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Dinner was delicious, we had Thai. Before that though, I got a new tattoo. When my husband and I were having problems in our marriage, we got matching tattoos as a sign of our "rekindling" our relationship. When our son got a concussion, I got a tattoo of his name and a heart. Now, with my sweet Kelsey being sick, I got a tattoo of his name and a pawprint on my right ankle.

Ok, now for the important stuff.

The surgery went really well. We went in today at 10:30 for a consult and by 2:00, we were in surgery! The dr called us and said that it went really well and that he was in recovery with the anesthesiologist waking up.

Tail is gone, but he is still here to be with us. That's all I asked for, him to be here and still have a good quality of life.

I've gotten some really great pictures, so as soon as we're home, I'll get them uploaded.

I really can't thank you all enough for the support. It's been an emotional time, but I'm pulling through it with the help of all of you.

I'll blog more as more becomes available.

Hugs to all of you!
Cody

Tail B Gone

Met with the surgeon earlier (at 10:30) and by 2:00 Kelsey was in anesthesia and surgery. Who knew they were such movers and shakers.

The surgeon said Kel did really well during the surgery and he is still waking up. The tail is completely gone, not even a nub. BUT, I for one will just continue to love him more and more.

We're off to dinner right now and I will post more as soon as we return. But for now, it's great news and hopefully will be a full recovery!

Thank you all for your prayers!

Cody

Safe in Colorado

We made it to Colwoorado safely! It was a long drive and I'm exhausted. Mommy and mommy had to get a new hotel room because the air was broken in our old one and it was so hot in there.

I didn't sleep much today (for only about an hour in the car) and now I'm all stretched out on mommy's bed and getting ready for my big day.

It rained a lot on our way out here, for about an hour, and it was pouring. Mommy was nice enough to get out and walk with me for about 15 minutes in the rain and lightening. I made a #2 and she was so happy that we were done. I know, TMI.

Anyway, I'm off to have sweet puppy dreams and hope for good news tomorrow.

Hugs to all of woo and thank you so much for the kind words. Special note to Summies mummy, thank you for wearing your bracelet in my honor. I told mommy about it and it made her cry. I'm glad you are all here for her and for me.

Hugs and drool,
Kel

Tomorrow is the BIG day

Tomorrow I leave with my mommy and my other mommy. If that sounds confusing, here's the story.

One day long ago I was running loose on the streets in Missouri. I was hungry, thin, scared of people, and alone. I was picked up by a person from the animal shelter and got fed, but I was still scared and the cage was not exactly warm and fuzzy.

After what seemed like forever, a nice woman named Janice came to visit me. She told the man she wanted to adopt me and take me home. He told her that I wasn't neutered, so she'd have to come back. She drove ALL the way back to Omaha, and then returned a few days later. She put me in the car and I was terrified. I didn't understand what was going on. This woman, with the soft voice wanted to pet me. Whoa, why would anyone do that? I couldn't get used to this kindess. She got me to her home and literally had to hold me down so that she could give me this petting and love (things I was not aware existed).

After nearly a year, she met my new mommy, Cody. She let me go spend the night at Cody's house and I got to play with Smokey, Chauncey, and Tim. I was a little nervous. I'd come to know the love that Janice (my firstest mommy) had shown me, but was a little leary of strangers.

My mommy Janice came back to see me and told my new mommy that I could live here with her furever. My mommy Janice cried and cried as she left and I wanted to go with her.

Now, here it is almost 7 years later, and I still have two mommies! Who would have ever thought that I would be lucky enough to have two mommies to love me and care for me and cry for me and fuss over me?! I'm just a dog from the streets.

So, tomorrow, my mommy and my other mommy will take me to Colorado. I know they are both hopeful for me to become healthy and beat this stupid cancer. I'm ready to be rid of it too. You saw the pictures, my tushy is all naked! How embarassing.

Now, I'm going to be stuck with both of them pawing all over me! I guess there are worse things in life though. I could be out on the streets still, or worse.

I'll let you know how it all goes,

Hugs and drool,
Kel

Rest in Peace Abbot

It is with a heavy heart that I am posting that mommy's friend Jonene lost her sweet Abbot to cancer.

