Rowdy
Just ask my kids, “Who’s the most spoiled out of all of them?” They’ll answer, “The dog”.
As a child, I was bitten by my Aunt’s pekingese. I was terrified of all dogs, especially little ones. After we moved into our new house, my parents decided to buy me a puppy, so I wouldn’t be afraid anymore. Gem was my very first dog. Then, Brandy, a terrier mix. I can’t remember the Pitbull/Great Dane mix’s name. He was so protective of me, he would growl at my parents if they yelled at me. My parents got rid of him because of his aggressive nature.
As an adult, I had a Doberman. He was abused as a pup, Nick was just a baby and I worried about having the two together. So we gave him away, the dog, not Nick. Then a pitbull, the new apartment didn’t allow pets, so Gabriel took him in.
In 1991, we got our first boxer, Buttkiss, from the Boxer Rescue. Alysa was 2 years old and he loved her, followed her everywhere. They used to have tea parties, he’d sit at her table, she’d pour water in a cup for him and put out a biscuit. He’d wait patiently while Alysa talked to him until she gave him the “ok” to eat. So cute! He passed away in 1999, he was 13 years old.
So I went back to the Boxer Rescue looking to adopt a small female brindle. But she wanted nothing to do with me. Ursula brought out a young fawn colored boxer named Damon. He came running right up to me, sat on my feet and looked up at me with his cute “take me home” eyes and I couldn’t say no. That was the first time we met Rowdy. He chose us!
Rowdy still sits on my feet. He still greets me everyday with the same look in his eyes. He’s doing well. The biopsy on his lymph nodes in his neck came back as Lymphoma. We started his Chemo treatments on Friday, May 22. So far no noticeable side affects. The initial induction will last for 7 weeks. It looks like he’s improving. I’m praying that it works. I’m not ready to let go just yet. He’s still a puppy in my eyes. My Favorite Son!
Update: 06.13.09
Today is week 4. Rowdy was scheduled to receive Adria (Doxorubicin). Adria is know to cause long-term problems with the heart. It’s common for Boxers to have heart problems in their senior years. So they did an ECG and the doctor noticed an irregular heartbeat. She said it was slight, but she didn’t want to give him the drug without making sure he’s not already suffering from Heart Disease. He goes back in on Monday for an echocardiogram. We’ll know later in the week if we need to change his treatments.
He’s gotten through the last couple of chemo treatments without any major problems. The lymph nodes are no longer swollen and other growths in his skin have gone down. The only side affects I’ve noticed is an increase in drinking water which makes him pee all the time. He’s had a few accidents in the house, not getting out in time, but it’s not that bad.
Update: 06.19.09
I dropped Rowdy off at the Cancer Center on Wednesday, June 17th. They sedated him and did the echocardiogram. Afterwards, in the car he was panting really loudly then all of a sudden laid down and wasn’t making any sound. I was scared that he wasn’t going to make it. I stopped the car and checked on him, he was passed out. I got him home and made him comfortable, then went back to work. Later that evening, he was up and about, but staying outside. He was having a bad reaction to the sedation, throwing up and a bit of diarrhea. The next morning he was back to normal.
Week 5. Again this morning, I dropped him off again at the Center for his weekly chemo treatments. The Echocardiogram came back normal, no signs of damage to his heart. He seems to behave better when I’m not with him while they’re checking him. They treated him with Adria, he did fine with the doctor and techs. No signs of any side effects and his bloodwork looks good.
Update: 06.27.09
Week 6. Today they used Vincristine for his chemo treatment. He was a good dog today, he seems to do much better when treated in the back without me. The bloodwork looks good, but one of his lymph nodes are growing larger again. They did a needle aspiration and sent it to the lab. If it comes back as cancerous again, we’ll have to change his chemo treatments. I’ll know more on Monday.
Update: 07.11.09
Week 8. I’m a little bothered by the fact that Rowdy is getting used to going to VCG. He’s behaving very well and even sits on the scale. Although I still have to coax him on it. They did have to change the chemo. His left mandibular lymph node is about the size of an almond. Before treatment it was the size of a golf ball. His bloodwork looks good, they’re just concerned that the lymph node is still swollen. They started him on 40mg lomustine, but the lymph nodes aren’t changing. Next week they’ll up the dosage. Hopefully this will help.
Update: 08.02.09
Week 10. This week Rowdy didn’t need to go to VCG. So it was nice not having to make that drive. Last week he went to get his bloodcount checked. His white blood count was low and they were a little worried, so they put him on anti-biotics and sent him home. We’ll be back at the vet’s next week. I’m hoping with the higher dosage, it will finally get his cancer in remission.
Update: 09.09.09
Week 15. Shortly after the last update, Rowdy’s toxic levels in his liver shot up slightly. The doctors decided to not go ahead with the chemo and gave him supplements to counteract the spike. Two weeks later the levels were so high they were worried his liver was failing or that the cancer had moved. They did a biopsy and it came back negative. It was just a bad reaction to the treatment. More supplements and they stopped chemo until last week. They’re trying a “Rescue” plan. Hopefully the cancer will finally go into remission. So far he’s handling this new round of chemo just fine. Drinking and eating more and his energy level has shot up, acting like a puppy again.
Update: 10.09.09
Week 22. Rowdy’s doing good. Last appointment his white blood count was low so they put him on antibiotics. Chemo doesn’t seem to be putting the cancer in remission. But keeping it at bay and it doesn’t seem to be spreading or growing. It’s expensive, but I’ll continue with it until something changes. Now that I’m home, we started walking more and trying to do it daily. Doctor says that sometimes the drugs will start deteriorating his muscles if he doesn’t use them. We walk a little farther every couple of days. Next appointment is October 15.
Update: 10.29.09
Rowdy passed away early this morning. Lately he’s been slowing down and having a hard time with his back legs. He had a couple strange falls, the back legs just go and he can’t stay up. On October 17, he started fainting. His back legs would go out and he’d fall down and not able to get up for a bit. I took him to the ER Vet and they were afraid that he’s experiencing pain in his back. They wanted me to just keep watch over him. On Friday, the 23rd, I discussed his problems with the Oncologist and got her to agree to give him a break after this last session. He started eating less and wasn’t feeling well after wards. On Wednesday evening, he started having those fainting spells again, but this time they seemed worse. He wasn’t quite himself, so I took him down to City of Angels. They checked his vitals, noted that his red blood count was low. So they treated him for anemia and let me take him home. But we didn’t make it to the car, he collapsed on the sidewalk. They took him in and tried CPR, but he didn’t make it. I wonder, was he waiting for me? We were there for 5 hours and not once did he show any signs of distress. He was truly dedicated and attached to me. The house is way too quiet without him. Thanks for choosing me and making me a part of your life. I miss you. You’ll be home soon.
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