Hello Friends-

It's been a couple weeks since I've posted and I have a mixed bag of news to share.  On the Jojo front, things seem to be getting back to normal, the thigh tumor has practically closed up and the skin around is healing very nicely. Joe is back to "normal" energy levels and seems to be feeling much better overall. We will head to UCD next week for another "team" meeting to determine the final plan- cont. episodic treatment, no treatment at all, or more Chemo. I'm pretty sure we've decided that we are done with treatment, that it's time to just let his body work for itself and see where the road of time takes us. John and I have agreed we have traveled the road to treatment and hopefully the 1 round of radiation on the thigh will have the same positive affect the other 3 rounds did on the elbow.  We just love to see him feeling better and having his attitude back.   Now for our Charlie- well he has unexpectedly had a bit of a rough road- about 4-5 days ago he had a very violent "grand mal" like seizure. I woke up about 1:30 in the morning to him shaking, frothing, eyes rolling, tongue out, sharding and jerking. The seizure lasted at least 3-4 minutes which is a very long time and then it took us about 15-20 minutes to calm him down and get him to stand on his feet of which he was very wobbly.  I fortunately had some medication from what we thought were very mild epileptic seizures, but that hasn't happened in over a year. We gave him the meds for a day or so afterwards and he was kind of melancholy for a couple days, but it seems just this weekend he is feeling better and has regained his spunk. Thankfully he never lost his appetite, or desire to drink lot's of water- but it was sure scary.  I do see what I think is a little residual affect on him in that he seems to kind of randomly "zone out" for a minute or two and his hind quarter seems to drag just a touch more than before. I tell you having these two boys right now feels like caring for 90 year old parents or something- they both have needs that require attention, they really can't be left to their own devices or one may fall while the other licks all his open wounds  it can be overwhelming sometimes and we are very fortunate that between the two of us we can maneuver our work schedules to be home most days with the dogs.  These guys are my kids and the reality of their aging has just become so clear and real.  We Love them and we'll see them through to every last minute.  Thank you all for your continued support and I'll continue to post until which time you get tired of reading.  

Here's a throw back to the younger years!!! 

Sally, Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle Too- You are the best!  Thank you for always coming through.

Hi friends- Man can I just tell you I've had the 3 most bizarre weeks ever!  I have much to share with you

Our little Jojo seems to have turned some kind of corner ( at least for now) As I mentioned previously we have decided we are done with all treatment - no more chemo, no more radiation, all his tumor's have closed and the ulceration's have healed from the inside out, his stage 2 skin infection has cleared up even though we have about 10 days left of meds. His spunk is back and his energy level is better than it's been for a while.  Once in a while he feels like he can muster a walk, so we saunter for a while until he gets too tired.  I really feel like his body is going to take him a little farther and his quality of life is good and he's happy.   I snapped a quick pic of Joe being very serious about our discussion of no more meds

Now for my other boy Charlie- well just as we've rounded the corner with Jojo- Charlie has declined rapidly.  About 2 weeks ago he had a major Grand Mal Seizure- it was about 3am in the morning and it was very scary- but we all seemed to make it through and move on. I did have some old meds on hand and that seemed to work just fine.  Then this week he has had 2 more (Monday night/Tuesday night) and these were much harder to recover from and his balance has been off and he's struggling to relax. Today I called UCD for Neurological consult and then asked me to bring him in right away- So, I spent the day there today and unfortunately they have admitted him for the next day or two- they want to do an MRI and possibly a spinal tap Because he is generally in good health ( blood work/urinalysis/chest x-rays/ abdominal ultra sound) all showed no concerning signs the though is that he may have a tumor on the brain OR some kind of Autoimmune system disease.  They will monitor his sleep tonight to see if a seizure occurs and then move forward with tests in the am.   I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO not ready for this, I was just getting ready to exhale with Joe and I am just not prepared to have another major issue with my other dog.. Gosh Dang- I've also noticed I think that charlie is starting to show signs of Degenerative Myelopathy, http://www.cani.....asicDM.htm  this is incurable, so the decisions and discussions about quality of life are all back in the forefront.. I took this pic of Charlie just before I left to head home, I know that he is in the best place he could be and neither one of us have slept much in the last to nights, but man I've been a mess ever since I left.  I know you all can relate to the helpless, fatigued and sadness I'm feeling and once again I am so incredibly thankful to have this forum to just write everything I'm feeling.  Thank you for helping carry my burden.

Hi Guys- so I picked up Charlie today from UCD- the diagnosis is that charlie does in fact have a very small mass on the frontal lobe of the brain; it proves to be a primary mass which means it originated in the brain. There is also a large area of edema in the surrounding tissue and this is what is causing the seizures.  I also asked about the issue with the hind quarter and the possibility of DM, the DR. felt pretty confident that he DID NOT have DM but rather had an issue with the tail bone which is what is causing the dragging and the walking while he pees/poops.  The recommendation from the Dr. is a combination of Phenobarbital and Prednisone, they felt this combination of drugs would make a significant difference in Charlie's overall well being- The phenobarb would have a impact on the seizure while the prednisone would have an impact on the brain inflammation and the hind quarter issue.  The Dr. also stated that if the meds had the positive effect that they are expecting Charlie could have a very good quality of life for at least another year if nothing else arises.  So, although I am hugely relieved and feel hopeful about the future- this next 2 weeks are going to be trying as the introduction of the drugs into Charlie's system have rendered him almost totally drunk- he's lethargic and drooling, his back end really doesn't work at all and the Dr. said we need to give his body at least 2 weeks to absorb and adjust to the meds before we freak out.  I am hoping this drastic affect will only last a couple days because he really cannot be left alone- he falls and trips on everything We've had to hold him up while he pees and it's just so sad, but we are going to have to give it the college try and hope that his body responds as we are hoping it will. I will say the fact that his rear end isn't working does not seem to slow him down nor does he want to give up his usual sleeping place which is a hop to the couch.   The below pic is after a little dinner and a walk out to the front to go poddy- now I think he's down for a while. 

Love to you all for the unwavering support and encouragement.

♥

So sorry Mia, for this not expected diagnosis, but like Sally said, there is no date of expiration, and you have a ton of love to see him and Jojo both through these trying times......We do know how tough this is for you, emotionally and physically exhausting, but try to live in the happy moments and cherish each and every day with your boys. That is all that matters to them, is that they are happy and loved. 

I will continue to keep all of you in my thoughts and prayers, give those handsome boys {{{hugs}}} for me, and a few to yourself as well.

Love, 

Bonnie, Angel Polly, and new crew