December 8,
2007
It’s My
Party and I’ll Sleep if I Want To
Today was
the much anticipated the celebration for Nala’s 11th birthday. She took me for a walk, actually a jog, to
the Schoolhouse development where she ran through the lots with a look of utter
joy on her face. We returned home an abundance of gourmet dog treats from Aunt
Beverly, along with a feast of veggies, fruit and pizza. Friends Diane, Cindy,
Judith and Kay joined our Stone Cottage family in the celebration, which
included a pick up game of Red Ball, and reading of birthday wishes from afar
in the living room. Although she managed
to sleep through much of the indoor portion of her party, she was surrounded by
love and attention, which made us all very happy.
I’ve been
noticing a subtle shift in energy as well as how much pee she can get out at a
time. During her walk, she stopped to strain more often than she had last week,
and her renewed buoyancy after the acupuncture treatment has begun to wear off.
Still, she was able to play hard, take her challenges in stride, and thoroughly
enjoy the moment, which is really what living is all about.
December
22, 2007
Puppy Love
Sometimes
it’s almost easy to forget that Nala has cancer. Something seems to be working.
Maybe it’s
the healthy food I’m making her. Aside from the tiny amount of dry kibbles I mix
in to give it some crunch, her meals are fit for human consumption. And they
don’t taste bad either. Other than the fact that turkey or chicken is a primary
ingredient, they’d probably do us a world of good, being rich in antioxidants,
fresh veggies and legumes, and organic, whole foods.
It could be
the energy work—the acupuncture seems to boost her energy and lift her spirits,
and she’s been much more playful since beginning treatments. And last week, we
took her to The Gentle Spirit for healing touch, and in the 20 minutes or so
that Lori and I sat on the mat with her for her session, it was as though we
were in the presence of a puppy. She rolled over onto her back for Jennifer,
positioned her paws or legs so that Jennifer could find all the right energy
meridians (interestingly, she led Jennifer right from the bladder, where she
started, to her lungs), and made little puppy noises and playful movements, and
then decided almost abruptly after 20 minutes that the session was done and it
was time to explore the office.
Treating
the recurrent urinary tract infections is probably the single most important
thing we are doing for her medically. When she has a UTI, she struggles to pee and
her pain and discomfort is visceral; when the antibiotics kick in, she is a
much happier dog. It is hard to know if the other meds—the piroxicam to reduce
inflammation and hopefully tumor size, the Misoprostol to protect her stomach
from the piroxicam, the prazosin to relax her bladder—are all playing a role in
her well-being. We can only hope so.
The tumor
and lesions are hidden, their workings mysterious. Whether they are furtively
multiplying as fast as they can, or struggling to maintain their ranks after
each onslaught of good food, energy and love, we’ll never know. But we have our
girl back, as playful, confident and content as we could hope for.
The veil of
darkness is lifting; the longest night is shifting towards light.