Back off, Buster!! Cancer story archives, 3/7/05

I went to see my vet last Friday and let me tell you, it couldn't have gone any better. I had my CBC rechecked (remember the white counts were a little high on the last one) and my nodes were palpated (think of it kind as purposeful petting). Well, my blood counts were completely back to normal and she didn't feel any bumps while petting me. So far, so good-right? The only bad news is that it turns out I now weigh 24.5 lbs. That is about a pound heaver than I started at the beginning of this mess. Unlike the other false alarm, I think I really am gaining weight. I blame the good folks at Cloud Star. Mmmm, Cloud Star treats. My new favorites. (Thanks again for the heads up on those biscuits Shelby!)

Speaking of Cloud Star treats, I got some in the mail the other day. Mmmm, tasty mail. Mmmm, biscuits.

Well, I don't like to toot my own horn... wait, scratch that. Well, I don't mind tooting my own horn. I am a very clever girl. A long, long time ago, my bosses bought me a Buster Cube. It is a lot of fun for me. They put treats into it and I roll it around and get the treats out. The best part of the whole thing is that I get to eat the treats as they fall out.

So I hadn't played with my Buster Cube in a long time, but when my new stash came from Cloud Star, the boss ma'am had this great idea to fill it.

Unfortunately, they let Lyle have first crack at it. Now, he may be a good boy. He may be a fast boy. He may even be a cute boy. But he is not a clever boy. All he could think to do was lick the hole that the treats come out of, try biting the Buster Cube open and drool all over it. I could tell he was getting really frustrated. He even tried to use the magic password on it.

Finally, it was my turn. Well, while the boss man held Lyle back, I went to work and had some tasty snacks. I'm a little ashamed to say, but they tasted all the better because I knew I was getting something good that Lyle wasn't.

Unfortunately, Lyle is the jealous type. He eventually got kicked out of the room because he couldn't graciously watch me win the kibble.

Well, all that is left to say is neener-neener, Mr. Lyle

I'll bark at you all tomorrow!

Little Bit

Every dog does what they have to do - Cancer story archive 3/1/05

Every dog I know deals with it differently. Some roll around trying to rub it off on the carpet (a personal favorite). Some pace around the house in loose figure eights (I like to call them Crazy Eights because the whigle is so crazy). Some even find ways to get their bosses to give them (gasp!) baths.

When I was a puppy, I would do anything I could possibly think of to avoid it. I would hide. I would run away. You see, those were the "good ole days" when my kibble bowl was always full and I was able to eat at my leisure. Oh, I remember the games we used to play. When I would snub my food for a couple of days in a row, the bosses would make it more interesting for me by doing things like spelling out words with my food (that is where I learned how to read and write you know). Anyway, I digress...

Now in the 3rd year A.L., I don't have such luxuries. I need food. I need it bad. I've become a food junkie. Pat McCurdy has a song that is quite fitting, but since this is a family website, I won't say anymore. I even know it is coming. The boss man butters me up with a beefy flavored (Mmmm, beefy) Heartgard. It always comes first. Still, I can't help myself. Then the boss man hits me with the sticky stuff. Evil, evil Frontline.

They say it is for our own good. They make it seem like we would become infested if we skipped even a month. But then they go and add insult to injury and laugh at us behind our backs. Don't you think we see you? Poor Little Bit. Poor Lyle.

Well I've got to run. It is time for me to have a little something-something. Mmmm, kibble. I wish it were always supper time....

Little Bit

I thought that I was golden - Cancer story archives 2/22/05

One thing about this cancer, I thought I was golden. Since I have been diagnosed, the bosses have, perhaps, treated me a little better than normal. Granted, they have always spoiled me, but they were really making a point to appreciate me to the fullest. I was pretty happy about that. More snacks, sleeping on the bed most nights, more snacks... Anyway you get the picture.

It got to the point that I thought I could do no wrong. I was their little angel doggy.

Well, let me tell you, the boss man told me otherwise today. And he didn't hold back.

It all started about 1:30 pm EST. The boss told me and Lyle that he had a couple of errands that he needed to take care of. He said that we should go outside and take care of business before biscuit time.

No problem there. We like outside. We really like biscuits. Mmmm, biscuits.

Now, as an aside, if you know me, you know that I LOVE kids. I love getting pet by them and any treats they might have are a bonus.

