Is it the Drugs?

Today Max had an acupuncture appointment.  We've had him on 10mg of prednisone 3x / week - essentially every other day, as well as his normal dose of Keppra (125mg 2x day). It's been a few weeks but Max is still seeming foggy when he's on those doses.  The plan is to keep him on the prednisone at the 3x / week for the next week (2 additional weeks total) to see how he does and then reduce him back down to a low dose..

On his prednisone days he gets his prednisone between 8-9am at breakfast... around 2pm he starts drinking water and then the water works start and we have a good solid 4 hours of peeing every 1/2 hour or so... sometimes in the house, sometimes out... the door is open... Not so pleased with the indoor peeing.   His regular vet has suggested dropping him down to 5mg of prednisone every other day - we don't know if that will work - but since he was on such a low dose before it may keep him from having the issues with additional thirst and peeing... worth a try - we'll know what to look for if it's too low a dose.

Kids... this is what happens when you pass out on drugs

And when you wake up you have a funny face!

We're going to start giving Keppra with meals to see if that slows down the absorption as well. He's been getting it with snacks but maybe not enough food in his belly.

He's still active and walking  - pacing when he's on the meds.. walking when he's not. He can hear, comes when he's called, he's started to chase #2 when he runs by, he'll also follow him. Today he jumped up with the other dogs and got into the morning scrum and thought about wrestling with them.. Then thought twice about it.. (smart boy - he's still a little weak and sensitive. He fell in a ditch and off his ramp when he was loopy on the meds and his shoulders are stuff and his back legs... ) 

He has not had any medication yet today - he'll have Keppra in a little bit, but at his vet appt this morning he chased a tennis ball and tried to catch it in the air and then walked around with it for a while.. which was a great sign!  He also jumped up when the rest of the dogs started barking at the FedEx truck and ran with them to see what was going on.  I am now realizing that his foggyness is most likely more drug related than anything else.. It's amazing to me that the same dose isn't working the same way it was before and he's more sensitive to it... but maybe you just have to monitor and adjust to the patient.  Body chemistry changes over time... I suppose another argument as to why all patients should be dealt with as individuals vs. all treated the same.. 

Max NOT on drugs at vet getting acupuncture and playing ball

Max and his ball

How we spent our rainy day

Max with his portrait

Today was an icky rainy day, which meant the dogs slept most of the day and then around 4pm decided that it was time to PLAY!  Max included of course!  Nobody wanted to go out because it's cold and muddy out there but they sure wanted to run around squeaking toys, flinging stuffed animals, and de-stuffing stuffed animals. They wanted to play doggie tag, wrestle, and even run to the far side of the house, bark, then pretend it wasn't them just to get the rest of the dogs to come running fast to see what it was.. then go to the other side of the house and do it again. 

Max was right in the middle of all of it! Including a chase around the coffee table. He even took a flying leap over a dog bed!

I got in on the wrestling Match and Max pounced on my back, head butted me and even crouched down with his butt up in the air, front paws on the ground and play snapped and growled at me while he was wagging his tail!  His spirits are amazing! I just can't help but smile at him!

One thing I keep finding myself doing is worrying.. a lot! I find myself always looking for signs that could mean something is wrong, or something is getting worse.   I know I need to look for these signs but it is really wearing on me and I feel like I've been doing it for years... after talking with someone else who also has a dog dealing with the same stuff.. I realized  I have been doing this for a LONG time!  At least the last 3-4 years with one dog or cat or another.   I feel like I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop.. and as much as I try to think that I need to live in the here and now, like Max is doing, I think I may need some re-training!  I think I might be about 4 years out of practice.

I was watching TV the other night, a show on OWN, and someone said something that stood out to me. 

"Worrying is praying for something you don't want to happen, so don't do it"

I wish I could remember who actually said the quote, and if anyone saw it, please let me know.  

So.. I've had Max on 10mg of prednisone 2x/week, every Tuesday and Fri and he's been doing great. His course fur was starting to get better, and his shedding had stopped.  He'd been on this lower dose for at least a month and everything was going great! Still full of energy, but his eye started to drop a little bit again, and he stopped hearing.  Just a reminder that we're still dealing with stuff in his head.  It could be that the CK is still doing its thing.. It's supposed to be able to keep doing it's thing for up to a year they say..  He's just 5 months out. I'm clearly not a doctor, and have no clue, but for some reason I think that as the radiation does it's thing and the tumors start to die, the swell and shrink in different locations and push on different things.  I'll have to check with a real doctor, but I seem to be noticing ebbs and flows of when his sight / hearing is better / worse. It would be interesting to be able to track all this.. but that would probably entail weekly MRI's which I wouldn't want to put him through.. or my wallet. 

Hopefully it's just dieing. He's definitely feeling great!  I do have him back on 10mg of prednisone 2x / week and natural hydrocortisone 1x week.    His appetite is good, his energy level is good, he's been walking, playing, catching tennis balls, playing with his puzzle game, and flinging stuffed animals.  He's a happy boy!