Things have been quite busy here for the last few weeks. Millie made good on a few of her bucket list items (eating all of Sugar's food) and created a new one (she ate about three cups of super rich cat food & the baggie it came in -- still have yet to see the baggie come out the other end). We also had our pictures taken at a nearby lake. I've seen the slideshow & there were more than a few tears. Ugh, it is going to be so difficult to only choose a few. She still seems to be quite happy & is getting around really well. She's a huge fan of the air conditioning, but hey...so am I!
Late on the evening of the 12th my sister-in-law, human and dog niece arrived from Virginia. My family was going on a vacation we started planning about a year ago. I had planned to go, but when Millie got diagnosed I knew I wouldn't go. My brother and sister-in-law's dog, Maya, has also had a rough start to 2012. Shortly after turning 8, she was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG) and megaesophogus. For the most part, she's been doing fairly well considering the diagnosis. She now gets medication several times a day, eats a special diet, and can only drink or eat when she is in her special Bailey chair. She has gotten used to the routine & is still a very happy dog - so, it makes taking care of her much easier. Anyway, since Maya requires a lot of extra care and fairly strict monitoring (oh, forgot to mention she had major spine surgery about a year and a half ago...on Christmas Eve no less), the cost of a pet sitter would be astronomical. I offered to watch Maya if they brought her to Illinois. Maya and my girlies love each other, and she basically is like my 3rd dog, except she lives in Virginia most of the year. Right before they were going to leave Illinois for the vacation destination Maya regurged & developed aspiration pneumonia (an unfortunate fairly common side effect of megaesophogus). Almost immediately she developed labored breathing. My sister-in-law rushed her to U of I for emergency care. She was given a poor prognosis & placed in an oxygen chamber. Thankfully, she did well with treatment (though was also diagnosed with a urinary tract infection), and got to come home to my house on June 18th - my birthday!
Here is Maya greeting Sugar after not seeing each other for over a year.
Millie and Maya silently struggle to be the dominant dog. Neither mind when Sugar goes in their crate, steals their bone, lays on them, eats their food, etc. However, they resource guard from each other. When Millie saw Maya for the first time, Millie instantly starting barking at her like she had never seen her before. Maya, still recovering from her stay at the hospital, was too tired to really care. So, after the first 5 minutes of naughtiness from Millie, we were good to go.
Here is Maya relaxing in her Bailey chair after eating dinner (she has to stay in this position for 30 minutes after eating or drinking something). Shugs and Millie are there for moral support. Also, Hallie (the sluttiest cat you'll ever meet) will lay down and flop over Maya's feet. She had never met Maya, but that didn't seem to bother her one bit.
Maya's favorite thing in the whole world? Kitties! She loooooooves cats. She loves to smell them, watch them, follow them, kiss them, cuddle them, etc. Anything to do with cats, and Maya's there. This is Maya craning her neck around to follow Hallie as she walks into the kitchen.
On June 19th, Millie had her 7th round of chemo. (Yes, I felt like I lived at U of I by that point) She was a rockstar. When we were heading back to our room, we walked past a giant Dogue de Bordeaux. He was an intact male that had to weigh at least 220lbs. Though I am disgusted that he is intact, he was actually in decent shape and not a morbidly obese 220lbs. He did, however, have one nasty skin infection that covered most of his body. Millie did not know what to make of him. They both gave each other the evil eye as we passed one another. So, I guess technically we can cross off the "Meet an animal larger than I am" off her bucket list, though I really hope to make good on a coworker's offer to let her bark at her horses!
This new chemo drug seems to agree with her system a little better than the first one. She hasn't had any nausea (though that may be the anti-nausea medicine I give her), has had at worst maybe some soft stool once or twice, but doesn't seem tired or worn out at all. Her body is also not objecting to the metronomic chemo at all. In fact, that might be her favorite time of day. I shake the pill vial and she comes running. She promptly sits, takes the meds and waits (as drool accumulates) for her treat. Usually I'm very fair with treats. If one dog gets one, the other must. This, however, is a special time where only she gets a treat - and she knows it!
Here is a picture of Millie's front leg. U of I did an awesome hack job of a shave. Really? I know she sits still, and she's there for 6 or so hours...take 15 seconds to make it look like a person with sight clipped her.
And finally...the doggie crew has taken over my bed. :)
