Valentine's Pic is up!

Okay…I now have my most CURRENT picture up and on Dogster. When mommy told daddy she was going to take my picture and put it online he said, "Not the way she looks NOW! Get one from when the little B had hair." Sheesh, daddy! The whole point was so that all my pup pals can see what the chemo has done to my beautiful hair!! Mommy explained it to him…she thinks I look cute—sort of Lemur-like. Stella, my groomer, thinks I am starting to get that Chinese Crested/Chihuahua look. I don't know…I am still ME!

It's hot, hot, hot!

Whoa, is it really only FEBRUARY? Does that groundhog Phil need some glasses? He obviously doesn't know Southern California~it has been SO HOT this week!!! OMG, the sun has been out every day and it has been in the 70s and 80s! I don't think this looks or feels like winter to me. Mommy was giggling that with my hair loss it is probably cooler for me now but now I probably need to get some SUNscreen to go with my Doggles. hehehe I want to take a picture for the Valentine Stroll but mommy said, "NO WAY! Wait until after your bath." hmph What's wrong with looking a bit scraggly, huh? It isn't like I have all this beautiful, flowing hair anymore anyway…Just don't pass out when you see the new me. My other grandma is going to just faint when she sees me (I am visiting grandma #2 this weekend and I KNOW she's just about going to pass out for sure). :) Last night, while mommy was brushing me out and all this hair was coming out daddy said, "Maybe you can knit a sweater for T with that hair." ha!

Fun in the Sun!

I went to visit Grandma this weekend and had a grand time! Now, I must admit, I was NOT a very happy camper going over on the boat and mommy let me out of my carrier and let me sit on the chair and the on her lap the whole ride over (shhhh! Don't tell the captain!). Daddy called me 'contraband.' But, once off the catamaran I was in HEAVEN! That's right, Avalon is MY town. :) I went on lots of walks and it was maaaahvelous. The weather was paw-fect for a princess like me—especially since it wasn't too hot nor too cold (with my hair loss, mommy was a bit concerned about the temperature). I even went on a cart ride with mom & dad & grandma! The wind blowing through my hair felt so good…ahhhhh! Of course, people wanted to smile when they saw how happy I was. Pictures are coming soon so stay tuned

No! No! NO!

Oh no! I am losing MORE hair! How can this be?! You remember those blister thingies? Well, on EACH of those nasty places is where I am LOSING HAIRRRRRR! AAAAAAAAGH! I now have this huge spot on my back~I will soon look like a flat-nosed Chinese Crested if this keeps up. :( Do they make hair pieces for Shih Tzus? Does anyone know? Even if I get a hair cut, it won't make a difference, believe me. Oh well, maybe mommy will have to get me some clothes to wear and a mask or something for my face. I can go incognito…

Good news? I'm off to visit grandma today. :) THAT should be fun. :) She'll love me—hair or no hair.

Happy Year of the Dog!

Okay, okay…so I am a few days behind (the Lunar New Year began on Sunday, January 29th) but I've been busy. :P But we must celebrate since this IS our year!

I had dinner at auntie & uncle's house the other night and had some yummy shrimp and ribs. The appetizer (for me, anyway) was deviled eggs. Yum, yum!

Next up? Visit at grandma's!

You're probably wondering…"How is Tifanny's cancer progressing?" Well, I haven't had to go back for chemotherapy (remember that bad reaction I had a few weeks ago?). My doctor wants to wait until all of those horrid fever blister thingies clear up before I start up again. Daddy was all worried last night and asked mommy, "How are T's glands? Are they swelling up again?" Mommy was brushing my thinning hair (don't worry, I still have hair but daddy was saying to her, "I wouldn't brush her but like THAT'S going to happen! NOT!) and so she felt for my glands and said, "Nope. No swelling!" and then smiled. Woo-hoo!

I have been feeling good, thank you very much, even though I haven't been eating my usual just yet and I haven't taken my supplements which DOES freak out mommy. She decided that instead of freaking out, she's just glad that I am eating anything at all. I haven't lost any weight which is good.

