A sleeping bag, car rides, and parks

This past week has been a good one. Koda seems to be in better spirits, a little more alert, a bit more smiling, and even some tail wagging. Not sure why he seems to be doing better this week than last. It could be the increased pain meds. I decided to double his pain meds. He's been groaning a little more when getting up and down, so I thought he could use some more for any pain he's having. The vet mentioned that we'd probably progress to more and more potent pain relievers as time went on. I can only hope that they are helping him deal with the discomfort.

I took him into the vets for a quick weigh-in: 51.3 lbs., down from 54.5 lbs. He's lost about 3 lbs. in the last 3 weeks, despite a relatively healthy appetite. He willingly eats both his raw meals and finishes with some spoon-feeding and coaxing from us. But he's still losing weight. (Thick fur gives a good illusion.) This is one of the few outward signs that Koda is sick. From pictures, he looks like a happy, healthy dog. I hate to think how thin he will become as the cancer ravages his beautiful self.

As a family, we are spending a lot of time together. P is now sleeping downstairs in the family room, joining Koda and I at "Camp Koda." It's been almost 2 weeks since Koda's been upstairs. We just don't think he can make it up and down any more, and don't want him to fall in order for us to find out.

Koda got to go for some car rides and spend some time outdoors at parks and grassy lawns on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. When I look in the rear view mirror, he looks like he's smiling and enjoying the sights and sounds of traveling. On Friday I took him to Gabriel Park, ready to just sit on the grassy knoll and people/dog watch, but the excitement from the nearby dog park perked him up and he wanted to walk, sniff, explore, and sit for the better part of an hour. Just when I thought he couldn't do walks anymore. The leg that had the surgery last year is wonky and pivots awkwardly out to the side when he walks, but he doesn't seem to be bothered by it. It still gets him to where his nose is leading him.

We've also had some good luck with giving Koda his liquid meds. The whole process has gotten a lot easier. Koda comes (tail almost wagging) when we call him to the staging area. He gets yogurt for coming. Perry has a new "hold" that keeps Koda very still so I can squirt each syringe in one quick second. Right before I give Koda the meds, he gets a few more licks of yogurt... then the syringe dose... then more yogurt so he'll swallow the meds... then a little intermission. Surprisingly, when we call him back from his hide-out under the dining table, he trots back over. It's weird. He knows he's going to get more meds, but he still comes willingly. Such a good boy! The last several days, we've been able to get 99% of the meds into him. No drama. And Koda always licks his dish of ice cream clean after it's all over.

Speaking of ice cream, we have upgraded his frozen treat to vanilla Haagen-Dazs now. It has the most calories (270) and fat (17g) per serving. We need to get the most calories we can into him, so what a lucky dog he is! And I think we're going to start giving him ice cream after both medicine sessions.

We are approaching 4 weeks past his diagnosis. He seems to be hanging on fairly well. I'm not sure how much of it is the holistic meds and cancer diet... all the TLC we are lavishing on him... or God's grace. Maybe all of the above? At this rate, it's hard to gauge how long he will be with us. It's not like we can have tests done to see if the cancer is slowing down or the positive effects of the holistic meds. It's hard to make any plans for the upcoming months. So we just keep doing what we are doing - spoon-feeding, meds, spoon-feeding, meds, car rides, park visits and making sure Koda feels loved.