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!
So glad Zeus sailed through the chemo!!! Good job!!
And that video of Zeus running full strength up that hill exhausted me just watching!! WOW! A very strong doggy!!
Clearly he doesn’t relish in the fact he’s stylin ‘ that sweater for everyone. But he does look adorable!
Do you think he’s obsessing over the flap because maybe it itches, or has some sort of “weird sensation ” that bugs him?? Seems like he might be feeling some sort of discomfort if he keeps biting at it. Then again, maybe he just thinks it’s not attractive and j interfering with his stunning handsomeness!
Keep these good updates coming, along with pictures of course!
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Thank you, Sally – I had the same questions since it does seem to bother him but only when he sees it, when he is ‘naked’. However when the shirt is on, any shirt, he is fine and does not touch that spot and does not even try to get to it. I do feel around it every once in a while and put gentle pressure on it to see if he reacts but, nothing. I’ll take a photo and post it in the forum, maybe someone had the same or similar experience. It just looks like a lot of extra loose skin. The surgeon took a look at it last week and said that it could be itchy but to leave it for a month and if there is no change in his reaction to it or if the flap does not reduce in size they will then decide on how to proceed.
My baby just had his front leg amputated today. He comes home tomorrow and chemo in a couple weeks I’m so nervous but seeing this makes me have more confidence in the weeks to come!
This community and the resources have been a huge help for me too. I feel like I went into this better prepared and with an army of support. Expect the first few days to be tough but it just gets better and better after that and you will be absolutely amazed how quickly they recover. Your pup will be just fine – sending lots of positive energy!
Hang in there. My dog Murphy is going in next week for the same thing so I get it. Heartbreaking and scary but a lot of encouragement on this site. Hope everything goes smoothly… I think the dogs do better than we do sometimes. Sending love …
Well that is the kind of pupdate we looooove around here, especially when it comes to chemotherapy. So many people are afraid of it, and as Zeus shows once again, most dogs handle it like champs. I’m so glad you guys sailed through!!!
That’s quite a snazzy shirt, it looks great. Sorry for the skin flap. He’s such a good boy for not bothering it when a shirt is on–many dogs would! I’m sure others have dealt with loose skin here, but I think for most dogs with a lot of fur fluff it becomes a non-issue. Smooth coated dogs are different obviously, so I’m curious how many people and pets have had to deal with a pesky skin flap. In other words, yeah, post away so we can all learn from each other. I hope he won’t need a surgical correction! Keep us posted.