Life is a Little More Normal

Wow I can't believe I haven't been on for a whole week! It seems that our life is taking on a pre-tumor sense to it.  I am not as frantic with the "what ifs" as I was when we started this part of our journey, however I am still aware there maybe no tomorrow for my boy.

The sun has finally come back out and we have been outside getting a little bit if it. It has been 6 weeks since we got the news of the tumor and Thor is doing well. The little girls next door were reaching through the fence petting him a couple of days ago. Thor is all about the love! I believe the girls are 2 and 4 and you would think a dog as big as Thor (he's 80 lbs.) would scare them. Not my boy! He is always so gentle with small children.

April Showers in March

It seems we are getting our "April showers" a bit early this year. It is suppose to be raining off and on for the next 3 days. Thor is doing well. No pain meds for his arthritis so far as the temps have been fairly warm. I hope we can keep him off them. I don't want them to mask any issues that may come up.

Last night my husband was playing with tug-of-war with Arabella and Thor jumped right in! He would grab on to they toy or he would just bark to let them know he wanted to play too. Thor and Arabella also took off chasing one another around the dining room table. My husband was amazed at how fast Thor runs! Even if Thor didn't have the tumor he is, pushing 11 yrs of age (May 24th) , and suffers from arthritis. Quick is not a word one would think to describe him, but he sure is! He just doesn't go as long as he used to. It does my heart good to the spunk still there.

Happy St Patricks Day!

We are having some "Emerald Isle" weather today, a bit cooler and damp. So Thor had to take a pain pill this morning, but that was for his arthritis. He is doing great. Yesterday I had to leave him for several hours while I went to work over at house we used as a rental and are getting ready to put it on the market. I was so nervous. My husband was home with him, but it really didn't help much with my nerves. It was all well and good. Everyone did fine. Today I have to do it again. (sigh) Again, I just don't like being away from my boy. I am sure everything will be alright. Since I gave him a pain pill and it is an overcast day, I am sure he will probably sleep all day. I just hope things go smoothly for me so I can come home quicker.

In honor of St Paddy's Day, an Irish blessing.

May God give you...For every storm a rainbow, for every tear a smile, for every care a promise and a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share, for every sigh a sweet song and an answer for each prayer.”

A Bit of a Scare This Morning....

The day started out great. It was warm and very spring-like. Thor was up and raring to go! He drank quite a bit of water before bed last night and I am kind of surprised he didn't wake me up during the night to go out. Instead he woke me this morning, (he even let me sleep in a bit.) and was doing the potty dance. I swear he was racing me down the stairs! He went out did his thing, came back in  and ate his breakfast.  Awhile later I was brushing my teeth and Thor who had just drank some water started to gag. I could see his side just tense up. Then he just froze. He would not move. When I called him he raised his eyes, but not his head. I go over and give him a hug and a few gentle pats on his back. I was hoping he just had an air bubble stuck. He kind of coughed and then laid down.

At this point I am really scared. My husband called about this time asking him if I was going to meet him for lunch. NO.  I tell him what happened and tell him I am staying home. I was about to jump in the shower when this all started. After awhile Thor seem some better, so I jump in. Normally while I am in there Thor lays down in the bathroom. As I finish up, no Thor. I jump out and start searching for him. He is in the office napping. When I find him and he wakes  I get one of those "What?" looks.  So he is better. I finish drying off and get dress. By this time it is coming up on his lunch time. Again racing down the stairs. So I guess it was just an air bubble, but man I was scared!

He is doing fine now. I had to go to the bank and the post office today, so again he got to go for a ride with the top down. And again had his picture taken, and made people smile. So even though we had a bit of a rough part of the day, it is thankfully all good now! (whew!)

Thor loves a car ride!

Thor loves a car ride, a photo by gatorblu on Flickr.

