Simply Sunday and the Circle of Life

 Ozzie went to see Dr. D on Friday. She was very concerned about the size of his lymp nodes under his neck and appartently there are some in his shoulder area too that have her worried. They are quite large.  Other than that he seems to be in good health. His weight is steady at 79 pounds and he eats like a horse and poops like one! She was going to talk with the oncologists and see if going forward with further chemo was worth it or not. My fear is she is thinking that this is the end cycle of his disease. The pill we give him is Lomustine 75 mg and we do not give it until we hear from the vet that his blood work is normal, which it was. It has very toxic propeties so we must wear rubber gloves when admineristing it to him. Of course slipping it into a piece of turkey bologna works like a charm!

Where do we go from here? I have been feeding Ozzie things like broccoli and organic chicken and giving him vitamin e supplements and eating bananas and oranges together. I was hoping that supporting his immune system with all this good food would help in his battle against the cancer. He was diagnosed last June and he is still with us and that is more time than many dogs who have lymphoma last. Most don't survive the first round of chemo!

I know that we all have our time to live and die but I am really mad that Ozzie is being cheated out of some of his best years to come with us! On the other hand we gave him the best home and the most love we could and I try to find comfort in that. Most of all he is still here and well and it's just life day by day that we can expect to enjoy him, each moment more special than the one before it!

Here is wishing everyone a wonderfu week ahead!

"Just waiting for dinner. So what it's only 2:00 PM!"

Rotten Clementines,Burnt Rice and Life

We just returned from a fabulous week long trip to Kitzbuhel Austria with our ski club. The Austrian Alps couldn't be any more stunning and the apple strudel any more delicious! Though the whole time I worried about Ozzie and how he would miss us so, but Grandpa took good care of him and he greeted us home with his usual stubby tail wag and deep growl of "where the heck have you been!"

Vacations are always wonderful and a true break from it all but back to reality my friends! It seems that Ozzie's lymph nodes have gotten larger since we were away and he seems a little more lethargic than usual. He goes for his next round of oral chemo therapy on Friday so we will see where we medically stand then.

Yesterday I bought a box of Clementines,  you know that sunny citrus small orange like fruit. They looked good from what I could see on the top of the box. When I got home and opened them I was in for a surprise. There were 5 rotten pieces of the fruit on the bottom of the box. One more mushy with green mold than the next. What a rip off I thought! Later that evening I was making some rice for dinner and I accidentally turned up the flame under the pot. Yup you guessed it burnt rice!
Life's little annoyances are sometimes an analogy to the bigger picture. Life may look good from the top but you have to beware, you will run into something that is rotten from time to time and watching your pot more carefully can result in less burnt rice.

Anyways it's good to be back home and I will let you all know how Ozzie does at the vet on Friday!

The Austrian Alps in all their glory!

Simply Sunday and Almost 2013

We had a few inches of snow here in New Jersey yesterday. Today it's sunny and cold but it looks scenic and right for the holidays! Ozzie enjoys tracking through the white stuff and being a connoisseur of snow was engage in some tastings of it in the back yard this morning!

Right before Christmas Eve I was petting the Oz and found a lump right under his jaw line in his neck. I knew it had to be the lymphoma rearing it's ugly head but was hoping for something else to be diagnosed. I took him to the vet on Friday and sure enough he is coming out of remission. Dr. D suggested a new treatment that would be in pill form once every 3 weeks. They would do some blood work each time prior to the pill and he would be on that for at least 5 pills. She also suggested a injection in conjunction with the pills of a drug called "Elspar" which is given intramuscular with a total of 2 injections. This treatment may make him feel a little "poopy" for a day or so but she feels it works well and helps to extend remission. I am all for it!

Ozzie is in good health otherwise and he gained 2 pounds over the holidays. That is mostly due to all the extra treats and goodies that have come through this house! Also Uncle Fred shared way to much food with Ozzie on Christmas day ( I know he means well) but it resulted in some first class diarrhea 2:00 AM that morning! 

I will keep you posted on Ozzie's treatments and progress and pray for the best out come. 

I want to wish you all a very happy healthy prosperous 2013 and peace for the New Year!

"I detect notes of plum and a smooth finish! Yummo!"

Simply Sunday and Waiting for Sandy

Its now the calm before the Mega Storm or Frankenstorm as the local papers call it. Hurricane Sandy a thousand mile wide, category one hurricane is making its way to the east coast corridor of the US, slamming very unladylike into areas of New Jersey and New York City! Today is the last day to hunker down and get supplies for a possible 2 day stint of being stuck inside. Hopefully we will not have a power outage but with the severe winds that Sandy (up to 75 mph) is packing we may not be so lucky! 

The grocery stores are empty of any kind of bottled water so hopefully we have enough just in case. I noticed the liquor store was very crowded yesterday. Maybe a lot of folks rather be short of water but not of their booze to ride out the storm with?!

Part of our preparing for the hurricane includes making Ozzie his cinnamon pumpkin cookies. They are fairly easy to put together and I just pulled them out of the oven. Ozzie is patiently waiting for them to cool so he may sample one! (see recipe below)

Not to fail to mention the good news with Ozzie.His last chemo treatment was Friday and he went through it like a trooper. The vet wants to see him in one month to check him out and he will continue to take the steroids until then. Dr D  said that he responded well to the treatments and the lymphoma is in remission. Yea! We were very happy to hear this and hope that he continues to keep the cancer at bay!

For all those in the path of Sandy, stay safe have a plan and good luck!


