OK, here we are at almost 6 months after diagnosis & Mr. B. is hopping on 3 legs just like usual. No indication that he’s in any pain, thank goodness & thanks to the tramadol & anti-inflammatory. He is still VERY food motivated, accepts his meds in peanut butter or soft cheese. He sleeps more but still goes through an occasional barking spell. Day care has been awesome in accommodating his needs by placing him in with the little dogs (less chance of a bump leading to a break). Sometimes he hangs out at the front desk & “helps”-this seems to happen when he’s barking & they can’t get him to settle. He’s so sociable, the barks aren’t due to pain, just missing human interaction! He will not use a ramp-not at home, not at day care. So we all let him hop & take the time he needs to get to wherever he’s going.
Little bugger got out on Memorial Day. C & I had been working at my house in 100 degree weather (dumb idea). After she left I took the masonry drill & bit back to the rental place. I hadn’t been there 2 minutes when my cell rang & a little voice asked “Do you have a dog named Bailey?” Turns out he must have hopped out behind me when the door was closing, unbeknownst to me, & ran down to the corner. Well, hopped down to the corner but he got tired so he laid down! If he’s had the use of all 4 legs he would have been on Market Street holding up traffic…
Anyway, I raced home to find 4 very nice people standing around him while he showed his belly to the world. They were so concerned about his “limp” & I explained his cancer situation. Took me a while to coax him inside the house, he was enjoying laying in the grass. That’s my boy!
He did have a GI bleed on the first anti-inflammatory so we switched him & added a stomach protectant. That seems to be doing the trick. Our vet just tells me that “He’s right where he should be” when I have the occasional question; we haven’t had to make an appointment for a while so it seems we are on the right track. This is not easy, I feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop but he’s handling it so much better than I am!
Tags: Bailey, canine cancer, canine sarcoma
