Mel

I just got off the phone with Mel’s vet. The first thing he told me was don’t panic, he knows I am starting to get overwhelmed with all the differant things that have been going on. We are going to hold off on the prednisone and the vinblastine until we get the infection under control. He said the results of the culture should be in in about 3 days. The culture was done so we didn’t waste any time trying to figure out what antibiotic he should be on. Hopefully he will heal up quickly so we can get started back on his chemo soon.

Mel’s leg started seeping again today. I took him to the vet on emergency and they drained it and bandaged it. Before it was just fluid from him moving it around alot but this time it was infected, probably a side effect from his chemo? His vet wasn’t there so the vet on call started him on a new antibiotic and I’ll be talking to his vet tomorrow. Hopefully this will clear up quickly so we don’t have a major set back on his chemo treatment. They took a culture of the infection so we can make sure he is on appropriate antibiotics results should be in 5-7 days. I’m starting to feel like everyday there is something new….it’s getting a little overwhelming.

The chemo treatment Mel had on Friday started to make him sick yesterday 🙁 He was throwing up all morning so we called the vet and got him on some anti-nasea meds. He ate dinner (his favorite hamburger and rice!) and kept it all down and is looking better this morning. Hopefully we won’t have any more issues but if we do at least I have the meds on hand this time. I took him to a fundraiser for Love-A-Stray and he perked right up with all the extra attention and pets he got! I’ll add the pictures to this post as soon as i get them!

Sutures and drain came out today!!! Can’t wait till after work to go pick him up! The vet said first round of chemo went great. 🙂

So it has been 13 days since Mel’s surgery. I cannot believe the progress he has made in such a short time. He is back to his old self. The only things holding him back are his sutures and his cone head 🙂 both of which he will lose tomorrow as long as all goes as planned. All of his blood tests came back NORMAL so as long as the vet thinks everything looks good tomorrow he will also be starting his first vinblastine chemo treatment!! I am excited he is doing so well and I know he will continue to amaze me. I can’t wait to take him for a walk!! Hopefully tomorrow is the day.

Yesterday Mel’s breath started smelling AWFUL. Having been a vet tech for 3 years, i know that can be an indication of renal issues. He went into the vet today and had a full blood panel drawn. Results were all normal Thank God. The vet kept him for the day since I was at work. They also drained the remaining fluid from his seroma and put in a drain. This pushes back his stitch removal till Saturday but he is healing up nicely. They also sent in another buffy coat profile to make sure the cancer hasn’t spread too far before we start chemo. If all goes as planned he should be starting his first round of CCNU starting next week.

After the initial shock over Mel’s test results is starting to wear off I have realized how important it is for him that I stay positive. Every time I look at his cute little face it takes all my strength to fight back the tears. He has no idea he is sick and I know dogs are very perceptive to our emotions. I just can’t wait to take him for a walk. A few more days. Stitches come out on Thursday then it is time to start the chemo treatment. I just want to see him run and I know he wants to so bad. I have started a video diary of him to capture all the little things he does and all his little expressions that are so unique to him. Everyone that has ever met him knows there is something special about this dog and he has so many people rooting for him. I am going to fight as hard as I can for him and do whatever it takes. Even though his prognosis isn’t very encouraging, I KNOW he is the strongest dog I have ever met and I KNOW he can beat the odds.

Mel went in this morning to have his darn seroma drained again. The test results came back from his lyphnode and they are not good at all. 75% of the lyphnode is cancer and highly malignant. As soon as he has healed we are going to start the Pred an CCNU. I am also going to be taking him to an oncologist as soon as I can get an appointment. He is doing so well and this news just breaks my heart. After all this dog has been through he doesn’t deserve this. It’s just not fair.

Mel has been home for 5 days now and his pain patch is off. I am amazed at how much the swelling and bruising has already gone down. He has mastered the art of marking and we are not having he peeing issues like we were in the beginning. His appetite is back to normal and I don’t even think he notices his leg is missing anymore. The hardest part at this point is getting him to REST. He is sick of being cooped up in the house and he is ready to run! I can’t believe the progress he has made in such a short time.

Mel has been home for 3 days now and I am definitely noticing that he is feeling a lot better. I have been sleeping downstairs on the couch with him every night. This morning I went upstairs to wake up my boyfriend, I told Mel to stay, then all of a sudden i heard him whining at the bedroom door. He did the stairs all on his own! I really didn’t expect him to come close to attempting that! I was so proud of him I cried. He has been eating/drinking well all day. The pain patch comes off tomorrow so we will see how he feels after that.