The Big "C" Aint Got Nothing On Me!!

All has been well with my battle with the bad bone cancer. I have had no complications since my surgery/partial amputation. I am running and playing pain free and it feels wonderful. Mommy keeps telling people I am acting like a puppy again. Great huh?

Since my diagnosis my sisfur Nugget was diagnosed with a breast tumor and had to have surgery last week. She is also doing well since the surgery. We are all still anxiously awaiting the lad results and are pawraying for good news. She has been acting like a little pain in the butt since her surgery. She literally is taking sooo much advantage of the recovery time by hogging mom & dad every time they are home, but, then again, I did the same thing. They are super pawrents insofar as they have lots of love fur us recovering and us who aren't.

We are happy to say our mom and dad are the most loving parents and would do anything they can to make our lives healthy & happy to the end. Fur that, we are grateful. The only thing that would make us happier would be to have all of the furbabies out there get the same furever home/love that we have. In a perfect world...All we can do is continue to pray for all.

We love all of our Dogsters out there and are so very thankful to be a part of this wonderful community. Great week to all!!

What up Dog?

Mom and Dad were sleeping around midnight and the pack started barking and growling like crazy, waking them up. When they woke up they said "hush" and made some remark about Happy New Year to each other and went back to sleep! WHAT UP DOG? We didn't wake you because it was New Year; we woke you because IT IS MY BIRTHDAY! I was ready to start celebrating immediately. Given all that has happened recently I figured it was time to beging celebrating all the blessings IMMEDIATELY. Apparently mom and dad didn't agree...lazy humans! BOL!!

Tis ok though. We are having a wonderful celebration fur me today and I do plan to share with the pack. We are also so very happy today because we KNOW how blessed we are to have a happy, healthy pack of furlove today. Now, I am off to open prezzies and see what kind of treats...I mean, presents the pawrents have stashed for me:-) Whoo Hoo! Happy New Years to all my wonderful Dogsters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

YAY! It is me...Braun Boy...I am BACK!

Update from Myself…Braun Boy

As all of you know life has been a little tough the last few months. Mom has been entering my diary for a few weeks because I was going through a hard time/recovery. Now it is my time to “bark”…My amputation went well and I am very much recovered. It is amazing how well we, as dogs, recover compared to Humans. BOL!!

Mom spent so much time cuddling/loving/empowering me/bandage changing and medication administering that, to be honest with you, I imagine this experience without her would have been bad. WE LOVE EACH OTHER!!!!!!!!!!!

Anywho: I am doing really well, my family loves me soooooooooooo much and I wish that every single furbaby in this WORLD was blessed with the loving family I have. Happy New Year to All of my Furfriends!

Braun Boy Update from Mommy

Returned to the vet today for our follow-up, stitch removal and results from biopsy/lung scans. So glad I decided not to give in to worry over the lungs as we got the result...it wasn't cancer; simply congestion making the lungs look cloudy. The post surgery antibiotics would take care of that. Biopsy results: THE LAB CAN'T FIND THE FREAKING SAMPLE!!! I had decided to wait ...and see if they find a missing sample from our clinic but am still skeptical insofar as "if you lose something how do you know the something you found is the correct something?" Therefore, we are counting ourselves blessed his lungs were not touched by the big "C" and we trust his other removals have removed the "C". Until we hear anything else we are BLESSED and that is how it is!

Best part of Braun's day was he got to go visit his beloved Grandpaw after the vet and he was sooo happy! We are posting a pic of him and Grandpaw from today.

Love to all our furbabies out there!!

My Wish for Christmas

I am sure all of you know my recent struggles and I want you to NOT FOCUS ON THAT! I am doing fine!

What I would like all my furbaby loving ppl out there to do is spread the word. The word is:

I Pray this Christmas that ALL OF YOU think of the gift that is the Life of a Pet. It is not a gift to be given in "spontaneous moments of joy", it is not a gift to be given in moments of "trying to please a child", it is not a gift to be given to "cheer someone up". It is GIFT of LIFE that should be given only when you are sure it is truly wanted and a LIFETIME commitment is made. Otherwise, YOU ARE KILLING AN INNOCENT SOUL! Think about this! PLEASE!!! May many furbabies find loving, FOREVER homes when the time is right.

