Hello all, it’s been a few months since I was last on here in October. I apologize for not giving more frequent updates, but it’s been crazy hectic here.

I started to write an update on our greyhound, Summer, last night, but lost it somehow, so I’ll try to rehash what I wrote:

As some of you know, Summer was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in her right front leg at the end of August 2023. She had amputation surgery on September 11. The first 10 days were very hard, not gonna lie, but after that she healed rather quickly and without too much trauma, other than me being paranoid every time she sneezed, moved, or whimpered. Summer began chemo (Carboplatin) on October 3, and had her 4th and final dose the day after Christmas. Her CXR’s have been clear so far. Yay, Summer! Other than a moderately decreased appetite for a few days after her treatments, she did very well with chemo. No apparent nausea, no vomiting. The only other SE she experienced was a slightly lowered WBC after each treatment, which can happen, especially with greyhounds. The oncologist decreased her dose slightly after the initial dose for that reason, and we also spread the third and fourth doses out to every 4 weeks, rather than every 3. That solved the problem. They loved her at the oncologist’s office - said she would simply lie down on her bed and usually slept right through the infusion. Summer is an amazing greyhound, so easy to love, and she gives the very best hugs. She’s always been a great ambassador for her breed; and now, though not by choice, she’s a wonderful ambassador for a greyhound cancer survivor. As of today, she’s a happy, energetic girl, getting around quite well as a tripod (still does her daily wheelies through the house), eating like a champ, and still giving those great hugs. If I could figure out how to post a photo, I would, but unfortunately, I haven’t yet mastered that puzzle. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that we will have some quality time with our girl. We’re now almost 5 months out since diagnosis, and today is exactly 4 months since her surgery. She goes back for a recheck of bloodwork and chest x-rays in mid-February.

It’s been a tough year. If you remember, we lost our beloved tuxedo cat Puck to an oral cancer in early October, the day before Summer began her treatments. That was very hard as he was greatly loved by us for 16 years. Then, as if we hadn’t had enough, our sweet Pug, Sophie (12), was diagnosed with a melanoma cancer on the inside of her cheek in mid-October. She had surgery the following week to remove the melanoma, then began immunotherapy treatments with the Oncept vaccine immunotherapy injections in November. She was given a series of 4 vaccines, spaced two weeks apart, and had her last one on January 4. So we had two dogs undergoing cancer treatments at the same time, but on different days of the week. I had to keep a very strict schedule to remember where we were supposed to be when. Sophie is still acting mostly like her old self, with the exception of appearing a tad more tired, so you wouldn’t know she was sick to look at her. Unfortunately, we found an enlarged lymph node under her chin just prior to her last Oncept treatment last week, and further testing showed it to be cancerous due to the spread of her melanoma. Yes, I cried. I don’t know how long we’ll have with either of our beautiful girls, but you can bet it will be full of love, lots of treats, and many, many hugs.

I also don’t know what this new year will bring, but I was sure happy to see 2023 go. I hope you are all doing well. I will keep you updated on Summer’s progress, and probably Sophie’s as well. Cancer sucks.