Shilo

Today at 11:45am I watched my Shilo put her head down into my hands and take her last pain filled breath.  The vets at UPenn were nothing but steller in the hour it took to evaluate, explain and then finalize Shilo’s journey to the Rainbow Bridge.

My fiancee Andrea and I are grateful for every day that Shilo was a part of our life.

Good Bye, My Shilo.

It’s that time.  Shilo’s is just having to much trouble breathing.  Appointment made for 10am 4/10 at UPenn for the final visit.

Shilo was a stray and I happily took her in.  She was a good dog, even if she was the best escape artist ever.  I will miss her just as much as I miss my other dogs.

Taz, Sugar Bear, Pepper and TJ and Shilo will all be waiting for me.

For the past 2-3 weeks Shilo has been a mere shadow of her former self.  A trip to my local vet found that she had a fever (103-4) but no ‘smoking gun’ as to the cause.

Emailed UPenn and asked to take Shilo off the Palladia as lethargy and anorexia  were very common side effect.  She has been off Palladia for a week and still no improvement.  On a good day she seems alert and responds to play.. but still does not walk much, or eat.

UPenn said that since the cancer did metastasize in her lungs it may be that is just more aggressive than before.

Asked to have them look at her next week.  Unless something can be done to improve her quality of life she may not be coming home with me.

I will be sad when she is gone, but its just as heartbreaking to see here just lay there.

Week March 25th rolled on by and its been a full year since I lost my TJ to cancer.

Many things have changed since TJ last saw me.  Shilo has cancer and is a tri-pawd herself.  Good news is that she is generally healthy despite the cancer.  Yeager is showing his age, Kimber has gotten very gray in the face.  TJ will definitely notice that Sugar Bear is not here.. I lost her about 6 months ago.  I’m sure TJ would love Andrea… the newest addition to my home.  Andrea is generous with the treats, but she is not as big on dogs as I am… but he would still like her.

I miss yelling “TJ McBIPPER!” and making him bark.. I miss flapping his ears and I badly miss how he smelled.  He had the best dog smell.. and the softest coat.  What I wouldn’t give to pet him just one more time… to look into those droopy brown eyes and let TJ lick my face.

Time marches on… but I am happy that even though one year has passed, I can still vividly remember so much about my TJ.  Taz and Pepper are also gone a year…. they went to the bridge a few weeks before TJ.  I’m sure Taz, Pepper, SugarBear and my TJ are all haveing a good time, happy and healthy, playing in the tall grass waiting for me to call out to them one last time.. to bring them back to my side forever.

I miss you TJ.

Today was the 9 month checkup and another x-ray.  Was super happy that the 6 month x-ray was clean.  But today’s x-ray was not good news.

Circled in red, lower right… that innocent looking fuzzy dot is anything but innocent.  Its what will kill my Shilo.  There were some other abnormalities but this is the big one.

Shilo was a good girl for her exam… she’s sleeping now.

Shilo is otherwise fine… nothing to report.. peeing pooping eating drinking… doing things that Shilo does everyday.

 

Shilo went to Penn Vet for her 7 month checkup on Monday.  No x-rays just blood and a check up.  Everything is fine for the Shy-monster.

Talked to Molly and they found enough dogs and have a full load of 12 dogs in the study, which is good as that means 12 dogs are getting some TOP NOTCH vet care for OS.  I mean I like my local vet Dr.B but when I see the results of a local vet’s amputation vs what the people at Penn Vet did its like night a day.  I would say that if anyone needs a limb amputated for OS to just go to a place that does them routinely.   A local vet might do 1 or two a year… a University Vet hospital probibly does 1 or 2 a day and the results are significantly better.

That said the 12 dogs have all beaten the 90 day average and Shilo is one of the ‘oldest’ (or longest?) survivors in the study… 7 months!

So YAY SHILO!

This is how excited she is after a 2 hour ride to Philly.

Shilo got her 6 month post amp x-ray today.

NO LUNG METS!!!!!!  The doctor said the x-ray dude still needs to look at them, but for she said it looks good.

 

That’s the inside of my Shilo!  She celebrated by sleeping on the drive home.

 

 

Took the Shilo-monster for another checkup… everything is fine and next month will be another chest x-ray.  But today was just blood work… which for Shilo was normal.  So happy dog is happy.

Got a little more info on the Palladia study.  Initially the study was for up to 12 dogs, of which 8 were accepted.  1 died due to other health reasons (age and liver) and one dog had lung mets.. and died.  The longest dog int eh study was 8 months, Shilo just did her 5th checkup.. so she is not the oldest dog in the trial.

As usual Shilo was a good girl and make everyone fall in love with here.

The Hospital was getting renovated (new reception area) so there was a lot of construction going on.. but Shilo was no phased.

Another OS study checkup and another glowing report about how well Shilo is doing.  Gaining a bit weight to.  All blood work is normal she is as happy as a three legged dog can be.

This is what Shilo looks like at a WAWA.  Happy dog is happy.

Just got back from UPenn for the 90 day checkup and first chest x-ray…..

 

NO LUNG METS!!!!!!

 

They tried to x-ray Shilo without having to sedate her (good luck with that) but they ended up doping her (no?  Not my Shilo!)

 

Here is Shilo sedated… kinda missed her hanging out the window when the traffic was bumper to bumper.

Who knew science would involve downers?