i. love. glenn. beck.

There. I said it. I love Glenn Beck for lots of reasons, but mostly because we seem to be on the same page - for the most part, anyway. He's really ticked off right now about how far away from Constitutional practices our country has gone (among other things)... and it's not just a problem with the new administration. I'm with him on that (and so much more)... and if you think you are, too, then check out his website:

Glenn Beck - We Surround Them

I'm all about taking our country back.

Jefe's test results

Basically a repost of an email to the family today:

I spoke with the vet today - he received the test results from UK. Apparently, UK could find NO cancerous growth of any kind in the tumor sample that our vet sent to them - they are calling it a hematoma! Doc said he was surprised that it wasn't a hemangiosarcoma (aka, cancer), and said that it's always possible that UK could have missed something, but ... as it stands, UK called it benign... and removal surgery for a hematoma is the cure! If they did miss something, we'll look for a quick change from pink to pale and a large belly again, indicating probable tumor growth on the liver or kidneys... and there won't be anything to do for him at that point. But, hopefully we won't have to go down that road, and hopefully UK got it right. As Alpine says, we'll take it!

Here are a couple of websites that explain the difference, if you're interested:

http://www.acvs.org/AnimalOwners/HealthConditions/SmallAnimalTopics/SplenicMasse
sinDogs/

http://mail.alltel.net/do/redirect?url=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.marvistavet.com%252Fhtml%252Fbody_splenic_masses.html

Jefe is still doing well, and is now getting almost 3 meals a day, plus treats, and any snot rags, popcorn bags or peanut shells that are left within reach. He's becoming his old, obnoxious self - which is a good thing, right?!? =) I think the incision site is starting to bother him a little, as he was really licking at it today while I was home for lunch. I'll probably have to day-board them at the vet next Tuesday, so I'll be sure and weigh him them. My sister wants to take bets on his weight... any takers?!?

Happy 15th Birthday, Alpine!

Today is Alpine's 15th Bone Marrow Transplant Birthday! It's hard to believe it's been 15 years. Woohoo!!

recent issues with my jefe

Jefe's been having issues lately... weight loss, low red cell counts, etc... and Friday the problem was found and removed. Alpine explains, so I won't rehash it, but I'm glad to report that now, Jefe seems to be doing much better. He's eating well, resting well, has bursts of energy and wants to follow us around, and the color has returned to his nose and gums. Who knows how long we have with him - but do we ever know how long we have with anyone? We'll just do our best keep him happy and healthy for as long as possible, and enjoy every minute of it!