Our dear Riley turned 14 today! She is quite a senior girl. She is now just about a year and a half past her amputation, and doing great. Her last ultrasound at the oncologist showed no signs of metastasis, and she is as bright and engaged as ever. The prognosis for her histiocytic synovial sarcoma was pretty grim, and she has already outlived all expectations. In fact, when we went to the oncologist at the one year mark, the doc was pleasantly surprised that Riley was still around. Several different vets have told me to keep doing whatever we’re doing. And that is quite a lot. Riley (and also my dog with a brain tumor), are on numerous supplements to support their health and to strengthen their immune systems. They receive green smoothies twice a day for the antioxidants. I make the smoothies in bulk, and freeze them, to be thawed as needed. Riley also gets acupuncture to help with her mobility issues. Swim therapy has been a sometime thing, too.
Riley still struggles with mobility, but we are dealing with it. The Ruffwear webmaster harness has been invaluable in assisting her as needed. She only wears it when we know she’ll be needing some help, such as stairs or getting in the vehicle. We haven’t had as much success with the help-em’-up harness, but maybe more mobile dogs do fine with it. Riley jumps on the couch by herself, and manages it most of the time. She’s slid off a few times, but without injury. If I see her eyeing the comfy couch, I’ll lift her up. All this spoiling has made her quite the diva. She is not above asking for what she wants – and she expects a prompt response, please!
I hadn’t realized that nearly six months had gone by without an update. We have all just been living our lives as normal. Normal is a nice place to be. Riley still comes wobbling into the kitchen when she hears the freezer door opening -she has always loved ice. Her appetite has never waned, despite five rounds of chemo. She does laps around the kitchen while I’m preparing her food, as she is always eager for mealtime. So, those things are still the same Riley we know and love. Her quality of life is very good at present. If she doesn’t want to play ball (endlessly) like she used to, much of her slowing down is to be expected because of her age. Riley sleeps very deeply now, and takes lengthy naps during the day.
We cherish the time we have had with this wonderful dog, and are grateful for every day.
Riley was not interested in posing for a picture for her birthday. She just wanted to chew sticks.