Bailey Report

It's been three weeks since we received Bailey's cancer diagnosis. We didn't expect her to last this long. But Bailey has always been a tough, determined little rebel and that's still true.

We've adjusted our routines to accommodate her condition. She doesn't run or climb stairs. She gets four meals a day and special supplements. She eats breakfast and dinner with her pack and in the afternoon and at bedtime she and I go off by ourselves and I hand feed her the two extra meals. She gets a tiny bit of kibble with a helping of homemade food, mostly veggies. She also gets either rice  or pasta mixed with veggies and some kiefer . She gets yogurt and sometimes low fat cottage cheese and once a week she gets sardines.

Her supplements are B complex, super cucurmin , fish oil and moringa.

Over the weekend Rob and I both noticed a change in Bailey. She started wandering around the yard and barking at people on the trail behind our fence. She carries her stuffed dog around with her again and at mealtime she's spinning and bouncing again. Sunday she even ran to meet me when I called her for lunch. She's wagging her tail and seems much happier than just two weeks ago.

When I spoke with Dr B yesterday, he was surprised that's she's so improved. He also thought she'd be gone by now. If she continues to improve he wants to see her in two weeks to check on the tumor.

We're well aware that Bailey could be gone in minutes, but seeing her happy and not in pain makes us so happy. I'll take every extra day that she can give me.

Yum, Yum, Yum #Chewy Influencer

One of the best parts of being a Chewy Influencer is discovering new products that are really great. One of our absolute favorites is Zignature foods. In the past we've tried the kangaroo food, both wet and dry and we all loved it. This time we're trying something else and we love it too. This is Zignature Trout and Salmon Limited Ingredient Grain Free Canned Dog Food.

Unlike some foods that call themselves one thing and actually contain mostly something else, Zignature is just what it says it is. The first three ingredients are trout, fish broth and salmon. There are other good things like peas, salmon meal, carrots , cranberries and blueberries.

There is no corn, wheat, soy, dairy or chicken, so dogs with allergies or sensitive tummies can enjoy this food safely.

My dogs love Zignature foods, but I like them too. First I like the healthy ingredients, second there is no fishy smell and third, this may seem silly, but I appreciate that the food stays soft after being refrigerated overnight. It's easier to mix with their kibble the second day.

Zignature makes many varieties to  appeal to most dogs and many of the flavors are available in either canned or dry foods.

Thanks Chewy, for introducing us to Zignature. We were unaware of the brand until you offered it for review. Now we're fans.

Chewy sent us a case of Zignature Trout and Salmon food at no cost to us in exchange for our honest review.

Memories

Tomorrow is Memorial Day, but for me yesterday was Memorial Day. 

Yesterday, May 26 should have been my brother Eddie's 61st birthday. I should have called him in the morning to wish him a happy birthday. We should have chatted about his family and our dogs. We should have talked about how the Mets are doing early this season and we should have commiserated about our teams not making the Stanley Cup finals. His team was the NY Rangers and mine was the Montreal Canadiens.

Eddie didn't celebrate his 61st birthday. He didn't celebrate his 50th or his 21st or his 15th. On a warm July evening when Eddie was 14 years old, he rode his bike to the little league field to watch our younger brother Dan play ball. A man who had stopped to have a few drinks with his buddies after work hit Eddie's bike and killed him, in view of the little league field.

On this holiday weekend don't let loved ones or friends drive drunk.

A Girl Can Dream

This is my sweetest dream, and Rob's worst nightmare.

Tiny Toppers # Chewy Influencer

Hi everybody,
This month Chewy sent us a box of tasty toppers. These would be dinner for a little dog but we big dogs  eat a lot so these are great mixed into our kibbles.

These are Blue Buffalo Divine Delights Pate Variety Pack Filet Mignon and Porterhouse Flavor Dog Food Trays. Mom was caught by the words filet mignon and Porterhouse flavors. Those are flavors she likes and knew we would too.

The ingredients aren't exactly what we expected. They start with beef, chicken,  beef broth, chicken liver, potatoes, carrots, peas, etc. Ingredient number eleven is filet mignon flavor. So this food is actually beef and chicken with some flavoring added.  Not what we were hoping for, but pretty good anyway.

Mom says that Blue Buffalo has gotten in trouble before for being less than straight forward on their labeling and advertising. You'd think they would learn.

