Chemo Update

Yesterday Montana had her last chemo appointment. We were thrilled that all of her tests came back with good news. So far, it looks like the chemo kept the cancer at bay! She will get rechecked again in 3 months:-)

An end of summer update

My aunt Peggy sent me a note that reminded me that I needed to update Monty's blog...it's been forever! So many good things have happened this summer and Montana continues to do well and just be a "dog". She had her 5th chemo yesterday and it didn't even phase her. She wanted to go to the barn last night and run around out there so all was good. We've taken her to the Sonoma Coast and up to Donner Lake this summer and both trips were a ton of fun. She had an especially good time at Donner where she could play off leash with other dogs-chasing sticks and swimming. At our campsite at Donner we had what Torsten calls "a chipmunk Taj Mahal." Basically there were a bunch of chipmunks and they all lived in this rotten tree stump. Once Monty discovered them, she didn't leave that tree stump! She'll be staying with Torsten's parents next week since we'll be horse camping in Pt. Reyes and they don't allow dogs. After that, we both go back to work, so she'll have to re-adjust, but she will.

A late night post:-)

Well, Montana is continuing to do well. She had her third chemo treatment last Thursday and so she's now halfway through her chemo. They did a chest x-ray and her lungs are still clear, so we're thrilled of course! She continues to do everything she previously did on four legs: play, run and of course sleep:-). She's a happy girl, so we're happy. We've planned three camping trips for this summer out on the coast where it should be cooler. That's the big thing we notice, the heat just zaps her. We're looking forward to both having some time off this summer and hanging out a bit:-). I thought I'd attach a few random pictures.

Just a quick check in...

Not a lot new to report right now, but I thought I'd make a post anyway. It rained all weekend so we were all kind of home-bodies which wasn't a bad thing since the Kentucky Derby was on! Montana has been continuing to do the same. She is definitely a happy dog and that's all we can ask for. Torsten has bought her a slew of toys this week and has been helping her destroy them as well. They certainly don't last too long! We were going to head to Novato this weekend for our first Region 1 gymkhana, but they changed it to a rating show instead of a points show, so plans are on hold for a few weeks. Anyways, time to get off the computer and home to Miss Montana who has been alone all day:-)

I'm a bad mom!

So I have been really bad about updating Monty's blog lately! This past week has been crazy at school with my Academy hosting a huge Ag Day for over 100 4th graders. I'm beat! Everything since the last post has been good. Monty handled her second round of chemo pretty good. She lost her appetite until about Saturday and then it picked up again. My friend Pam suggested that we try peppermint since it's an appetite stimulant and so we'll give that a try next time around.

On Saturday, I took Montana with me down to Manteca for a gymkhana. She had a good time, but boy she knocked over her water bucket about a million times while she was tied up! I finally found a lower bowl for her to use and that helped a lot. She never was too good tied up, but now with her hopping motion it's definitely more difficult!

On Sunday, Montana was tired from all the activity the day before, but she still wanted to head out with me in the morning. Unfortunately for her, I was going on a trail ride with some riding buddies so she had to stay home. She hung out with Torsten and recuperated though:-).

On Tuesday, Montana had a busy day. First she visited Dr. Gabby and had her blood checked. Everything looks good on that front. Unfortunately Dr. Gabby is leaving VCA so Montana will have a new oncologist. Dr. Gabby is having a baby and then she and her husband are moving. I hate to switch doctors in the middle of all of this, but we're happy for Dr. Gabby. She's been a great vet and we're so grateful for all her help during this difficult time.

After visiting Dr. Gabby, Montana had a check up with Dr. Stevens and Dr. Beebe. She did have some soreness in her back again (not so much that she was in pain normally, but she reacted during her exam and treatment). She had another round of immuno-accupuncture, which we want to keep doing through her chemo. Monty is scheduled to go back in a month and we'll almost be ready for summer by then!

After all of the craziness of the diagnosis, surgery and post-op complications, we're definitely back in the swing of things again. We've officially past the 8 week mark of her surgery and things are going pretty smoothly again. Torsten and I are looking forward to summer break and spending a bunch of time with Montana. We unfortunately did plan one camping trip where dogs aren't allowed (Pt. Reyes), but she's lucky to always have her grandparents willing to take her in.

2nd Chemo down!

Monty had her second round of chemo yesterday. It all went really well, but she does seem to have lost her appetite a bit. This happened the first time around, so it just might be how it is, but we'll monitor it. Other than that, she's doing really well. She seems to have a harder time in the heat, which is to be expected. I'm planning on going to a gymkhana in Manteca on Saturday, so Monty will get to come and I'm sure that will be fun. I still need to add some more pictures from the Cancer Walk and will do that when I have a bit more time:-)

The weekend was fun!

Yesterday morning, I drove Montana down to the big park and then we went for nice walk. There was no way she could walk down to the park and then enjoy a walk in the park, so that's why there was driving involved. She ran and ran and ran. It's hard to tell just how far she's going to be able to go, so when you turn around to go back, there are usually several rest breaks. After her walk, we went to Waggers to buy more food and some more treats. She got to visit with some dogs and with the sweet ladies who run the shop. She definitely enjoyed her outing. Tomorrow, she goes back for *hopefully* her second round of chemo. They'll check her blook counts first and if they look good, she'll have a treatment. At the Cancer Walk on Saturday there were several lecturers and one of them explained that since the dogs don't have the choice whether or not to take chemo, they, as vets, are extra careful to not make them sick. If Monty had gotten her chemo last week, she would have been sick, so that's why we have to wait until Tuesday.

On a good note, I received several fun pictures from Saturday's walk from Seanne (mine were mostly dark from being in the shade) so I'll post those later on since they're on my laptop at home. Also, I've discovered if you mix Monty's pills in with her food, she will actually eat them (as long as it's sprinkled with cheese!). That makes it a lot easier since she's getting so many vitamins and supplements right now.