Lab Update

All Coby's labs looked good this month & we were given the "ok" to give the 5mg Lomustine this month. We had a problem with the CBC drawn last week - the platelet count had been reported low, but the sample was clumped, thus likely causing a false reading. Coby had to get a repeat CBC to make sure the platelets were in range, so he could have the Lomustine tomorrow. I took Coby to the ER Monday morning for the CBC - since the ER has more experience drawing blood & I decrease the chance of the sample clumping (unfortunately we have had several CBC's clump prior to this one). I will probably start bringing Coby to the ER for his blood draws - although the drive is much farther, it would be cheaper in the long run if I don't have to do repeat blood draws. The CBC results, including the platelets were fine. It was also time for Coby to have a general serum chemistry profile done - to check his liver, kidneys, etc - all that came back OK! Last month his ALT (liver test) was elevated while in the hospital, but it is now back to normal. :-)

Coby's doing good, except for the fact he hates the snow & cold. He freezes up & won't move half the time when we take him outside to go potty. The snow is too cold for his little paws...you would think being a "mini-husky" he would like the snow or at least tolerate it - nope...he's a big baby & definitely a warm weather dog. He won't wear booties either, I've already tried that.

Coby's eating well because I am still cooking his meals. He really likes ground beef (sirloin) & sweet potatoes! Today when I cook I think I will try & mush up green beans & put them in the mix. He would pick them out before when in the rice/chicken mixture, but if I mush the beans really well in the sweet potatoes, he may not even notice!! We will soon find out....

Vet Time

Another trip to the vet is planned for tonight. Coby is due for a CBC to measure his blood cell count - it's 8 days post cytarabine injections. This was the same day last month Coby was in the hospital because his blood count was so low. We will also get his ears checked out to see if the infection is gone. I'm not sure if Coby will let the vet look in his ears now - from all the forced ear drops we've been giving, he hates when we come even close to his ears. He's been traumatized. Hopefully he'll behave himself.....

Quick Update

Coby's still battling his ear (yeast) infection - it doesn't seem to really bother him until we put drops in his left ear (that irritates him, his screams & whines aren't as bad). Overall, he seems ok besides the dirtiness inside his ears. He's also holding his weight at 8.5 pounds, which is great! He's eating well now that he's on his "homemade" diet. He loves the sweet potatoes mixed with the meat - he's not too thrilled with the rice anymore. It's been 4 days since his cytarabine (chemo) injections & so far he seems to be doing well. We are having a CBC drawn on Wednesday to check his blood count - Wednesday will be 8 days after the injections were given - that is when the chemo reaches it's peak - that was the day last month we ended up bringing Coby to the ER. I am keeping a close eye on him, although the neuro doesn't think Coby will have any problems since the injection dose was cut in half. Today is now SEVEN weeks since Coby has been off the prednisone! :-) I keep a running tally in my calendar so I know exactly how long it's been.

We also had the animal communicator/energy healer lady over Thursday who performed a Reiki treatment on Coby. I'm still skeptical about the whole thing, but I know it is not harmful for him. This is a brief overview of what Reiki is:

Reiki (pronounced Ray-key) comes from the Japanese Rei and Ki meaning spiritually guided life energy. Reiki for dogs is a form of spiritual healing that helps harmonize the mind, body, and soul of your pet. It can be used as a treatment for relaxation as well as a tool for releasing negative emotions and limitations.

Reiki for dogs can treat many ailments that may be currently inhibiting your dog, whether noticeable to you or not. It can reduce stress, relieve pain, headaches, stomach upsets, asthma, back problems, sinus, respiratory problems, canine hip dysplasia, anxiety and many more. After performing your first session with your pet, you will see instant results of using Reiki for your dog.

Reiki for your dog is a gentle but powerful healer. It will balance your dog's energy, organs, and glands. Reiki for dogs has proven to strengthen immune systems, relieve pain, clears toxins, and enhances personal awareness while relaxing your dog.

There is a lot of information on the internet & much more than I just copied & pasted. While Coby had this "treatment", he was also communicating to me. There was a lot of interesting things, some very true & accurate. I may continue this with Coby, possibly once a month - I'm undecided at this point. I'd be interested to know about others who have had experiences with Reiki.

VOTE FOR COBY!!!!

http://bissell.promo.eprize.com/mvpcontest/gallery?id=3400

VOTE FOR COBY! Yes, he's in another photo contest, but this time it's for a good cause!! You can only vote once a day, but every day! There are thousands of entries, so please pass this along!! You will have to register & probably "search" for Coby by entering his name due to the massive amount of pets entered!!!! Voting ends January 18th!!!

Coby's Ears

Coby's ears have been looking rather dirty these past few weeks, so I finally decided to mention it to the vet. Coby has some yeast in his ears, so now he will be getting daily ear drops! My poor little guy. He's also on metronidazole (for about another 6 days) & now ear drops in addition to his GME meds. Today & tomorrow are his cytarabine injections. Next Wednesday he will have a CBC to make sure his blood count is ok following these chemo injections.

