Well, it may have been like a B-, not an A, but we’ll take it…!
I took him in for chemo today and didn’t get a single phone call between 7:30am and 10:45am. I don’t remember the last time that happened!!!
His lymph nodes still aren’t normal, but they are much better than they were last time, and his numbers all looked “perfect” (!). All this meant that he could get a slightly higher dose of the mitoxantrone. (His oncologist started him on a really tiny dose because apparently the drug can have wacky bone marrow side effects in some dogs; however, he passed all his blood tests just fine, so he got a higher dose today.)
I was so relieved. Oh man.
But the best part about today was getting to see Katie and my brother (an unexpected surprise)! I was in Sim’s neighborhood and texted him about a cafe we had gone to previously. He hadn’t yet left for work, so he met me there for a coffee (tea, in my case, of course…because I’m a weanie but was in desperate need of caffeine). After chemo, D and I went over to Dove Lewis to say hi to his favorite Katie!
It was so lovely to see her, as always. Katie has been a tremendous source of kindness and support (for me and Steve) and hugs, treats, and loves (for Mr. Dog) for the past couple of years. We were really sad when we found out the clinic would be moving and she would be staying behind at DL, but fortunately, we’ve been able to stay in touch through the blog and we’ve been able to visit her a couple of times. D is always so happy to see her. Today his tail was already wagging as we approached the entrance to the hospital. It was adorable. We also got to see Laura, which was great, as well.
Last weekend we went on a lovely hike to Gold Butte lookout. It was quite the adventure driving out to the trailhead (let’s just say we were the only Mini Cooper within miles of that fire access road), but it was well worth the trip.
Ready to go
D did pretty well for the first three-quarters of a mile or so (quite steep!), but then we decided a little ride was in order:
What a view!!
Love the PNW
We took a little break for snacks at the first lookout ledge. Dewey of course made a beeline for his pouch (anything between him and the ground will do), and didn’t want to get back up again:
Views!
Dad and dog pouch
The whole trail was deserted and D was able to go off leash for much of it (except when he was being air lifted because the trail got too steep). It was such a treat to have the relaxing family time together out in the woods, especially before we had a long Sunday of work to do. One of those sweet, sweet precious memory days.
And of course, he came home and slept for the next day and a half 😉
Dear Mister Dog 
GREAT NEWS! Maybe it was the “extra family” visiting.
Hope he continues to excel.
Linda & Bob
That’s wonderful! Hopefully, he’s almost to the end of the $(%*&) chemo regimen! Continue to keep us posted.
Linda & Bob
Oh my gosh, I can’t even stand how cute he is in his bag. It was so good to see you both that day. Ugh but oh man, Dewey crawling back into his bag is beyond adorable!!