The Woodman Cometh.......

We narrowly averted a catastrophe last night - we almost ran out of wood for out fire ! Oh no, I hear you all say ! Tell me about it....no wood, means no fire, means sucky inside time, and no good snoozing ! Luckily dad made an emergency call this morning and, I waited and waited, and the woodman came ! It was very exciting. After he came, Charlie and I had to "guard" the big pile just to make sure that no-one came and stole it - although, I think I may have dozed off for a few minutes, but I don't think anyone came.

Whilst I was waiting for the woodman, mum came back from that place where she gets our bones and I munched on a bone for a while, just to fill in the time. Although, when mum pulled the bone out of the bag, I was alittle worried as to how I was going to fit such a big bone in my delicate mouth - turns out my mouth isn't as delicate as I thought, as I managed no problems :-)

We also had some visitors whilst I was munching - these fella's are called Lorikeets, and they are native to Australia. These two are pretty tame, and I think eventually mum will be able to hand feed them - they are pretty cool.

Well, I got my stitches out yesterday, and I was a good girl - I didn't even vomit in the car, I was very proud of myself ! My scar has healed beautifully says the Vet - and we are now just waiting to see what our next step is. Dr Davis is talking to the Oncologist - and we will work out a strategy to beat this sucker cancer thing to make sure it doesn't EVER come back !

Mum and dad have had a real busy week - they have had lots of work stuff on, and dad was away for two nights - I am glad we are all back together now, it makes me happy when it is the four of us. Charlie gets very grumpy when dad is away - I think we need to start calling him the "gruffpuppy" :-) But he is happier today. I think we are all just gonna watch some movies and take it easy today - no big plans, just some family time - doesn't get any better than that.
Lots of love,
Opy.
PS - we will be announcing the new DogsWithBlogs poll's tomorrow - so stay tuned........

JUST A FEW RANDOM PICS -

Greg and Opy - hard to say who I love more :-)

You call this "resting" ? Charlie and Opy showing Greg who the bosses are !


Dr Davis - "Super Vet"

Charlie and Opy - all tired out. Notice who the heater hog is - getting a nice warm butt there Charlie !

OPY UPDATE - PART 3

Hi all. Last blog entry from me, Opy's mum, I promise. As Opy is doing really well, I have decided to reinstate her computer priviledges. Although, it would seem from the previous post on this blog that she may have already been one step ahead of me, and reinstated herself :-)
Okay, down to business.
We got the results back from the lab today. Not the terribly bad news that we were dreading - thank goodness ! But not all roses and teddy bears either.
The lump has been diagnosed as a malignant nerve sheath tumour, or the technical term is a 'schwannoma'.Yes, it is cancerous - BUT - it is VERY uncommon for it to spread, it is localised and has been graded as "intermediate", which on a scale of 1 to 100, is probably around 40. So, all that is good news.
However, it is likely that the tumour will reoccur at a later date - in the same spot. Even though Dr Davis got it all out in one go, and the sac it was in was not ruptured - the sac is actually what contains the cancer cells and it is inevitable that some of these cells do get left behind when the surgery occurs. So, regrowth is a definate possiblilty.
Where to from here ?At the moment Dr Davis is liaising with the Specialist to see if we can do some preventative measures (radiation etc) to lesson the likelihood of it reoccurring - I am waiting to hear what the Specialist has to say about that. If not, we will monitor her like a hawk - she will go back to Dr Davis probably once per month initially to get a thorough check over for any regrowth or abnomalities.
So, that's where we are up to. It's odd, as I feel like celebrating - even though the news isn't exactly terrific, but deep down I had this horrible feeling that the results were going to be that she had cancer all through her and there was nothing we could do for her - so, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders. We will now get through this, one step at a time - we have been given some very positive feedback from Dr Davis, so we will go from there. She gets her stitches out on Friday - and I guess we will have a more detailed plan as to how we progress after that.
As to how she is doing - well, she is fine - better than fine ! I am sure that the lump must have felt uncomfortable for her, and since we have now found out that it was a nerve tumour, Dr Davis reckons that it may have been alittle painful for her. She is very smiley and happy - and we are now just trying to get her not to jump around too much - as she still has her stiches in, and a heap of them are on the inside. She is still on the pain medication - but I think we will be knocking that off soon, as I don't really think she needs it anymore.
What I've learnt from all this ? Time is precious. Take the time to love your animals - don't say "I'll pat, or play, with you later" - do it NOW and do it OFTEN !!! Opy gave us a real fright, and I have made a promise to myself that both of our doggies will ALWAYS know how important they are to us and how much we love them - don't not let them inside because you've just vacuumed the carpet, so what, you can vacuum it again - don't ignore them when they want a pat and say you are too busy, you are never too busy ! Just love them, that's all there is to it....pure and simple !
Well, Opy will take me to task yet again over this long and boring blog entry - so, I will hand it back over to her from now on. Thanks again all, your kind words and thoughts won't be forgotten.
Cheers,
Brooke

