Kato Buzz

Run Free, Kato...

2010-02-10T05:49:00.005-05:00

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?

And what is to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.

And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.

And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

Khalil Gibran

Finally, an update.

2009-03-15T16:06:00.004-04:00

It's been over a year since Kato's last chemo treatment and he's still in remission! :)

He's been having some issues with his stomach so he'll be seeing his oncologist for a check up sometime next week.

Kate's had a really good year and I'm hoping he'll have many more. I'll post an update after his vet visit.

A great update!

2008-06-10T00:52:00.003-04:00

Kato went for his checkup with the Oncologist on Sunday, June 8 and got a clean bill of health! :) His last chemo treatment was in early February and he's been doing really well except for some arthritis and stomach issues. He's on Deramaxx daily which really seems to help. I haven't been able to resolve the stomach issues yet, but am now going to try a daily pepcid, so we'll see. He's gained a bit of weight, so I may cut his food down a little, but other than that he continues to look and feel great! I am thrilled!

I hope all is well with everyone! Have a great summer!

Love, Dee & Kato

PS...Kato loves bully sticks and is eating two at once in the above pic. He wedges them in between the sections of the couch. I guess it's more fun to eat them that way. lol

Kato update

2008-03-20T18:05:00.002-04:00

I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, but promise to do better in the future.

The Oncologist was very pleased with Kato when he went for his check up last month. He's had some issues with his stomach since then and I've just sent a stool sample in to be checked. He looks really good and aside from some issues with his stomach, continues to do well!
You can see in the pic that he has one lone whisker that's grown back since chemo. His eyelashes are starting to come back as well. He's happily taking a pill in the pic! :)

I hope everyone has a Happy Easter!

Winter sun meditation

2008-02-15T11:03:00.002-05:00

Kato is doing really well! His nodes are normal and he looks and feels great! :)
He'll be going for a checkup in about a week.

Flowers!

2008-02-02T13:45:00.001-05:00

Kato & I got these beautiful flowers today from the members of Pit Bull Talk to celebrate the end of chemo. Thank you PBT!!! :)

A rainy day

2008-02-02T06:54:00.000-05:00

It rained all day today so Kato decided to nap the day away!

Sunday is Kate's last chemo treatment!!! :)

The home stretch

2008-01-19T06:40:00.000-05:00

Kato continues to feel great! :) He'll be going for chemo on Sunday (Vinblastine)and I expect him to do well. He has one more treatment after that, then a CBC, and we'll be finished with chemo! :)
I have to speak to the Oncologist as to what we do from there.

Thanks to all our friends for the support!

Chemo went well!

2008-01-12T19:02:00.000-05:00

Kato finished 4 days of oral chemo (Cytoxan) with barely any side effects. He's had some runny poo, but I'm managing it with Metronidazole. He looks and feels great! :)

Two more treatments to go!

A goofy face

2008-01-06T22:08:00.001-05:00

Kato continues to do really well! He had no side effects from the last chemo treatment, his weight is good, and he's energetic and happy! :)
He'll have his bloodwork taken tomorrow and start oral chemo on Tues or Wed. The treatment is Cytoxan and he'll take 1 pill daily for four days. He had no problems with it the last time, so I expect everything to go well this time too.

Three more treatments to go!!!

Modeling a new coat

2007-12-23T18:05:00.001-05:00

Kato's back from his chemo treatment and feeling fine! They gave him Vinblastine instead of Vincristine and he came home with Flagyl and Cerenia for diarrhea and nausea. We will be continuing his chemo as originally planned since he's tolerating it again.
The Oncologist is very happy with the way Kato looks! His weight is stable and his bloodwork is fine. :)
Three more treatments to go!

Secret Santa

2007-12-22T19:33:00.001-05:00

Kate got his "secret santa" gifts yesterday! Here's a shot of him enjoying the peanut butter treats. His secret santa turned out to be our friends Cheeky, Justice & Amanda and they certainly spoiled him! :)

Tomorrow is chemo day, so I'll update when he gets back!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Happy & healthy

2007-12-17T19:05:00.000-05:00

Kato made it through the week with absolutely no problems from the Adria!!! I couldn't believe it! He's been running around & feeling great all week! I'm not sure what made the difference, but it's been wonderful!
I still don't know whether he'll be having chemo at home for the last 4 treatments or continue as he was. I'll find out on Sunday.

I couldn't ask for a better Christmas present than seeing Kate happy & healthy! :)

Thanks everyone!!!

