Category Archives: Little sisters

A Would Be Ampuversary

September 14, 2013Ampuversary, Little sistersdoggiemomma9

Dearest Brother,

They are very sad. They cry all the time. I miss you, too. But I knew. We both knew. Momma says that today would have been your 27 Month Ampuversary. So in memory of you, she served me some Cheesy Eggy Goodness.

Here's to you Big Brother — Here’s to you Big Brother

It was very good, and I’d like to say I’m sorry you didn’t get any, but you know….I’m a dog.

I still smell you everywhere in the house. When Momma and Dada came home that day, I gave each of them a sniff, and then I sniffed your pillow and Allie Gator that had gone with you. I knew. And they knew I knew. It’s been quiet here at times, but Nana lives here now so I’m with her during the day. She uses me as her excuse not to go out, now. I hear her telling all her friends and family. It used to be you, now it’s me. Everybody worries about us.

I smelled you outside on the grass the other day, and I couldn’t help but pee there. I probably should not have, but I’m a dog. Old habits and all, you know?

The Hairless Pup is all over the place now. I know you really liked her. She looked for you on your bed, but Momma says she is much too young to understand what is going on. Momma says she glad for the first 13 months of her life, she has pictures and videos with all of us together so she can tell her all about it later on in life.

All your stuff is still everywhere. I hear them talking about putting it away slowly. They say it is for my sake, so I won’t be upset. But I know it is really for them. They’ll be so sad to put everything away so soon. And they know that I know that they know it is really for them.

Momma says it’s only been 5 days, but 5 days too long. Here’s to you Butchey Hudson, here’s to you.

July update

July 23, 2013Ampuversary, Hairless Pup, Little sisters, Metastasis, Supplementsdoggiemomma9

Here is a July update. Some stuff fun, some stuff not so fun. Fun stuff first!

So, we got to go up to the lake house and go swimming! Then, I had my 25th Month Ampuversary. Hooray! That was on July 14. Then the Hairless Pup had her BIG ONE. Then the day after that, Little Miss Perfect had her 7th birthday. Here are some pictures!

Swimming!!!

I sure did have a bigger butt when I had 4 legs. Lola just likes to dig in the sand. She is not a strong swimmer.

Lola….She’s always getting in my way.

Here’s the official family photo for the Hairless Pup’s one year birthday:

Notice how WE have hats on and The HP does NOT. She cried and cried when they tried to put the hat on her. Did we cry??? Nooooo, we were good dogs. But The HP did NOT get any cheese after either. So HUH!

They had a big shin-dig at home for The HP, and Lola & I were ‘quarantined to the comforts of upstairs.’ Or at least that was the spin they put on it for us. I suspect the plates of chicken wings and chocolate cake downstairs might have been the cause for keeping us upstairs. I do have a history with chocolate cake, oh so many years ago. I can still taste the sticky gooey frosting in my jowls. (Right before they made me puke it all up.)

And….Little Miss Perfect turned 7. Hmmmph. I tried to photo bomb her, but it doesn’t look like I was too successful.

Momma says Lola went and had a “spa day” for her birthday. She can’t fool me, I know what happened to her because Lola came back smelling all flowery and showing me her Brazilian. Momma says I got out of going, because I can’t stand on a grooming table with 3 legs and they give me a bath here at home every 3 weeks because of my skin allergies anyway. I guess there are some perks…and doG knows, I don’t need a Brazilian.

OK , so here is the not so fun stuff: I had my very last chemo treatment (I suppose that’s good stuff, depending on how you look at it.) I have developed a “cough” and I have developed a limp in my front right leg. I am not feeling like a spring chicken at the moment. Momma and Dada have upped their fuss factor over me. I can’t even take a pee in peace. Of course, I guess I never did, now that I think about it.

Also we have a had a few emails inquiring about some of my treatments. Here is a link to the mushroom stuff I’m on:

http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/news/compound-derived-mushroom-lengthens-survival-time-dogs-cancer-penn-vet-study-finds

So that is it for now. Until next time…keep on keepin’ on.

Hoppy 2 Year Ampuversary to Me!