We have had some great weather and Thor has been feeling good. So when I had places to go and things to do I put the top down, put the doggles on the pups, and away we went! Thor especially loves car rides. I think he likes all the attention he gets at the red lights. People are always commenting on how cute he is, or they are taking his picture. Arabella doesn't seem to like the wind much and just lays down. She only pops up when she hears people talking. Wherever we go you see people look and start to smile. It is a good feeling to make others smile. Thor has always been good at making others smile. He is just a charmer.

Past the Expiration Date

A month ago the vet told we would have "maybe a month".  That was the emergency vet. My regular vet told me not to think like that. He had client that lived two years after diagnosis. We have had a few days that were a bit scary, but most days have been good.

Yesterday was an off day, and I suspect Thor may have had a small bleed. He was avoiding the stairs and was sleeping alot. We spent most of our time on the main level of the house or outside. But by 2 am he was ready to go upstairs and climb in bed. Once in bed he snuggled close to me. I love when he does this, unfortunately he usually only does this when he isn't feeling well. When he was younger he used to sleep in the crook of my knees. I would be on my side and my first girl Star would be snuggled against my belly. I was like the stuffing in a boxer oreo. When we got Arabella it threw everything off.

Today Thor seems to be doing better. We are going to take advantage of the warm spring weather. I have to go out and I am going to take him and Arabella for a ride with the top down.

4 Weeks and Counting

Well it has been four weeks since Thor was diagnosed. He is still happy and alert, and hungry. The rain has moved on and today is going to be in the 70's, tomorrow in the 80's. I think we will spend sometime outside doing yard work and getting some sun.

A Cool Rainy Day

Today is a bit rainy and cooler, so Thor is back on pain meds for his arthritis, but he went two and a half days without them. He has slept a lot in the last two days, but other than that seems alert and still has a great appetite. Arabella was trying to get him to play earlier and he didn't want any part of it. She finally wore herself out running around with her new squeaky toy, and is napping as well.

I am a bit....I don't know, nervous, maybe trepidatious would be a better word, about the next few days. When we originally left the e-vet, they gave Thor one month at the most. Tuesday will be one month. I see no blatant signs that he won't make it past then, but I am also totally aware how quickly things can change. So we move on, carefully, one day at a time.

Another good day!

Spring is definitely approaching as the temps are a bit warmer and there are buds on the trees. I think Thor is even feeling the spring coming on. He has been very energetic and peppy. He'll run for short bursts while outside. Today is also the first day he gone without any pain meds. I hope he can maintain this for a good long while.

I went to a local holistic pet store today and got a couple of business cards for holistic vets. I was researching online and saw several articles and a couple of blogs where yunnan paiyao (or baiyao) was used to clot the blood. I am going to check into seeing if it is an option for Thor. When they did the x-rays and ultrasounds they only found one tumor, so it is not like his body is riddled with cancer. Most often hemangiosarcoma spreads quickly and aggressively. For the size of Thor's tumor they really expected to find more. Thankfully they didn't. I just want to give him the best chance for a happy and pain free remainder to his life.

Feeling Great!

Thor has been doing great! He is so full of energy. Last night Arabella was teasing him with a toy. I let the play go until the "boxing" started. After several "that's enough" commands, Thor changed tactics. He went to the toy box and grabbed an antler and showed it to Arabella. Now an antler beats a wubba, and Arabella who been victorious with the wubba, wasn't feeling her "win" anymore. She dropped the wubba and went after the antler. Again as soon as the first paw went up, I shot out a command. However this time I said "easy".  When they both stopped to look me, Arabella was a little quicker to recover the play. She latched on to the end of the antler that was hanging out. The two of them played tug-o-war with the antler. It really did my heart good to watch it. Thor came out the winner and went to lie down to chew on it. All Arabella could do was watch and pout. (She is good at pouting.)

This bout of play, even though it made me a bit anxious, was two fold on why it made me so happy. The first you know about, Thor and his tumor and still living a good life. The second is a little over a month ago Arabella was suffering from "Drop Jaw" or trigeminal neuritis. She couldn't close her mouth. This made something as simple and necessary as eating a challenge. She has come a long way to be able to grip something hard enough to play tug-o-war!

