So I finally got around to doing one of my 2009 New Years Resolutions and set up a fundraising page at the National Canine Cancer Foundation (WeAreTheCure.org) with Bryce’s story.

Many people set up these “friends” pages in memory of dogs they have lost – since Bryce is all about living life to it’s fullest, I felt it more appropriate to set set one up now in his honor. Silently, my page is also dedicated to those other dogs I know who are fighting the fight or who have left us recently – there are far, far to many of them !

The NCCF is a non-profit 503c that funds grants for scientific research into improved treatments and diagnostics for various canine cancers. They fully funded several research grants in 2009 and will be funding more in 2010.

January marks one year of Bryce being on treatment for his Myeloma. As of his last bloodwork, his numbers were very good but appear to be hitting a plateau now. I don’t think his numbers are quite good enough to qualify as full remission, but his globulins are down to well below where they were when we started and just a skooch above normal range, which I think makes it a good “partial response”.This is the point where I hold my breath and hope they stay there for a long time, dreading the day they turn and begin to climb again.

Every now and then I scan the news for the latest in multiple myeloma research - which is encouraging but frustrating at the same time. There have been SO many promising advances in the treatment of Multiple Myeloma in humans, but virtually NO mention anything new in veterinary medicine! No studies, no clinical trials – nothing. Nothing but the standard protocol, previously used for decades to treat humans … with mediocre results.

Probably the case for many other canine cancers as well. This is why we NEED to fund the kind of research that can lead to similar breakthroughs and more quality time with our beloved companions!

Visit Bryce’s Page at WeAreTheCure.org »

Enjoy my hastily-concocted holiday-ish photo of Jayda. Jayda’s been a very good girl this year and I’m sure Sandy-Claws brought her something nice. (Unlike ‘Bika, who’s getting a lump of coal in her stocking!)

Back from the acupuncturist. Does he feel better? Who knows? Do I feel better? Hell no! This is turning into an almost comical case of “too many cooks” and everybody has something DIFFERENT to say! I’m soooo frustrated, tired of racking up bills and ready to go postal – if I could figure out who to go postal ON!

Didn’t like this acupuncturist. She’s very quiet. Too quiet. As in, she looks like she’s thinking something but doesn’t TELL you what she’s thinking. She smiles a lot … to herself. (I’m paying you plenty for this visit – can ya at least TALK to ME???!!! )

So when she did talk first she started theorizing that it was something to do with his HEART because … it happened at 2 in the afternoon (meridians and chi and all that)! Possible that something triggered an arrythmia, I guess – anything’s possible – but basing a diagnosis on the TIME of DAY? WTF? Sorry, that’s wa-a-a-ay too new agey for me!

Once she got past that she was a bit more constructive: His quads were really tight (from being in the crate so much? Or because his back is sore? Chicken or the egg?), he was a bit sore in his rear, he was putting slightly less weight on his right rear (I saw that too, he may have had something brewing there for a while), and the one side of his pelvis was a little higher than the other.

She stuck needles in him, left him/us to stand there for 20 minutes and took them out. She recommended some kind of herbal anti-inflammatory they just happened to have in stock and said she wanted to see him again … every week for 6-8 weeks.

At check-out when I discovered that the herbal stuff was $50 on top of the $200 dollar consult + acupuncture bill I kind of freaked out and decided we’d all be better off without it! And once a week for 6-8 more weeks? I don’t THINK so!

So I STILL don’t know what is/was going on with him, or what the **** to do about it next! His chiropractor? A physical therapist? Hey the more the merrier – let’s get some more cooks in here to stir the pot!

All I want to know can he go back to his normal active life and if so, when? And if not, why not? Hellooooo can SOMEBODY please just HELP ME FIX MY DOG???!!!

I’m about ready to say “screw it all “, not go back to ANY of the doctors, let him do whatever the hell he pleases (and be ready with the camera in case it happens again!)

Yeesh!

Update: Found the herbal pain stuff through Amazon for $21 + shipping. Mixed reviews, including a negative from someone who I KNOW is a “real person”. Call me a skeptic, but I wonder how many of the glowing testimonials are the manufacturer?

Bryce DOES seem to be feeling pretty well post-pincushion, so maybe that helped a bit.

Bryce has an appointment to see an acupuncturist today. I don’t routinely do acupuncture with my guys (and I’m a serious needle-phobe myself), so this should be interesting! Poor Brycey – his entire social life has become a parade of doctors!

Needles – UGH (shudder!)

He’s been acting pretty sassy the last few days – I’ve practically had to SIT on him to keep him from doing his happy bounce or standing on his hind legs when I take him out. I’m going to optimistically take that as a good sign, though it may just be that he’s getting (???!!!) fed up with the crate lifestyle.

Bryce went to the neurologist yesterday – it was a lo-o-ng (not to mention VERY expensive) day! First a neurology intern examined him, then the neurologist came in and examined him some more. Poked and prodded him, looked in his eyes, turned the lights off and looked in his eyes some more… Then they took him to run some xrays of his back, hips and chest, an ecg, checked his blood pressure, took blood to run a thyroid panel …

Can’t say she’s not thorough, but I like that in a doctor. And she’s a Sheltie person too. Bryce got to have a little social moment with her 14 1/2 year old sheltie girl after he was done.

Tentative diagnosis: He hurt his back! The doctor found a place along his spine where, when she pressed it, he collapsed his back legs just like he did during those episodes! Very possible that the tight spinning put the same kind of pressure on that area. His spine itself looked good as did everything else they checked. She said she had a LITTLE arthritis starting in his back, but nothing major.

So he’s on a week of STRICT crate rest (and a few days of a higher dose of prednisone again) with another recheck to follow. He’s not a happy camper (and a little sore/tired today from all the poking and prodding!), but hopefully that’s all he needs.

The girls did great at the trial over the weekend – more on that later!