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Sirocco_Nikki

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Everything posted by Sirocco_Nikki

  1. Run fast and free at the bridge, Baloo. Please send your mom a sign that everything is ok,
  2. I hope Neyla and Puck are just off because of the heat. Sirocco joined Chase and the rest of our bridge babies today. We are all doing ok. Nikki has been whining and pacing a bit. Yukon claimed Sirocco's favorite bed in the family room. I miss him so much but I would not want him back in pain. It helped me a lot that Dr Sheff was there. I've been thinking that I would like to come up with a donation in honor of the 7.5 club for the Hope for Hounds auction. I am not creative so if anyone has any ideas, I would really appreciate it.
  3. I tried to come up with words that would adequately memorialize Sirocco but they just don't exist. Sirocco was a study of contrasts. He could be amazingly sweet but he could also be a snarky little toot. He excelled at obedience training and had a recall to make the angels sing. However, he would also snitch the food from a starving person's mouth and never feel a moment of remorse. He was confident, cheeky, and bold ------ as long as mom or dad was close by. Sirocco would gaze at my face adoringly after he was finished laughing at me behind my back. (All those years I lifted him into the van when all I had to do was say "in" instead of "up".) But more than anything, Sirocco was just my boy. He joined our family when I couldn't shake my grief over the loss of my beloved brat, Polly. He brought laughter and healing to my life with his smiles and audacious antics. However, his greatest gift was that he taught me about the amazing power of greyhounds. Cancer gave the Heavenly-Bridge-Food-Filching Team another star player today. Run fast, sleep well, and snitch carbs, Sirocco, until we are together again.
  4. Double those scritches for Flash and Shelby from me. Also sending a big round of hugs and positive thoughts to Charlie. Kick some cancer butt Charlie! Also also, checking for an Anubis update.
  5. Thanks a bunch Hope. You should know how special he is since you helped us pick him out. I have to chuckle when people talk about rescuing dogs because Sirocco rescued me. We lost Chester one year to bone cancer and then Polly the next to heart failure. I was scared spitless of going through that kind of pain again. However, I started having the strongest feelings that Chester was telling me that another dog needed a home and to get to it. You did our home visit and boy, did you pick up on our real requirements quickly. Good with the kids. Ornery enough to keep me entertained. Calm enough not to make Tom nuts. And that's what we got: a brittany spaniel attitude in a greyhound body that took naps. What more could anyone want out of life? I really appreciate everyone's support through this. It has made all the difference in the world. I was totally overcome with grief with Polly and Chester. With Sirocco, it hurts like the devil but I don't feel overwhelmed because I know there are others right here with me (even though I've never met you). It's time and I know it is. However, Sirocco scammed me out of my potatoes at supper and then ate a scoop of frozen custard. I am hoping we can wait until Friday now when his regular vet will be on duty. It would just make me feel better to know that Dr Sheff was with him too.
  6. Sirocco_Nikki

    Subway

    Run fast and free at the bridge Subway. Please send your family a sign soon that all is well.
  7. I hope your sweet girl is doin' the butt-tuck-zoomies in no time. Hugs to both of you.
  8. Sirocco is doing much worse today. The tumor is huge. His right leg is very swollen and he is needing pain medicine about every 4 hours. DH is off this week to give it to him but everyone is back to work and school on Monday. He still enjoys eating and pettins but moving is a lot harder. We are probably going to send him off to be with Polly and Chester at the bridge on Thursday morning.
  9. Glad to hear all the positive (or atleast not negative) updates. Sirocco's tumor is still growing on his right shoulder. He will have problems moving for 1 day, learn to compensate by the next day, remain stable for a few days, and the cycle starts again. But, as long as he is happy, I am happy. Tramadol 6 x day with Rimadyl 2 x day is keeping him fairly comfortable without zonking him out for now. I know that is way outside of the normal doseage, but the pros far outweigh the cons. With the cooler temps the past day, he has actually tried to do a few zoomie steps outside. I am just so blessed to have had him in my life that I am trying to focus on the positive and be grateful for whatever time we have. Said it before and here it is again, he's rotten but he's mine.
  10. The one thing to remember is that NONE OF US CAUSED THE &%$!@ CANCER. We couldn't have prevented it. Maybe we could have caught it earlier, but maybe it couldn't. If we had caught it earlier, it might have made a difference or it might not. Also, even though each us us is following different treatment plans, EACH OF US IS DOING THE BEST WE CAN. Now that that soapbox is over. Anyone else think we should post spoiled pup pics? Dh still laughs when he sees Sirocco's strawberry shortcakes.
  11. Sirocco_Nikki

