So … Mina is just about off the boiled dead chickens. I put only a tablespoon in her breakfast of mashed potatoes, chicken Chow Now, Udo’s Choice Pet Essentials, and Udo’s Choice 3, 6, 9 Oil. I don’t plan to give her any more boiled dead chickens after today so the remainder will go downstairs to my neighbor’s dog, Turk. He really likes Mina, but right now she can’t handle much enthusiastic behavior from her friends. A nuzzle and a little sniffing is Mina’s speed at the moment.

I still have to cook the chicken Chow Now, but I no longer have to dismember chickens and skin them in my kitchen. You have no idea what a huge relief that is for me. The Chow Now stinks while it’s cooking but a stick of incense gets rid of the stink. Mina seems to love it.

Today, we’re going to boil and mash some gigantic sweet potatoes for her carbohydrate needs, and we’re also driving out to ECOW in Amissville, Virginia to pick up a case of chicken Chow Now. I’ve cleaned out my freezer and moved things around but still not sure how I’ll store 24 16-ounce cartons of it. I may have to beg some freezer space from a neighbor for a while.

I read about prednisone side effects this morning to see if there’s a reason that Mina is drinking a bit less water the last couple of days. She’s peeing less, too. Maybe that’s because I’ve been home for four days and she gets to go out a lot, but her next chemo treatment is highly toxic (you can’t even touch the pills with your hands) and she needs lots of water to avoid cystitis.

The tile entryway is her new favorite spot to nap.

The tile entryway is her new favorite spot to nap.

Then I found a very cool Web site written by two parents whose beloved Golden Retriever, Berry, was a lymphosarcoma patient. I’ve added it to the links over on the side. They wrote a little book titled, ” Every Day is a Good Day: Berry The Dog’s Guide to Living with Lymphosarcoma.” I’m on the second chapter, “Surviving the first month of treatment.” It’s some scary shit, but the treatment of lymphoma in dogs has changed tremendously in the nine years since Berry was diagnosed. The interesting part for me is that Berry had the same diagnosis as Mina, including cancer in the bone marrow.

So far, KNOCK WOOD PEOPLE, Mina hasn’t shown any side effects from the Vincristine. She’s still eating enough for three Wheaties every day, and drinking a fair amount of water. She rests a lot so I think the lethargy side effect is present but, even so, we took two walks yesterday to the leasing office and back. She was bright, alert and sniffing all over the place during the walks.

s.