June 14, 2013Ampuversary, Eggs, Little sisters, Loungin', Rally-Odoggiemomma9

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!!!

I cleaned the whole plate!

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.

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.

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.

Big Long Catch-up Post

March 24, 2013CCNU, Chemo, Hairless Pup, Kill Barney Tour, Little sisters, Loungin'doggiemomma9

Butchey Hudson & his Momma here. Momma owes me a 4 hour long rub down. We haven’t posted since January when Barney was here. She is a naughty naughty Momma.

Momma wants me to say she is very sorry. She has a lot of excuses, like Dada going back to work days and still working nights. It is her very busy time of year (she does taxes, I guess that is when the gophermints collect bones from you, and people don’t like to give up their bones) and that Hairless Pup started daycare and she’s been sick, too of course, she’s brought every germ home. Well I’ll give Momma this – she has been busy fussing over me, Lola and the Hairless Pup. But I’m still demanding my 4 hour rub down.

So here goes…

That stinky smelly guy was here and he was alright! We hung out on the couch mostly, because you know I AM the Master of Relaxation. (I should give classes Momma says).

We took a trip into Boston Garden (GAHDEN) while he was here. We went to see the Ducklings. He didn’t behave himself much, because he tried to ride one of the ducklings. I told him this isn’t that kind of rodeo, buddy.

Don’t worry, I didn’t pee on the ducklings. I do have some couth.

Then we took Barney on some sightseeing. He wanted to see the Boston Public Library. Why, I’m not sure. He certainly can’t read with that eye sticking up the way it does.

Then Trinity Church and the John Hancock Tower.

Then we went (well I couldn’t go) but Barney went to the Skywalk at the Prudential Building and got to see some sights. Here he is overlooking the Back Bay and the Charles River (Rivah).

And then we went to Boston Harbor and looked longingly into the Atlantic and to take some time to wonder how the Barney across the pond is.

We hear that other other Barney is a teetotaler. Not sure he’d get along with Momma, she likes her wine.

I had to make sure I taught Barney how to chew a bone before he left.

The rest of the time we chilled.

Momma read the journals and cried a lot. She went through a few boxes of tissues. She said that was the awesomest part for her. We added our own entry and gave Barney one last sniff and then sent him on his way to Jill the Cat. Thankfully, she gave him a new shirt. Although we were partial to the Bret Michaels dress, it was looking kind of rough. Every rose has its thorn.

All in all, we were very honored to play host to the Purple Menace. We hope every Tripawd gets to spend some time with him during their journey. Thanks to Angel Lupe’s Mom for sending him along to us.

So let’s see…What else. After Barney left, I had some appointments with the cancer doc. I’ll give you the nutshell version. I still have the 2 mets in my lungs (Oscar and Felix) and now I’ve also got a lump on the side of my head just under my ear, and my lump has come back where the barber gave me a bad haircut last June. So it would seem that the CCNU was not working, because Felix and Oscar continued to grow and the other 2 happened while I was taking that drug. So Momma & Dada & the Doc talked about giving me that 6th round of Adriamycin that I never had back in November of 2011. So I had that back on March 8 and did very well with it. I have a re-check next week, and we’ll see where to go from there.

But I’m doin’ FINE, still lovin’ life and giving kisses for free. I also celebrated my 20 and my 21 month Ampuversaries. Yes in the traditional cheesy-eggy-goodness style.

I did have one little mishap where I pooped in my crate the other week. Momma says I don’t need to tell everyone that, but I said I would document everything in my blog, so there you are. I pooped my pants, except that I don’t wear pants. I had to have a tubby, of course. And I’ve been loving to chew my paws even worse lately. So Momma, Dada, Nana or Mimi have to put my rubber booties on everytime I go out because it seems to be the cold or the wetness that makes me want to chew them. We even have a song we sing when we put them on: “Booty Time, Booty Time, Get on Down the Road”.

Momma is driving me nuts! Fussing over me, checking me for dry skin, treating my paws with some stuff that does feel good. And always rubbing me and checking me for more lumps.

Speaking of lumps – Lola had to go and get a lump checked, but it came back as a fatty lipoma. She lucked out, that girl. She’s always sniffing me, too. Bugging me to play…urgh. She’s a pest!! She runs at me and jumps right over me, sometimes even T-bones me. No respect, I tell you – no respect.

