Month: July 2017

Friday, Ethel became very ill, and I took her the vet the next morning. She was there until this morning when we went to see her oncologist. Turns out she’s one of the few dogs that suffers side effects, one of which was the dreaded double nadir. Her CBC was great 7 days after her first treatment, but plummeted on Friday leading to her hospital stay. Oncologist saw her today and said her CBC should be fine by Thur. He’s going to reduce her dosage and probably prescribe antibiotics to stave off any possible infections. I’m glad she’s home, eating, and feeling much better.

Ethel’s in the hospital. Yesterday started out great. Park time, breakfast, dental treats, quiet time, then weirdness. She got lethargic yesterday afternoon, and when I took her out to pee, she peed once, pooped, then walked around and peed, (or tired to, I’m not sure which) three or four more times. She came back in the house and at some point, got in her bed. I offered her dinner and water before I left for a 6 pm meeting, but she refused both. When I got back around 8:30, she was still in bed, but had left to pee on one of the mats on the kitchen floor. I offered food and water again, and again she refused. I slept downstairs, but it was a restless, fitful sleep. At one point I was awoken by her sitting up and panting. I was happy to see she sat up since she’d been immobile since I got back home, but still she wouldn’t get out of her bed. I woke up several more times during the night, sometimes hearing her snore, other times breathing regularly. Finally at 5, I got up and she was in the same position in her bed as she’d been since I’d gotten home at 8:30. I couldn’t budge her from her bed, so I pulled the bed out of her crate to find she’d peed in her bed. I took her to the vet and they did blood work. Her white cells are way down, and she’s got a slight temp, so she’s in the hospital for the next few days. My question is why did her white cells drop so long after chemo round one, and is this going to be a recurring event after chemo. Any answers are appreciated.

Ethel had her surgery and recovered well. She’s adapted fairly well to three legs, and can even get down the stairs by herself. She’s not able to get upstairs herself, but I don’t mind carrying her up nightly. Getting runners for the wood and tile floors was the one thing that’s really helped her mobility around the house. She’s pretty agile outside, but her walking cadence is still forced and seems unnatural. She tires easily when she walks, but she seems to enjoy her walks as she asks for them several times a day. She even feels well enough now that she asks to go to the park in the morning,  just as she used to before her amputation. I decided to go the chemo route, and she had her first treatment last week. She did well and went to the park the next day. I’m looking at four more chemo treatments over the course of the next twelve weeks or so. I’m happy she’s doing well and seems to have adapted, but in the back of my mind is the looming thought that my time with her is limited. I plan to do what I can to make her happy, including taking her to the park each day that I can.