July 25, 2007
Hi Diane,
I'm not sure if I gave you the update on Winslow's complete thyroid panel,
but it was normal. I'm glad we didn't get too excited and start
medication. The vet said everything else is normal and he's not having
symptoms so they don't know why this particular test is low, but nobody is
worried about it any more.
Winslow has gained one pound this week, so he's regained most of the weight
he lost at the beginning of the summer. I want him to gain only one more
pound and I will be very happy with his weight. Not too skinny, but still
light enough that he's not carrying an extra load up and down the stairs.
His race weight was 78. When he got sick, it was 83. It dropped during and
right after the chemo to 71. Without the leg, 75 seems to be a good weight
for him. He gets around easily but doesn't look too thin. Right now, he's
at 74. I don't want him too heavy because he gets hot during the summer and
extra weight can't be good for that.
Winslow has a #3 heart murmur so extra weight isn't good. He had two heart
ultrasounds during the chemo and the cardiologist said that swimming would
be excellent for his heart. My regular vet said give him co-enzyme q10,
which we started after the chemo (it's antioxidant and should not be given
during chemo).
SOUND THE HORNS! Winslow swam his usual 2 single laps and today HE SWAM 10
DOUBLE LAPS! He was happy to do it and did all the turns perfectly on
command! It's about the only thing he does on command. He knows "stay" and
now "turn". The rest is just conversation, which he understands perfectly
and then does whatever he pleases. Oh well.
It's still hot here, but Winslow isn't as hot as he was. I think the chemo
is finally getting out of his system, but he's still doing the night
shift. He's still sleeping ON me as well. This boy would have growled and
snapped at me for sleeping like this before he got sick. As soon as he
came home from the hospital, he started doing this. You would think with
his heat issues, he wouldn't want to be so close. But no. If I dare to
sleep on the sofa, he gets up and puts his nose right in my face and whines!
Overall, I continue to see improvement in Winslow's attitude, behavior,
playfulness and self confidence. Although some of his old habits have
changed a bit, he's pretty much back to his old self.
His next oncology check up is in OCTOBER!! Hooray!
Glynis