Eat, damn you....

The Old Man is resting comfortably but still not really eating. He's had a few licks and bites of things, but isn't all that interested in actually eating like a normal dog. So far, I've tried toast (a few bites), cottage cheese (no thank you), boiled chicken (*sniff*), and even a scoop of Innova EVO wet food. Oh, and for those who are wondering how I have to time to parade this buffet of blandness across his nose, I work from home and have very wonderful clients who don't micromanage. If I get my work done on time, then it's all good.

Got a call this morning from Dr. Delbecq, our local vet. She says to let him nibble today and don't fall into the trap of offering richer foods. She says that dogs can maintain their blood sugar over the course of several days, so there is no high risk of him becoming hypoglycemic if he doesn't eat soon. If he hasn't eaten anything significant by Thursday morning, then I will need to give her a call. Otherwise, I should continue to offer him the bland foods and try not to get offended that he doesn't like my cooking.

So far, so good

It's been a quiet morning so far. Watson slept like the dead last night and it literally took me 10 minutes to get him out of bed. He's kept down every drop of water that has passed his lips, but has only minimal interest in eating. We had to pill him this morning so I will count all that wrestling about the floor as my exercise for the day!

There has been some straining to produce solid waste, with some specks appearing but nothing substantial. Dr. Evason warned that this stool will be soft for the next few days, so I think he is just clearing out what was left in his colon. He's resting comfortably and as long as he stays hydrated, then I am hoping that the appetite will come along shortly.

No word from NEVOG yet on when he can go for his next chemo treatment.

!!!! He's HOME !!!!

I drove to Tufts thinking it was going to be a visit with Watson and a discussion with Dr. Evason about his ultrasound. I know she had said he "may" be able to come home today but I didn't want to get my hopes up. She came out to the waiting area and asked me "do you want to bring your boy home today?" I was ecstatic. He did so well today that he was discharged to me around 4:30pm. He's not had any bowel movements since 8pm yesterday and has kept water in his belly more than once. All in all a good sign.

As always, he did well on the ride home. We hit rush hour traffic on the way back so it took over an hour to get back. He was very relaxed though and seemed very comfortable. As you can see, he is sporting a very fetching pink bandage from the hospital.

As soon as we arrived home, he had several visits to the water bowl as I was boiling up some chicken for him. He had a few bites of chicken and homemade broth before retiring to bed. Over the next few days, he can look forward to bland meals and plenty of rest. He's also on oral metronidazole and sucralfate for the next 5 days.


His next chemo treatment was supposed to be tomorrow, but I have put that off for now. The abdominal ultrasound showed nodes on his spleen (which we knew) and enlarged nodes in his intestinal tract. Dr. Evason said that could be from the inflammation or from lymphoma. Hard to know for sure.


Either way, I am so happy to have the Old Man home, resting comfortably in his little bed.

Monday morning hospitalization update

Dr. Evason at Tufts called promptly at 9am with good news. Watson had a good night last night. There's been a decrease in diarrhea (none since 8pm last night!) He'll get his ultrasound either late morning or early afternoon and, depending on the results, he may be able to come home tonight. I know as of yesterday they were offering him water, but I am not sure if he has eaten yet. I'd like to see if he can keep down any food before he returns home. As much as I miss him, I don't want to try and feed him and then start this horrible cycle over again.

I also called NEVOG to cancel his chemo treatment for tomorrow. I haven't specifically been told, but I would guess that he needs a few days of food and rest before being subjected to a round of chemo. Unlike human doses that make you sick right off the bat, canine chemo is a lower dose so the effects are not as dramatic. However, those drugs do target fast-growing cells in the body like cancer cells, skin, hair and GI cells. Again, I don't want to get him healed up only to start this cycle over again so quickly.

I plan to visit Tufts today around 4pm to see the Old Man and to discuss his ultrasound results with Dr. Evason. Keeping my fingers, toes, paws and claws crossed......

Sunday evening's hospitalization update

Rich and I made another pilgrimage to Tufts-Walpole and arrived around 5:45pm to see the Old Man. I brought one of his towels from home so that he could have it in his kennel tonight. I was so very surprised when they opened the door to the hallway and there he was!! He was up and on his feet walking on a temporary leash. They had an open IV in his arm (but not hooked up to anything, not sure what you would call that) and they had his tail wrapped in blue bandages to keep it clean. He looked like quite the fashion king. =)

We got to spend some time with him in an exam room before the doctor came in to speak with us. He was much more alert and stable on his feet although he was emitting a foul fragrance from the rear and was still licking his lips (sign of nausea). Dr. Evason said he was doing much better and his stool was more brown with less blood and mucous (but still watery). He will stay another night and have his ultrasound tomorrow. That should tell us if the bleeding is an ulcer or is due to the lymphoma.

Overall, it was a very good visit. I was so very happy to see him up and about. He was eager to follow me out the door to the waiting room, so I had to do the fake-out and pretend like I was going with him back to the kennel area.

My spirits are lifted; temporarily, I know, but I'll take it. There are still larger questions like the timing of his next chemo treatment, how we will feed him without using rich foods, how we can control the nausea, etc, etc. Honestly I can't think of these things right now... I'm just picturing my Old Man standing in the hallway when they opened the door.... and his tail wagging despite being wrapped from end to end.

With this I will head upstairs to bed. Thanks to all for the love and support sent our way this weekend. Until tomorrow......