Dizzy had his surgery

Hello, this is Lily here....Dizzy is a little bit busy recovering from major lung surgery.

Last night, he was a bit annoying as I was trying to get some Princessy sleep and my companion hound was just standing, panting and staring, making loud honking noises and then digging up the carpet. He could not lie down he said, there was too much fluid and he was in a lot of pain and could not breathe. He had lost a lot of weight over the past two days. Anyway, Mummy and Daddy called the vet at about 3.30 am, and got him out of bed (sorry Uncle Lyndon, but you are our hero!). We took Dizzy in, and he needed to have major surgery to find out what was going on. Mummy and Daddy knew it was risky.

Anyway, apparently Dizzy has had his major surgery and is recovering but the next 24-48 hours are critical. We are not going to visit him or pick him up as he needs to rest and be monitored. Our vet managed to remove a massive hard tumour from the lung, and has done a lobectomy....that piece of diseased lung or tumour will now be analysed. There were complications in surgery, and Dizzy's heart stopped, but they had a full team and were able to get it going again with heart massage....so no damage done there but it is worrying how much stress his poor body is under. Of course, if he came home and laid eyes on my Royal person he might just have another heart attack, that is the sort of effect my exquisite beauty has on common hounds like him.

We are all just waiting now, for tomorrow, so that we can go and pick Dizzy up. I know I moan about him and he can be a nuisance to me and keep me awake but things are a bit quiet here now he is not with us and I sort of miss him.....for example, where has that box of fresh lamb gone? And the cheese? And the chicken? And rice? Mummy and Daddy have been spoiling him something rotten and I was next in line to receive Dizzy's refusals at meal times. Now that seems to have disappeared and boring kibble has turned up in my bowl. Come home soon Dizzy, I sort of miss you! And I might even love you? Just a tiny bit? I am not admitting any more than that of course.

Lily

My Chest

Well, after my 3rd lot of chemo Mummy and Daddy gave me a little break of 10 days and the sores did clear up. Then I had my 4th lof of chemo. I was quite sick afterwards and not able to eat and I got very skinny. Then at the point when the nausea should have worn off, Daddy could not get me to eat at all but Mummy could only feed me tiny bit by tiny bit. About a week after my last chemo, I started making those horrible honking, straining, crowing retching noises. Very loud choking sort of sounds but it was just me trying to clear my chest. I got to the stage where I could not lie down at all and so something had to be done as I was very very tired.

I went back to my vet and he drained a lot of fluid off me. I weighed about 32.5 kilos in before, and then when reweighed I was 31.33. My chest was full of fluid so I could not breathe, could not swallow and my ribs were pushed out...it was horrible. Mummy and Daddy made a video of it to show our vet.
When I got home, I was so tired, I snoozed like a pup on my brand new bed and was much more comfortable. I had a reasonably comfy night, only a few groans and honks....so a dramatic difference from when the fluid has built up.

It looks like the chemo so far has not made a lot of difference to the problems coming back, and that surgery to remove the mass is the only option. We are all very frightened because the surgery is risky, and we don't know what we might find if it is opened up. Hopefully it will be something my vet can take out really easily which would be good.
If not, then at least we can know exactly what it is, get it biopsied, and then treat it with specific  treatment.

The other thing I overheard Mummy and Daddy talking about is the insurance. I was insured for one condition for up to £2,500 treatment and it looks like I am a good few hundred pounds over that. If there is more surgery, and more treatment then we might double that figure above. I heard Daddy talking to a man in the park whose friend spent £30,000 on cancer treatments, but it didn't work. Mummy and Daddy promised me that we would not make a decision on whether to go ahead based on finances. They will make sure I am very comfortable and that they won't choose something that will make me very uncomfortable unless there is a chance of it working.

So, looks like I will be getting my chest opened up next week sometime, possibly after Tues as Mummy has to go to hospital herself on Monday. If I am too sick or unwell to post, then Lily is going to have to (reluctantly) put a post up for me to tell you how I am.

Dandruff

Well it is Dandruff City in our house, everybody's sores seem to be clearing up and I am all flaky and peeling. Daddy took me to the vets for my usual weekly check up, and he made the decision that because I was a little bit perkier, and the sores needed a break, he would delay my last lot of chemo for about 4 days...so I had my last lot of Vincristine last Sunday.

On my scans, it looks as if there is still that big old mass but the good news is that the fluid is down from usual, and it looks like this mass has not metastasized anywhere else...this looks like it has not spread and is local. The problems with breathing are still there because the trachea and lungs are diverted, but I can now lie down comfortably and I am back onto the sofas. In fact, some of my annoying habits have come back so I must be feeling better.

I overheard Mummy and Daddy talking though, and they are worried because the insurance company only cover up to £3,000 and they are now at their limit. Neither is working, Daddy was made redundant and Mummy is sick and not working at the moment and is lame and not able to walk on her left foot. I am doing well, and it seems a shame not to proceed with treatment that is working....so they will probably be running up credit card bills just for my treatment! They can't stop now....can they? Also, I am a bit of an elderly gent for a greyhound and cannot believe I will be 10 next March, so it is difficult to persuade a charity to help out if the treatment only gives me a tiny chance of improvement or a short remission.....

Oh dear, I am doing my best to try and appear normal. 
I am doing the odd retching and chundering noises and breathing problems occasionally and I am off my food since my last Vincristine, but no more sores breaking open.
I look a bit tired and grey from normal, but hopefully will bounce back after this last treatment. The plan is to break from that and do a scan/xray in 10 days. Then what...we don't know. At some point, my vet might want to open up my chest and take out that big old lump....especially as it has not spread. I don't like the sound of that idea, but Mummy and Daddy will do their best....and I am loving the walks and attention.
I am still refusing nice food though, I feel entitled to get a bit fussy!

Dizzy

Dee Dee the Service Dog

Oh no, Mummy has found this wonderful, saintly and useful greyhound to compare me against, and its going to be hard. Dee started life as a racer, and a fast one at that. Then she retired and went into foster care, and then got adopted by a new Mum who trained her to be a companion and petting service dog, which I know I could do if I was not so afraid of people. Then Dee Dee's Mum got sick, you can read about her on this blog http://aroundwiththehound.com/.

Dee Dee learned to become more than just a constant companion to her Mum, she was trained to be an official service dog and helps her do day to day tasks. She can pull the covers over her Mum, open and close doors and pick up things and fetch them. Here is her story:

Now this puts extra pressure on me. Everybody knows I have been intelligent enough to manipulate people into thinking I am royalty, everything in life goes my way....and I am quite selfish really.....so please, nobody send me off to train to pick up Mummy's laundry and do the washing....and I really couldn't cook, but I can eat!

Lily