Dear Friends,
A few of you had some very interesting questions about me lately and I am feeling a little bit better so I thought I would tell you what I know and what good things have been happening for me lately.
First, the good things. I think it is always better to start with those, don't you think? I mean, there can be so many bad and awful things that just come up - SWAK! - and hit you so hard sometimes and you weren't expecting them and oh boy, if you don't have some good things to think about those bad things could really start running around in your head and make you really sad if you let them. Fortunately, us dogs know that things are as they are and life is as it is, and so we don't fuss too much when bad things happen. We just deal with them. Mom calls this being "centered." I think it just is good dog sense.
I mean, you will never hear ME telling you that when I was five I had the sleek face and body of a greyhound and now I have the butt of a Pug and the face of a Shar-Pei, and it's so, so sad, and so I need to get that stuff injected in my face and have my butt lifted to make me look younger (I will have more to say about this next month. For now, I will just say, HELLO, PEOPLE!!!!! That stuff is bad for you and you aren't fooling anyone!!!). Of course, Mom says I never DID have the body of a greyhound but if you look at those old pictures of me I think there is a strong resemblance.
Anyway...where was I? Oh, yes!! The good stuff!! Well, I am eating hot dogs now and chicken and roast beef and some crackers. And I have talked to many dog and cat friends and they have suggested some other good things I might like to eat. And that gave me an excellent idea - in next month's column - oh, wait!! That is good thing #2. I think I will be here next month to write that column. And in that column I will tell you all the things that have been suggested to me and to my Mom - these are all food things that other dogs and cats have liked when they were sick. And maybe you can have your people keep the list in case YOU are ever sick, so you will still have something to eat that tastes good to you.
More good things.......I am still getting fabulous cards and wishes from my friends. Zeke and Kai sent me a special card that they asked one of their Moms to make and I must say that those cats look very fetching in Nurse hats, especially when they wear one on each ear! And Anna sent me a card with a house full of dogs on the front and the TERRIER was the biggest dog. She said that was to give me more confidence to get well. Oooohh! And we got a wonderful flower basket from my Mom's favorite Doctor but it wasn't flowers, it was all fruit you could eat and there were some good wishes for me in it and I even ate a little bit of the cantaloupe in it.
And my rat friend's Mom - did you know that I have a special rat friend and that he was named after MY Mom? Yes, it is true! His name is really Mitchell and he is a very good-looking rat with beautiful curly hair. Well, his Mom makes dog collars and she made me a beautiful one with pretty flowers on it so I would feel perky and would get better fast. And she made one for Canuke and Hebert too and theirs have flames on them and I have to say that in Canuke's case the flames were exactly right because he still has that problem I told you about a few months ago. The one where I suggested a good use for those plug-in deodorizers. I am going to see if this nice lady will let me tell everyone more about her collars and if she does, I will tell our Webmistress to put it in the "Our Favorite Things" column. They are beautiful collars and she has lots of holiday ones and she makes them to help a Doberman rescue group and you might want one for yourself.
So....I told you there were some good questions. One person wanted to know why I couldn't have dialysis and the answer is I could. Another person wanted to know why I couldn't have a kidney transplant and that is the same answer - I could. But the big question I had for my Mom when she and I talked about these things is not the COULD but the SHOULD. Mom says you have to think about not just what you are willing to have done to you now, but what you will be willing to have done to you all the time and maybe for the rest of your life. And she also says, you need to make sure that your people are doing whatever they decide to do for you and not for them. So you see, what you COULD do is not always what you SHOULD do, at least not if it would not make you more comfortable and happy and make your life better, without hurting anyone else.
This was a big thing for me to think about. I really hated when I was hooked up to fluids all the time, and I while I am fierce I am a small dog and so it is really, really easy to overload me with fluids and that makes my lungs all soggy and my belly swells up and I hated that. But mostly, I hated having to stay in a cage for my treatments. I am just not that kind of dog. And I would have to have dialysis for a long time. And a Nurse would be poking all my legs to find veins and putting in catheters all the time and then they would run out of veins to use and I would be so miserable. Now, if I had a transplant (and if it worked), I would also be on a lot of medicines for always, so that I would not reject my new kidney but then I would not need the dialysis, probably. But guess what? My kidney would come from another dog who did not have a choice to give it to me and then I would have to be nice and let that dog live with me forever. That is how kidney transplants work for dogs and cats.
So I had a very long and serious talk with my Mom and I told her that I wanted to be Lizzie for as long as I felt good and that I wanted to be able to continue to come to work with her every day and to sleep on a nice bed and play ball and eat whatever I want and take some medicines but not too many. And I said that the fluids under my skin are OK but that I really hate catheters and fluid pumps and I don't want to be in a cage for that, anymore. And that she needs to ease up on the blood tests twice a week because I hate them, and she needs to not worry so much because then I worry too.
So we talked some more, and here is what we are going to do. I have agreed to not fuss about the ondansetron and the mirtazapine and the famotidine and the amoxicillin and the epakitin and the azodyl and the herbs and the sucralfate and of course my thyroid and my joint support pills and I will have some bloodwork done but only every other week. I promised to be good for my acupuncture and my Reiki treatment, too. (Actually, I like both of those 'cause they feel so good while Mom is doing them). And I will eat mostly what I want but will try new things that are better for my kidneys every day. And I will get my fluids every day but only under my skin. And Mom will get up only once in the middle of the night to check on me.
I think we can make this work! And when I feel stronger I will tell you more about why your owner should not get her face injected to make her look younger, OK??
Your friend,
LIZZIE