Cancer Update 12/9/11

So…all of my Dogsters know I have had a hard time lately. Mom was much more upset than myself that I was diagnosed with (squamous cell carcinoma), bone cancer. She spent her first day in tears; her second day in tears; then, finally she decided WE WILL NOT GIVE IN TO THIS!!! We had a lot of good information from our furriends on FB and Dogster but, mom found herself lost…lost in heartache. The saddest moment I witnessed was Mom and Dad arguing about “who cared more about this situation” and Mom said to Dad “I would hope you would be more upset if you heard I was dying”. Needless to say, this diagnosis/surgery was hard on me, Mom and Dad.

Mom was at work all day and worried herself all day long. Mom had no idea Dad was just as worried until he called her around lunchtime and said “how is my dog doing?” Mom cried when she got that call because she realized she was being stupid in thinking she was the only one who cared; Daddy cares just as much!!!!

We finally joined together and decided that an amputation was the best decision to avoid the spread of the awful “C”. Once we scheduled the amputation Mom decided she should make sure the Vet did x-rays of my lungs prior to the surgery. Dr. K did the x-rays and then did the surgery. He called mommy and told her he did not like the x-rays but did not want to say anything further until he had a second opinion. Mom and I decided we would not worry any more than we needed to unless we heard something bad…above and beyond what we already know.

Long story short; I had the surgery, I came home, Mom stayed with me the first day and Dad stayed with me the second day. I am actually going up & down the back stairs today and eating a full meal.

Mommy cut the first layer of my bandage off tonight but did not have the stomach to do the second layer so I will go back to the Vet for that tomorrow. I do not blame her.

All is good for now Dogsters. We will keep you updated.

Progress since my cancer surgery

Back to work. Braun is safe at home with Paul today. He is doing great and has tackled the stairs on the back porch to get into the yard!! I have to admit, he was pretty darned heavy to carry up/down those stairs the last day and a 1/2 but I would do it as long as necessary. Maybe a diet is next on our agenda!! LOL!

Second opinion and surgery.

Mommy here again: We had a second opinion and he took another look at the xrays, palpated the areas affected and smiled. He really thought the original diagnosis was correct insofar as it was bone cancer but disagreed with the fact there was nothing we could do. Therefore, Braun goes in this evening for surgery tomorrow morning. He is having a partial amputation as well as a removal near the left shoulder region. We have a glimmer of hope and we are hanging onto that with every bit of our strength! Keep all paws & partials crossed for a successful outcome!!

Six months is not long at all!

Braun's mommy here...

Sick 2 my stomach typing this. Braun was lame last couple of days & I heard him yelp couple of times/holding his left front paw up. Ws diagnosed w/arthritis but I thought he must have broken/fractured his paw or something. Didn’t post anything about it b/c we just got the great news of his lump being fat & didn’t see the need to worry everyone over what I was sure was something small. Braun got xrays today. Got the call when I was @ grocery store & lost it. Literally sat o/floor w/phone t/my ear crying like a baby. Diagnosis: Bone cancer. I think vet said squamous cell carcinoma. It was apparently pretty far along & lameness is a symptom; a late one as is the case with my Braun Boy. I was told 6 months @ best. All we can really do is manage pain until it is time.Respiratory distress is another symptom we have 2 watch for b/c this type of cancer goes to the lungs. I have cried until I have no more tears. God is taking a good one from me…my sweet Braun Boy!

Thanksgiving with Family

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with their family. For all those out there that didn’t have a forever family; we thought of you and prayed for you. We know that many, many of us are still out there in a cage with concrete floors, warm/hot water, bars as a door, pee on our floor and a person passing by on occasion to make sure we are still breathing. We know that your Thanksgiving was not one of celebration, thanks and love. We know you cried yourself to sleep the night prior and the night of. Our wish on our Thanksgiving was for YOU! Not US! YOU! We want everyone to realize that while they had the warm surroundings of comfort, family, friends and great food…you were in hell. A cold, careless H E L L! Bless all of your sweet souls for holding on to hope and understand we are doing EVERYTHING WE CAN to get you and yours out of the hell you are in. WE LOVE YOU AND WILL NEVER FORGET EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU! There will be no peace until there is PEACE FOR ALL!