So anyway, we get out there and I notice the neighbor lady two houses down is out with her two young children. I think to myself, they probably want to say hi to me, so I start to run over to them. Well, crazy boy Lyle thinks that I am chasing a rabbit or something, so he starts up his sonic blaster (he was on a leash so he couldn't join chase-not that he particularly likes children anyway). Well, the boss reminded me that I wasn't invited to go say hello and that I should get my cute little bum back in my own yard. Being a very good dog, I did just that.

I should have left well enough alone. I know I should have.

Well, I take care of business and while I am busy, I notice some cat unmentionables nearby. I couldn't help myself.

Next thing I know the boss is picking me up and putting me straight in the bath tub. I said, but boss man, I JUST HAD a bath not even two weeks ago. Tough patooties he says. Early baths are what happens to dogs that show such a severe lack of judgment.

So now I am a gorgeous dog again. So sad. And to make matters worse (much worse) he didn't even give me my after bath Naw Some! So very sad.

On another note, my doctorcalled today. She consulted with my specialist in Cincinnati and called to tell us that my oncologist was very pleased with my progress and that I should start my Leukeran today. It makes me feel relieved to know that so many people are working to make sure that I stay healthy.

Well, I had a big day. I'm off to enjoy a little something-something.

Peace out.

Little Bit

There is always something - Cancer story archives 2/18/05

Here is a shocker for all of you Bit fans keeping score at home. I have found a new way to make my pack (and my doctor) worry about me.

So like I was saying yesterday, today was my day to go to see my vet and get my latest vincristine injection. I was also supposed to get a CBC and, pending good results, start my Leukeran. Well, my doctor did her part. She said that I looked really good (well, of course I did!) and that my bumps all felt small like she expected them to feel. So I head home and take a little nap on my chair next to my pack. I was pretty relaxed. I was very comfortable.

So then she calls the boss man to tell him the results of my blood work. It seems that I am not the picture of health that I was appearing to be. Well it turns out that my white blood cells were having a party and invited way too many guests. My doctor said that she was concerned about the number of cells and that she wanted a specialist to take a look at them. She said that I have to wait before starting my Leukeran and that I should take some antibiotics in the mean time. Let me tell you, having abnormal blood work for no obvious reason, makes my bosses a little nervous. I try to tell them not to worry about it, but they do anyway.

So this is the story of my life lately. I seem to be doing well, them BAM, something else crops up. Maybe there is some "Greater Purpose" behind all of this, but I can't see what it might be.

Well, I'm thinking about settling in for another nap.

TTFN,

Little Bit.

I want a new drug - Cancer story archive 2/17/05

I don't think of myself as a vain dog. I mean, I know I'm beautiful, but my self esteem would be just as high if I I would have been touched by the ugly stick when I was young. Even two or three taps would have been just fine with me. Us dogs, for the most part, are good that way.

Still, I can't help but think that maybe my physical beauty is slightly less due to my difficulties the last few months. (Fortunately, my inner beauty--the beauty that really counts--is at an all time high.) But the thing is, I am loosing some of my whiskers, and the replacement ones are thinner and more gray.

Not that I'm ashamed of my gray whiskers. I've been working on a very distinguished mix of gray and black fur since I was about two years young. I've worked hard to get those gray whiskers and I'll show them off with pride. But still, it marks the passing of an era. Okay, maybe the black whisker era isn't anything special, but it is a part of my past.

I knew going into my chemotherapy that whisker loss was a possibility. It is just that I didn't think it would happen to me.

For all of you keeping track out there, tomorrow I start the next phase of my treatment. I'm finished with my cyclophosphamide now and I am still working on vincristine every other week for a while, but tomorrow I start on a new drug. Tomorrow I start every other day chlorambucil (Leukeran). I'll be taking that and prednisone every other day for a year and if I am still in remission (knock on wood) then I will be chemotherapy free.

Chlorambucil: an anticancer drug C14H19Cl2NO2 that is a derivative of nitrogen mustard and is used especially to treat leukemias, multiple myeloma, some lymphomas, and Hodgkin's disease.

Since I am being treated for lymphoma, that seems like a good drug. Hopefully it won't make me feel bad or anything.

Have a good one (day/night/what ever) and I'll bark at you later.

