i heart tripods

I hate setbacks

So chemo was going great until Lulu's incision got infected. It's not a bad infection, but it definitely delays her next treatment by a week.

She's on antibiotics for the next week and then she goes in for her second treatment a week from Monday. 

Other than the occasional puss, Lulu's doing great. We went for a long walk today, met some pups who wanted to say "hi", and almost got a chicken bone. I've finally got the upper hand when it comes to chicken bones now that Lulu is a bit off-kilter.

We've Made It!

Lulu is officially cute!!!!! None of that alleged cute BS.

Thanks Meg!

And more playin' in the yard! Can you believe she's 12 and only has 3 legs?!

From Gimp to Pimp

*Video has not been sped up! yay!!!! lulu!!!!!!!

Join The Club!

Lulu's got her own bio at Cassie's Three-Legged Dog Club! Thanks to Cynthia at CTLDC for putting it up!

Oh, Fred!

To prove how damn common osteosarcoma is, let me tell you about Fred.

Seven-year-old Fred lives four blocks from us. He's one big love bug, who I consistently see laying on the warm pavement enjoying the day. His brother Harry, is just as sweet. About two months ago, while recovering from knee surgery in his hind leg, Fred's dad Brian noticed a growth on his front right "ankle" (do dogs have ankles?). Any way, day after day Brian could literally see this thing growing in front of his eyes and he could also see that it was causing Fred some discomfort. He took the poor guy to the vet only to discover that Fred had osteosarcoma. 

The leg came off and Fred began his recovery period, which was even more challenging since his knee hadn't fully healed. Suddenly with more weight baring on all his legs, including his bum knee Fred was suddenly hopping around on his two left legs in order to keep his bag leg off the ground. It was quite a sight and while really sad, it was also incredibly impressive. We were all worried about the poor guy, but after a month of training, the guy is a master on three legs. 

Check out the photo of the guy running in the park!

Lulu and Fred have yet to have a tripod meet-up. But hopefully that will happen soon. They have a lot to talk about. -s

And.... Action!

Here's a video of Lulu perfecting her pimp walk. More to come, especially since now she even runs! And no, that's not dog pee on the ground. I watered my plants. 

So Far So Good

I am totally beaming. Not only did Lulu's first chemo session go off without a hitch, but she may be Fifth Ave. Veterinary Specialists' fave patient. 

Man did she charm the pants off all the nurses and doctors today. People were coming out of the woodworks to talk about how adorable she is, how well she's doing on three legs, and how friendly she was during the procedure. Sure, sure they could say this to everyone, but I doubt it. I've seen them bring other dogs to their owners and no one says a word. Today I could barely get out of the place without cutting people short of their admiration. Those who know Lulu probably aren't surprised since they've witnessed her cuteness, but I have to say it made me one proud momma.

Plus, seeing her running around the clinic, smiling, and wagging her tail made me feel a lot better about putting her through all this. Since we got home she's been napping and occasionally coming over to my desk to nudge me for some lovin'. 

Here's a shot of her showing off the bandana she got at the doc's. I think it's the doggie equivalent of getting a lollipop for good behavior.

 

Monday is Chemo Day

Tomorrow morning Lulu goes in for chemo. Over the past week I've had a lot of doubts about my decision to put her through this and I'm still not sure I'm doing the right thing. There's a part of me that keeps telling myself that I should just accept that she's 12 years old and cancer is what will take her from me, and then I look at her and refuse to accept it. Other than being a little slow she's the same ol' Lulu. Runs (or should I say, hops) to the door when someone is there, wiggles her little butt when I'm making her something to eat, and almost always smiling her goofy grin. I just can't watch her get sick and know that there was something I could have done to delay it (and by some miracle, delay it for years).

I'm terrified of her first appointment as well. There are so many things that can go wrong, though thankfully they are all extremely rare. I also talked to a friend who's dog is going through the same thing as Lulu only he's going to his third chemo session this week. He's doing great according to his dad and hasn't had any side effects to the chemo. That was great to hear. What was even better to hear is that he met another tripod owner over the weekend whose dog was diagnosed with osteosarcoma 2.5 years ago!!!! Her dog is doing great and like Lulu was diagnosed at the age of 12. Weirdly she didn't give her dog chemo, but rather opted for a homeopathic solution from a doctor upstate. I'm considering giving the doctor a call to see what their "solution" is. It also made me question once again whether to give Lulu chemo. It's all a gamble and I'm just not a gamblin' gal.

So Much Love

It's only been two days since the charity gear went up and we've already raised $640! I want to thank everyone who's donated, especially Alison K. I don't know Alison and she doesn't know me, but that didn't stop her from donating what she could to the fund. Don't get me wrong, it's way awesome when friends help out, but it's absolutely amazing when strangers give what they can to help a girl and her dog.

The blog has also been getting some blog coverage from friends like sneakmove, greg's livejournal, as well as strangers like ropeadope. Thanks for all your support! 

If you haven't ordered yet, get to it already! 

Now how do we get Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan to trade in his polo for a tripod shirt?