Day 50: Lady Luck is on our Side

Seriously shake me and give me a slap I am becoming paranoid …I think?… am I ?

Last night Lloris started heavily panting again like he did in the office on Tuesday afternoon but it went on for a good few hours.

He only ever pants after exercise not just randomly whilst lazing around at home?!??

I turned off the fire and had him up on the sofa with me but the panting still went on. I took him into the bedroom where it’s cooler but still had no affect.

I of course Google it and panting keeps coming up as one of the first signs that your dog is in pain.

He doesn’t appear to be in pain though. When I look in his eyes and how he’s generally behaving so it’s a bit of a mystery.

When I think back on what he’s eaten today ….

• He didn’t want his breakfast

• He had lunch around 2pm

• He was starving when we got home and had two helpings around 6pm

I would say the panting started around an hour or so after his dinner.

Could it be the Chinese herbs?!?! They are certainly VERY strong in smell if that is anything to go by their strength of affect.

When this panting happened on Tuesday afternoon, by the time we got to the vets he was over it. I’m hoping it will just subside in the same way.

It’s about 10.30pm before he finally falls asleep on my bed and his breathing has returned to normal.

His leg is still weeping and has been bothering him so I decide to email the vet a video of his panting and picture of his weeping leg as well as texting the panting to the Holistic Vet who prescribed the Chinese Medicine to ascertain his thoughts on if this panting is an adverse reaction.

I understand that some of these Chinese herbs can raise heat inside and it did seem to me like he was hot and bothered. Completely out of character for him, he loves to bask in the sunshine and be warm at all times.

I tuck him into his own bed and a peaceful nights sleep is had by all.

UNTIL … it’s 6.30am I’m awake and cannot hear Lloris snoring.

So if he’s not asleep snoring, why isn’t he doing his whimpering baby seal impression trying to wake me up?

There is a deathly silence in the air and I don’t like it one little bit!!!

I’m up in a panic and rushing to his pen. What if his panting started again in the night and he couldn’t catch his breath???

I just shouldn’t have put him in his own bed…

…but what if he jumps off my high bed in the night and breaks his back again??

…. Maybe I should have slept with him in his pen?! … uurrrgh

I look into his pen; he’s all tucked up and his eyes are closed but he’s not making a sound.

“Nooooooo“ I hear myself scream out……

In turn waking him up with a startled jump. Whoops! I was all a little dramatic there.

So to clarify here, after weeks of moaning about him waking me up ridiculously early, if he doesn’t I will now get up anyway just to check he’s alive.

I am most definitely losing it!

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Results are in!

The vet calls me this afternoon… I am flabbergasted with the results from his cancer removal tests.

We have no cancer cells left in his leg, well not that area of his leg anyway. Every lump we have had removed so far has left aggressive cells behind. This is our first all clear EVER!

The lump in his head - not cancerous!!!!

I’m looking at my poorly little hacked up boy which my sister refers to as him looking like something out of ’Watership Down’ and i’m feeling so very awful for chopping away at his beautiful face.

The only saving grace is that it is healing well on that area and allow a few months and hopefully you will never have known it had happen!

Today has been a positive one!

Despite;

• His leg wound still weeping - a LOT

• He really stinks but can‘t be bathed

• A little accident on the kitchen floor means we STILL haven’t made it to 3 days ’dry’ in a row …

… but who cares!, he’s alive, cancer is not taking him for now and he’s on the mend! All is well!