February 18, 2017: What’s best for Bubba

There are still some rewrites to do, a couple of polishes to finish, and a series finale to break but, for now, I’m taking it easy. For now, it’s all about the dogs.

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We broke out the stroller for the dogs while Lulu managed to limp her way to the dog park long enough to say hit to all the dog owners before calling it a day. Suji got to put on her wheels and motor around the park as well while Bubba, as usual, preferred to spend quality time with mom –

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So, we’re wrestling with indecision regarding Bubba. The oncologist recommended a drug called Palladia which is a chemotheraphy medication. It seemed simple enough: give him a single pill every other day with his meal, alternating with Prednisone, a corticosteroid and anti-inflammatory. But, when we got home and read the special handling instructions, Akemi instantly had second thoughts. Always use gloves when handling the pill. Always wear gloves when cleaning up after your dog and be sure to quickly bag and dispose of your dog’s feces. Keep pregnant women, children, and other dogs away from your dog’s waste…which, on the surface, seems simple enough unless you consider urine which isn’t really covered in the handout. Also, we have to other dogs. What are we to do if Bubba has an accident in the house? Do we have to start crating him?

Sure, there are answers, but they all lead to one big question: Is it worth it? We tried to do everything we could for our boy Maximus and he was pretty damn miserable in the end. Maybe the Palladia will buy Bubba more time, but will it be good time?

So far, he seems in good spirits and his appetite remains typically voracious, but Akemi has noticed changes in him. He still gets excited at the prospect of going for walks but, the boy who used to love his lengthy strolls now only manages half a block before we have to pick him up and carry him home. He’s had accidents in the apartment, once even finding Akemi before doing so as if trying to send her a message. He doesn’t so much nap as he does drift in and out, which makes us wonder what kind of discomfort he is experiencing. Akemi says she feels like, every days she’s losing him a different way.

I’m looking into some homeopathic and alternate treatments as well. Chinese herbs. Mushrooms. Someone even recommended cannabis oil. As for the Palladia, we’ll make a decision on that after the weekend.

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I made another batch of hot sauce today using cayenne peppers, vidalia onions, garlic, salt, apple cider vinegar, apple cider, apple puree, brown sugar, hot smoked Chilean merken pepper, organic tomatoes. Pretty damn tasty. Akemi thought it mighty explosive (She describes it as “painful on the throat”) but I found it just so-so. Tomorrow, I make another batch, but this time with the fresh habaneros I picked up from the farmer’s market.

I kicked off 9 day horror-fest with a viewing of The Invitation. Although I guessed where it was going, I liked how it eventually got there. A promising start.