Anyway, Happy New Year! :) Celebrate! No champagne…maybe Pedialyte? hehehe

Smiles! Sunday Brunch with my Friend

Hi! I had a GRAND day today! Mommy & I went to our favourite restaurant, the Park Bench Café (there's a picture of me in my picture gallery) and met Dana, Rick, and my good friend Scarlett for Sunday Brunch. It was GREAT (except for the fact that our server forgot my order). That was okay, though, because mommy gave me cheese and chicken from her quesadilla and frankly, I think that was what I REALLY wanted to eat anyway. :) I have two new pictures up now—one is with Scarlett and one that shows me minus my chin hair (or beard for you guys). Dana, Scarlett's mommy, was sort of sad about me losing my hair—she noticed I lost a lot of hair all over (just like Stella my groomer) because I used to have such a thick coat. But she kept saying, "It will grow back!" That's right. Anyway, it's okay cuz it is going to be Spring and then Summer soon and it will be HOT, HOT, HOT! (I do live in Southern California, after all…) so a thinner coat might be just fine, right? Hey, a girl's gotta think positively—the cup is half full. :) We were also celebrating Scarlett's birthday, a bit late but better late than never. I gave her a latex squeaky toy and she went CRAZY! It was fun to watch her with it (her mommy had to take it away after awhile…hehehe).

Oh, I have to tell you, I went CRAZY myself when mommy first pulled into the parking lot. I had thought I was going to the doctor's (again) so I wasn't all that happy but then, I smelled the Eucalyptus trees and I JUST KNEW! Woo-hoo! So, all in all, I was all smiles today!

Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin

Oh no! That nasty ol' Doxyrubicin (chemo that made me sick) made me lose hair!!!! Mommy started crying today when she saw my chin—I have lost some hair there. :P Now I can sing that Three Little Pigs song, "No way, no way, no way. No way will I let you in. Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin!" cuz I don't have but a few little hairs there (my black skin is showing…). Oh well. I have this flat face look. Mommy is really bummed about this and Stella, my groomer said, "I can't take this! I am afraid to brush you, T! I am brushing as gently as I can and still some hair came out!" Well, mommy DID say that I might lose some hair with the Doxyrubicin and she now told daddy that she does NOT want me to have THAT stuff again 1) because I got so sick and 2) because I lost hair. He told her, "You have to do what's good for Tifanny and not think about what she looks like." Hmph. I don't know. I think I might have to go along with mommy's idea…What do you think? I might have mommy take a picture and post it and you can tell me what you think. :)

I am feeling MUCH better, well, sort of

Thank you to everyone who has been sending me notes. I am starting to feel better now. My temperature has gone down (it isn't 104.7 anymore, thank goodness!). I got these horrible fever blister thingies EVERYWHERE which is such an awful thing to have! Yuck! Then they kind of popped…blech. On top of that, some FLEAS decided to climb on me when I was at the doctor's office (how presumptuous!) and the last thing I wanted was to scratch. I haven't had much appetite so mommy's been offering me lots of things to eat (kind of like a smorgasbord which, I must admit, is kinda nice). But, I have been drinking lots of water and I am feeling WAY better. :) The doctor thought I looked way better yesterday, too. :) I will write about my ordeal. I don't think I will be getting THAT chemo anymore… :P

I don't feel good

I don't feel good. I have a fever. I had one yesterday—a low one. Mommy kept putting alcohol on my paws. Now, mommy is going to take me to the doctor. I hope I feel better. I did eat some new food yesterday. It is called Innova Evo. It was tasty.

Feeling better, at last.

I have had a most difficult week. I threw up the day after my last chemo (one week ago) and had a horrid, horrid week of nausea. Mommy wondered if I was becoming bulimic and I told her, "Don't EVEN go there!" I had to go to the doctor SO many times I don't even want to talk about it. I swear, my poor arm is just polka-dotted—I look like a Chinese Crested-Dalmatian mix, not a Shih Tzu! I didn't want to eat anything and mommy & daddy were totally freaked out. I sort of liked the smell of red meat, kinda, so daddy went and bought me some hamburger and some Spencer steak and cooked it up. I ate some yesterday and everyone was so happy.

ANYWAY, this morning I finally felt like myself. I even had my breakfast of yogurt! (No cottage cheese yet—I don't feel 100%—I feel about 75% but that's okay). I get to go see Stella and get a bath. Yippee! I love Spa Day. Mommy wasn't going to let me go if I didn't feel better so I am glad I feel better. That Doxyrubicin chemo stuff is nasty stuff. I know it is supposed to really help me but, YIKES.

Thank you to all my Lovely Ladies and girlfriends and boyfriends who have been sending me kind words this week. I appreciate it.

Much love,
T