And here’s your irregular update on Shakespeare and Laevatein….
Laevatein has no idea she’s sick. Aside from lethargy about 36-48 hours after her chemo — during which she’s merely sleepy, and doesn’t seem to feel ill except for just once — she’s living a totally normal life. We’ll hope the chemo does its thing and pushes the lymphoma into remission. In the meantime, we are so very glad we did our relaxation work with the mat before now, because I don’t know what our frequent clinic visits would be without it!
For Shakespeare, we’re just looking for as many good days as we can get — but so far, we’re getting more than expected! Yesterday marked FIVE WEEKS from his diagnosis with a prediction of as little as three weeks to live, so we’re very pleased. His jaw is distorted and swollen, and he’s having to work harder at eating and drinking, but the pain meds seem to be doing the trick and his attitude is pretty good, his routine pretty similar to what it’s been for the last year.
And I was told that his appetite would be the primary barometer of how he’s doing, that we should start making the tough decisions when he feels too bad to eat. (The cancer is in his jaw, so pain while eating is going to be a big factor.) But this is what Shakespeare looks like at suppertime:
[youtube video_id=”tydZ41DX4KY” width=”640″ height=”360″ ]
See how terribly rude and demanding he is? It’s fantastic. /grin/ Perspective, people; it’s all about perspective. Someday I’ll be wishing hard for that rude behavior, so I might as well be glad for it now.
(Note: I am in no way trying to disparage our vet who guessed at three weeks for Shakespeare; she also said it could be longer, and of course she was guessing from how quickly the tumor had sprung up since she’d seen him only several weeks before. Seriously, we’re thrilled at his persistence.)
Thanks for all the continued prayers and support!
UPDATE 8-21: Just got the clinic paperwork — Laev is officially in complete clinical remission. 😀 She’ll continue chemo (kick it while it’s down! kick it while it’s down!) but this is really good news.
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Shakespeare obviously has a lot to say! Glad to see and hear his spirit so lively. 🙂
What great news Laura. I’m glad to see (and hear!) Shakespeare making the most of his days and that is great that Laev is in remission. My dad’s dog Charlie also was a bit quiet and had a slightly depressed appetite 2 days after chemo treatment, but then bounced back to normal (and last Friday’s recheck says he still is :)). It is pretty amazing how well our canine buddies handle chemo. Lots of hugs and ear scratches for your Dobes.
I’m so glad to read these news, and to know that you’ve all been doing as well as possible. Loved seeing Shakespeare being such a rude boy 🙂
Hoping that Laev stays in remission forever and becomes the eldest Dobe to ever live, and that Shakespeare remains this bundle of energy for a lot more time than expected.