Zeus's New Adventure – Adventures of one brave vizsla pup

We took a wrong turn!

I haven’t posted in a while and the usual reasons I see when people don’t post regularly are that things are great and life just moves on. Not our case.

Zeus had his last chemo at the beginning of December and had a very strong reaction to it. His first time that he was not feeling well from it but he recovered in a few days. However, since then I noticed that he was not himself somehow. He still plays, and runs like crazy and his tail never stops, ever…but overall I just had this strong sense that something was off. His eyes look different and he is extremely “clingy” – which in itself is not unusual for Vizslas but this is extreme. We have a 20 year old cat, Max and the two of them never cared for each other in the seven and a half years since Zeus became a part of our family. In the last week, Zeus has been curling up next to Max. This has never happened before.

So, we were booked for his 5th chemo dose today and the usual process is I drop him off, wait in the car, technician calls me an hour later with an update “all done – good to go”, I pay over the phone and they bring him out. This time I got a call 20 minutes after I dropped him off and it was the oncologist. She never calls.

X-ray shows a number of tumors in his lungs. Chemo is stopped and we were given different medication to help slow the growth. Doctor said without medication two months, with medication 4-6. Medication has side-effects and I am not thinking straight right now. Griffin has been going through a similar journey and he has been my lead and my hope. We are about five months behind. I need to clear my head but don’t know how.

2020 has not left us yet and we are just exhausted.

Chemo Round Three – Done!

We didn’t post in a while. Zeus had his third round of chemo this past Wednesday. I was super anxious about this one because he was scheduled for x-rays prior to getting the treatment. All clear!! Blood work – all clear as well!

This boy amazes me and teaches me how to live my own life. He does not worry about any of these results. He does not think about it. Living in the moment, as cliche as it sounds. is really the point. All he cares about it getting as much fun and attention as possible from as many people as possible, playing with his buddies, getting his treats, sniffing butts, taking over our bed (one of us sleeps on the couch most nights :)). Every day is a new adventure! He has mastered going up and down stairs, running up and down hills, through bushes, jumping up on benches so he can sit in my lap and “people watch” – because that’s what big dogs are, lap dogs.

A few days after the surgery Zeus desperately wanted to shake-off however he just could not find the balance. It took him a while but he mastered that as well! (most of the video is me admiring my surroundings but the point was to show how well he shakes off now..::))

Zeus in his element:

This is how we travel now – two in the back one in the front:

Zeus posing for pictures:

“no more pictures, k?”

Ok, maybe a video then!

Sending love and strength to all!!

Chemo Round One – Done!

We went into the first chemo treatment with such anxiety and worry as we did not want to cause more discomfort for Zeus. The side-effects list we were sent home with was just terrifying. Not just for him but for us as well. However, we had blood checks every week and each time the results came back “perfect”. He is such a champ and we could not be happier with how things are progressing. None of the side effects became a reality except for maybe a bit of loss of appetite – but he has always been a picky eater so it is hard to tell.

I like to think that we have our new normal. Life is different. Life is also better. Zeus is running again but our walks are shorter and modified as he tires faster. We found new things to do and new ways to play. I am looking forward to new adventures and cannot wait to see him swim again.

The day before surgery..

And below…I made him a shirt! You can see the excitement and how impressed he is with my sewing skills. The cat was curious too, as they always are.

(We have to keep his scar covered for now because he has a large flap of excess skin. He obsesses about and tries to chew it off. The surgeon will check it again in a month and if it’s not getting smaller they may need to cut it off. In the meantime my sewing machine is out and I have a good excuse to use it!)

Our next chemo is on Wednesday and we hope he continues to do well!

Week One Post-Op

And here we are, we made it through the first week – yay. Zeus is doing amazingly well all things considered. We are adapting and adjusting each day. First two nights were just so horrible that I am working on permanently deleting them from my mind. I know they are long gone from his mind. We have our first, officially scheduled, check up tomorrow. The incision looks great, so I expect praises 😉 he is learning how to efficiently move around and do things he used to do – like pee with his leg up, but he’s not quite there yet. He sometimes desperately tries to pull his left leg out of his shoulder socket as if it’s stuck in there, just so he can balance better. But then he just figures out a different way to do things and moves on while my heart breaks. I have a long road ahead of me and I have a lot to learn from him yet.

Exhibit A: Big Smile

On the day Zeus went into surgery I went for a bike (bicycle) ride and kept riding until I received a call from the surgeon telling me he made it and is doing well. That took 41.7km. Since then, I have gone out for at least a 20km ride each day. It helps me clear my mind and reset. I take the usual, and unusual, routes that Zeus and I used to walk and explore and it is amazing how distant they seem and almost out of reach for him now. I wonder, will he be able to go on long hikes, will he be able to navigate rocky sections, swim, run crazy with his leash in his mouth.

In my hands, I hold “Be More Dog”. A new journey awaits.

UPDATE: Since I had issues logging in for a few days this was supposed to be a week one update. We are now on day 10 post-op. We had our check-up and everything was fine. The surgeon said he looked great. I insisted on a blood test because I noticed Zeus’s tongue colour is a bit dull with a purple hue to it. Also, his gums didn’t seem that pink. All tests came back “perfect”. We also got a call from the Oncologist yesterday – and I am not good with all the medical terminology but it was confirmed to be grade 2 osteosarcoma. Stitches come out on the 15th and we start chemo that same day.

First Day Home

I’ve spent countless hours reading stories on this priceless website, learning, crying, smiling and I have been on a crazy emotional roller coaster ride since August 20, 2020 when our vet told us that Zeus has osteosarcoma in his left wrist. As many have experienced before me, I thought he injured his leg running wild and just needed some pain meds or maybe an x-ray to see if it is broken. Fast forward over some really unpleasant days, conversations, x-ray images, phone calls and near accidents, we have our pooch back home from the hospital. The surgery went really well and we are waiting for the pathology report now and options – chemo etc.

And who is this Zeus? He is a 7 year old vizsla who looks and acts like a puppy. He was the largest pup in his litter – way too big according to breeders, and that’s why we picked him. His legs are loooong and have always been sensitive, especially front ones. I don’t know if that played any part in the development of sarcoma or not but it’s just something that, in retrospect, could have been a sign of what’s to come. He is a goofball, loves people but is picky and I can always tell a bit about a person based on Zeus’s initial “assessment”. He is my radar for good and not so good. He is a swimmer and a runner but as a pointer/retriever dog that he should be, he can’t point, or retrieve, if his life depended on it. Twice he thought it would be a good idea to play with a skunk. He is petrified of cats, wind, and just random things like gnomes, Halloween decorations, lemon, phone chargers etc. But he is a healer, he knows when you need help and is there for you no matter what.

Night number one is well upon us and we had to increase his painkillers. We have some pretty good meds and hope he goes through this with as little pain as possible but he has been having a rough night so far. As I sit here on the floor next him I am in this heart and soul – no matter what it takes. All else comes second or doesn’t come at all. We are on this adventure together and it will be an epic one!!