600 visitors and more birthday

It's amazing to think I've been blogging Dave's life for seven months. Thanks to everyone for continually coming here to check on Dave's status. I know that some people, including myself at times, can't imagine all of this thought, concern, time and caring about a dog, but I truly appreciate the comments and emails. I think that Dave does, too.

Just like me, Dave enjoys stretching his birthday celebration out as long as possible. While visiting grammom, Aunt Tina brought Dave two presents today! He got a chewy football rope that should last about ten minutes; his favorite kind of toy - destructable. Also, an interlocking ring toy that appears more sturdy. He's wiped out from the weekend, but should have a good time playing with them tomorrow night. Dave loves his aunt Tina!!

great week

It feels like we have a new dog in the house. I was resigned to the fact that Dave was not going to be the same dog that he was pre-chemo. The last week has been amazing - he's back to himself completely! No spitting up, much more energy and he's sleeping in bed with us again every night. I'm enjoying every minute of it.

I've been having pangs of guilt all week, though. We ran out of Dave's wet food, and didn't get to the store. We had dry food, so we fed that for two days. We saw a turnaround immediately. He's been getting it for a week now, and none of the symptoms have returned. Even his "allergies," the itching, eye discharge and sneezing are gone. I feel like such a bad owner. But I was following the advice of the holistic vet to feed him wet, "cold" food rather than the dry, "hot" food. It's all grain-free, meat only, but the cold/hot made the difference. I'm glad I know that this is good for him and that he reacts well to it.

birthday time!

We're already counting down the days until birthday number 10! Okay, maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves, but Dave has had a fabulous few days.

Some pictures from the Dave birthday extravaganza!

Eating out of the new bowl set. The raised "table" should help Dave with digestion (and hopefully stop him from spitting up when excited):

And yet, through it all, he does it his way :

Dog food makes for a dirty floor. It's clean now, I promise.

"Ice cream" time! It's really more of a sorbet, with fruits and other healthy, no-added-sugar ingredients:

HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY!!

It's official, Dave made it to age nine!! We're so happy to reach this little milestone.

nine time

Tomorrow is an exciting day! Dave will be nine years old. I remember writing the 'half-birthday' post six months ago, and how nervous I was that tomorrow wouldn't be a reason to celebrate.

Dave has been having some stomach issues, so we might not be able to celebrate with filet and ice cream (doggie approved) as planned. His gift is supposed to arrive tomorrow, so if FedEx cooperates, pics will be up soon.

woo hoo!!!

Dave's visit went well! His weight is up slightly, the bloodwork was good and his lymph nodes are normal! I'm so relieved. We spoke with one of our favorite nurses (Dave's too, I think), and she remarked how great he's doing. Regarding any change in his lymph nodes, she said that it would be a noticable change (her words were "oh sh!t change"), and that it wouldn't be a gradual thing. I don't know why exactly, but that put me at ease. He goes back in three weeks for bloodwork.

final vaccine

Dave goes for his final vaccine tomorrow! I'm flexing my time at work in hopes that I'll be able to speak to the doctors to find out what to look out for and what the future looks like.

Dave woke up today with tons of energy - running around the house, jumping on and off of the furniture and being crazy. He's pooped now, after a long day of walks, sniffing outside and a little bit of ice cream. Nom nom nom. He loves his doggy ice cream!

vet call

I had to call the vet today. Dave was breathing funny last night. I wouldn't consider it labored, but definitely a little heavier than usual. He also threw up a few times last night. I'm hoping that it's due to the windows being open and his allergies. However, when I talked to the vet, she asked me to keep an eye on his lymph nodes and call if I notice any change. I'm nervous... They still feel the same to me. I don't quite know exactly what I'm looking for, but, if it's what I think I'm (barely) feeling, they seem okay.

suitcase

This is a cell phone picture from about a week ago. We were a little lazy in putting our suitcase away after our last visit to my mom. Dave decided it made a lovely new snuggle bed.

storms and not much else

I suppose it's a good thing that there isn't a lot changing here on Dave's blog. He's still doing well - a little less itchy, still more tired than he used to be, but otherwise he's good! He's growing his hair back and still has a great appetite!

We've been getting him out for walks when we can to try to help give him a burst of energy, but the weather has been crazy lately. We've had some pretty bad storms this week, and he's acquired a fear of thunder. He demonstrates the fear by curling up on my lap, which I don't mind at all!

The third and final round of the vaccine is scheduled for next Monday. I know partially what to expect from what they've told us in the past, but I'm excited/nervous/scared for what's going to happen in the upcoming months.