Ohhhh! That looks delicious!!! Thank you all for the positive words! Lady has come a long way! I'm hoping to get some more videos of her walking today in the yard and I will share those 🙂 

Hi!

Just wanted to provide a Lady update... the vet called yesterday and told us Lady has a rare infection so the original medication they gave us last visit wasn't working so we got TWO new medications. Poor Lady can't catch a break! Aside from that, she's been doing really well. She's getting more comfortable with her mobility, so she's moving around a bit more. Yesterday, she actually met my sister and nieces at the front door to greet them (something she hasn't done since the surgery). Her new bed also arrived. It's great!! She's been moving between her new bed & her old one throughout the days. She's like Goldie Locks!!

She's also been coming to the table to beg for food and actually puts her head under our elbows in hopes to get some attention/food. When we first found out about her tumor, that was something I didn't think I'd ever see again. It made my heart melt. I'm wondering if we should switch away from dog food to meats? We gave her some steak last night instead of her normal dog food... it seems to motivate her a lot more than anything else can. I'm still planning to talk to the vet about nutrition, but is a high protein diet like this beneficial? Instead of the standard dog food? She's definitely losing some weight so I don't want to make any wrong calls and have her put any pounds back on.

We have our next vet appointment tomorrow to get the staples out (hopefully) and with oncology, so prayers for Lady!!!! I haven't caught her walking on video yet, but here is a picture of her. I think she looks so regal 🙂

My gurl 🐾 pic.twitter.com/qR5lwPxy2L

— Erin (@ErinRSullivan) July 1, 2020

Hi All! Thank you for the kind words, as always! We just got back from the vet. Not much that I didn't already suspect was said. 

She has cancer in her lymph nodes and maybe some nodules in her lungs. The vet didn't seem too keen on chemo but did offer it as an option if we were interested. She said we could reassess once the staples come out... which, they did not come out today STILL! They want to wait another week because the infection is still bad on her incision. I talked about the mentioned probiotic above and they said it was a good idea. I also mentioned about diets and they said there isn't much data to support "starving the cancer" but it could be an option as well. They said her caloric intake should be around 1300 calories a day and suggested some dog food brands for her.

The only real good news was that Lady is now weighing in at 86 pounds!!! Before surgery she was a little under a 100, so she's lost quite a bit of weight. They said 85 is about the standard. It was funny, when I first asked her weight they said they didn't know what she was today yet but that she was a little overweight and 85 pounds would be ideal. They called later to say that she weighed 86 pounds so I think Lady deserves an apology! Overweight was a harsh word to throw around without the facts! She's darn near perfect 😉

Anyway, in terms of prognosis, the vet said it's hard to say for sure but this cancer is terminal and it's more about quality of life at this point. We got the okay to start taking her on some small walks and a bit more activity. I also asked about the staples hurting her because of the heat, and they said that because she has a darker fur, that likely wouldn't be the case. I know when my mom had staples in her head, they would burn if they were exposed to the sun for too long, so it's something I have been keeping in mind when Lady is outside. It was reassuring to know that likely isn't causing Lady much discomfort. Hopefully by next week her incision will be all healed and we will finally get those staples out.

I hope everyone has a safe & fun holiday weekend! Give your dogs & cats an extra hug for me! They are the best among us!