Anyway we like this food mixed into our kibbles and think it's a nice change from our usual dinner.

Chewy sent us a box of Divine Delights at no cost to Mom and Dad in exchange for our honest review.
Your pal, Fudge

To The Moms

We want to wish a most happy day to all Moms, whether you're of the two legged variety ...

Or the four legged.

 Have a wonderful day.

Bailey Update

Bailey spent yesterday and last night at the hospital so Dr B could do xrays and observe her activity and mood. We picked her up this morning and went over the results.

I had decided that we would not put her down today but we'd bring her home for a few days to say goodbye. That wasn't necessary.

The reason Bailey looks like a watermelon is because she has a tumor on the spleen that is the size of a melon. There is no bleeding. Due to her age and the size of the tumor, surgery is not an option.

After observing her for a whole day, Dr B  says she's a happy dog, looking for affection and with a good appetite. He says she's not showing signs of pain but probably feels pressure from the tumor pressing against the organs.

He feels she probably has a few good weeks left and she'll tell us when it's time. He says to keep her quiet, feed her several small meals a day and give her some supplements to slow the growth of the tumor.

We're going to feed her a vegetable based diet because cancer likes animal protein. She'll eat half a shaved Brazil nut on her dinner because selenium helps control tumor growth. We're also going to give her large doses of super curcumin which also seem to slow cancer growth.

Bailey is happy to be home with her pack and is eating well. We'll take it day by day and give her all the love and attention she deserves. You know my heart is breaking.

POTP Needed

Bailey is in big trouble and needs all the Power of the Paw that you can send.

Our little girl with the big heart has been diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma.

Tomorrow she'll spend the day with Dr B having xrays. The location of the tumor will tell us what the future holds. A tumor on the spleen means she may have another four to six months. A tumor on the liver means she won't be coming home with us.

Her abdomen is extended so she looks like she swallowed a whole watermelon. That probably means internal bleeding.

She isn't in pain at this time, has a good appetite and enjoys being with the other dogs, though her activity level is lower than normal. She still carries her stuffy friends everywhere with her and Mr Moose will go to the hospital with her tomorrow.

What A Day

Hi everybody,
Today is May 5 and it's a super busy day around here. We're lucky that it's a beautiful, warm and sunny day because there's so much to do.

First, it's Kentucky Derby Day. Mom says we'll watch the race if she can remember to turn the tv on. She has mixed feelings about horse racing. She used to love watching the beautiful horses stretching out but after she saw a couple of them badly injured, she decided it wasn't worth the danger. She does say we can wear silly hats though. That's the best part of the race for us and nobody gets hurt.

Next, today is Artfest. That means that artists and craftspeople from all over the country come here to show off their work. Mom and Dad love to walk up and down the streets looking at the art and listening to the musicians and eating good stuff. The best part of Artfest is the dog parade. Each of us has gone to Artfest and it's lots of fun. The artists give us treats. Yum!

Today is also Woofstock. It's a dog walk and adoption event and there are lots of dogs with their peeps. That usually means treats, too.

Finally, I've saved the best for last. Today is Cinco de Mayo. That means that Mom makes enchiladas for our dinner. She uses turkey and cheese and sweet potato and rice. Ruby, can you come by with your margarita truck? We're making extra enchiladas for you and anyone else who wants to come celebrate with us.

Can you believe all these good things all crammed into one day? Tomorrow we'll need to rest up.
Your pal, Fudge

It's May

May is my favorite month. The days are warm but not stifling. It's perfect weather for wearing shorts with a sweatshirt. The nights are cool for knitting next to the fire.

Being a Central New York girl, I'm used to seeing snow falling in May but it's the pretty snow that disappears quickly, not the kind that turns to brown icy slush in the streets.

 One thing I really miss is "green day". Here in Missouri, spring  and summer happen gradually but in CNY there's a morning after a warm day and an evening rain when everything changes from brown and dead to green and lush. I've always thought of it as Green Day. Suddenly winter was over and summer fun was ahead.

 

 

 May brings flowers, in the trees and on the ground. Once again this year I thought about May baskets but I prefer to leave the wildflowers in the fields where they look so cheerful.

May brings Stanley Cup games and trips to the zoo to check on the baby animals. It brings fat noisy chicks to the feeders demanding to be fed by any other bird that drops by.

 May is a gift to help us shake off the winter blues and focus on  good things to come.