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My Recent Life, as Told by Abbie

Yet another surgery...

Last Thursday mom had to take me to the vet to get another cancerous tumor removed, two cysts drained and an abscessed tooth and a couple of other teeth pulled. Because of my advanced age, my mom was very reluctant to make me go through this. She thought long and hard, and made the decision that she couldn't left me go on with a sore mouth, and the tumor would only get bigger, so she put all her faith in my doctor and God, of course, and elected to have me treated. She was so worried about the anesthesia, but my doctor gave me gas. He was a little apprehensive too, hoping above all odds that my heart and electrical system wouldn't shut down. He proudly told my mom, that I went out and came out of the gas just like a two year old would have. I later went home and ate, but had a restless night. The next day, I didn't want to eat, because I kept throwing up everything I tried to eat...so I just gave up. Mom called the doctor, and said to come in on Saturday if I still had trouble eating. I did, so she took me in ...I had blood work done, three shots and some more meds. While waiting for my blood work results, the most handsome Golden I've ever seen, walked in with his grandma. He immediately came over to me, even though I tried so hard to play hard-to-get! We hit off really well, even though he was just a youngster of 11 years! To make a long story short, when I got back home, all day Saturday was just more of the same. Sunday came, and my mom was getting really stressed and mad at herself for doing this to me...I never was mad at her, I knew she was trying to make my final time on earth as comfortable as she possibly could. I gave it everything I had, and when she held out her hand with a new kind of food, I ate it and kept it down...she kept giving me small amounts a few hours apart, and I kept holding it down. Then at about 12, my human sister brought her two monsters to stay with us, because she was going out of town for a few days. Here I am with 12 stitches in my head, and I tell you, I was so happy to see those nuts. I even got to feeling so much better, that I managed to steal a little bit of their food from them...ha, payback is so sweet! I am doing so much better now, I even have a little pep in my step, and my breath is so sweet and fresh, not to mention my ears don't smell funky anymore...my mom proved she knows best, and I'm still here because she had faith that I could handle this latest surgery, and I couldn't let my mom down...I 'm so happy to say that it's so good to be alive at the ripe old age of 15!

I'm 15...

and I can do what I want! I walk a little slower and I sleep a little longer, but every chance I get, I stay by my Mom's side. I still let her know how much I love her, even though I can't do a lot of the things I did when I was younger. I think she understands, because she always tells me that I'm her good girl and that she loves me. I am hanging on to this precious life of mine, because I love my family so much, and I know they love me just as fiercely. I have lived a very rich life...I have been blessed! To all you doggies out there, be good to your people, it will come back to you tenfold!

My New Diet

Well, since I was diagnosed with early kidney disease, my Mom has to feed me prescription dog food. Oh, it is gross! I used to live to eat, now I eat to live, and it is getting harder for me each day. My mom has to cook up a batch of ground beef, torn up white bread, a chopped hard boiled egg with some tums added into this concoction. She mixes it in my food, and I will eat a little more than I have been. It kills me to see them eat all this great stuff, and I don't seem to be getting any of their food any more. I still can throw them my most sincere, forlorn face, and they can actually ignore that. I must be losing my touch! Next, I throw up a high five....you know, reminding them that hey, I'm still into snacking on their food, and no luck. Somebody, help me...I want to eat some real food once in a while! Oh well, at least they still love on me and let me have the total run of the house now...that's a pretty good thing for an old girl like me! Got to go...I need to get my water bowl and bring it to my mom, I drink a lot of water these days, and it runs out so fast!