The pic is one of Kate's power naps. lol

Kato kisses Santa

2007-12-09T14:38:00.001-05:00

Kato went for chemo today and Santa was at the animal hospital. As you can see, Kato did what Kato does best - bathed him in kisses! :)

Kato got Adria today which is usually pretty rough on him, so I have another nausea med to try. His Oncologist said he looks great and because of how well he's doing and the way he's been reacting to chemo lately we may be able to do the rest of the treatments at home with an oral chemo drug. I'll find out in 2 weeks on his next visit.

More later!

Finally feeling better!

2007-12-05T06:26:00.001-05:00

Kate is finally feeling better after a really bad allergy attack (not chemo related) and the blahs from chemo. He wound up on antibiotics & Benadryl 3x per day. His neck and head were raw and bleeding. I have never seen him like this. I did get a really good tip from one of his Vets that helped his itching quite a bit. She suggested using Gold Bond powder on him and it really made a difference, along with the Benadryl.
He's looking really great and I'm glad we have a week before his next chemo. I'm also grateful the treatments are almost over as he isn't tolerating them as well as he used to.

Under the weather

2007-11-28T02:27:00.000-05:00

Kato had chemo on Sunday and is not feeling his best. He had Vinblastine instead of Vincristine in the hopes that the side effects would not be as severe. He's not vomiting, but is not feeling well. He's just kind of blah, but his allergies are the worst I've seen them in along time, so that's probably a contributing factor too.
I'm hoping for a better day tomorrow.

We're in the home stretch with only five more treatments to go and a long remission to follow!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-21T10:38:00.001-05:00

Kato continues to do well! :)

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating tomorrow! We're very grateful to have you in our lives.

Breezing through chemo

2007-11-16T02:11:00.001-05:00

Someone's feisty this week! :)

Kate is sailing through chemo with no side effects at all. This is the best I've seen him in quite a while. Times like this are so precious and help reassure me that I'm not putting him through too much. I love seeing him like this!

Started chemo today

2007-11-14T14:59:00.000-05:00

Kato's bloodwork came back fine, so we started oral chemo today. The medication is Cytoxan and he will get 1 pill daily for 4 days. I understand it causes nausea, so I gave him an anti-nausea med (Reglan) a half hour before the chemo.
He normally gets this med intravenously, so this is a new experience for us. :)
Fingers crossed for no side effects!

Chemo at home this week

2007-11-12T01:29:00.000-05:00

My friend is stopping by to take Kato's blood and if all is well he will be getting his chemo at home this week. It will be oral medication taken over a three day period.

It's been a strange weekend. Kato is very solid when it's comes to being housebroken, but he's urinated in the house a few times this weekend. I'm sending a urine sample along with his blood, as this is completely out of character for him. I am really surprised that he's done this and hope it isn't behavioral!

More to come!

Vet visit

2007-11-07T08:49:00.000-05:00

Kato saw his Oncologist last night because he continued to vomit a couple of times a day and refuse food. The Oncologist gave him a thorough exam, did bloodwork and everything came back fine! He feels this is a side effect of the chemo. They gave him fluids and an injection of Reglan, for nausea. He also has a new anti-nausea medication called Cerenia. He lost about 5 pounds and honestly doesn't look sick at all.
He's been fine since the Vet visit, so I've got my fingers crossed that this episode is over. I'm hoping that we'll skip this Sunday's chemo, but I'm not sure yet.

Thanks to all for the good wishes!

Yogurt?

2007-11-05T05:20:00.001-05:00

Kato's stomach is still upset. He doesn't have much of an appetite and still has the runs. The Vet is puzzled, as am I. I'm going to get him some yogurt today and see if that helps.

Update tomorrow!

Feeling fine!

2007-11-03T15:15:00.000-04:00

Kato is back to his old self! He has another week off from chemo and he may be able to have his next treatment at home. :)He's been bouncing his Kong around today and when it bounces under a table he comes to me to get it for him. Can we say spoiled?

Thanks to everyone for all the love & support! I'll be adding a few pics and feeling fine updates all week.

Have a great weekend!

Halloween silliness

2007-10-29T14:19:00.001-04:00

Kate won't be dressing up this year, so I'm posting his Halloween protest pic from a couple of years ago. He hated this hat! Can you blame him? lol

Back from chemo & feeling fine

2007-10-28T21:20:00.000-04:00

Kato had chemo early today and did really well! The treatment was Vincristine which usually doesn't bother him except for a bit of loose stool. He wanted to eat as soon as he was in the door! :)

I thought he had to go back next week, but his schedule has changed to every other week from now on. I also may be able to give him his next treatment at home, so that would be great!
The Oncologist said he's doing beautifully and looks fantastic. He did gain a few pounds. I would prefer if he weighed a bit less, but it's great that he has such a good appetite.

Life is good! :)

I didn't have any recent pics, so the above is my mousepad.lol