I think R is more sad-pants today.  We're slowly increasing activity every day, but every day is also one more day we've been stuck in the living room with that monster formerly known as 'Momma'.  Literally sat with his butt to me on the opposite end of my mattress most of the day.

We tried cutting down the Gabapentin today.  I can't tell if that's had any effect.  Like I said, more mopey, but that could just be more boredom.  

Today for entertainment we tried hiding our glucosamine chews under various blankets around the room, puppy ice cream in a tiiiiiny tupperware we had to lick at for a bit, snuffle mat for both meals, walk five driveways down AND across the street and back, five minute walk around the whole yard (heat index 100 this afternoon so no afternoon walks really), squeaky squirrels hiding in Momma's hoodie pocket and purple rhino 'tug' (except Momma doesn't play right and keeps letting R have it as soon as there's any real tugging happening).  Am tooootally out of ideas at this point.

Four more full days until stitches out.  Do most people's vets basically say at that point, "Good to go?"  Like, not tearing around for fetch right away but walk as far as he wants?  (I will definitely be asking my own vet.  I have a list of about 15 questions right now to ask her.  Just curious.)

I am figuratively banging my head against a wall.  I already had it on my list of questions to ask about how much we might need to continue the cone.  I was suspicious cone-free was too good to be true.  He's been really good about ignoring his "bum-bums" so far.  I've mostly let him be cone-free most of the day because I've been living locked in the living room with him.  I only had to warn him away from his bums maybe two or three times in our whole first week.  I'll still cone him when I'm out of the room but... dang.

I'm soooo ready to start letting him have a bit more activity again.  I also haven't been able to get myself to go into the garage yet myself.  I'll feel terrible if somehow he hurts himself while I'm out there doing my thing.  So I've been stuck on reduced activity myself.  Doing living room bodyweight workouts.  Boredom is universal around here.

Not pushy, Jackie.  I appreciate all input.

The vet told us to start pulling down the gabapentin.  We're supposed to be down to 600mg from 900mg today.  I think I'm going to keep him at 700 for today.  Maybe go to 600 tomorrow.  I would just rather be overcautious with how fast we go down and going to 2/3rds right away in a day seems like drastic cut.

He's actually not a car fan, for the most part and he is 60+lbs I have to lift up onto a seat in a pickup truck... As a 5' tall woman.  So.

I have been vaguely contemplating a wagon.

Talked to our oncologist today and asked aaaaaaall the questions.  Not sure I'm 100 on board with all the answer, but:

I've been told R can go back to pretty much doing whatever he wants if he's good to go for stitches out on Tuesday.  Specifically asked about running around in the back yard.  Yes.  We will probably still work back up to real walks a couple more driveways every day.

Was told we shouldn't need the cone at all any more.  Again, I may hedge on the side of over cautious and still put it on for sleep or very long alone times for another few days until I get the sense he's not going to have a full on crazy go at it.  I don't think he will be inclined.  He hasn't found his incision irresistible so far.  He's turned his head to try to sniff at it a few times, but that's about it.  I've "eh"ed him the couple of times he's been turning his head that way and he's left it alone.

Did appreciate that the vet said I'm in control of how we ween him down on the gabapentin and the carprofen.  I just want to do it gradually.  We'll be down to 500 or 600 mg a day when we go in Tuesday.  Will ask for one more prescription so we can go down to none (hopefully) over the next week or so.  

Asked about the tail tucking.  Vet didn't know either.  Maybe a combo of fear, pain, just a confidence down issue as he gets used to new balance and whatnot.  I do sense he's just a much less confident dog right now.  That's kinda a hard thing to explain, but I think other dog people will get it.

We're going to do chest x-rays on Tuesday too.  That one's more for me emotionally than anything else.  We thought we were already seeing a lone lung met before surgery.  If they're exploding and there are a billion three weeks later, I just want to have a realistic picture of what's going on.  The oncologist did say the whatever-count in R's tumor was notably high (like how active the cells are dividing and stuff aka. how aggressive his own personal cancer is).  So I'd just rather know.  Right now oncologist is recommending 6 doses of carboplatin, x rays midway and X-rays end then every three months.

Can only just keep moving forward.

I maybe sent an extra twenty minutes literally just staring at my sleepy bug and petting his front foots.  (They're really cute.  His little bear paws. ...He's kinda all over really cute.)