Roxy's New Life

So here’s my thing.  I was recently asked for some pictures and updates on my dogs.  That kind of request runs with risks.  Risks of me oversharing and putting up WAY TOO MANY PICTURES.  Like I’m about to do.  My tripawd is Roxy.  She’s about 10-11 years old, tiny in boxer standards at just 41 pounds.  She has brother Dakota, 10 yr old boxer; sister Kali, 7 yr old boxer; and little brother Ernest, 4 yr old beagle.  He is the stereotypical little brother…nothing but a pest.

Left to right: Roxy, Dakota, Kali and Ernie

Kali, Dakota, Roxy, Ernie

Roxy is doing pretty well, all things considered.  She’s been a tripawd for 54 months now and had been cancer free until June 2014.  She had a tumor pop up on her remaining front leg that we decided to treat holistically.  I called Dr. Loops and he changed up her remedy.  The results are below.  Incredible stuff.

Taken July 15, 2014

Taken August 24, 2014

She’s also battling arthritis.  She’s currently being treated with Adequan injections, 10 mg Prednisone every other day, 50 mg Tramadol twice a day, and GNC Ultra Mega Hip & Joint Health chewables.  She still struggles sometimes, but she’s happy and enjoying life.

9/14/14

Unfortunately she loves to dig.  Fortunately she took care of one of the MANY moles that are destroying our yard.

Roxy snuggling with Kali

Roxy and Dakota

Dakota is my baby boy.  He’s our largest at 75 lbs, but he’s just a giant teddy bear, so we call him Bear most of the time.  He’s such a sweet heart and just loves to lay in your lap.

Please excuse the beverage in my hand

Dakota

Kali is our first born.  If it weren’t for her our love of boxers may not have evolved.  She had a tumor pop up on her toe two years ago that scared the bejeebies out of us.  The vet thought her toe should come off, so that we did.  It turned out to be ringworm of all things.  Then last summer she had a tumor taken off her hip that was a Grade II MCT.  We’re praying that devil off, hoping there are no relapses there.

Dakota and Kali

Kali and Dad

Kali Girl

Ernest…well, Ernest was an accident.  But we still love him just as much!!  He was a dog that a family member just HAD to have but then couldn’t handle his….how do I say it?….BEAGLENESS!!!  But isn’t he adorable?  Enjoy the pictures people and be glad you don’t have him in your home.

Ernie and Kali

Ernie and Kali

Ernesto

But I’m still not done.  A few years ago we wanted kittens, so we got a brother and sister, Mel and Taz.

Taz and Mel

Taz LOVES Kali

Taz and Kali

And Mel loves being fat and lazy

Fat and Lazy Mel

About a year after getting them a fat black cat was dumped at our place.  We called him Sam because gorgeous black Sammy that was part of the tripawds community for so long was the first thing that popped in my mind when I saw him.

Sam and Taz

Sam

Unfortunately Sam got really sick in late July and we had to let him go on July 26th.  It was hard on all of us, but most of all my son.  He was Izaak’s cat and he always said he was taking Sam with him when he moved out.

Izaak and Sam

He had the most gorgeous green eyes.

Our Sam Sam

And then there are the guinea pigs.  Yes, we have more than just the four dogs and two cats.  Here are MacCoy and Vance.  We adopted them from a guinea pig rescue.  Did you know those existed? I didn’t.  They’re funny little creatures and it’s amazing how much personality they actually have.  I begged Izaak to change Vance’s name to Hatfield but no dice.

Vance (brown and white) Maccoy (tricolored)

So there you have it.  Sorry, but I told you it was going to be far too much.  Hope the pictures at least made you smile a bit.

Leslie

I’m sitting here watching the amazing race with Roxy keeping my feet warm and I’ve decided that I’m not waiting until next Saturday to share our good news. Next Saturday, March 2nd, is Roxy’s 3 YEAR AMPUVERSARY! I’m no great writer. I don’t have magical words that can somehow make you all feel the overwhelming pride I hold for my girl or the immense gratitude I feel every time I think of where she’s been and where she is now.

I drop in every now and then and read some of the stories. Most of the names I don’t know anymore so I know there’s a good chance that someone reading this has no clue who my Roxy girl is. I’ll try to give a quick update. Roxy was a stray that happened to trot through our back yard in May of 2009. I went out to check on her and saw she was in horrible shape-near starving, ate up with bugs, etc. we took her in, nursed her to health, integrated her into our family, and 8 months after her arrival she was diagnosed with a Grade 3 mast cell tumor. The odds were totally against her, but I am so glad we gave her that second chance at life with us. She has rewarded us so greatly with love, loyalty, and humor. This girl is so funny.

