Happy Twelfth Birthday - 11th October 2012

I love October!

It's my birthday and even better - I get to have my birthday when I'm on holidays. It's great.

My mum and dad found this spectacular pet friendly holiday house in Hervey Bay and this year we've got two weeks at the beach. In the mornings I wake everyone up at normal time (5.15am, thanks Gromit :-(  ), mum takes Misty over to Aunty Allison's while I keep dad company for breakfast. Then we hop in the car to go pick up mum and Misty. Sometimes, dad sneaks in a walk to the beach for me while Misty is gone.

In the afternoons, the beach at the end of the lane is dog-friendly and we go for a sniff and a walk and a paddle. It's great.

This year I had a lunch birthday party - cheerios, cold meat, sandwiches, salad (yuk) and cake. It was great. Here I am enjoying my cake.

I even managed to dig myself a hole in the garden to sleep off my birthday feast. I love birthdays.

Mum says I'm really good for twelve. I'm cancer free and I'm recovering from my recent surgery really well and I'm walking twice a day - its just a bit slower than it used to be. My nose can still pick a dog treat at 100 paces and dad has figured out that no matter how slowly and carefully he opens the biscuits (or how flat out asleep I am) I'll still hear the crinkle of the packet and come to investigate.

Misty is FINALLY starting to grow up. Here's a photo of us chilling after a big walk.

September 2012 Checkup - 30 months Cancer free

Spring has sprung and I had my September cancer check. The good news is my fibrosarcoma site is clear - no sign of any recurrence. But I did have to go to hospital - I had two worrying things. The first was a lump down the back end that was worryingly close to my original melanoma and the second was a series of lipomas (fat-filled lumps) across my chest that was making walking difficult.

I went to Dr Rod's vet hospital and they took three lipomas and one bottom lump and I came home same day, with all of my drains and a compression stocking suit to stop me getting a lot of swelling around my chest stitches. I've been on bed rest ever since.

The good news - the bottom lump was a benign adenoma, the lipomas (weight around 1kg total) are benign and I'm walking a lot better with them gone. Mum and Dad said I had some "work done" and a "boob job" but I don't know what they mean.

You'll notice in my photos I have a constant companion while I've been in the crate. Misty has been lost without me, so much so that she has also confined herself to the garage. Even when Mum boots her out, she wants to be straight back in. She's a great little sister (except when she steals my treats).

Tomorrow I have my recheck and if its all clear, I'm off bed rest. Wish me luck.

My friend Arthur

Today is a sad day at Chez Gromit. My good friend Arthur the beagle has been diagnosed with a sarcoma and needs to go and have some radiation too. Luckily, he knows Dr Rod, and he's going to have his therapy at the same place I had mine.

Arthur, Misty and I have EVERYTHING crossed for your speedy recovery. And we'll make sure we drop by your blog www.arthurscancer.blogspot.com.au. to check how you're doing. Make sure you get Biscuit, Poco, Koffi and Darby to look after you mum and family and we'll try and catch up with you as soon as we can.

Twenty-seven month Checkup - 5th March 2012

Yesterday I attended what can only be described as Dog-Nose-Cancer-Clinic and saw the fabulous Dr Rod, as well as all my friends in the hospital (waves to Susan and Kirsty on Reception) and everyone out the back. Everyone is very impressed with my three whiskers - all on one side and one of them is curly. Whereas once I had the Lone Whisker, now mum calls them the Three Muskateers.

Met a Golden Retriever who had a tumour removed from the back of his nose having his six monthly check (all good) and a really cute Golden Retriever puppy (16 weeks worth of wiggliness) who doesn't have cancer, but instead had a kidney that wasn't working (they took it out). And there was a sick poodle (snake bite while defending her babies) with tiny weeny puppies who exploded out of their carrier bag and ran riot in the waiting room. As fast as their human mum put them back in their carrier, they were off again in another direction. Both human mum and dog mum looked like they needed a break. (and my mum had a big cuddle of the black one).

It was the usual for me. No breakfast, which means big trip to Specialist Centre, then chest X-rays, ultrasounds, mouth exam and a fine needle aspirate of my new lumps and bumps. I tell you, I'm thinking that needle is not so fine. This time I went minus anaesthetic - I am pretty good at this now and they don't need to knock me out to get their pictures. But a little bit of local wouldn't go astray on the lumps.

And, drum roll!!!

ALL GOOD. The new lumps are fatty lumps (benign) and all my pictures and scans are normal. Next checkup - September 2012. Yippee.

Celebrating Gromit Adoption Day - 11th January 2012

Eleven Years?

Can you believe I've been living here for eleven years? I can still remember that first day, when my mum snuck me into her work in a box because she was too scared to leave me home in case I slipped through the pool fence - back when I was a tiny 3kg. Those were the days.....

On the weight front, there has been a new regime. Breakfast is out. Light dog kibble is in. I am walking miles and I am now down to 37.5kg (from the all time high of 41kg when I was not walking). Everyone is very happy with me, even though my fatty lumps now stick out more. I have a waist! Mum and Dad say I am aiming for a number starting with 36. Personally, I am aiming to distract Misty and steal full strength biscuits. A girl has to keep up her strength!

Here are some photos from Christmas. The close up shows my scar and my weepy eye - it doesn't have as many tears so it gets gunky. I hate having it wiped! And then there is the nose - it gunks up too and if it gets blocked, that's Dad's job. Now, I run away if I see tissues. The indignity!!!

I will leave you with photos of my Christmas bear. I really loved him but alas, he has had a slight decapitation incident (Thanks very much Misty). Right now, he is in intensive care (the sewing room), minus the bits of stuffing that are spread far and wide over the yard. Mum says we might be able to save him.

Hope you are all having a fabulous 2012. My next check up is in March, at which point I will have survived over two years (average survival is 18 months). Pretty good, hey?