh well.  I guess somebody should have warned him.  But please people, don’t be afraid to scratch the bum of a Tripawd!  Don’t be afraid of the bum!

We took our very first elevator ride and Lola got nervous and had to lay down.  Not me, I did fine on 3 legs, too.

So they have this thing called “room service”.  If I had known about room service, I would have been calling them everyday!  Because, look what we got!

I love eggs…..I wonder if we have “room service” at home….?

Then, the next morning when we were leaving this other nice fella (a different nice fella) comes and knocks on our door.  He takes all our bags that Momma & Dada packed up and then we go to leave.  He asks about my spare leg and Dada tells him the story.  He says I look great and happy and then he goes back inside and gets these two stuffed elephant toys and gives them to me & Lola.  What a nice fella!  But Lola’s got 4 legs, so I’m not sure why she needed an elephant, too.

4 Month Ampuversary & My 7th Birthday!

Eggs, Nice people, Physical Therapy

Must mean I’m getting eggs!  Although I do miss pumpkin treats, Momma says flour can’t be a part of my diet for now.

So today is my 4 month ampuversary and tomorrow I turn 7 years old.  Momma & Dada can’t believe I’m going to be 7.  But time flies when you’re chasing balls.

I am doing pretty good after my 5th chemo treatment.  My doc just called with my day 10 CBC results and I am going to have to get rechecked again in 3 to 4 days to make sure my white blood cell count and my neutrophils go back up.  I might need to stay on Baytril a few extra days because I am at risk of infection.  She is very nice and she called late on a Friday to tell us.  Momma says my doctors are nicer and call more to check on me than her doctors do for her.  Ha ha ha!

Momma got me a peanut from FitPaws and I’ve been having a lot of fun with that.  My sister Lola tries to out perform me, but she forgets that she has 4 legs.  Showoff!  I still work with my balance disk, but we needed to do a bit more.  I’ve also put on 2 pounds, so Momma & Dada are relieved that I am gaining back some weight.

Me on my FitPaws Balance Disk

We’ve been looking at booties for me for the winter.  We were looking at PAWZ (pawsdogboots.com) and at ruffwear.com at the Grip Trex or Polar Trex.  If anyone has any feedback, let us know.  Momma is particularly worried about me on ice this winter.  We live in Massachusetts and I LOVE the snow.

We also had some sad news.  One of my fellow Rally-O doggie friends, Amy, is sick with cancer.  They are not sure if it is melanoma or lymphoma yet.  I think they find out on Monday at her vet appointment.  My Momma and her Momma always hang out together at Rally trials.  Please keep Big Sweet Amy and her Momma in your thoughts.

 

To do a 5th chemo treatment or not to do a 5th chemo treatment – That is the question

Chemo, Eggs, Hemangiosarcoma, Momma says

Butchey Hudson’s Mom Nancy here.  Tough to write this one from Butchey’s point of view ;0)

Background:  At the time Butch was diagnosed with HSA in right rear knee joint, the oncologist recommended amputation and 4 to 6 treatments of chemotherapy (Adriamycin).  I hope I am quoting her correctly (will review all specifics with her on Tuesday’s appointment), but she had told us that 4 treatments is standard and if he was doing well he could get a 5th and 6th.  But definitely no more than 6 treatments. 

So we have now completed 4 treatments.  Our 4th treatment was 3 1/2 weeks ago.  This upcoming Tuesday we meet with her again and Butch gets an ultrasound of his heart to see if there has been any damage.  If there is any signs of damage to the heart, then obviously chemo is out of the question.  If the ultrasound comes back okay, then we have a decision to make on doing a 5th treatment.

We decided to have our regular vet and holistic vet check him out.  We trust them both very much and just wanted to rule out any obvious signs (to them) of any health issues.  They both think he looks good.  To me, although his spirits are great, he looks a bit haggard.  He has lost a ton of coat and has that skin discoloration that apparently is a side effect of adriamycin.  He has also lost about 5 pounds in the last 3 weeks, which visibily (to me) includes a lot of muscle mass in his front shoulders.  I would have thought his muscle mass would increase in his front shoulders, given the rear leg amputation. 

He has also had a big issue with skin allergies.  About a week or so ago, we finally made the decision to put him on Temaril-P (prednisone).  This has made a HUGE improvement in the allergy department.  He hadn’t been able to be out of his “cone of shame” since the surgery in June, really.  Where before you couldn’t get him unfocussed off of chewing his paws, now he barely pays them any notice.  We had to compromise with the prednisone aspect to give him a better quality of life, and we are very glad he is doing better with that.