Here she is pushing me around in one of the many snow storms we’ve had here this winter.

And here we are in yet another humiliating picture of us being dressed up that Momma just insists on…. Momma likes to say it is the Hairless Pup and her Irish Guard

That is it for now folks. It is time for my supper!

Hoppy New Year 2013

January 13, 2013CCNU, Chemo, Hairless Pup, Hemangiosarcoma, Little sisters, Loungin', Metastasis, Metronomics, Soccer ballsdoggiemomma9

Hi everyone, it is me Butchey Hudson. I hope you all had a Hoppy New Year! I thought New Year’s was fine, but Momma says we got some bad news on New Years Eve at our doc appointment. It would seem my latest X-Rays show that although Felix is stable, Oscar is still growing. Quite a bit. And now I have lumps under my one of my ears, too. The Doc aspirated them and they came back positive for hemangiosarcoma. Phooey.

So now I am on a new drug, CCNU, in hopes that this will slow things down on the cancer front. Momma and Dada decided to stop the Cytoxan and Doxycycline because it didn’t seem to be doing enough. We check back with the doc 3 weeks after that New Years Eve appt. My CBC 1 week post CCNU came back OK. So I will probably have another dose of CCNU at my next appointment. It is in pill form, so no IV which Momma likes. We will do X-Rays again 6 weeks after last ones to see what the Odd Couple are doing, and we will monitor the size of my ear lump.

Momma and Dada are very sad, but hopeful that the CCNU will help me. Meanwhile, I just do what I do best: LOUNGE!

The trick is to become one with the pillows

For any of you wondering, the ~~gray~~ red soccer ball has been my favorite lately. It has the most flavor stored up in it.

I still like to be near the Hairless Pup a lot. She’s alright. Even though despite all the promises made to me, she has only just started to drop some food my way.

Lola just walked into the picture to get her self in the photgraph

Did I mention Momma had gotten a new camera? She likes this black and white stuff.

Me smelling the air. I LOVE sniffing the air. Tells you a lot about what the neighbors are eating.

The Hairless Pup complained to me about the Tutu. Just wait until they put her in the Cone of Shame!

Here is our official Christmas Picture for 2012. We only stay for CHEESE.

Here are me and Lola opening up our presents on Christmas morning.

Santa Paws brought me an Indoor Chuck-It. Yeah…Like that WON’T break anything in the house! And that floppy green dog behind me is Roofus. He get’s a whipping when he’s been bad, but I still like to hang out on the couch with him.

So that is it for now. Or so I think. Momma has seemed a bit giddy the past couple of days. She says she has a secret that I will like a lot. But she says ‘contractually’ she can’t say anymore….yet. What the woof is ‘contractually’? So I guess – Stay Tuned!

Mets Update

November 21, 2012Hairless Pup, Little sisters, Metastasis, Metronomics, Soccer ballsdoggiemomma9

Hi everyone, Butchey Hudson here.

Momma says we ought to post an update on how my last NEVOG appointment went. I feel fine! I don’t know what all this fuss is about!

Anyway, Momma says we need to name these 2 nodules that are in my lungs. Momma was thinking an evil duo, but at the risk of antagonizing them, we’re just going to call them Felix and Oscar. You know, like the Odd Couple?

So it appears that Felix hasn’t changed much in the past 6 weeks or so. Still about 8-10 mm. But Oscar is putting on some weight. He was 6mm last time and is now 1.2 cm. Momma says we have to think and stay pawsitive!!

So we are adding doxycycline back into my metronomic protocol. Our doc also mentioned a drug called Leukeran, but we are hesitant to change drugs after what happened with Palladia. But if anyone has any experience with it, we’d love to hear about it! But for right now it is Cytoxan/Deramaxx/Doxycycline. Plus the I’m Yunity mushroom.

Momma says that this metronomic protocol seemed to work for us for a while before. It is just that the Piroxicam took its toll on my tummy the last time. We are hoping the doxy doesn’t bother my tummy. So we are taking it on a full tummy full of food.