Roxy has developed a pretty bad case of arthritis in the last year or so, so I’m always watching her closely to make sure she’s moving alright. At best guess shes around 9 yrs old. You can definitely tell she feels the arthritis at times, but she keeps hopping. She’s so happy and playful. She has a crazy streak that would rival any puppy I’ve ever seen. And she is so demanding, especially when she’s hungry. She knows when it’s dinner time and she does NOT let up the barking and pouncing until she is fed

this community is the ONLY reason we made it to this point. The support and encouragement are things that I hold with me still to this day. Its no joke when i say there isn’t a day that I don’t think of this community and the amazing things that happen here. How could there be? I live with proof of the greatness you find here.

So I was going through some pics to post and they were almost all snuggle pics. So here’s my girl, along with her boxer brother and sister.

This is Roxy’s demanding pose

Roxy on left, Kali on right

In this shot I was sitting on the love seat and here comes all three dogs to effectively push me off…

That’s right, two-and-a-half years! That’s what we are celebrating today.

Roxy keeps chuggin along. Sometimes you can tell that her arthritis is acting up and she has a little difficulty getting up. But once she gets going she’s gone. We are so blessed to have this little fighter in our home, she really is so amazing.

Luckily there’s nothing new to report, just the same ole same ole. So I will finish off this post with some pics of my Tripawd Warrior Princess.

Roxy and Izaak

Here her sister, Kali, is snuggling with her

Roxy was cold..

This is my kissy face

Hi everyone! I had Roxy out in the backyard for a bit today and decided to pull out my iPhone and record some of it. I thought maybe those of you who have known us on here for a couple years might like to see how Roxy’s doing for yourselves, and maybe some of the newer members might take comfort from watching the video. A short recap, Roxy had her amputation on March 2, 2010 after a diagnosis of Grade III Mast Cell Tumor on her front left knee. She came to us as a stray so we don’t know her exact age, but the best guess is about 8 now. Roxy is a very vibrant “senior” boxer even though she has arthritis issues, sometimes causing her not to use her back right leg fully. But as you will see in the video she still very much enjoys life. Hopefully she’ll keep this up for a long time still to come. I thought I’d repost a video we shot 5 months after her amputation so you can compare the changes over about 19 months. She might be a little bit slower, but other than that the only change you’ll see is her face is much grayer. 🙂

A disclaimer here, I wasn’t thinking about posting this video when I shot it so the “narration” is lacking in talent and entertainment. Also it was just me and a phone so it isn’t the best quality. But it serves it purpose, you can still see my beautiful girl.  Oh!  I almost forgot to say even though it looks like she is running away at the end of the new video, rest assured, she did not.  She was just going on a little hop through the back yard.  😉

March 17, 2012

August 2010

But first we try to dodge tornados! Hopefully the predictions are wrong and no one will have to deal with those. So for a while we pray, for everyone that got hit Wednesday and for all who are in the storm path today.

Then…we celebrate!! In honor of Roxy’s 2 YEAR AMPUVERSARY!! That’s right fellow tripawds, 2 years. 🙂 Two years ago today I sat at my desk and did absolutely nothing but worry, fret, chew my nails, worry some more, read everything I could on tripawds, and then worry.

My Roxy is a beautiful light in my life. She came to us in bad shape, timid, and distant. She has become feisty, playful, energetic and demanding. She will stand her ground and bark her super sonic bark until she gets your FULL attention. Normally I’m sure that type of behavior is not encouraged. But I figure of the 7 or 8 years of her life, only the last 2 and a half have been any good. And since we don’t know how much time is left we laugh at her demanding ways and love her obnoxious behavior. We let her be a dog. She is a great dog!!

Tonight I am going to get my dogs ice cream, for the first time ever! I just know they will love it. And today calls for a major pawty!! All you tripawds (and YES even you monkey butts) should celebrate with us!

Ok, so the first part of this post is random.  But I felt like sharing my thoughts with this community because I figured if anyone can relate, it would be all my fellow animal lovers here.  And for some reason I need to find someone who can relate with this.  With one holiday behind us, and another coming up fast, I’m so grateful for my family.  I’m grateful for the love between us and the many blessings God has given us.  My house is not fancy, it’s actually very plain.  But it’s a home, with heat and safety, and filled to the brim with fur babies to warm our hearts as well.  I’m most grateful for that blessing.  Cold weather is settling in, with temps in the 20’s overnight.  We’ve been getting rain and snow flurries.  I used to love winter without hesitation.  But that was when I was a child and I didn’t know the things I know now.  I still prefer the cold of winter to the heat of summer.  But I can’t really enjoy it anymore.  Because everytime I’m sitting on my couch with my son and at least a couple animals, all snuggled up in a blanket, I worry about and feel sorry for those babies and animals that don’t have that shelter/warmth/love.  When the snow is falling, I can’t look at it the way most people do and just see the beauty of the snow.  I worry about that short haired dog that some sad excuse of a human being has left tied up in the back yard with not even so much as a dog house, shivering under that snow.  I hate that I can’t enjoy it.  I try to.  But no matter what I always come back to those poor animals.  I just want to go out and find them all and just hold them until they’re warm, until they aren’t scared anymore.  It hurts my heart to know they’re suffering and I can’t save them.  I recently realized that because of this, I felt guilty for the things I have, that I didn’t show my appreciation enough, if that makes sense.  So now I’m trying to change my view point.  Turning a new leaf.  I don’t really have to feel bad for the blessings in my life, as long as I use those blessings to help other people/animals when I have the opportunity.  Maybe this new view point will help me enjoy the season a little more. 