So now what to do about a 5th treatment?  If you asked us 3 weeks ago, we would have definitely have said no – given the allergy issue.  Now that the allergies are so much better, we are on the fence.  The weight loss really concerns me.  And I am of the mindset, that if all that (including my perception of his haggard appearance) is happening on the outside – Then WHAT is happening on the inside?  Or more aptly phrased – “How bad is it on the inside?”  Otherwise, his appetite is great.  He had a bout of diarrhea around his 4th treatment.  Flagyl along with a hamburg and brown rice diet cleared that up and he has been okay in that department.

I am very interested in hearing from any of you who have found yourselves at this impass before and what was involved in your decision making process.  I know regardless of what route we choose, hindsight is 50/50 and we could have regrets and What Ifs either way.

Of course we still have our appointment for the heart ultrasound and a consult with the oncologist first.  Our decision might be made for us, and she could have additional info that could sway us in either direction.  I wonder if I am making too much of the decision and should just go with it if we get the clear.  But something in my gut just tells me to be cautious….

Here’s a recent picture taken about a week ago.  This one even includes Lola!

Lola (left) and Butchey (right) Fall 2011
 
 
Well gotta go…Big Boy is nudging me to let me know that he wants his supper.  For some reason I keep seeing an Egg…  I told you his appetite was fine!  =)

Today was FUN and other catch-ups

Amputation, CDSP, Chemo, Eggs, Nice people

My Momma says that her Dada had a saying when he had cancer.  The saying was “When you get up every morning and both feet hit the floor it is going to be a good day”.  Well I guess I can say the same thing when all THREE of my feet hit the floor!  You also know it is going to be a good fun day when your training bag is packed and Momma is cutting up a steak and cheese into little pieces at the kitchen counter and putting them into the doggie cooler.  You say Potato….I say Cheese.

Today WAS a good day.  Me & Momma did our first obedience trial as a Tripawd.  There is this venue called Companion Dog Sports Program (CDSP for short).  They allow for exercise modifications for dogs like us so we can still strut our stuff in the ring.  I could get an exercise modification for my slow pace, because that is harder for me to slow down now.  For the recall over the jump exercise the bar could be on the ground.  You know I can’t do everything as perfect as I could before, and some exercises are harder for me now.  But we don’t get fussed over crooked sits and perfect performances, we just like to have fun working as a team!  Momma says we weren’t going to care if we Q’d or not, just as long as we had a good time.  And I had a good time!  The Judges and other teams were super friendly and everyone didn’t smell all stressed out like they have at other obedience stuff I’ve been to when I had four legs. 

Let’s see…what else?  I had my fourth chemo treatment this past Friday.  Momma and Dada are not sure yet whether I will continue on for a fifth or sixth treatment.  They are a little weary of the cumulative effects of the chemo drug.  I get Adriamycin every 3 weeks.  My scans that were done just before my third treatment didn’t find any masses.  So that was good news, but it doesn’t mean that the hemangiosarcoma isn’t anywhere else in my body.  We go back again in 3 weeks and I get an ultrasound of my heart to make sure that is okay and then we will talk to the nice doctor who has great knees about how to proceed with treatment.

I’ve been having some problems with skin irritations and allergies, but we don’t know if that is chemo related or not.  I was on Benadryl, but now we are trying Hydroxyzine.  Dada had to get the Hydroxyzine prescription at the drugstore pharmacy.  It came with a warning to not operate heavy machinery or drive a car.  How can I drive a car with only 3 legs???  I won’t get into the details of my diarrhea on Friday either.  It is not a proud moment in a dog’s life when our person has to clean our bum…in public.

All in all, life has been good.  I enjoy playing ball in the backyard just like I used to.  Stairs have gotten easier for me now.  I’m a little afraid of walking too far from my own house, but we are working on that.  I always get excited when we turn around to walk back home.  Momma says pretty much that the only things I can’t do now that I could do before are scratch the right side of my face and mount my sister.  Somethings you do need 2 back legs for…

Momma says this Wednesday, September 14th will be my 3 month Ampuversary.  I’ll take her word on it, because I can’t read a calendar.  That should be a good day, too.  I bet I’ll get eggs for breakfast!