Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Just Hanging Out
Henry, just hanging out with Benny and Luna.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Henry’s Health Update
We wanted to share the latest in Henry's health adventures. Since Henry stopped chemo, the plan to monitor his cancer status included a chest xray and sonogram of his internal organs every 3 months. That would mean that around the week before Christmas, Henry would be due for these tests. We had noticed, though, that his eye had been getting a little more cloudy as of recent so we took him in a little earlier than scheduled for his follow up at the eye vet. The eye vet confirmed that his cataract had indeed grown a bit since his last visit. And she was no longer able to see Henry's retina through or around the cataract. With that said, Henry's eye pressure was good, which meant no Glaucoma.
While at the eye vet we discussed the decline of Henry's vision. We have noticed that he is having a lot more difficulty with "transitional" vision. This is vision between different types of lighting. Going from the bright sunshine into a dimly lit home (in comparison to full sun). Or from a dark outside (post sunset) to a well lit home. These scenarios have proven to be a challenge for him. We have also noticed that he is bumping into things (furniture, doorways, stop signs, etc) and that if the light is not just right that he can have trouble staying on the sidewalk.
Anyway, we discussed this with our eye vet. After much consideration, we opted to go the route of cataract surgery for him. We had him tested to see if he was a good candidate for this surgery and he was. The decision to proceed with this was extremely difficult. We realize that this would be considered an elective surgery and we know how much he has been through since March. Nonetheless, we felt that this would be a huge quality of life issue that Henry would vastly benefit from. (He has had some behavior issues since losing Benjamin and Luna--separation anxiety type things--and he becomes increasing nervous if he cannot find his people especially when he is searching for them. He becomes borderline frantic when he cannot spot them quickly.) Right after that, we wanted to be sure that he was cancer free before we actually moved forward with the surgery, so we bumped up his xray/sono appointment about a month early to be sure he was really in tip top condition. Although, sadly (and to our dismay) our vet will never actually consider him "cancer free" his chest xray came back clear (and the sonogram was bumped back to December).
We promised Henry that the cataract surgery would be the last time he would have to "go under" and that it would all be for the greater good. Then the monkey wrench came. The eye vet called and asked some follow up questions. She asked how long it had been since Henry had had his last dental cleaning. And the truth of the matter is that we legitimately cannot remember. Ben & Luna had frequent dentals since their teeth were problematic. Henry, on the other hand, needed his teeth cleaned much less often. So, we told the vet that it had been at least 5-7 years since this had been done. Apparently, without a fresh clean mouth, this risks of a cataract surgery are greater. (Something about the mouth saliva having a high bacteria content and being linked to eye moisture thus a greater chance for an infection.) So, we had to weigh our options. Have Henry get his teeth cleaned and then 2 or more weeks later, get cataract surgery. Or don't have his teeth cleaned and put him in a higher risk category for infection post cataract surgery. Or do neither the dental nor the cataract surgery and watch him go blind slowly. Can you say SOPHIE'S CHOICE?
We are now opting for the last choice. No dental. No cataract removal. Hoping that his eyesight holds out and that we can work hard now on teaching him skills that he may need in the future. This was not an easy decision to come to initially (before we even had the news that a dental was recommended) but then with the addition of a dental cleaning it became nearly impossible. It was truly a struggle. Still not an answer we love but we have to get a peace with it. We knew that cataract surgery alone was not without risk, but compound the whole thing with the need for a dental, too. That was just too much. And we had already promised him the eye thing would be his LAST GO UNDER.
So, we are doing everything we can to ensure that he is comfortable and working with him to prepare him in case he loses his sight altogether. The main issue is that Henry also does not hear that well, so he really has to focus on listening and trying to place where the sounds are coming from and not panic when he cannot immediately decipher where the noises originate from. He's getting there but it is a process.
The silver lining to all this is that our general vet shared that he thought Henry looked the best he has seen in the last 2 years! So, that is pretty cool! Go Henry! #HenryStrong #TeamHenry
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Gobble Gobble
Henry's first Thanksgiving went very well! Henry has been to Grammy's house many times, but this was the first time he was there during the hustle and bustle of a holiday. The house was packed and there was lots of activity in the kitchen. And wouldn't you know that is exactly where you would find Henry.
Henry quickly figure out that the kitchen was where all the action was and that's where he needed to be. He did a good job of not being too much in the way, but being enough in the way so that everyone knew he was there. Just incase anything needed taste testing or anything like that.
During dinner, Henry parked himself right by the table. He made his way around the table a few times to see if anyone had anything they wanted to share with him.
After dinner, Henry thought about watching some football, but couldn't quite settle since there was so much going on. He hung out in the kitchen while the big cleanup was happening.
With all the new experiences and all the people to talk to and get pettings from Henry did not sleep all day. He was up for a good 6-7 hours straight and for a 12.5 year old pug that's no small feat!
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Sandspurs
Every time we took Luna to the beach, she inevitably ended up with at least one sandspur stuck in her paw. (Her first trip to the beach might be an exception. Honestly, I don't remember much else after she took home most of the sand on the beach in her eyes.)
I don't know what it was about her that made her a sandspur magnet. The boys would run and play on the same beach and not getting any of the evil sandspurs stuck in their paws.
However, that all changed on our last trip to the beach. On Sunday, Henry got not only one, but two sandspurs stuck in his paw! I guess someone needs to carry on the sand spur tradition.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!
It hasn't been our best year, but we are very thankful that we get to celebrate this Thanksgiving with Henry and at Grammy's house nonetheless. I'll let you know how Henry does at his very first Thanksgiving. I've already heard rumors that some turkey is going to be reserved just for him!
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Weekend Adventure - Sunday Edition
On Sunday we decided to venture out to a nearby park that has awesome hiking trails. We hadn't been to this park in years so we thought Henry might really enjoy it. Plus, Henry has always loved to take walks through woodsy areas and these trails definitely fit the bill.
On our way out to the car, we realized that it was a lot more humid than we originally thought. Henry, humidity and long walks don't always go well together. We almost scrapped our trip, but we thought, Henry would be able to take a short walk on the trails. Plus, Henry had a big day at the beach the day before, so he wouldn't be up for too long of a walk anywhere we went.
As soon as we parked the car, Henry was happy to be on his old favorite trails. As predicted, we only took a short jaunt on the trails, but Henry was one happy pug!
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