    John

    I am very sorry for your loss. Please know that we are all here for you.
  12. Sirocco is still hanging in there, mooching my strawberries, meeting us at the door for luvins. He has episodes where he pants quite a bit, but these will stop after a Tramadol and a little lie-down. The vet said the cancer was probably in his lungs already so I am not sure if the panting is related to that or the tramadol. It doesn't matter though, I am going to give it as long as the tramadol keeps the pain at a functional level. My brother and nephew stayed with us this weekend and Sirocco still wanted to be where the people are. I am at the point where I consider each additional day with him a true blessing. Although, sometimes I wonder if the angels at the bridge are keeping him here longer because they are afraid of the food-filching havoc he will create with my bridge brittany, Polly.
  13. Thanks for the update. Lots of hugs and prayers headed your way.
  14. Sirocco seems fairly stable right now. The tumor is huge and he limps a lot but he still enjoys eating and he can move himself to where he wants to be. We are giving him Tramadol 4 x day plus Rimadyl 2 x day. He was hurting quite a bit yesterday after he chased the squirrel that ran across the yard so he got an extra Tramadol. Dr Sheff said to give it whenever he needed it. We talked about stronger pain meds like morphine, but they would probably make him so dopey that he could not move safely. Our only concern is quality of life. When he can no longer move, eat, or enjoy life, it will be time to let him go. Realistically, I think his life expectancy can be measured in days or weeks instead of months. Whenever I find myself hurting because of the inevitable, I just ask myself if I would do it all over again, even if I knew then what I know now. The answer is always a resounding 'YES!!!'.
  15. Follow your heart in making the best decision for your boy and it will be the right one. We are treating Sirocco's os with pain meds, kisses, and strawberry shortcakes (with whippy cream). Even if he was younger, I could not seriously consider amputation because of his personality. He is brassy, bold, and sweet as long as he is with his people or fur siblings. By himself, he is an absolute wreck. I just couldn't put him through the trauma of being away from his home to do the surgery. For us, it is absolutely the right decision. For someone else, it would be the wrong one. Don't be pressured to make a particular decision. No one else can weigh your family dynamics, finances, and probable outcomes like you can.
  16. Hugs and prayers for Pilot and his family. I completely understand their decision as it is the same one we have made for Sirocco. The big issue is pain control. We've been giving Rimadyl 2x day and Tramadol 4x day (concurrently). Please let us know he he does.
  17. I once read an Erma Bombeck book that was released after she died. Her dh wrote an epilogue describing life together as a rollcoaster ride. They get on, uncertain of what to expect. The ride took them up and down, on twists and turns, through tunnels and over hills. Yet, when the ride was finally over, he begged for the chance to go again. Pretty much sums up my feelings about Sirocco and his os. He is going to break my heart in the very near future, but I'd do it all over again in a minute.
  18. Count Sirocco in too. Biopsy 7/9 with results on 7/13. Even though I always knew that, statistically, one of our greys would probably be hit by this evil demon, I just wasn't ready for the vet to say the words. When Dr Sheff told me, "I am sorry but the biopsy came back osteosarcoma", my first reply was "it's not in the bone, is it?". (Cleopatra: not the only queen of de' nial.)
  19. Lots of good thoughts, prayers, and healing energy being sent for Charlie.
  20. I am glad she's home. Tell her she can stop trying to win the contest for "most unusual poop" at the next picnic.
  21. Heard from Dr Sheff today and it is osteo. He also believes that the cancer has already spread to the lungs. We had a long discussion about possible treatments and their probably impacts upon his life expectancy and pain control. We have decided to go with Rimadyl 2x day, Tramadol whenever needed, and strawberry shortcakes every evening. Again, I can't thank everyone enough for their prayers and support. However, a warning: better start saving your pennies now for the Miss Nellie auction because I am going to bid until we kick this demon.
  22. The vet's office called today to let me know that the cytology results aren't in yet and to ask how he was doing. The weekend was very rough for him. He had a lot of problems walking and his right foot would knuckle under when the pain pills were wearing off. However, the incision doesn't look as swollen and he is moving much more easily today. I have been giving the rimadyl and tramadol concurrently and a pepcid in the morning. His appetite is staying good (as evidenced by the number of my strawberries he has mooched). Thanks for all of your prayers, good thoughts, and support. More than anything, I don't want him to be in pain.
  23. Thanks for all the prayers and good thoughts. Dr Sheff decided to do a wedge biospy instead of a needle because the tissue was so soft. The cytology report should be back Monday and the histopathology report will be back Wednesday. Dr Sheff said the cytology would highlight any inflammatory causes for the swelling but that the histopathology would most accurately diagnose any disease processes. (Extremely important to me because my bridge Chester's bone cancer wasn't picked up on his first biopsy.) Even though we can't determine any treatment plans before Wednesday, I told Dr Sheff that Sirocco has very significant separation anxiety. I don't think any plan that involves Sirocco being away from his people or grey siblings for any length of time would be viable. He agreed readily. (All the dogs have their dentals done at the same time. Dr Sheff always does Sirocco first so that by the time Sirocco is really awake, Yukon is done and in the crate with him. That way he never realizes he was alone.) Dr Sheff gave us tramadol in addition to the rimadyl for pain. Sirocco has about a 1 inch incision and the area is still swollen (but not red). Sirocco is very uncomfortable putting weight on that right leg. Should tramadol and rimadyl be given concurrently or is it best to alternate? I am currently alternating.
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