Little Bit

Poor boss ma'am - Cancer story archives 2/15/05

Poor boss ma'am. She has a cold. Being a dog, I can't really understand what she is going through. That is one of the ways that us canines are superior to people. Still, I feel bad for her and every so often I will have a bout of reverse sneezes to show her that I can empathize with her. I do love my boss ma'am and I don't like to see her feeling unwell.

I tried to cheer her up a little this morning. I dressed up special for her. I thought that since I am the shining light in her life that I would dress up as a luminary. She didn't seem to realize what I was going for, but that is okay. I can be misunderstood sometimes as long as it isn't for important things like food.

Today was another good day. Can you believe that it reached 68o F? The sun was out and I was feeling good, feeling fine. Let me tell you, my tail was wagging all of the time. That was not only because we had another beautiful day here in the Bluegrass State, but because I got to go to the Kentucky Horse Park for a second time in a week. What I lucky dog I am.

Well, I'm extra sleepy so I am going to have to sign off now. I think I'll be able to convince the boss ma'am that we should hit the sack a little early tonight.

Peace, out.

Little Bit

Mmm prosciutto - Cancer story archives 2/13/05

First off, let me say, I'm sorry to all of my devoted fans. I know they crave my every word. I know that they wish I could write something clever and witty every day. But a world famous dog like me has many demands on her time.

On Friday, I had all of the usual business to take care of, plus I had a bath. Now you know my feelings on the subject, but at least the boss man finally used a shampoo worthy of The Bit.

Yesterday, for instance, was a very busy (and totally awesome, dudes-I was watching Finding Nemo the other day.) day. Not only did I get to take a walk in my neighborhood with my friends, Ben, Baxter and Storm, but afterwards, I went to the Kentucky Horse Park to take a second walk. I finally got to meet Fynn, plus I got to meet a new friend Max and Storm joined us again. I'm pretty sure that Fynn was a little intimidated by my stardom because he was very shy and was afraid to come and introduce himself.

Anyways, I was planning on writing when I got back from the Horse Park, but I was beat and could only beg for prosciutto before totally crashing on the couch. I can tell you that I slept very well last night.

Now, if you are Rocky, Puddles or any other deranged fan, that is all I have for today.

Peace out.

Little Bit

Okay for everyone else, I have more to say.

While I was at the Horse Park, I had an idea. Now that I have deranged fans to look out for, I been feeling a little conspicuous while out on my daily walks. Actually, it was Fynn's idea, albeit, an idea in the rough. He suggested that I could go around incognito if I used a disguise! Of course, his idea of a disguise left a little something to be desired. Not that I have anything against hiding my scent, but dressing up as a horse apple leads to a second bath in two days. While the horse angle is not something I've tried, I can tell you that in no uncertain terms, alpha dogs do NOT like that kind of disguise.

So anyway, after a few tweaks, I thought I would try to dress up as a different famous dog. I thought that, okay, I do like some attention, but if I dressed as a Great Dane, then the lunatics would be afraid to mess with me. I mean, who in their right mind would mess with a Great Dane? I added a some Hello Kitty sunglasses, for a touch of whimsy, to my disguise. I think it is pretty effective, but I haven't tried it out in public yet.

Also, I didn't think it would do any good to disguise myself but let my traveling companion dress as normal. Even silly dogs like Rocky and Puddles would be able to infer that the Great Dane walking with Lyle was Little Bit in disguise. So I made him dress up as well. He doesn't pull it off quite as well as I do, but then again, he is not Little Bit.

Well, I guess I should go and test my disguise. It is supposed to rain all day and it doesn't seem too bad now, so I need to head out.

Have a great day.

Little Bit.

Lyle isn't the only funny dog!--Cancer Story Archives 2/9/05

When people think of Little Bit, I think that they mostly think of a beautiful, smart and serious dog. Granted, when you live with a whigle, you are not going to be the "funny one." Whigles are clowns by nature (don't worry, they are not the scary kind of clown) and are just funny bugs. But I have a good sense of humor too. Just yesterday, the boss man was telling me what a funny girl I am.

Okay, here's a joke for you. Knock, knock. Bark, bark, bark, bark, bark, bark. Sorry about that! That Lyle sure does go crazy when someone knocks on the door, maybe I should skip the knock, knock jokes.

