Champion of My Heart

Another (Unwelcome) First – Accidental Chemo Overdose

Roxanne Hawn — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:49:22 +0000

Honestly. Every time I think Lilly's medical saga cannot get any worse, something else that's unexpected / unwelcome happens. On top of the not-good kidney news from earlier this week, on top of figuring out Lilly still has high blood pressure (even though she has been on BP meds since February 2012) ... Lilly received an accidental "overdose" of cytarabine (a chemo drug) Wednesday night.

Another (Unwelcome) First – Accidental Chemo Overdose is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Canine Kidney Trouble – Not Good, Not Dire

Roxanne Hawn — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:02:44 +0000

Now that it seems Lilly has been free from bladder bacteria for a few weeks, after nearly 6 straight months of back-to-back bladder infections, we turned our attention to the levels of protein in her urine. Infections can produce high urine protein levels, so we checked again, 2 weeks after Lilly's last clear urine culture -- where her protein level as a 2 (zero is normal). And ... it wasn't good news.

Canine Kidney Trouble – Not Good, Not Dire is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

500 Days and Counting – Adverse Rabies Vaccine Reaction

Roxanne Hawn — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 19:51:27 +0000

Friday, June 7, 2013, marks 500 days since Lilly received the ill-fated rabies vaccine that has forever changed all of our lives. Her widespread brain and spinal cord inflammation remains and requires numerous daily medications and others (including a chemo drug ~ 4 injections, over 2 days, every 3 weeks) to keep her alive. June also marks a full year since Lilly became completely incontinent (both ways). Taking care of her (and working a lot to pay her veterinary bills) consumes my every day. This is our new norm, and that's OK ... until I look at old videos and remember how strong she used to be. Then I'm super sad.

500 Days and Counting – Adverse Rabies Vaccine Reaction is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Bumping Along and Awaiting News

Roxanne Hawn — Wed, 29 May 2013 22:18:35 +0000

No real changes in Lilly's overall condition to report, but here are just a few news items.

Bumping Along and Awaiting News is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Video Update on Lilly’s Brain Inflammation

Roxanne Hawn — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:22:59 +0000

I don't much remember what life with Lilly was like before she got so sick with an adverse rabies vaccine reaction called meningoencephalomyelitis in January 2012. Taking care of her fills my days. Our world has gotten quite small, but we feel joy at even the tiniest "normal" thing -- such as playing fetch. Here, friends, is a little video update.

Video Update on Lilly’s Brain Inflammation is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Feeling Brave-ish 16 Months into Our Canine Brain Saga

Roxanne Hawn — Fri, 10 May 2013 22:14:55 +0000

It's official. I've fallen out of the habit of blogging. It's complicated. Today, for example, my plans to finish work early so that I could clean my house (which is getting scary) got slaughtered by imminent, unexpected work demands from 3 different clients. Since it looks like I'll be cleaning all evening, I'm trying to make some space in my brain to write a real update about Lilly. Let's see how it goes.

Feeling Brave-ish 16 Months into Our Canine Brain Saga is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Book Review: The Business of Baby

Roxanne Hawn — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:45:50 +0000

Why is a Dog Mom like me reviewing a book about pregnancy and babies? Well, The Business of Baby: What Doctors Don't Tell You, What Corporations Try to Sell You, and How to Put Your Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Before Their Bottom Line by Jennifer Margulis is more relevant to the health decisions we make for our dogs than you might think. It's critical reading for anyone planning to have children (or anyone who loves someone who will). And, yes, it's written by one of my brilliant friends. I offered to help spread the word as a favor.

Book Review: The Business of Baby is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Dog Book Review: Pukka’s Promise

Roxanne Hawn — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 22:58:30 +0000

By now, you've likely read several book reviews of Pukka's Promise: The Quest for Longer-Lived Dogs by Ted Kerasote. I'm a little late to the party. It took me a while to read the book (a) because it's long and (b) because I've been busy taking care of Lilly, after her latest setback (antibiotic-resistant infection and sudden inability to walk / stand). Below, I hope you'll find a uniquely Champion of My Heart look at Pukka's Promise.

Dog Book Review: Pukka’s Promise is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Quick Update on Lilly

Roxanne Hawn — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 22:15:29 +0000

Not nearly enough chocolate or ice cream in the house for a week like this, but here is a short recap of this week's (mostly good) news ... after Lilly became increasingly wobbly and weak, starting last Sunday.

Quick Update on Lilly is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Into the Unknown We Go

Roxanne Hawn — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 22:29:44 +0000

We got mostly good news today from Lilly's blood and basic urine tests. The urine culture takes several more days, but Lilly's complete blood count (CBC) and senior dog blood chemistry panel look good. So, there is no reason we cannot go ahead with her cytarabine injections ("chemo") tomorrow and Thursday. As for the sudden wobbly-weakness? Into the unknown we go ...

Into the Unknown We Go is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Reeling from Another Setback

Roxanne Hawn — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 22:06:04 +0000

Lilly is having another set-back. Whether the weakness and wobbling we're seeing is a result of the antibiotic-resistant infection in her bladder and monster antibiotic picked to fight it (cloramphenicol)... or the resurgence of her ongoing brain and spinal cord inflammation ... we don't yet know. Here is how it unfolded (mostly in pictures).

Reeling from Another Setback is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Canine Bladder Wars and Antibiotic-Resistant Bacterial Infections

Roxanne Hawn — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 22:50:37 +0000

The good news? A total of 7 weeks of antibiotics (2 different kinds) wiped out Lilly's e coli bladder infection. The bad news? Now she has an antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection called staph pseudointermedius. People get MRSA infections. Dogs sometimes get MRSP infections, like this one. All of this stems from her treatment for rabies vaccine-induced meningoencephalomyelitis (and the resulting incontinence). The drug chosen for this next canine bladder war is a doozy.

Canine Bladder Wars and Antibiotic-Resistant Bacterial Infections is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Fun With Dog Brains, The Latest Lilly News

Roxanne Hawn — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 20:14:15 +0000

Another silly week comes to a close. Lilly received 4 more cytarabine injections Tuesday and Wednesday (that's cycle #11, if you're keeping tabs). Somehow, I ended up with 7 client conference calls this week, including 5 full hours on the phone Thursday. Sheesh! Just a little news this week.

Fun With Dog Brains, The Latest Lilly News is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

The Agony and Amusement of Canine Brain Issues

Roxanne Hawn — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 21:45:47 +0000

Lilly is doing pretty well, if you don't count the 2 super-soaker / super-messy diaper days in the last week and the renewed urge to eat paper products. Oh, and we even had to break out the dog toy Jaws of Life today. Honestly!

The Agony and Amusement of Canine Brain Issues is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Everything OK After Lilly’s Sudden Collapse

Roxanne Hawn — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:54:15 +0000

The headline is that Lilly is fine, but here is a recap of how she gave me a BIG scare on Wednesday.

Everything OK After Lilly’s Sudden Collapse is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!