Well Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Don’t forget to be thankful that you are pulling dog hairs out of your gravy!

PS – Dada and Momma also found a lump on my side, but the doc thinks it is just a fatty lipoma. Definitely a different feel than the lump on the back of my neck.

Here’s a few pics, because Momma got a new camera. She’s always shoving it in somebody’s face!

Slobbery, Squishy Soccer Ball. How I love you.

And because people just BEGGED for them, here are the humiliating pictures from Halloween:

Lola as the Jedi Knight, and me as Chewbacca (raaaaar!)

The Hairless Pup (aka Tessa) as Princess Leia

Belated Hoppy Halloween!

November 6, 2012CDSP, Little sisters, Loungin', Metastasis, Rally-O, Soccer ballsdoggiemomma9

Hey everyone, it is me again, Butchey Hudson.

Just a quick check in to let everyone know we had a Hoppy Halloween. Hope you all did, too. No dogs got into any candy here at our household. Chocolate is bad, bad for us dogs. Just ask my Momma and Dada. A long long long long long time ago, they FREAKED when I got into a chocolate cake on the counter. Momma didn’t have a happy birthday that year. The frosting was delicious though. It got stuck all up in my gums and I thought I’d be snacking on that for a while, but then they made me throw up. That was not fun. Anyway…no issues like that this year.

If anyone was wondering…yes – they did make me and Lola dress up. How humiliating. I won’t post the pictures, I am so ashamed. But here is a nice one of me and the pesky little sister.

So things have been going well. I’ve been doing really great and feeling good. I did some Rally-O and CDSP Obedience the past couple of weeks. But I’ve been running out of the ring again because I am just sooooo goofy. Momma still loves me though. I still had fun. I earned my first qualifying score in the Rally Veterans class (which I can now enter because I’m 8 years young now!) Momma says “Old Dogs Rock!”

So, you know those Boppy things they make for babies? They are pretty comfy. They aren’t just for babies anymore, they are for Butcheys, too.

So in a couple of weeks I get another set of X-Rays on my lung mets and see what they are doing. Hopefully nothin’. But we will let you know.

Until then…keep on keepin’ on hoppin’!!

My 16 Month Ampuversary AND My 8th Birthday

October 17, 2012Ampuversary, Birthday, Cousins, Hairless Pup, Hemangiosarcoma, Little sisters, Soccer balls, Supplementsdoggiemomma9

Yeah! Back to back milestones baby! Butchey Hudson here. Hope everyone in the New England area survived the earthquake last night. Momma says I am not a good watchdog because I didn’t even stir on the couch when the shaking started. Well what did I know, it sounded like that hairless pup ripping those big belches like she does.

Anyway – Yup, last Sunday I celebrated my 16 month ampuversary and then on Monday, I turned 8 years old!!! Momma and Dada went to some big place called Ikea and got me three of my very favorite soccer balls. I love them! I have them in all 3 colors, black, blue and red. Momma said my old ones were getting much too gross. She calls them “slobber sponges”. They had been washed, and sewed at the Stuffectomy Triage Center too many times. Here is a picture of me with my new red one.

Momma says I like to suckle them. She has a funny nick-name for me when I chill out on the couch with them, but she says that the name is inappropriate to be repeated here on Tripawds.com. I’m not sure what inappropriate means…because I like to smell butts. I guess humans think that is inappropriate, too.

I really really really love my soccer balls and I can’t go to bed without at least one of them. But sometimes I like to take other toys to bed. I really like big stuffed things. Last Easter, Momma got me Big Blue Bunny. He spends a LOT of time in Stuffectomy Triage, but he has it coming. Him and those big floppy ears of his, he is just asking for me to rip them off! Now, I have a little reminder for all you folks with Tripawds. Sometimes we need help getting up the stairs with our big toys. Of course, I can easily get up the stairs with my soccer balls. But Big Blue Bunny is big, and I have tripped going up the stairs when I drag him up to go to bed. So I have learned to whine at the bottom of the stairs and either Momma or Dada will come back downstairs and carry him up the stairs for me. I am not sure why they don’t carry him up in their mouths like I do. Must be because they have those thumbs. Sometimes I wish I had thumbs…but whining does work.