Mommy and Jonene have been talking a lot recently and turns out they go to the same doctors office that we go to. Apparently Abbot has been battling this illness for some time and while he wasn't a blogger, he was a fellow fur friend.

To Abbot I say, there is no more pain. You are free from cancer. No more needles and you are free. Play with all the other kitties and puppies at the bridge and someday, when the time is right, your humes will cross the bridge with you.

To Jonene, Ron, and the kids I say, I'm terribly sorry for your loss. We don't even think about how hard the end will be until it gets here. We live for the moment and the kisses and snuggles. You are truly better people for the love that you gave Abbot while he was here and he will be waiting for you at this side of the bridge.

All of our thoughts and prayers,
Kelsey, Smokey, and Cody

Puzzler for you

What do you get when you cross a white siberian husky and a silver Mazda?



Yup, me going to Colorado four days early!!! The doctor called my mommy today and said they can get us in on Friday instead of Monday. That means we'll be in the car (silver Mazda) on our way to there on Thursday.

Not sure why mom cries about stuff like this and she's keeping a book that she has named Kelsey's Cancer Book. I think that because she can't control the cancer, she's got this book as something she can control. If it were my book, I'd spend less time writin in it and more time slobbering on the pages and making the paper tear. It's a fun sound that paper makes (ask Khady about it, she's into that too).

So, wish us luck and a safe drive. My other mommy, Janice, is bringing her laptop, so if we have a wi-fi connection (whatever that is), hopefully I'll get to blog with any news.

Oh, by the way, mommy said I passed all my tests and that they were all normal. Whew, sure glad I studied.

Hope you're all having a great week and I'll be on the lookout for snow as we get closer to Colorado.

Hugs and drool,

Kel

No more stitches for now...

I got the hot pink stitches taken out today when we went in for my tests. I studied really hard (ok, I hid my nose in the middle of the book and pretended, but what mommy doesn't know won't hurt me).

I rode in the car and got to see and smell some new things. I hope I have lots more days of that. I really like going in the car. Today, mommy turned around and said "hey baby schnooks, are we going bye bye again" (baby schnooks?) anyway, I pressed my cold and wet nose on her lips and gave her a great big kiss! She started laughing and my boy (the human boy, Chauncey) he was laughing too. One big wet kiss from me and she loses herself in laughter and giggles.

Dr. Osterholm went out and talked to mommy and my boy while I was in the back getting them pink stitches out. I could tell that mommy had been crying again. She's really worried about me and about making the right choices. She said that Dr. Osterholm helped make her feel better. Dr. O's Shepherd had cancer too and she took her to Colorado, so she knows what we're all going through.

That's all for now, mom's cooking something that smells really good, so I'm gonna go lay at her feet and maybe she'll drop something yummy.

Ta ta for now
Kel

Tests

I think I gotta study cuz mommy said I have to get some tests tomorrow before our trip.

She says I gotta take a c bee c test and a youranalysis and a chem panel. I don't know where the books are to study for these, but hopefully you've got some that I can use.

I'm running out of time too because I have to be there at 5:00 tomorrow, so find your studyin books and help me pass these tests!

Nervous about testing,

Kelsey

PS... I helped my mommy feel a little better. I snuggled with her real good last night and am planning more of the same today. She's smiling and I made her giggle last night too. She's being strong for both of us.

For fun

I got under the grill. Call me Spot.

Here are some pictures of Kelsey that I want to share with all of you. Enjoy! He's just so darn cute!

So, we're off to Colorado...I wonder if there is any snow?

Mommy got the call earlier from Dr. Johnson and it turns out that even Dr. Johnson feels that the best place for me is Colorado State. We're going on August 10th for a consultation.

Mommy has been getting a lot of well wishes, but also a lot of people saying things like "maybe it's time to let go" and "you're crazy for doing so much for a dog" (Whoa, I take offense to that one, I'm not just a dog, I'm a fluffy Siberian Husky). She's also heard that there's a "line" and that by considering all of this surgery, travel, and raydiashun, that she could just get a new dog (again with the DOG thing...I'm a fluffy puppy, a mini hume with fur, a gorgeous fuzzy love bug). Anyway, she's having some hard conversations with people and is spending a lot of her time defending herself. I wish I could just bite some of those people.