One thing I don’t have any problem enjoying is the six animals in my home, 3 dogs, 3 cats.  5 of which were once homeless and we brought in.  Not the least of which is our Roxy.  Roxy is a trooper, like all tripawds.  She just happened to wander into our back yard that cold May night in 2009.  I just happened to look out my window just in time to see her trotting along.  How she was going, I’ll never understand.  She was so close to death, so exhausted, she slept for 3 days.  She ate off of a paper plate with her head laying on it because she couldn’t hold her head up.  She came around though.  Her hair was coarse, but her bones slowly faded from sight.  She would hang out on the outskirts of rooms and watch us, and watch the other two dogs play.  Then she started barking at them from the edges of their wrestling matches.  Then she eventually joined them, very cautiously at first. 

Then came the diagnosis in January 2010.  God, it was so unfair.  She just found a good life.  So we decided to give her another chance.  On March 2, 2010, her leg was amputated.  Since then we’ve had our fair share of scares.  She was diagnosed with arthritis, which is an uphill battle all on its own.  She has near constant allergy breakouts (which I’m always swearing is a return of the Mast Cell).  But she is so. incredibly. happy.  And for that, I would do it all again.  And now, almost 2-and-a-half years to the day she showed up, Roxy is a cuddler!!!  She will hop up on the couch, get her neck rubs, and instead of jumping down and laying by herself when the rubs are done, she lays down against your leg.  I don’t know if you guys understand how huge this is, but….THIS IS HUGE!!  I didn’t think she would ever do it.  I didn’t think she would ever have that level of comfort, or need to be close to us, or whatever it is that changed.  But it’s there.  And once again I am in awe of Roxy.  She’s so beautiful.  And I am so grateful. 

As I mentioned, her amputation was done on March 2, 2010.  Which makes tomorrow 21 MONTHS!!  Just one more terrific thing to celebrate this season.  Now, I’m one of those people that is always afraid if I say something out loud I’m going to jinx it.  (I’m really just a kid at heart).  So I’m really hoping things stay good for Roxy.  She deserves every second of happiness she’s gotten in the last couple years, plus so many more.  So tonight, I’m going to sit on the floor with Roxy.  I’m going to give her a good long belly rub, and a little extra behind the ears.  I’m going to tell her that she is so incredibly special, that she has taught me so much, that her resilience is amazing, that the light in her eyes is awe inspiring, that she’s one hell of a fighter, and I’m so grateful.

Hi everyone!  I first have to apologize for being so absent lately.  I just started a new job and making the transition has been a little hectic.  But, the important thing is I’m back!  All you tripawd heros are always in my thougths, no matter where I am.  Ok, on to the good part of the post.

Tomorrow is Roxy’s 18 month ampuversary!  We are so blessed.  I realize this.  I also realize the rug could be ripped out from under our feet at any moment.  I try my hardest not to think of that, but it’s so hard with all of these impossible human emotions.  It’s been harder lately because it really seems that Roxy is slowing down.  I’m not going to lie, I’ve been worried sick lately…literally.  My stomach burns all the time from the stress I feel worrying about Roxy and whether her body is going to give out on her, or the evil cancer will soon rear its ugly head, or already has and I’m just in denial.  I’ll explain.

A couple weeks ago this quarter size spot came out of nowhere and landed on Roxy’s belly.  The skin pigmentation turned black, it swelled up and got red.  I made a vet appt.  A couple days later (and of course before the vet appt) the swelling went away and it was just a black spot with a couple bumps in it.  The vet poked, prodded, squeezed, squished, and everything else and said there was no way she could get a aspiration.  I’m to watch it and see what it does.  Of course in my head I just know it’s the cancer coming back.  I used to be an optimistic person.  But I think adulthood has turned me in to a pessimist. 

Also, Roxy has been moving around a lot less the last couple days and when she does move it seems to be much slower.  She was diagnosed with pretty bad arthritis a few months back.  I used to say I hope it’s “just” the arthritis.  I no longer say “just” arthritis.  The arthritis is horrible.  I believe Shanna pointed that out.  Now I say, well I think I would rather it be the arthritis than the cancer.  My mom says her arthritis has been terrible the last couple days, so maybe it really is the arthritis.  Maybe that is better, maybe it’s not.  I don’t know anymore. 

