my head is spinning.  One of the docs okayed UPPING the prednisone, which I did yesterday but not today…this is for coughing and also for appetite…it isn't a really high dose at this time…This black stuff happened last year and no one knew what it was but it had NO coffee ground appearance.  It happened maybe three times in the last month and then we got coffee grounds…the only thing that makes consistent sense is the coated aspirin or rimadyl or meloxicam….that was the thing that coincided with the what the whole vet's office took to calling "the mysterious black stuff"  After surgery we also had black on the outside yellow on the inside stool, mainly puddles….I actually just picked up solid stool outside.  I have now picked up the BS (black stuff) and will watch to see if it reappears.  Since his coughing is SO MUCH BETTER today and thus far we have had no blood coughed up, I really hate to stop the pred.  I did however only give one today which was my intent, to keep it as low as will work.  I truly think it is clavamox related because of the timing and the fact that other dogs have reacted with barfing with clavamox, and he had an empty stomach, then the next day an almost empty stomach and didn't really eat til yesterday and that BS was probably deposted there Sunday….I thought maybe watching for a day or so might be a good thing to do, now that I am getting SOME food down him.  He has one more dose of baytril left tomorrow then that is two pills daily I won't have to give him.  We are still having some pee occasionally…and I can't put my finger on reasons or should I encourage him to go out sooner…still working with it….I asked about pee pads at the pet store, but apparently they are to encourage puppies…NO THANK YOU!!!!  And I am familiar with those other people pads, but I really think at this point rather than have a piece of paper pad sliding around and probably being just one more wet thing, it is just as easy to take up the sheet and when I have two or three, running a load….He really doesn't want to lay on the pad I have outside…Ruthie is smarter than him because she was here today and knew immediately what it was for!!  But I sure thank everybody for chiming in.  And Karen I truly truly feel your pain!!!  It is a bizarre thing to be dealing with isn't it and I KNOW they are just as embarrassed about it!  In the beginning anyway, I knew it had just dripped because Magic would jump and start licking!!  I guess now he is used to me immediately supplying a dry bed….

Ruthie and Magic had a very calm play date, some walking around, a little running a lot of laying…we have Magic's ongoing stuff and Ruthie has been limping so we didn't want her to feel worse…then Ruthie came here to my house and I Ruthiesat while Pat ran some errands…I couldn't get a pic, but I had Magic in the den on a cushion with a fan directed at him (low 80's today) and Ruthie in the hallway on a cushion with a big fan pointed at her….and before Pat left we had food tastings….they are doing the same things….love a food one day (so Pat and I run out and buy a bunch) and the next day turn up their noses!!!  I actually gave one box of treats from the vet "Buddy Treats"  to the Sears guy who came to fix my dishwasher!!  Neither Magic nor Ruthie could be persuaded to even take a BITE.  Both of them did like the chicken dehydrated food that I fed Magic last night…had some left and I had added some chicken to it…both of them turned down the tri tip in the dehydrated one without meat (you are supposed to add meat).  The interesting thing is that Magic didn't try to hump Ruthie AS MUCH…but when he started to lay his head over or move to the rear, she told him in no uncertain terms that it was unacceptable!!  Maybe we should have let her handle it from the beginning!!!

Thank you everyone for your responses…I met a young lady in the vet today (picking up meds as usual) with a baby in a carrier in one hand and a lovely golden lab (6 I think) on a leash.  Lymphoma….I happened to have a tripawds card in my pocket and I invited her to come here and read all the wonderful information.  This doggy isn't a tripawd, but has cancer and is doing chemo so hey, we aren't judgmental, we'll let a quadpawd in the club!!  Right??