Farewell....

The last couple of days have been difficult for me. The pressure in my lungs made it hard for me to lie down for more than a few moments. This morning at home, with the kind assistance of Dr. Ann Brandenburg-Schroeder of Beside Still Water, I made my way to the Rainbow Bridge. I made my passage without needing the final injection to stop my heart, so I was clearly ready.

Thanks to everydoggy for your support. Please give your humans a kiss for me.

Giving Thanks for a Good Thanksgiving!

Well, I made it through the Thanksgiving holiday, yippee! I had a LOT of turkey, and it was dee-licious. The weather was pretty nice for November, so I enjoyed several walks, too.

Today, I watched Mom bring a tree into the house. How convenient! It's like indoor plumbing for dogs, tee hee! It doesn't really smell like a real tree, though, and it has lots of lights and glittery stuff hanging from the branches. Humans are very strange sometimes.

I had another of my weekly lung fluid drainings last week. I seem to be having a harder time breathing, though, so I don't move around as much. Sometimes Mom brings me water because she notices when I don't get over to a water bowl. That's nice!

I hope everydoggy had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

It's Hamsgiving!

I have proclaimed the weekend before Thanksgiving to be Hamsgiving! So please give everydoggy a little sliver of ham if you have it! Mom says it's salty so I really shouldn't, but several months ago I told an animal psychic that I enjoy an occasional bit of ham. So she gave me a little hunk of low-sodium ham today. Yummy!

Mom and Dad seem to be worried about me. My lung tumors are giving me some breathing problems, I cough when I exert myself, and I'm having to go to CSU for weekly fluid-drainings. I wonder if that's why we doggies got early turkey dinners tonight? Everydoggy got to share a Jenny-O turkey & gravy dinner, mixed with brown rice and a little water. Dee-licious!

I hope I get to celebrate actual Thanksgiving, though, because I need more turkey. I'd also like some mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and green beans!

I hope everybody and everydoggy has a most wonderful Thanksgiving.

Hangin' in there....

Hi, everyone! So I've become quite adept at getting around on three legs, and my "bedsore" elbow is almost all healed up. I have a good appetite, greatly enjoy my daily walks, and am still pursuing my hobby of lunging at Knuckles the cat. That's the good news!

The bad news is that the lung tumors are progressing. For now, my main symptom is an intermittent deep cough. Also, a couple of days ago, the nice vets at CSU drained about 350 cc's of fluid from around my lungs. That helped me considerably!

For now, I'm a happy boy. I'm looking forward to my next walk, my next treat, and my next lunge at Knuckles! I hope everydoggy is having a nice November!

Good report on my elbow owie!

A nice vet at CSU took a good look at my elbow yesterday. He decided that it's actually on its way to healing up, and I don't need a shunt! He complimented mom on her bandage-wrapping skills, and was very impressed that she uses gauze, a cotton stockinette, a ladies' nylon knee sock (with the toe end cut off), AND a stretchy bandage wrap to keep my elbow protected! I do manage to remove it all by myself at least once a day, though.

I'm still wearing a stupid inflatable donut collar around my neck. It's more comfortable than those satellite dish-type e-collars, but I sure would like to be rid of it. Maybe soon!

Now expecting 25 percent off all my future pedicures....

Well, it's been a while since I updated my diary. I have had a difficult few months. The leg that had been treated so promisingly with stereotactic radiosurgery was causing me more and more pain. I had pretty much stopped using it, and the medicines I was taking to control the pain were sapping my energy and love of life.

So on September 23, I went back to CSU, and the vets removed my leg. My recovery from the amputation has been swift and uneventful! I am glad that the source of my pain has been eliminated, and I am becoming more and more sure-footed as tri-pod every day!

The tumors in my lung are still there. Chemotherapy didn't do anything for them. So mom and dad are going the natural supplement route. My latest x-rays show that the tumors haven't grown much at all, and they're not giving me any trouble. Got my paws crossed (well, my back paws, tee hee)!

Today, though, I'm back at CSU. You see, I'd licked a spot on my GOOD elbow until it turned into a wound. I couldn't help myself! Now, it's having trouble healing up. The vets are going to put a shunt in the area to help me heal it. Please wish me luck. I REALLY need my remaining front leg!!

New therapies!

So Mom and Dad have talked at length with the vets at CSU about my issues. They have decided to do two things, starting today: (1) metronomic chemotherapy with Palladia for the lung tumors; and (2) pentoxyfillin and Vitamin E for my leg pain. I am in agreement with this course of treatment, especially if it means more treats!

My leg pain is caused by post-radiation fibrosis. Apparently lots of humans who go through radiation therapy have this type of pain. For them, Vitamin E and pentoxyfillin seem to be very helpful. As one of the very few dogs who've undergone stereotactic radiosurgery, I'm kind of in the new frontier of both this problem and the proposed treatment, so it's not certain whether and to what extent these medicines will help with my pain.

I am still a happy boy. I LOVE my daily walks. I ADORE all the treats I'm getting. I'm not sure why those special meatballs are called "Pill Pockets," but they sure are tasty! Tee hee!

Woohoo! Thank you, Dogster!!

I just found out my diary is "featured" today by Dogster! Yippee! Thanks, Dogster! And welcome to anydoggy or human reading my diary!

I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer) almost a year ago. I've been using my diary to keep track of what's been happening since then. Recently, the news has been mostly bad. But I'm a doggie, and I live in the moment. Each moment is still good, as far as I'm concerned! So I would appreciate your paw-rayers and healing thoughts, but please know that I am still a very happy boy!

Thanks, and please give your canine buddies a hug and a treat for me! Tee hee!

Love and kisses,

Benny

I'm famous!!

I forgot to mention...my story is featured on the CSU website!! It was written back in May, when things were going a little better for me, health-wise. You can see it here

http://www.csuanimalcancercenter.org/fs-benny

Still not so good news....

My mom talked at length with the oncologist at CSU's Animal Cancer Center. It seems I have two things in my lungs that don't belong there. The doc is not sure whether surgery is an option. I will probably start back on chemotherapy soon.

I don't really understand these big words. All I know is that I seem to be getting more treats than usual, and more walks! These are good things!

I am still happy to be alive, and that's the most important thing, isn't it?