Health Update

mom is such a slacker.  she hasn't posted any type of health update on me in some time.  well, i guess i will have to do all the work here.  paw was talking to a hockey team friend this weekend & they just lost their furbaby to meningioma & it reminded me that i need to let you all know how i'm doing.

well let's see.

• you may remember i was diagnosed with my brain tumor back in October.  and if you didn't know, Boxers have the 2nd highest incident of cancer of any breed and Brain cancer is our thing.  so as sad as that might sound, it is our lot in life, so we have to accept that!  can you tell what mom has been learning?
• i started my 16 radiation treatments the next week.  those ended Nov 6 - remember my hoomans made all those cookies for the VCA staff!
• mom took me back for my first follow-up appointment on Dec 4.  i now go every 3 months & my next one is Feb 7.
• i've been at work doing my Therapy Dog thing this whole time.  i don't go every Friday cuz mom babies me & she says Baxter needs to improve his work ethic!
• oh, and my hair is staring to come back on the top of my head!  guess i will have to cancel the order for a toupe'

overall i have been doing very well!  after all that radiation & prednizone, i had to be careful about my eating & drinking habits.  the doctor said prednizone makes me "think" i am hungry & thirsty so i would want to eat & drink more.  "think" my boxers!  I WAS HUNGRY! I AM ALWAYS HUNGRY! but mom kept me on a high fiber diet & didn't give in too much on the food.  of course any extra eating & drinking made me have to go to the bathroom more.  my humans came up with a way to help me out so i would not do business in the house (for my benefit not theirs).  i had a few accidents in the house, but i am a well-trained girl & it was nothing to bad.  this was where it was nice to have unseasonably warm weather!
so i had to do a series of follow-up appointments with my local vet to check my liver enzymes cuz the prednizone affects the liver.  those levels have come down so fast everyone has been amazed.  however, i have put on a little weight!  but nothing too much to worry about.  i'm a seasoned girl so i get to do that!
just in case, we tested my thyroid & it is low, so i'm now taking a pill twice a day for that.  my humans & the vet are not too worried, but we want to keep it all under control.  also, my red blood cell count has been a little low, but we are also not too concerned about that since i have plenty of energy & not showing any physical signs that are concerning.
it's been a long long journey & we know there are no guarantees, but that hockey friend losing his furbaby without having the options i have reminded my humans how lucky we really are.

you do all you can and that is all you can do!