i heart tripods

Radioactive Canine

Ack! I just wrote this long post and what happened? It got deleted. Jesus. Let me see if I can remember my witty anecdotes. 

Today was Lulu's 5th and final chemo appointment. The doctors told me they were really going to miss her. She's been their best patient. I'm not exaggerating. When the nurse brought her out, she even told me they had taken photos of her napping while being pumped full of chemicals because no one would believe them that a dog was so easy going during chemo. Way to take it! 

Since this was her last chemo session, she also got her final bandana. There was much debate in the chemo room as to which design to bestow on her. The final decision was that Lulu's high energy and positive 'tude deserved the snowboarding and skiing dog design. She looks smashing, no?!

Phew! What a relief to finally be done with chemo. We started September 18! It was still warm then! I've noticed that the chemo has started to take a toll on her. Aside from the missing hair, she was losing some major gastrointenstinal battles. She was sick for a week after the last appointment, but despite the constant squatting she was still all smiles. I don't regret putting her through chemo at all, but I'm definitely happy we're done. 

Our next appointment is in 4 weeks, when we'll get some blood work done and x-rays. Until then, Miss Lu is getting plenty of belly rubs, biscuits and lamb lung. You read that right! Some pet stores offer the lung of the lamb, jerky-style. The doggles love it! 

For Thanksgiving my friend Seth and his pup Tank came up from Virginia -- praise the lord for southern boys. Lulu was a gracious host to the hyperactive mini dobbie... for about four hours. Then she got tired. She kept passing out at every stop we took during the day. In the kitchen, in the living room, under the dining room table. And every time Tank came by to bother her, she'd growl, letting her true old woman come out of the closet. She couldn't deny her 12 years this time! 

Background Part 1

I figured some of you would like to know a little bit more about Lulu's life pre-cancer. So this is the first of, who knows how many, parts chronicling Lulu's life.

Lulu and I met over 12 years ago when I was just a wee camper at Gunning Creek Adventures. Two months prior, the camp Rottweiler had once again had a love affair with the Australian Shepherd up the road and neither of them had taken sex ed in obedience school. In late May she gave birth to, if I remember correctly, six pups. Lulu was the runt, which made her different from the rest and hence a must-have (god forbid I have a regular old dog!) 

I spent weeks and weeks laboriously writing letters to my father, guaranteeing full responsibility of the dog. I called him as many times as the camp owners would let me, and if email had existed at the time you better believe I would have spammed the shit out his inbox with digital photos. In the end I didn’t need to do anything because my father is a sucker. One look at the bread loaf-sized mutt and he said, "Put her in the car. Mom's gonna kill us." 

Mom didn't kill us. Instead she insisted on the name Lulu. I don’t remember what I wanted to name the dog, but it was probably something pop culture related. Ugh, can you imagine? She could have been Donna Martin, or even Paula Abdul! My mom had made the mistake once by letting me name our cat Max, an ode to the late 80’s computer-generated Max Headroom (um yeah, I was a cool kid). 

For three years we lived with my parents as I finished high school and prepared for college. In that time Lulu graduated obedience school, but also found the time to tear up my mother’s rug during her first and only bout of the heat (the vet had suggested for health reasons she not be fixed until she biologically became “a woman”), and to attempt suicide during a snail bait binge. 

During regular business hours, Lulu was also learning all about cats and how, unlike dogs, cats were much too civilized to be seen wrestling with a filthy mutt. Max and Misza, who were kings of the castle long before Lulu and reminded her of that daily, soon discovered the only way to be on equal footing with the dog was to be on a chair. The chair provided the appropriate height for face slapping. As soon as Lulu came too close, paws would fly at her face ninja style (no claws, mind you). 

At first I thought this was a defense tactic, but I soon discovered the two cats were a grouchy, old team – similar to the bitchy Siamese felines of Lady and the Tramp – actually luring Lulu over only to bitch slap her. Being half Aussie, Lulu used her wit to seek revenge. While the chair gave the cats ideal slapping height, it also put them in perfect tail whipping range. Lulu, knowing she’d get yelled at if she purposely did anything to the cats, would innocently walk over to the chair, turn around, and look at you while she presented her rear to the cat. She’d wag her tail as if she was happy to see you, with each wag pushing the cat further and further off the chair. She’d wag her tail with more and more excitement, not because of you, but because she loved the sound her built-in whip made when she knocked those cats right off their chairs.

I'm Rich Bitch

I thought it was about time to post how much the Tripod Fund has made since it began taking donations in September. To date, we've made roughly $3,500! I seriously can't believe how many of you donated, and donated generously so that Lulu and I could make a hefty dent on our bills. Thank you all so much for reaching into your pockets to help us out. 

Now with all that said, there's still more debt to pay off. I think, since I've stopped looking at the bills in order to keep some sanity, that we have $4,500 left to go. We're gearing up to do another batch of shirts and tote bags along with some new goods, including tanks for both men and women. Check out the Tripod Fund for more info. 

The holidays are coming up, and you can't deny that tripod fever is on everyone's wish list!

Just Don't Give her a Drug Test

At the urging of my friend Kate I stopped by Whiskers, a holistic pet store in the East Village. They've got a knowledgeable staff to guide you in the right direction regarding food and supplements. I talked to, I believe, the owner and told her our situation.

She immediately recommended I cut out Lulu's dry food and replace it with canned food and the occasional cooked meal of meat and veggies. She suggested I get Abady because their food is high in quality animal protein, which can prevent or remedy common problems associated with poor diets such as skin & coat problems, diabetes, thyroid, heart and kidney breakdowns, gastro-intestinal problems, and even hip dysplasia. Lulu has always had a pretty weak stomach, with occasional D and vomiting, so I was happy to find something that could alleviate that for her. 

I was also advised to buy two supplements. Immuno-DMG Liquid: an immunity and cardiovascular booster that also improves nerve and brain functions, glucose metabolism, and skin health. Since chemo, especially doxorubicin, can wreak havoc on your immune system as well as the strength of your heart it's important to help the system out in any way you can. 

Rene Cassie's Herbal Formula: A tonic that helps detox the system. Chemo drugs are basically poison, so flushing them out is important. 

She's been eating Abady and taking the supplements for over two weeks now and I think I've noticed a difference. Her bowel movements are regular and look better than ever (I never thought I'd ever say that) and she's got a lot of energy. My only concern is that she's always hungry. I can't give her enough food or treats to satisfy her. I mean, she's always been a beggar, but she gets up every time I get up thinking that I'm going to give her some food. It gets a bit tiresome. I'm experimenting with how much food to give her to see what the right dosage is. Right now we're at 1.5 cans a day.

One More To Go!

Lulu had her second to last chemo sesh yesterday. No shenanigans to report, but last night while giving her her nightly belly rub I noticed a patch of fur missing from her upper chest. It's a clean bald spot. No rash, no signs of why hair would be falling out -- though while looking at it, more hair fell out in small chunks. The whole thing is about the size of a quarter.

I'm convinced it's from the chemo. I've noticed throughout this whole experience that doctors like to gloss over things. Initially when I was deciding on whether to put Lulu through chemo, they assured me she wouldn't have the types of side effects humans have, like hair loss. But here I am looking at a bald spot.

Who knows, maybe it's from something else, but I'm going to keep an eye on it and mention it at her next appointment to find out what the deal is.