So what else…Oh Yeah. So my Auntie from Virginia came up to see ME, and I suppose Lola and the hairless pup, too. But she brought my cousin Charlie with her. (Big grumbling sigh). Momma says I was not on my best behavior. In fact, she says I was very rude to him. Well in my defense, he came in here with MY Auntie and then he tried to play with Lola. She is MY sister. MINE. He even posed for this picture with the hairless pup. The nerve!

Charlie and Tessa – Hmmmph – She is MY hairless pup

So I fixed his butt. Or at least I tried to. I tried to start a fight with him, but he wouldn’t partake. So I woofed at him, and then I dropped to the floor like my 1 back leg went out from underneath me. I figured everyone would think he was a bad boy and knocked the 3 legged dog with cancer to the ground. But he scooted off too quickly when I feigned my fall, and I think everyone was onto my clever ruse.

Momma wants me to mention that I am taking a new mushroom product to fight my cancer. I’ve been on it for about 3 weeks now. It is called I’m Yunity. There was a study released by U Penn in September I think. The study was done on 15 dogs with splenic hemangiosarcoma and had very good results. The mushroom is specifically Coriolus versicolor. The press release link is here, and the study link is here. She says we will keep posting in the blog about how I am doing with it.

Well that is it for now! Remember to keep those Halloween chocolate candies away from all your dogs when it is trick or treat time soon. Did somebody say TREAT????!!!!

The Hairless Pup and Palladia update

August 7, 2012Hairless Pup, Little sisters, Palladiadoggiemomma9

Hey everyone, Butchey Hudson here. WELL! Life sure has been bizarre here at the house. Let me back-track a bit…

So then a few weeks ago, Momma and Dada left for a while, but Nana AND Mimi were BOTH here while they were away. Don’t ask me how many days, I’m a dog – I don’t have a good concept of time….Maybe 3 or 4 sleeps.

Then Dada came home and had this hat and blanket for me and Lola to smell. Hmmm…

THEN, FINALLY, Momma and Dada came home with this….this THING. I think it’s a “she” and she sure does scream an awful lot. Momma and Dada call her Tessa, and I guess she is “the baby”. At first, I liked her better when she was still in Momma’s belly. But now I am used to her. Although, she doesn’t look like a baby human, she doesn’t walk, or talk, or even crawl. She looks like a hairless pup. And she just yells a bunch. Especially in the middle of the night. She disrupts my beauty sleep. But Momma and Dada seem to really like her.

Here is the official “fur-amily” photo

We will stay for cheese — Me, the Hairless Pup, and Lola

So, some might say, that now with a baby in the house, there is less time for the dogs. WELL – Somehow Momma still finds time to brush me out and trim my nails! I wish she’d have less time to trim my nails – and maybe forget to clean my ears.

I guess she is OK. She smells like poop a lot, so that isn’t so bothersome. Here’s another pic of me and her.

“Guarding Tess”
Momma says I’m cooler than Nicholas Cage

Enough about her, because, you know, this is MY blog. She can get her own blog. (I hope she doesn’t, Momma barely finds time to write what I tell her to)

So more about me. I am on Palladia now for about 3 weeks, and I’ve been on and off it because I keep getting *The Runs*. You know – when you have to RUN outside (or where ever you all poop) because the urge is just THAT intense. So now I’m also on Flagyl to get rid of that, but we are trying to find a balance on dosages. So I was on 80 mg of Palladia, and now I’m going down to 65 mg. I was at my doggie oncologist yesterday and that’s what they decided.

And Momma has got me back on my PT workout. We weren’t doing much because Momma wasn’t feeling well towards the end of her carrying around that hairless pup inside her. (Momma wants me to mention she was 8 lbs 15 oz when she was born c-section.) But now that Momma is feeling better, she’s up my fluffy butt again with all these discs and the bosu ball. Core training she calls it….I’d call it Bore training if I wasn’t getting treats while we were doing it.

So that’s what is going on here. Oh, yeah, and Lola is still a pesky little sister. Almost ran me down on the back deck stairs the other day. As if my confidence wasn’t shaky enough!