Coby's Stress Reduction

Taking the advice of the animal communicator, I decided to let Coby relieve some stress by ripping apart boxes. I think he really enjoyed (& entertained) himself.

Animal Communicator Visit

Coby & I had our visit with the animal communicator this afternoon & it was definitely interesting. Most of what she said was accurate & made sense. Stacy, the communicator, was instantly able to pick up on Coby's nervous/anxious behavior - but, he was obviously displaying that, so any normal human being would sense that. She knew he was a "nervous nelly" dog. From what she picked up from Coby, he wants me to communicate to him better of where we are going, what we are doing, etc. I need to make him more aware of what's going on (for example: going to the vet). She also was very attracted to his heart - heart murmur, enlarged heart - which to me, doesn't make ANY sense. She saw the fear in my eyes, but said that didn't mean he had those things, she was just drawn there. I think she was overwhelmed with Coby's anxiety & fear when we first got there - Coby had said he wanted to leave. LOL Stacy went on to say that she was "burping" for Coby, talking about some GI upset, feeling nauseated but hungry. All of which was accurate due to Coby's recent bout of diarrhea & regurgitation last night - we limited his food today because of that. When Coby was on my lap during the session, I heard his belly gurgling (she couldn't have heard b/c he never got close enough for her to hear). She also asked me if we had a cat or 2 cats at home - which we do. She talked about them, primarily Olive whom she said "watches over" Coby, snuggles with him, etc - all of which is true. She picked up on some sinus problems with Olive though, so that was interesting & nothing we know about as of right now - we will keep our eyes open for that. Coby said he was also concerned for one of the cats...the one with the bigger belly - they both have big bellies, so we are not sure which cat he was talking about or why he is "concerned". Stacy also said Coby was on a very strong medication & asked if he was on chemo....she also asked if it was for his brain. OK...so true & I did NOT mention that AT ALL! When I told Chris about that, he said of course she said that b/c of Coby's obvious fur loss & "lame eye"....I'm doubting that though. Coby also said he wants to be more like a "dog" - he wants to be outside more, in warmer weather & to lay in the grass. I told her to tell him we are trying to move to Florida & hopefully he will be able to do that by the end of the year. She also said Coby likes to look out the window & watch the birds, but isn't able to do so & feels trapped. True again - our windows are too high for him to look out of, unless he is on our bed & the blinds are pulled up (which they usually never are). I actually had pulled them this morning b/c he was trying to look outside (prior to our visit) - so he was looking out for a bit earlier. I will now make sure the blinds are pulled. He also said he likes to lay in the sun & wants to do that more often, thus we need to open the blinds for him. She also said Coby is a picky eater & really only likes to eat meat. Totally true again - many of you know the troubles I have had with him & dog food, so he now gets a homemade diet - in which he was starting to only pick out the chicken chunks. He's now getting ground meat with the rice so he can't eat only the meat. I asked her how he feels overall & she said "blah". He is bored, would like new toys & more to do - I told her he destroys all the toys & that's why we don't buy him any. She said to give him a box to destroy or something because he wants that & needs that to keep him stimulated. Coby also said he wants Chris to come to the vet with us when we go - Chris actually never goes to vet with us (unless it's an emergency) - Coby said he would feel better, so I told Chris is has to come with the next time. LOL She also knew how old he was.

Overall, it was a great experience & I wish we had more time to spend with her. She suggested some energy healing/reiki for Coby - a way to help him release his stress/tension/etc that stems from his health condition. He has no real "outlet" for that, so this would be a great idea. I am going to try that with her & see if that will help Coby somehow.

Overall, it sounds like Coby is bored & wants to live someplace warm so he can be outside, in the sunshine & watch the birds. He doesn't want to be sick & feel run down anymore. He wants me to better communicate things to him, explain why we are going to places, what will happen, etc etc.

All I want is for Coby to be healthy & happy & feel good! Hopefully some reiki healing will help.

Lazy day....

Coby is still doing good & eating well. There is no lab work due until January 19th. Cytarabine injections are next week, the 10th & 11th (he will now only get half the dose he was getting prior to his hospitalization). We also have an appointment this Saturday with an "animal communicator". It should be interesting...I will probably know if it's a rip off or not considering what Coby has gone thru these past 7 months. There's no way he wouldn't "talk" to me about this stuff, right? LOL I am very curious & hope to get some insight to what Coby is thinking about these days. (I know, I'm crazy) I will definitely post an entry about our experience. :-)

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone!!

Thank you again for all your support & prayers over the past year. We greatly appreciate you all. I am optimistic that 2011 WILL be a better year for Coby - happier, healthier & continued remission. Hopefully by May or June he will be done with his chemotherapy treatment. Coby has been off the prednisone for 35 days now. :-) He also had another CBC this afternoon & the results were all within the normal range. Off to a good start this new year!

Coby wasn't too thrilled with his homemade New Year's crown!