It's been a month since the biopsy

Well, it's actually a month and a day since the biopsy, but it seems like a good time to take stock of where we stand.  Yesterday was the next "step-down" point on Tony's Prednisone prescription, so he didn't get a pill.  He'll get one today and every other day from now on.  The nodes in his neck seem a bit smaller to me, as does the swelling in his face, but there's a lump on his back that he's had for years (a fluid-filled cyst; it became hard about a month ago) that hasn't gone back to being soft.

He seems to have adjusted well to the Prednisone -- finally -- and his eating and drinking have levelled off a bit, for which I am grateful.  One funny effect we noticed is that with the salmon and vegetable diet he's been on, his urine has a strong fish odor.  If it weren't fall, we wouldn't have known, but since Tony's firm belief has always been that if the patio is covered with leaves or snow, it's just as good as grass, we're up close and personal with the smell every time we let him out.  I had to hose the patio down a couple days ago; it was that bad.
 
The temperature change that came along with all those fallen leaves is not something he is enjoying, which is too bad.  He's always been a cold weather lover, but with his coat as sparse as it is now, it's already too cold.  He's been coming right in as soon as he takes care of what made him go out.  If the sun is shining, he sometimes will sit in it for a bit, though.  I don't think he's going to be playing in the snow this winter the way he used to, but I think (knock wood) that he will get to see the snow.  I wasn't too sure of that until recently.

His behavior is what makes me think that he'll still be with us for a while.  He's acting more and more like his old self, dominating the big dogs, watching what everyone's doing (despite his cataracts), and barking at noises only he can hear.  I'm glad to see all of this, and even gladder that he's been sleeping somewhat better at night; I've actually gotten 5 hours uninterrupted the past two nights.  Many people might think that's awful, but to me it's almost like getting a vacation.

Tomorrow is Tony's 13th birthday.  I have no idea what to do to celebrate it, but some kind of celebration is clearly in order.

A Status Report

Yesterday was Tony's first day on the stepped-down dose of Prednisone, and I was so glad, I would have danced if not for the pain.  During the week he was on two doses a day, he ate (and begged) constantly, drank vast quantities of water, and had numerous accidents in the house.  By now, we've cleaned the carpets in almost every room (he wasn't the only dog with a problem), so we've got a jump on the holiday cleaning.  I'm trying to keep a positive attitude, as you can see.  And in that vein, Tony's kidneys have been fully flushed during this time, which is also good.  He hasn't shown any real difficulties with the drug, but having to let him out at all hours is a problem for me.  I don't sleep well at the best of times, and the even-worse sleep I've been getting isn't close to enough.  However, he didn't have any accidents last night, and I have hopes for tonight.

Keeping track of all his meds and doses has taught me something that I'm going to pass on:  as soon as you get a dog, start a log of his/her vet visits, medications, etc.  You could, of course, just look back at the vet bills and prescriptions, but I've found that I want a bit more information, especially information that I don't have to decode.  This blog has actually been very helpful in that regard, since I've tended to post when things change.  I now have a record of what was going on when.

In fact, I think we probably ought to do this for other things, too.  For example, you buy a house, and from that point on, repairs are ongoing.  It's handy to have a way to know when you bought the new water heater, or the last time you had the chimney cleaned (was it last winter, or the year before?).  My memory is pretty crummy about things like that, all the more so lately.

Wanna play a game?

This is just a quick post to let you know about the Nobelprize.org's The Diabetic Dog Game.  It's basically an online pet simulator, with a blood sugar monitoring bar so that you can keep track of the dog's levels.  If you have a child in the house, this would be a good way to help them understand what is going on with your dog.  I have found that it's hard to make people understand that they can't give Tony treats, and kids often think I'm just being mean.  Playing this game would give them an idea of what happens when you give a diabetic dog food he isn't supposed to have.  And, it's pretty darn cute.

A warning:  if you don't take good care of your diabetic dog, the game takes it away from you.

In case you're wondering what the Nobel Prize has to do with dogs, the answer is that the discoverer of insulin won the prize in 1923, and I guess that using a dog was to make it more appealing so kids would want to play (and not even notice that they are learning).  It would also be good for parents to use to impress upon kids that adopting a dog is a very serious responsibility.