Shhhhhh, everyone - don't tell mum, but I've snuck on the computer to write my own blog entry. Mum has made the computer "out of bounds" for me, as I am meant to be "resting" and "taking it easy". After reading mum's blog entries, I knew I had to make the effort to write for myself, mainly to stop mum crucifying my blog with her long winded, boring posts !

So, here I am.....

I am feeling pretty good. Being "bone Saturday", Charlie and I got our usual tasty boney-treat. I thought since I am convalecsing and all, that I really wouldn't get into too much trouble if I stole Charlie's bone.....not once, not twice, but 4 times ! Mum told me that just because I am sick doesn't mean that I can steal Charlie's bone....well, I beg to differ !
I am still feeling pretty tired, and am sleeping alot - well, more than I usually do anyway - probably about 18 hours a day now, instead of my usual 15 ! I am still getting the super-sweet pain medicine, makes me feel REALLY good. My stitches aren't bothering me yet - although I like to lick them every now and again just to see mum go berko and tell me off - I just laugh at her. I get my stitches out next Friday - and hopefully my hair will start to grow back soon too, it gets cold where Dr Davis shaved me :-(
Mum and dad still haven't got my lump results back yet. They were hoping to get them on Friday, but Dr Davis didn't call, so I guess he didn't get them back yet - no news is good news, as the saying goes. I hope that my results are okay - I don't like to see mum and dad so stressed ! Although, I do like all this extra attention that I am getting - and Charlie too, can't forget him - we are both doing pretty well in the attention stakes at the moment.
Sleeping inside was the sweetest thing EVER the other night - I tried to make it happen again last night, but my coat was put on me and I was bundled outside with Charlie - NO FAIR !
Oops, I think I hear mum coming - so I had better sign off and pretend I was doing something "doggie". I think we are having a BBQ tonight - I spied some sweet shanks in the fridge for me and Charlie - SUPER SWEET.
Thanks to everyone who wished me all the best for my operation and recovery - we aren't quite out of the woods yet, but paws crossed, we will be soon. Big sloppy licks to you all - mucho love from me to you :-)
Love,
Opy
ps - there are no photo's with this entry as I don't know how to use the "self-timer" function on the camera, and Charlie was too sleepy to take any photoes of me.
pss - go the Aussies in the World Cup - Oi, Oi, Oi !

CHARLIE & OPY - BEST FRIENDS




The pics say it all really :-)