Thor is still feeling energetic this morning and is all wiggles. I gave him some canned salmon with his meals yesterday and I was worried it might upset his tummy. It hasn't, not one bit. Arabella on the other hand has some gurgling going on. No more salmon for her, but I think I will continue to give it to Thor. I think the extra protein is doing him good. I know I really can't base too much of his increase in energy to one day of salmon. However unless I see something to the contrary, I am sticking with it.

Chasing Rabbits

Last night I let the dogs out for their potty break. They took off running for the back corner chasing a rabbit. I am glad they are not good at it. They went to the right of the arbor and the rabbit came out the left and ran the length of our fence and was out under the gate before the dogs had a clue as to what happened!

It does my heart good to see Thor do normal dog things. I just worry what will be too much. I have decided I will let him run short distances, but no jumping allowed. I swear he is hungrier than ever. I don't know if that is good or bad. I am know it is better than not being hungry at all. I am not normally one that over thinks or over worries, so this is all new to me. I keep wondering if I am reading too much into something or if I am not reading enough, or if I am even reading it right. Ugh! All I can do pray I am doing everything that is best for my boy.

It's a Windy Day!

Thor is feeling better today! (And I am breathing easier.) He seemed to have perked up around his 4pm feeding yesterday.

It is a very windy day and it has him and Arabella a bit on edge.  It doesn't take much to put Arabella on edge, that is just the way she is. Thor on the other hand, has been through several hurricanes and has an issue with wind since then. I can't say I blame him. Walking a dog in a hurricane isn't any fun, for you, or the dog! Especially if your dog doesn't even like a normal rain shower!

So with the wind blowing, we are hanging close to each other today. Not that I mind. I love having my little wiggle butts close. It allows me a few more hugs. :)

Thor has me a little concerned today. He seems a bit mopey and a bit clingy. I need to run a couple of errands and have put them off. I'll wait until my husband comes home.

It has been three weeks since we found out about the tumor, and all in all things are going well. I wonder if I am being hyper-aware to Thor's moods, and reading more into them then I should. I guess it really doesn't matter, as I don't see me doing anything any different at this point.

Thor is doing great, me..not so much

I threw my back out first thing yesterday morning while feeding the dogs. So I spent the day on the couch. My husband took care of the dogs and me all day. (Yeah, I got one of the good ones.) Thor came over several times during the day to check on me and give a hug or a kiss. Thor doesn't give out a lot of kisses, so you know he is really feeling bad for you when he gives them without being asked! I took an Aleve as soon as it happened and within an hour took a muscle relaxer and stayed on the couch for the day. Repeated the meds to let me sleep through the night. Today I already feel much better, but I will be very careful. Thor is staying by my side. He is such a good boy and I love him so much!  Arabella on the other hand, just wants to play. Thankfully my husband has been keeping her busy. She did try to climb onto the sofa with me in the middle of the night and I had to kick her off. The look I got for that would break your heart! We are all just quietly enjoying one another today, and hopefully I can start getting back into our rountine in the next day or two.

What a difference a day makes!

So glad we took advantage of yesterday's weather as it was snowing this morning! The sun is back out but it is about 25* cooler than yesterday.  Thor is doing well but has had a lazy day. My husband had today off and of course that meant extra treats. Once Thor heard that word he was front and center so nothing is getting by him!

A Ragtop Day

Throw your cares away, it is a ragtop day- Jimmy Buffett

Thor was having a good day, plus it is warm and sunny. So it had to be a ragtop day! Thor loves to ride with the top down, and it was just too nice of a day to deny him that! Okay, so he would prefer not to wear the doggles, but safety comes first! I know I have posted my concerns about him getting in and out of the car, but beautiful days like this are few and far between this time of year. I figured I better take advantage of this weather while I can. It's the days like these that I cherish the most!