Oh, then there's the "can you guarantee it won't come back?" and the "he's gonna go someday" and a lot more. She seems confused and upset. She's been crying a lot again too. How can I make her feel better?

I know she loves me. She tells me so all the time and she's always asking me for kisses (most of the time I give them to her...especially right after drinking a lot of water so I know they're good and sloppy).

I'm not ready to go to the bridge yet. I've got a lot of love left to give and fun to have. I hope she doesn't give up on me. I know it must be hard for her to hear all of the negative talk from everyone. I can tell she's upset and she's sad and she's angry at this disease. She's a mess. I mean seriously, a mess. She's got bags under her eyes that you could park a truck in, she's not sleeping, she's not eating well, she's sad, and she's constantly crying.

Hoping things get better for her and that my bum gets better so we can play and snuggle for a long time,
Kelsey

Surgery and/or radiation?

Well, my mommy and my other mommy (aka, Holly's mommy) took me to a new drs office. I got to smell the beautiful flowers that were outside the door and then I got to see the nice man at the counter. After a short wait, the doctor called us in and looked at my twomore and said it was in a bad spot (don't know what they're talking about because my fluffy white fanny is an awesome spot)...anyway, I heard the doctor say something about not being able to take off my tail. WHOA. WHO MENTIONED ANYTHING ABOUT TAKING OFF MY TAIL?!?!?!

They talked about doing a sirjury to make my twomore smaller and then freezing the tishoe. I think I will like having something cold on my tush because I am a siberian husky and I like cold stuff.

They also said something about going to Colorado State to have something called raydiayshun. Mommy said she couldn't stay with me there so I don't know for sure who will be there with me. I hope it's not scary. By the way, what's with all these big words, don't they know I'm a dog and don't spell so good?

Anyway, mommy cried a lot and I felt sad for her. She says I'm her baby and that she loves me more than anything and I hope that she knows I love her too. Her and my other mommy, Janice.

So, they said that they would call mommy and tell her what the dr in Colorado says and then we'll go from there (wait, where are we going?)

I hope you all know I'm being a very brave boy and I'm not feeling any pain or feeling sick. I am playful and giving my mommy a lot of kisses since she seems so sad lately. Plus, those tears are salty and I like that.

Hugs and drool as always,
Kel

GOOD NEWS!!!!

We went in for the x-rays and there was a suspicious spot. Dr. Teter said they could have a radiologist read the pics for a final say on whether or not it was another tumor. She said we would know by tomorrow.

Well, turns out the radiologist is on the West coast and at about 8:45 Dr Teter called with the news. The shadow she saw was NOT a tumor!!!!!!!!!!! I was crying hysterically at this revelation. I think this is the first breath I've taken in almost a week. What this means is that we can move forward with the surgery consults and while he may be missing a tail, he'll still live for many more years and will be able to receive sweet kisses of love from me.

I have cried so many tears of fear and hate towards this ugly disease and now we have a chance at a happy ending. I know we're not done with our battle, but at least we now have the upper hand. UNLESS the surgeons say they can't do the procedure, we can look forward to happier days. Oh, if they say that they can't do it, we'll find someone who says that they can.

I would like to thank all of you for your support during this chaos. Janice, you don't even know how much I lean on you for support. Your dedication to this furbaby and your continual friendship and care has meant the world to me. I hope you know that you are loved by both Kelsey and myself more than anything. You are my rock and I am so glad to have met you and for the bond that we have had because of our fluffy white boy. I know you love him as much as I do and I take comfort in the fact that you've remained in his life all these years.

To all of our friends in the blog, THANK YOU for your prayers and warm wishes. We look forward to the many blogs that we can share with you and we will update you as this progresses until he is healthy and cancer free.

All of our love to you all,

Cody and Kelsey

Options

Well, turns out there are many options depending on the xrays today (Holly's mommy Janice is coming with me to the vets for the xrays and consultation...thank goodness for the moral support, Lord knows I need it).

In the hopes of clear x-rays, I've already scheduled two consultations with different surgeons (one of which is the doctor that Janice uses for her furbabies) and she'll be joining us for that consult tomorrow.