OPY UPDATE - PART 2

Hi all - Opy's mum, Brooke, here again. Just thought I would post another update to let you all know how Opy is doing. As I said previously, her surgery went well - and we were quite surprised when we were told that we could take her home yesterday. We were really pleased, but also alittle apprehensive as we didn't know how she would be - whether she would be able to walk by herself, go to the toilet etc.
When we got to the Vet's, Dr Davis talked to us at length about what he had done and what his concerns were. Basically, the lump was the size of baseball, but more oblong - so, it left quite a hole when he took it out. He had to do all this layering stuff to fill the hole - as he didn't want it to be just "dead space" - from what he told us he had to do, both Greg and I were bracing ourselves for what she was going to look like. He also told us that he was concerned as to what the lump was - apparently, it had a huge blood supply to it, and he just didn't like the look of it. He has sent it away for pathology, and we should know the results tomorrow - on the positive side, he did get it all out, and he got it out in the sac that it was contained in - so that is a plus. If the results come back bad, we still have alot of options - so, we are trying really hard not to worry about all that.
Anyway, he goes and get's Opy - Greg and I were expecting him to half carry her back, and for her leg to look like a patchwork quilt - well, in she pranced !! Big smile on her face, wriggling all over ! Couldn't believe it ! Dr Davis did a great job with her wound - I am sure there are alot of stitches on the inside, but the outside looks great. He told us some funny stories about how she was after the operation whilst she was on the pain medication - he reckons that she was seeing "pink pussycats" :-) After marvelling at how good she was, we collected all the antibiotics, the bill (not as bad as we were expecting!), and some pain medication, and we headed home.
Once home, Charlie was SO pleased to see her - to the point where we had to keep a real close eye on him as he just wouldn't leave her alone. It took ages for both of them to settle down - and we all just sat and watched TV by the fire for most of the night - just so happy to have our little Gruffer home. I had already decided to take today off, as I just wanted to keep an eye on her, and make sure "buggaluggs (Charlie) behaved himself. So, we thought last night that I would sleep in the loungeroom with her, and Charlie would sleep outside. We would have kept them both inside, but as much as Charlie loves to come inside for a few hours, he really does prefer to sleep outside. I put him out around 11.30pm, with his coat on and he was "happy as larry".
Opy and I settled into sleep and she was such a good girl. I woke up about every three hours to put more wood on the fire and to take her out to the toilet - but I really think she was in her element, as it has taken her 10 years, but she has finally got to sleep inside for the WHOLE night :-) Pity about the circumstances though - she didn't need to go to such lengths :-)
She is very smiley this morning - although alittle tired, which is understandable. As I write this both her and Charlie are lying at my feet on their mattresses, fast asleep - the back door is open so they (well, Charlie) can just wander in and out as they please. All is well ! Greg said that even though the lump wasn't sore, it may have been making her feel uncomfortable because it was so big - as, despite all she has been through, she seems a much happier puppy since we got her home than she has been previously.
So, that's where we are at. Keep the prayers going for a good result from the pathologists - we all have our fingers and paws crossed, even Charlie - as I think he missed her more than he would have us believe :-)
Thanks again for all the kind wishes and good thoughts - they really have helped.
Love,
Brooke

OPY UPDATE

Hi all,

Opy's mum, Brooke, here. Just letting you all know the current status on our little Gruffpuppy - Opy. She pulled through the operation okay - thank goodness ! The lump wasn't quite a big as Dr Davis first thought, so that was also a positive. He got the lump all out, and was pleased with the way the operation went. He still didn't like the look of the lump though, and it definately isn't a lipoma - so, he is sending it off for testing and we should have the results back by the end of the week. I guess we still aren't completely out of the woods until we know what the test results are on the lump - but the big positive is that he got it ALL out. I will be talking to him in the morning , and she may even come home tomorrow - depends on how she goes tonight. She is on some pretty heavy pain medication - and I imagine she will come home with some as well - for the whole family :-)

I wouldn't wish what we have been through over the past few days on anyone - it has been horrific. However, I would just like to thank you all so much for the kind thoughts and good wishes - it has been very much appreciated - and it really makes me feel good to know what a tight-knit little community "dogswithblogs" has become. Thanks again all.

I will keep Opy's blog updated until she is well enough to write herself - hopefully real soon !

Love,

Brooke

Hello everybody...
Well, as it turns out I did overhear right, mum and dad took me to the Vet's today. I was none too impressed when they put my collar and leash on me and then put me in the back of the Ute. I had my very best gruff chops on. You see, I am not real good in the car - I tend to get sick and vomit - usually before we get to the end of the driveway, and my Vet is almost an hours drive away. Charlie loves the car, and going to see our Vet - but neither experience tickles my fancy !

So, we get to the Vet's and before I go on, I must add that my Vet is a "Super Vet" and he is the ONLY Vet that mum and dad will take us to - he has been seeing us for about 10 years, and he is a really nice man - except when he comes near me with that thermometer :-(





Anyway, mum and dad were sure that I would have to go back on my special diet, as they were certain I had put on weight - and lots of it. I didn't want to get on the scales, but when I did - I had only put on just over a kilogram, and weighed in at a - okay, still large - 40.4kg's.








Smiles of amazement all round :-) After that, I was quite happy to stay on the scales and make mum and dad aware that I wasn't as fat as they thought I was. That was the good news.

Now for the bad.....

The main reason that I went to see the Vet today was because I have lots of lipoma's on me. Apparently, these are just fatty deposits that larger female doggies are prone to - nothing to worry about unless they get big and hamper my movement etc. About a month ago dad noticed a lump had come up kinda on the top of my back right leg, where my thigh muscle is, around my hip. Mum and dad kept an eye on it, and it got bigger and ended up being about the size of a fried egg - so off to the Vet we went. Well, Dr Davis put a needle in it today - and I might add, I was such a good girl, I just layed on the floor whilst he did it - and sucked out some stuff from it. He went and looked at the slide of the stuff and didn't really like what he saw - so the short of it is, it has to come out. Tuesday is the big day, and the operation will last for about 3 hours - at least I will get a good snooze :-)