Cinnamon Pumpkin Cookies

2 1/2 cup of organic flour ( you can use regular or whole wheat)
1 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree ( make sure its not the pie filling kind that is seasoned)
1/4 cup of crunchy peanut butter ( organic or all natural if you can )
3/4 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 cup of water (amount varies depending on the dough's consistency)

Preheat the oven to 275 F. Mix all the ingredients together. Once you get a nice dough ball going get your rolling pin and roll it out to about a 1/4 inch. Take your cookie cutter and cut out your cookies. Place them on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and bake them for 1 hour. The doggie treats should be lightly browned. Let them cool for an hour or so. Then give them to your favorite pup!

"How long must I wait! Wake me when they're done!"

Simply Sunday and Sizes X-Large to X-Small

Ozzie is recovering from chemo treatment number 4 this weekend. All went well and the vet reports that he is a perfect patient as usual. Also good to know that his lymph nodes are normal in size and over all he seems fit. Yes he is fit all right, up to 81 pounds! I guess his appetite has not suffered! He has another treatment to go next month and then we will see where we are at. Knowing the outcome of this disease all we can pray for is his continued good health and time!

Last Sunday we attended the Columbus Avenue street fair in NYC. There was food galore and vendors of all sorts and music from Zeppelin to Sinatra. The day was sunny and mild and folks where out by the scores, a lot walking dogs of all kinds. Of course we came across a bulldog. She was very lovely, with coloring much like Ozzie. Her name was Dylan and she was a petite thing. Her owner told us that she was 4  years old and the runt of her litter. She weighed only 42 pounds. Wow, Ozzie is twice her weight! 

Here is the scoop on Bulldog's height and weight:

Height, Weight

Height: about 12-16 inches (31-40 cm.) (there is no prescribed height, but shorter Bulldogs are more prized when being shown) Weight: Dogs 53-55 pounds (24-25kg.) Bitches 49-51 pounds (22-23kg.)

Ozzie is at least 18 inches and weighs in at 81 pounds so I guess he is just off the charts!


Happy Sunday all!

Dylan the bulldog of the Upper West Side, New York City

Simply Sunday and a River Runs Through it!

Brrr! An evening rain storm has ushered in cooler temps and truly Fall is here! Time to plant mums and to think about Ozzie's Halloween outfit! 

So Ozzie's new idiosyncrasy is holding in his pee for an inordinate amount of time. Example extreme,....Ozzie's last visit to the back yard 4:45 PM. His next visit 11:30 AM! Of course when he finally lets loose he goes and goes, so much that he ends up standing in a river of his pee! What this means I am not sure but I will not fail to mention it to the vet when he goes this coming Friday for his 4th chemotherapy treatment. Other than that he seems fine. His appetite is good and his breathing even seems a bit better! Certainly the cooler weather helps in that department!

"So what, can't a guy decide when he needs to pee or not! Besides I'm busy now!"

It's 8:17  AM Sunday and Ozzie refuses to go out in the back yard to do his morning business. Husband suggests bribing him with cheese, that seems to work. Really? Do we have to bribe him to go to the bathroom?! Hmm, not so stubborn as smart perhaps!

Happy Sunday and enjoy the invigorating Fall weather! 

Suddenly Saturday and Chemo Round 3

Ozzie had his 3rd chemo treatment on Friday. All seemed to go well. He gained back the 7 pounds he lost probably with some help from his Pop who is constantly feeding him under the table! The vet said that his lymph nodes seem normal and overall he is in good shape. Oz is taking meds for his stomach now since the last round of chemo he experienced bloody diarrhea! (Oh my!) He will continue to take the steroids and there are 2 more treatments ahead. We just take it day by day and hope for the best!

I think the words pet owner are incorrect. It really should be pet steward. It is our responsibility to love them and take the best of care of them that we possibly can. In return they give us unconditional love and joy. It is our privilege in our life time to have a dog or cat or etc. No matter how long or short the time they spend with us. 

And with that philosophical moment I leave you and wish you all a safe and fun filled Labor Day weekend!

"Gak! That chemo leaves a rotten taste in my mouth! Hey where is my dinner!"

Suddenly Saturday

Ozzie has had a good week. He seems well other than the extra panting from the steroids. He goes for his next chemo treatment on the 31st.

The weather has been a little less humid and cooler in the evenings so Ozzie ventures out a bit more. Though once he is out for a while he is always looking to get back inside to the AC! I guess the upcoming Fall weather will be a welcome relief to him.

"OK, I had enough of this, let me in!"

Here is a link to an adorable bulldog puppy being just plain cute. Enjoy and have a marvelous weekend!

http://thechive.com/2012/08/24/this-adorable-bulldog-puppy-is-fussy-video/

Finally Friday and All That Jazz

After Ozzie received his second chemo last Friday he seemed fine! The usual lethargic behavior but nothing more. Not until a couple of days later! Ozzie came down with bloody diarrhea on Tuesday. Always a unsettling thing to witness, I freaked and called the vet immediately who prescribed Flagyl or generically called Metronidazole  . This medication acts as an antibiotic that works on the GI tract and also helps to calm the diarrhea. Our vet Dr. Tracey, seemed less concerned over the BD then us. She explained that it was a side effect from the chemo and that the drug was attacking the rapid divide of the cancer cells that are found abundant in the intestinal tract. She also recommended a diet of boiled chicken and rice for a few days. He has had some smaller episodes since taking the medication and hopefully this is working its way out of his system! Still very upsetting to see this go on with our poor boy. Though his appetite his still over the top and he is acting fine otherwise! He enjoys chewing on his Nyla-bone and is always seeking a hand out from the dinner table. I know the Dog Whisperer would be appalled, but now a days all good dog behavior expectations have gone out the window! 

  What I refer to as the Bulldog stance, while happily gnawing at his Nyla-Bone!

Again to all of you, thanks for your concern and well wishes! A special thanks to Melinda and Don for your call the other day! Have a wonderful weekend!