Fionn's 3 legged journey to beat cancer

So, if you’re wondering why I haven’t posted in awhile it’s because I’ve been busy being ME! Just being Fionn is a full time job!

Right after Christmas I had my 4th chemo treatment. They told me they had to give me medicine to make me sleepy for something called an x-ray. I’m telling you, I have never been so relaxed! I fell asleep in the lobby and people and dogs had to just go around me. Mom and the doctor got really excited about the x-ray. Something about no “mets” in my lungs. Yeah cancer, take THAT! They told mom I had pneumonia though so I had to take antibiotics for 2 weeks. I WAS feeling a bit tired the week before chemo so I guess there was a reason, but I wasn’t coughing or anything. Weird, but I did feel better after a few days on the medicine. Mom  and the doctor talked about doing more chemo or not. The doctor really wants me to have 2 more and mom said okay as long as I feel good. I got to have a hamburger patty and fries from In and Out and some yogurt so I’m super okay with going back to the vet hospital!

The chemo didn’t bother me at all and I was feeling particularly full of myself when STORMS started to happen day after day. I HATE storms. I thought I just hated thunder, but nope, I hate the sound of wind and rain hitting the house too. Move over mom, I’m sleeping with you-thundershirt and all. Her bed is hard for me to walk on so I just jump up and lay where ever I land. Mom says she has no room, but doesn’t she care about me at all? If I’m scared and want to lay across her bed she should be understanding of my needs right? The other thing I hate about storms? I can’t go for long walks or to the barn. Mom took me to the barn once, but the mud was so deep I kept falling on my face. I hate being cooped up!

It stopped raining the day before my next chemo. On chemo day, I REALLY needed to pee once we got there and there is a lovely big lawn in front of the building. If you’ve read my other posts- I find the evil squirrels there too. It was super wet which bothered mom more than me of course and I saw no reason to NOT roll in it when I was done so I did. I proudly hopped into the lobby with my face and half my body muddy and I DID NOT CARE. Just being Fionn like I said. The vet student who came to get me saw me rolling through the window and just knew I was the golden retriever he was supposed to take care of. He didn’t mind the mud and gave me a cookie so there mom. I didn’t get to stay long though. They took my blood and said it was “too low” to give me chemo. I didn’t care cuz I got cookies anyway, but mom seemed sad. She and the oncologist talked and mom decided I’m done with chemo. No one could say for sure that more than 4 helps keep the cancer away longer. She asked about something called metronomic chemo, but they don’t recommend it. The doctor said there hasn’t been any studies that show it works for my kind of cancer. Okaaay, but I still get cookies right?

On the way home we met one of my kids and her boyfriend at a dog wash place so I could have a bath. I don’t like baths. I think I smell FANTASTIC all the time, but mom says if I insist on sleeping with her (I like it and do it even if it’s not storming now) I have to be clean. The 3 of them ganged up on me and put me in the shower they use for the “old and infirm” dogs. How embarrassing, but the tubs were really high and the stairs scared me. Mom notice some bald spots when they got me wet. I’ve been shedding a lot lately too. Mom said she was glad she decided to stop the chemo since it was clearly affecting me even if I didn’t feel bad or act sick. She also started giving me some supplements that are supposed to help keep me healthy. These delicious chews called K9 Immunity and something she makes herself called “golden paste”. It’s bright yellow and made from turmeric. Mixed with my food it’s not half bad and I have to say I have been feeling FINE lately. Finer than usual. I don’t get so tired on our walks, my joints aren’t as sore and boy do I feel like playing again! I a week I have killed 3 of those pesky squeaky toys that have been hanging around for awhile and wrestled with other dogs at the dog park! The barn has dried up enough for me to go back there and dig holes looking for gophers and voles. I hate them almost as much as squirrels.

Mom keeps talking about filling my “bucket list” and I have to admit the trip to the beach was genius! I loved it! She has been talking about taking me to play in “snow”. I had no idea what that was until today. After a few hours at the  barn we drove into the mountains to this spot she thought would be good. Well let me tell you, this snow stuff? There was A LOT OF IT. The spot she wanted to go to had too much snow so she kept driving. She wanted me to see this frozen lake. Well I never saw it because the snow was so HIGH. All I saw was high walls of white stuff.

She got me out in one spot and we climbed up some snow and this happened- I sunk in it to my belly. I needed to pee, but hows a guy supposed to do that if his privates are buried in this stuff? It’s COLD too!

I couldn’t move so of course mom had to take another picture while I was trapped.

 Yes, I have a dirty face. SO what?

She took me back down this gawd awful mountain and found some snow that wasn’t deep and I had a very satisfying pee and poo. She tried to get me to eat the snow. No thanks. Please take me home now. One more picture because I’m adorable.

When can we go back to the beach?