Pictures Galore

Hello everyone! Gonna share an update with lots of pictures.

The first few nights after Riley got his chemo, we had the boys sleep on opposite sides of the bedroom. A couple nights ago we gave them back their freedom to sleep wherever they wish (in our room). It was obvious they were thrilled to have this freedom back. Me and my husband sat up in bed, and enjoyed watching the boys happily going back and forth to each others beds, following each other. They were so cute, lol. They do love each other. =)

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I posted previously about how I suspect Henry is sensitive to chemo being excreted from other dogs at MSU. Henry also gets very uncharacteristically stressed at MSU. We have been spending many long days at MSU. MSU is where Riley is getting his treatment for his cancer, and it is a 2 hour drive away. We decided to give leaving Henry at home alone a try. Henry had never been home alone without at least having Riley to visit him through the gate. (we separate dogs when we are not home because of Henry's epilepsy)

We hired a licensed and insured pet sitter to come check on Henry half way through our absence. This is a pet sitter we have used for many years and we know her well. She has cared for many of our special needs pets in the past, including a diabetic dog that needed insulin shots.

Anyways, normally Henry stands at the gate and barks in protest to us leaving. On this day, he instead jumped up on the bed, sat down, and looked out the window. There I was, all nervous about leaving, and Henry was handling it better than I!
Henry says, "You go on Mommy and take Riley to the veterbanareeyun. My friend Jill is coming to visit and I am going sit here and watch for her through the window." =D
Henry did absolutely just fine, no problems at all!
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In my last blog entry, I told you about how Riley bumped his tumor and it was very painful. This is a picture I took a couple days after and it was looking it's worst. =(

(Instead of Elizabethean collar, I had Riley wear an inside out (to keep pillies and lint off wound) sweatshirt, with one arm deliberately left too long. It worked well.
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Today it both looks and feels better. Here is a picture taken just an hour ago:

It is less red, no longer bleeding, and it even looks a little smaller too doesn't it? I'm really hoping the chemo shrinks it lots more. next chemo will be May 15th.
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By the way, I figured out dairy might be making Riley more prone to ear infections. He has always been prone to ear infections with those hairy ears. I had been checking his ears every day since the chemo, just to stay on top of it in case. (Chemo suppresses immune system) And his ears were looking perfectly fine, until one day, WHAM! Raging ear infection. I couldnt figure out why it hit so FAST. Then I realized I had been mixing in yogurt with his food instead of the usual canned stuff, and the ear infection hit about 24 hrs after this change. And now that I look back, I do see a pattern connected to the dairy. So I'm gonna go back to the canned stuff. Tomorrow we will likely go to the vet for his ear infection. Normally I can get rid of his ear infections on my own by carefully swabbing *OUTwards* the gunk, and trimming the ear fur, being very careful that no fur falls into the ear canal. I do this for a few days, and then it goes away. Usually there is improvement right away. This time though Riley's immune system is suppressed, so I am not counting on him being able to get past this ear infection without antibiotics.

I am so glad the weather is nice right now. I think nice weather makes it more bearable when one does not feel their best. I remember Alfalfa in his last days, he still enjoyed basking in the warm sun.