I've also found a local vet that uses a holistic approach in the event that the news is bad. She works on boosting immunity to help their bodies fight off the cancer and, while it doesn't cure it, it hopefully will give him more time.

I'm learning that I'm not the strong woman that I thought I was and that just one word (malignant) was enough to shut down my brain and drop me to my knees. I don't remember a lot of what was said last night with the doctor. I just remember malignant and stage 2.

We take these critters in and hope to find love and companionship. What we don't realize is that they're only on loan from God to enrich our lives. They teach us that love is truly the strongest emotion and that sloppy puppy kisses are actually not gross, but are wonderful gifts and I hope to receive more years of them from Kelsey.

I can't thank all of you enough for being here for me. I find comfort in your words and know that each of you loves your puppies (and honorary husky cat) more than anything. It is a wonderful feeling to have you in our lives and I feel blessed.

Ok, more tears are flowing, so I'm going to sign out, take a short nap with Kelsey, and prepare for the consultation at 4:30. Please God, I beg of you, let it be ok.

Cody

Not good news.

The results are in. It's called malignant nerve sheath cancer. It's stage 2 (there is 1, 2, or 3). Dr. Teter told me that it's a fairly aggressive tumor and that usually once removed, they tend to come back.

She said we have options. We can do nothing and just let him live out what time he has left or we can choose to do surgery. Before making any decisions though, we have to go in for a chest x-ray to see if it's spread already. If it has, we can't really do anything. If it hasn't we can go for a consult with the K State surgeon here in Omaha.

Either way, it's not good. She's not even sure if the tumor can safely be removed because it's so close to his spinal cord.

So, not such good news. I will know more tonight after the chest x-ray. I wanted the answer so bad, and now that it's the answer I didn't want, I would rather not have it. I'm numb and I'm scared. I just want him to be ok, but I know that his time is limited with this ugly disease so I'm going to spoil him rotten and kiss and hug him more than ever.

Cody

(no) update..

Kelsey here. I think the humom's head is going to start spinning around on her shoulders. She's really upset with something called a biospy. I don't know what that is, but she's upset that she still hasn't gotten the results and it's Wednesday night.

I don't know why she's upset, but she hasn't stopped touching me and kissing me and telling me how much she loves me since last week! What's wrong with the momma?

Anyway, she is going to call my vetrunaryan in the morning since they haven't called her. Is that some kind of howl? You know, when they call each other? Do they woooo?

Talk to you all soon (I'm ok. Just got a lump on my butt. I'm still playful and happy though)

Hugs and drool,
Kel

No News

No news yet. It's Tuesday and I'm still waiting (tho not very patiently) for an answer. I'll let you all know as soon as the verdict is in.



Cody

Tomorrow's the day...

We'll know the results from the biopsy tomorrow. I find myself looking at Kelsey and thinking that there's no way such an ugly disease could possibly be inside of him. He's so beautiful and so sweet and has those blue eyes that melt my heart. Nothing so ugly would dare enter his sweet fluffy body.

I can't keep my hands off of him either. I cuddle with him a lot as it is, but these past few days I find that I just can't bear to be too far away from him. I just can't imagine how I'll feel if we find out it is cancer. I know my life, and his, will change forever. I'll let you know what we find out. I hope that we get good news. I'm sure it'll be another sleepless night with the anxiety that I'm feeling.

Please say a prayer for us. We could use it.
Hugs to all of the furry babies out there and their humans.

Cody

WARNING...PICTURES OF SHAVED TUSHY

Ok, here they are.....

UPDATE:

If a wound is large and filled with "juice" and you sit on said wound, do you know what you get? Well, in our house it is Kelsey's hiney and it's blood squirting across the room at a distance of 8 - 9 feet.

We were bleeding all over the place and rushed to the hospital to see if he'd ripped a stitch. He had two spots where the skin kinda puckered and created small openings. A bit of lidocaine and two stitches later, we're back to being all sealed up.

I'm going to get some pictures on here (for those of you who aren't queasy) and you can see that when I say it's huge, I'm not telling a tale.

Til then,

Cody