After that, we have to see what the lump actually is and we will go from there. Mum got all teary at the Vets, but Dad was the rational one as always and said we all need to try not to worry just yet, as we don't know what it is, and Dr Davis being the SuperVet that he is, is sure to get it all out and that will be the end of it. Paws crossed !
I am okay about it all, as I know that I am in the best hands possible - and if anyone can fix me, Dr Davis can. Charlie reckons it is all a ploy for sympathy - and if we play our cards right we both may benefit as we may get some extra treats and inside time. Secretly though, I think he may be alittle worried as well, as he hasn't even tried to steal my bone today !
So, wish me luck - and I will get mum to keep you all updated as to how it all goes on Tuesday.
Love,
Opy.
PS - Oh, I almost forgot - Congratulations to Mary-Margaret, what a Champion ! Awesome Blog award winner extraordinaire :-) A well deserved win ! And also to Turbo - who becomes next months Featured Blog - a fine effort by both doggies and their supporters ! Thanks for participating - and start to think of some nominations for next months awards. Mum and dad will post soon on the Boards as to when the new poll starts.

Let me tell you all a little secret - I just LURVE Antonio Banderas. Mum thinks I am quite strange - as to quote her "he does nothing for me", but everytime I hear his name on the tv I get all excited and wiggle all over, and have a big smile on my face. I think that I must have some Spanish in me somewhere along the line :-) Anyway, here is a pic of my love - and I only wish that Charlie was as handsome as Antonio !
Also, I have heard whisperings that I am off to that horrible place called the Vet tomorrow morning - ohhh nooo - I am getting gruff already :-( No doubt I will have a big story to tell after that adventure. Wish me luck.......
Love
Opy
PS - Mum prefers Johnny Depp and Jake Gylenhall - she goes fruity when she sees pics of them, but my heart definately belongs to my one and only, Antonio.......aaaahhhhh.

Howdy all,
What a marvellous weekend I had ! Had lots of inside time with the humans, lots of naps, lots of treats - and mum and dad went and bought Charlie and I some new snazzy winter coats. How good do we look ? They were alittle worried as to whether we would keep them on - or whether Charlie would rip them up like he does everything else - but we still had them on this morning and we were way toasty all night last night - and it was cold ! Maybe if Charlie can get it through his thick skull that the coats will actually keep us warm - he might realise they are a good thing and should be kept in one piece ! Ahhh, wishful thinking on my part, me thinks :-)
I wish that I could have went to Petbarn with mum and dad, I reckon I would have had a ball in there - look at how big it is, and all the cool stuff they have !
If you read Charlie's blog, you will know that I had to have a bath - let me tell you how gruff that made me !!!! I hate baths, and anything to do with water - but mum said that I smelt real bad, so I had no choice. If the truth be known, they made the water nice and warm - and it did feel kinda nice - and then mum dried me off with a towel, and I kinda enjoyed that too - but sshhhh, don't tell anyone :-)
I got my own back on them though, as after they had finished bathing me - I did a full body shake and wet them from head to toe - that was pretty funny, well, Charlie and I thought it was ! How cute do I look after my bath ?
Nice to see my candidate Mary-Margaret ahead in the "Awesome Blog" pole - still a few days left in the voting, so don't want to get over confident, but GO MARY-MARGARET GO !! Mum and dad say thay whoever doen't win will get to be the "Featured Blog of the month" for next month - so really, nobody loses - it's all good ! Keep the votes coming in - and have a look around some other parts of the boards, lots of good info there.
Well, until next time - lots of love and licks,
Opy

Howdy all,

Phew - it's been a VERY busy couple of days. I have been sending out lots of invites to doggies all around the world to come and join us at www.dogswithblogs.com.au . We have had a great response, and our list is growing every day, but still no dogs from the UK, and only one from Europe - what's with that, don't doggie's blog over that side of the world ? I was very tired after all my hard work - so, I had to have a nap.
I had my eye on the blanket though, and knew if I snored loud enough - Charlie would get up and move and then I could have the blanket all to myself. Mum being the sucker that she is, knew that if I made out that I was cold, would wrap the blanket over me - ahhhhh, so sweet - I was SO nice and toasty warm. Was not impressed though when mum said we had to go outside, that part really sucks !
Saturday is "bone day" - I have worked out that when I eat my bone, if I squeeze my eyes shut really tightly, it tastes better and lasts longer. Don't know why - it's just one of those things :-)
Mum and dad have done some work on the website and it looks really good - not that it didn't before (yes, I am still smarting over that nasty email affair, but I'll get over it - eventually) - I want EVERYONE to go and join the discussion boards and get posting - there are lots of fun things on the boards now - and some useful information as well. Why, we even have a few competitions running in there now - who knows, I might even be able to con mum and dad to putting some little 'dogswithblogs' prizes together ! I can see a lot of doggies lookin', but not much posting action going on - so, off you go.......go join 'the bone zone' and have some fun :-)
Well, the fire is looking mighty inviting right about now - it is a cold and wet day in Sydney, so I need to go and stake my claim in front of it.....I wonder if I could sneak my bone inside ?