Sometimes when the bosses are feeling a little grouchy, I like to do acrobatics to cheer them up. In one of the pictures above I am getting ready to do a headstand. The bosses thought that was a really funny trick. They think that maybe I could use that one on Pet Star. I'd apply, but I really don't want to go to California and besides, it really wouldn't be fair to all of those kids with parrots.

Well, I have to run because it is SUPPER TIME, BABY! Hip, hip hooray!

Little Bit

I'm a Kentucky Dog-Cancer story archive 2/7/05

I have never really thought of myself as a Kentucky dog, but rather a Virginia dog that happens to live in Kentucky*. Not that there is anything wrong with Kentucky. In fact, I rather like it here and I never plan to be carried back to old Virginny. Well, maybe on vacation or something.

But last night, after being sidelined for a week. I was back in the game. Cow skin during pig skin baby!

So it was a good one (the rawhide, not the game). I was chewing my little heart out for about forty-five minutes. Ahh, rawhide. Mmmm, rawhide. How I loves you so...

So anyway, the pack, being a little "tooth sensitive" after the debacle of January 26, they decided that they had better be safe and do a tooth check after rawhide time. Well, you can imagine all of our dismay when it turned out that I HAD chipped another tooth. WOE IS ME! This was supposed to be my vet-free week!

So, it wasn't as bad as last time so the bosses knew that it could wait until morning.

Sure enough, as soon as the clinic opened, the boss man calls the clinic and they say they can squeeze me in at 9:45 am EST. (I'm fun to squeeze, by the way.)

So, after watching my pack eat breakfast (that they didn't share, I might add), they take me to see Dr. Schroyer. Now with all of my visits lately, I haven't visited with him for about two months. I have to say, it was nice to see him. He says the kindest things. For instance, he says that this one isn't so bad so they will just paint it (They used white even though I specifically requested gold). And, (?ôears?ô) like music to my ears, he says the words that I was longing to hear. He says, his dog had the same thing and he still gives his pooch bones and rawhides. He says that it is probably JUST A BAD FLUKE that I had two bad ones in a row and that, generally speaking, rawhides and BONES are good for dogs oral hygiene! Bring on the bones baby!

The boss ma'am didn't seem convinced though, but she said that she might wait a little while before giving all of my tasty goodness away. Keep your fingers and dewclaws crossed.

Peace, out.

Little Bit

*A CDC study that was published on February 1, 2004 in the Louisville Courier-Journal stated that Kentucky ranks number one among all states for highest rate of tooth loss.

Thanks again Dogster! You are going to give me a big head!

I just wanted to say thanks again to all of the good folks at Dogster for making my diary a featured diary of the day AGAIN! Thanks also to all of my Pup Pals for all of your support. This cancer thing has been a drag, but knowing everyone out there is pulling for me has been a great help!

Here is my diary archive from February 2, 2005. I hope you enjoy. And as always, if you want to see my latest entries (and with pictures), you can skip ahead to my original diary at http://cancerstory.ourmutts.com. Thanks again everyone!

So Lyle turned three today. He told me that if I dressed up for the party that there would be cake and ice cream. Well, let me just say, it is already 9:00 pm EST and there hasn't been ANY stinkin' cake (or good smelling cake either for that matter). Not that I really believed him, but when cake is involved, you can't really afford to take any chances. Mmm, cake. Mmm, ice cream. Mmmmmmm.

So I feel a little bad about last night. I think that maybe, in retrospect, that I could have been a little more considerate of the Lyle's needs. I was doing some power lounging on the love seat in my office. The bosses were busy laughing about how "cute" us dogs were. I wasn't napping, but I was kind of in that zone just before sliding off to sleepiness.

Well, before long, Lyle notices that I have a good thing going on the love seat and, in the typical Lyle fashion, he decides to be a copy-dog. Now, of course, I don't have any problem sharing (well at least not with things that aren't tasty), but I was just SO comfortable. And it isn't like he was being insistent or anything like that.

So, like I said, I let him up, it is just that I don't move over to give him any extra room. He was such a good boy. He didn't try to push me off or anything like that. I think that he is really maturing. Maybe three will be his best year yet! He gave it a real good effort. I was sure that he was going to get it at one point. All he needed to do was that final plunk down of his bum and he would have known the comfort that I was experiencing too. But I guess it just wasn't meant to be.

So you can see how maybe I feel a little bad. Maybe next time I'll scoot over.

Well, it is getting past my bed time. I'll bark at you later.

Little Bit