All I know for sure is my girl is here, now, and we truly are blessed with that.  I’m trying like hell to stay positive and just love her with all my might.  She deserves nothing less.  I’m trying like hell not to fear for her every minute of every day.  I’m trying like hell to be more dog.  I wish I was a dog.  One of our dogs.  Right now that constant innocents and stress free life sounds like euphoria.  I’m so jealous. 

Sorry for the depressing tone.  This is a time for celebration after all.  I’m just not much in the spirit at the moment.  Will all you tripawds do a little celebrating in Roxy’s honor?  Maybe I’ll feel the love and be a little stronger for her actual ampuversary tomorrow. 

Thank you!  And love to you all!

Leslie

Happy4th of July, everyone!  I just wanted to give a quick shout out to my girl, Roxy.  Saturday was 16 months!!  She seems to still be doing well, hopping strong.  🙂  So we’re going to add a little extra love to our celebrations today!  I hope you are all able to enjoy this incredible holiday and remember all those that have allowed us to celebrate our freedom. 

til next time!

Leslie

Roxy has a bit of a new hop. To make a long story short, a couple weeks ago we came home to find that Roxy wasn’t getting around very well. I gave her some left over tramadol, and she seemed to improve. Until late last week. Friday Roxy was having a lot of trouble getting around and her appetite was lacking. She was definitely hurting, but I couldn’t figure out where. By Saturday she wasn’t getting up at all, except to do her business. And those times it was very slow moving. She’d move her front leg….then one back leg….then the other. She would only move a few steps, then she would either sit very slowly or just stand there looking completely lost.  When she would try to get up too fast she would whimper, and we could sometimes hear a pop when she got up or down.  Her appetite was almost none existent.  It was so heartbreaking.  Sunday morning we saw the same behavior and my anxieties went through the roof. I finally broke down and went to the forums for some advice. I thought (or maybe hoped) it could be arthritis, but I’ve never had a dog with arthritis so I wasn’t sure. Thankfully we saw some slight improvement in her as the day went on Sunday.
Monday morning I called the vet and got an appointment for that afternoon. When I got home from work to pick her up, she was moving so much better. Our dogs spend the day outside when we are at work. I figured Roxy must have spent the day in the sun on the porch. That was another good sign for arthritis rather than maybe nerve damage or spinal mets. Turns out arthritis is the official diagnosis. Dr. Hollis said Roxy has a lot of soreness in her lower spine and her right back hip. Luckily she does’t seem to have any issues with her remaining front leg. Hopefully it stays that way.

Today Roxy seems even better. Her hop is almost totally normal.  Her appetite is really good.  In fact, she seems to be wanting to make up for the missed meals from the weekend.  The main issue still hanging around is she doesn’t seem to be able to bend her head all the way to the floor.  That’s not an issue for meal times because she has a raised bowl.  But when she wants to pick up a toy she either has to lay down to get it or we hand it to her.  It’s sad, really, because she’ll hop around it acting like she’s trying to find the right position to get to it, and she whimpers a little sometimes.  Hopefully she recovers enough so that she can pick her toys up on her own.  If not, we’ll be here to hand them to her.  🙂 

Now we have to start figuring out what works best for our girl as far as managing pain and such.  I’m going to check into acupuncture for sure, and I’m thinking of trying to find a vet who does chiropractic work.  Whatever we do, I’ll be sure to post an update!

Leslie

Today is Roxy’s 14 month ampuversary. She’s still doing pretty well. Her skin allergies have been a little calmer the last couple months. She’s still crazy and loves to play, but when she calms down I’ve noticed she moves just a little slower. It makes me sad when I notice her a little slower, but I don’t worry too much because I know getting around on three legs has to be exhausting. Plus when she’s in full play she runs like the wind, and when we play tug of war she about pulls my arm out of the socket. I swear, I’ve never played with a dog that size that has that much power.
She had her annual check up and vaccinations over the weekend. Our vet still thinks she looks fantastic and can’t believe she’s still here. We are so blessed. Our vet also noticed the extra gray around her face this time, so I guess it wasn’t in my head. Shari and Dakota, if you’re reading this, Dakota isn’t the only one turning gray rapidly lately. 🙂 He’s in good company.
We still haven’t ever done follow up xrays. She has Mast Cell instead of OSA, so I guess chance of mets in the lungs are a little less. I must admit, a part of me would really love to do an ultrasound of the spleen and liver since that’s where MCT tends to go, but if we found it there it would just make me worry and fret all the time. And what’s the point in that if Roxy isn’t worried about it???
I’m always thinking of our fellow tripawds. Hopefully the weather starts cooperating soon and we can all enjoy life just a little more.

Leslie