Thanks for all of the encouragement, fellow tripawd lovers!  We hope to celebrate Zack's 14th b-day on 12/15.  He's always been a cool dog, but he really has amazed us over the past month or so with his ability to adapt.

While it is not a position any of us want to be in, it is great to have this site to share the experience with others.  I've often said that I prefer dogs over people (and I'm only being half-facetious when I say it, too!) and it warms my heart (& often brings a tear to my eye) to see how many puppies are getting so much love out there.

Hello All,  

Zack's dad here, I figured it was time for me to register and start posting up a little, too (can't let his mom have all the fun!)  So here's the update:  today is Zack's 1 month ampuversary.  He had his first chemo dose on 9/23, he went back for blood work on 10/1, and that first dose kicked his doggie butt.   His white blood count was WAY too low, so the vet gave us an extra antibiotic for him, which he refuses to take unless they're either shoved in a hot dog or wrapped in a Greenie Pill Pocket.  So we went back in this AM for blood work, and his counts are all back to normal!  The vet even D/C'd the antibiotics.  So we're now on the road to Treatment #2 next week, they're just going to tune it down a little for this one so it doesn't wreck his blood counts again.

I just wanted to thank all of you for the priceless info we've gleaned from this site, and for sharing your stories, happy and sad.  It gives us hope for Zack's future, however long or short it may be.

Thanks for all the encouraging words, everyone.  Zack went in for chemo#2 last Thursday, 11/14.  He seemed to tolerate this one much better, didn't seem as tired after–they cut the dosage by 25%.  We went back in to the vet this morning, his counts are low but not dangerously low like they were after the first dose.  The vet is going to tone it down just a wee bit more for dose #3, in 2 weeks.  In the meantime, he's off all the meds (except his Zantac and a vitamin) and his personality is returning to his pre-surgery demanding levels!  As in, "I demand food now," or "I demand to be let out now," etc.  It's good to have him back.

Thanks again everyone for all the advice and well-wishes.