Lots of Love,

Opy

Opy's word of the day - BELIGERENCE.

Now, there's a little story behind my word of the day, but I will get to that later.

The week so far in review -

Well, I decided to get Charlie of my back and take his advice and try his riding of the red bucket excercise suggestion. Did I gain anything from my experience ? Well, I didn't lose any weight - it made me tired - and I had to have a nap afterwards, so I didn't find it too beneficial. Maybe I need to do it for more than 30 seconds ?

I also thought that I would try and hide under mum's doona - so when it was time to go outside to bed, she wouldn't be able to find me - my theory was that she would eventually give up looking for me, and I would be able to stay inside all night, didn't work though as she hunted and hunted until she found me. No fair !

This is me getting on my kennel, I have something I need to get off my considerably large chest, so here goes ! Afterall, I am the 'gruffpuppy', so I am allowed to be gruff every once in awhile !

Dad received an email today, it was nasty ! I don't want to go into too many details, but basically I would just like to reiterate that this site has been set up purely for what it has been stated to do on the main page - help rescue doggies. There is no evil agenda, or ulterior motive - it is just what it is. Beligerence is quite a strong word, and I had to consult Charlie's dictionary in the library in the kennel to find out what it meant. I didn't like what I read, and I really didn't like it being used in relation to my mum and dad - Charlie and I will be telepathically sending a big truck full of warm fresh doggie do-do to the loungeroom of the person responsible for this un-neccessay attack !
Anyway, one last point on the matter, and I will get off my kennel, www.dogswithblogs.com.au is an Australian site and it is the original '"dogswithblogs" site - accept no imitations !

Looking forward to the weekend - I think mum is gonna make some more pies. Yummy ! I also think mum and dad have monday off, so extra inside time for us - how cool is that ! I sure hope they manage to remember to get additional bones and ruskies for the extra day off :-)



Gotta run (well,waddle) - my bed awaits me :-)



Thank you to all you other wonderful doggies out there for supporting our site.



Lots of love,


Opy

Opy says -

mum and dad have done some work on the discussion boards at www.dogswithblogs.com.au today. there are lots of interesting things to read, and it would be great to have some more members and other people contributing - so, tell all your friends, and come on over........

Love

Opy

Yipee, the weekend is here in full swing ! By now you know how much I just love the weekends - lots of bones, inside time, and pats - what more could a little black dog wish for ?
Oh no, the humans saw me rolling around on my back - that means I am itchy and need a bath - I hate baths, especially in winter - even though the water is warm, they still suck big time :-(
Mum made pie today and I got in trouble and banished from the kitchen - I think I stuck my nose one too many times in where it wasn't required ! She made me lay on my bed, and I was very grumpy.


But then we got to eat some of the pasty, so all's-well-that-end's-well !
Settling in for some motor racing this afternoon - go Ford - we love our Ford's in this house :-)

Lots of love,

Opy

Well, it's been an interesting week so far - not as much inside time as I would have liked, but oh well - the weekend is coming up and we will have our usual routine of inside time, naps and bones - and of course lots of pats :-)

Mum has been really sad this week, she is having a hard time at work - and one night she didn't get home til really late - I wish I could go and fix it all for her, none of us like to see her so unhappy. Except Charlie, who doesn't care too much - so long as the food keeps coming ! Anyways, she seems alittle happier tonight, and I am sure that once the weekend is here all will be just fine. I am working on a plan to seek revenge on all those who make her unhappy - can't go into too much detail, but is will surely include regurgitated dog poo :-)

I had a big drink tonight when I was laying by the fire - mum and dad have just worked out that if we stay inside too long by the fire we get really thirsty, so rather than make us go outside to have a drink - they bring it to us - talk about well trained !

Time to go and start working on my plan - or maybe I will just have a nap ?

Lots of love and licks,

Opy