2020: Hope for a better year

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted here. 2019 was a bad year for our family, close and extended. There was a lot of loss in both worlds, human and dog. We approach 2020 with trepidation and hope. Trepidation because while Pecos has been cancer-free for most of 2019, a recent dental cleaning revealed another tiny hemangiosarcoma was growing in his mouth. They removed it, but it reminds us that he had it once, and so it’s bound to repeat someday.

We face 2020 with hope most simply because we have hope for a better year than last year. There are no signs (aside from the above mentioned) things are headed downhill. No dog (or human) in our lives started the year off in a bad state.

State of the dogs

To update our reader(s) on our doggos, Dandy is doing just fine. From Dandy’s reported upbringing on the streets of some town in Turkey, I suppose that her immune system and gut are sturdy stuff. She hasn’t had as much as a sniffle this past year. This news is quite a relief as I hear stories from other Golder owners that explain the trials they go through because their dogs tend to eat stuff they shouldn’t. Dandy chews on her Nylabones and sticks outside, but as far as we can tell, she doesn’t swallow those sticks she chews or anything else.

As mentioned above, Pecos went through 2019 cancer-free. He did develop an adverse reaction to the chemotherapy mid-year, however.  Cystitis, a side effect of chemo in dogs, cause their bladder walls to thicken, making the bladder to feel full; thus, the dog urinates more often. A lot. All over the house. They stopped the chemo and followed the remediation steps (anti-biotics and anti-inflammatories), which relieved the symptoms somewhat, but not completely. We ended up having to invest in “pee pads” and put them all over the house. We had great success with the ones we ordered from Chewey until Pecos decided they were food. After that, we had to invest in a ton of washable pads from Orvis. He doesn’t eat them, and they are effective and absorbent, they do not, however, hide the odor. Six months later, an ultrasound reveals his bladder is healthy, but he’s still using the pads in the house, mostly at night, but during weekdays too. I fear we have un-housebroken him.

Here’s wishing you (and hoping we) have a great 2020!