Colleen, DVM

Another Saturday by the
 air conditioning vent - life is good!

No, I didn't get my doctorate in veterinary medicine over night... but Jim has been giving me a hard time about self-diagnosing our dogs, coming up with my own treatment plan and comparing to the vets when we visit at check-ups. So... I'm trying it on for size... Colleen, DVM... aka. dog veterinary mom!

I give so much credit to our "team" of vets that care for both of our boys. I often compare them to pediatricians... not only do they need to care for something that can't communicate well -- they have to care for the parents. In my case this is probably the trickier part. But, they are all wonderful and I am thankful for the caring, patience and positive energy they provide. I often wish I was a vet, but I think Jim is right... I would get way to attached and emotionally involved with my patients.

Thankfully, I haven't had to do a lot of diagnosing the last 24 hours.

• Taylor continues to come to terms with the cone at night... although, he still tries to open his kennel door telepathically... he is settling down faster and sleeping comfortably. This all translates to me being able to sleep in bed instead of the floor. :) 
• With excitement, he is getting more time throughout the day without the cone while being closely monitored.
• The surgical site seems to be healing great, less and less "leaking" every day.
• Most importantly, he still doesn't think he is sick.

So for now, I can enjoy being a "dog mom" and don't have to worry about being an active DVM.

Back to Law & Order

One down... One to go!

TGIF... boy's day was a success! All three enjoyed a day of rest, relaxation and catching up on old movies... in fact Andre thinks the day has just begun. He is at his best in the evening when everybody is tired - that's when the toys come out.

I'm back... so there's no messing around:

• no feet on the couch
• dishes in the dishwasher
• we eat food not treats
• AND no sneaking outside of the barricade!

Taylor continues to recover, the biggest challenge is keeping him from running around like a wild monkey! :) We didn't hear back from the cancer center today, so I'll follow-up on Monday with Taylor's test results. Until then, we'll enjoy the weekend and the expected Colorado sunshine!

It's Boy's Day!

"Mom doesn't let me do this when she's home!"

At least this is what I was told when I woke up this morning... Today I get to leave the house and go into my office. I'm leaving Jim in charge. :)

Night number two sleeping with the cone was more successful than the first. Both Taylor and I got a bit more sleep - sill ups and downs but better. I did skip yoga again this morning... sleeping was just more important. I'll make up for it next week!

Our typical routine started the day - in addition to a list of instructions for Jim to follow this morning. I'm not sure he was really listening, he kept giving me the look of crazy pet mom... all he really needs to worry about feeding the boys so we should be ok.

Taylor is learning more every day how to work his cone... he escaped from the barricades we had in the loft this morning... sat at the bottom of the stairs where I found him (he's still not allowed to go up and down our main stairs) looking with such pride. He did it! Although I'm happy he is feeling great, he needs to understand he still needs to heal. How do you explain that to a 30 pound ball of fur and love? So instead, I smile at his silly cone expression, carry him back and remind him he better behave. Not much of a threat.

Well, today will definitely be an boy's day adventure and I'm probably better off not knowing what's going on until I get home.

Watch Out! It's "Bulldozer"

It's a good thing Jim has two arms :)

It was a great day! Taylor has learned how to manage the larger cone he gained yesterday. Although we are still challenged with keeping him still... the long night helped today!

Jim has nicknamed Taylor "Dozer" since his cone hangs a bit like a bulldozer and seems to scoop up everything in it's way. I have to laugh when I hear it scrape against the wall from a corner cut too short. He has also learned how to scratch our legs with the cone to get our attention. My legs are covered with red marks from the cone. He hasn't figured out his brother's trick yet... throwing a tennis ball with the cone to chase it... but he's learned to open curtains and look out the windows - more important to him.

I have finally mastered how to "trick" Taylor into all of his pills (he has gotten more fussy since the last surgery):

1. Pain pills (Tramadol): these taste awful and require a cube of mozzarella cheese... it must be stuffed completely and fed from the side the pill wasn't inserted... it helps to have another piece of cheese ready as a reward so we don't focus on the pill inside.
2. Anti-inflammatory (Carprofen/Rimadyl): this is our favorite pill... just putting it a bit into a hot dog slice will work... sometimes he even takes it out and eats it on its own.
3. Antibiotics (Clavamox): Taylor things this is his pain pill so we have to be tricky... sometimes he will take it in peanut butter but cheese has been working better.
4. Fiber chews (Prostora): FINALLY something that doesn't require anything... just hand it over and he will chomp it down.

Once again today I have been reminded how lucky we are to have such great specialists close to home to care for our furry kids. Well, time for me to relax with my boys... before another eventful night. The weekend is around the corner, three cheers!

Good Morning!

"Can I just sleep?"

It's a new day... hopefully with less adventures than yesterday. A new day is appreciated because I can't say it was a good night...

Taylor experienced his first evening wearing the cone all night. Healing after yesterday's trip to the animal hospital is going well and we didn't want to mess any progress up. So we shut the door to his kennel (where he usually sleeps) put some blankets on the floor and crossed our fingers. It was a night of up and downs (literally)... we started on the bed... then to the floor... back to the bed... and so on. Every time he was up I joined him... every time he was down I curled up there too. Partway through the night I realized - if I can't sleep, he isn't either. SO... as bad as it was, maybe he would actually relax during the day. My evening entertainment was his hourly stare down with the door of his kennel, I think he thought if he looked at it long enough (even pawed it a bit) it would magically open. No luck!

He did get a brief break from the cone this morning while watching the Today Show with us. It was wonderful being able to watch the TV without a cone blocking my view. :) After the morning routine of pills and food the cone came back on. Our day has begun.

The good news, my plan is working. Although I'm tired, he is sleeping where ever he can lay his head. I actually had to go find him in our office this morning, wake him up and carry him downstairs (stairs still aren't allowed) this morning. So if we can avoid the doorbell ringing today, it should be a calmer one. More importantly it will give the incision time to heal.

So for now, I will work and the boys will relax. I can't wait for the weekend when I can join them!

We're Back...

"Can you believe she is making me
wear this HUGE cone?"
(for the record: I cut it down another inch
after this photo was taken)

What an eventful afternoon (eventful is an understatement)... well the minor blood and fluid leaking out of Taylor's wound today wasn't stopping. It wasn't a lot, but it was worrying me. So I called (yes, I even paged) Dr. Clara and Jon (our student). They didn't think it was anything major but because I was worried about the blood and the site seemed to be opening a bit we decided to bring him back for a check-up.

All I can say is thank you for Clara, Jon and the sweet oncology nurse (I can't remember her name) we worked with this afternoon! They are the most patient people for putting up with me, my questions and my bleeding dog. When all was said and done - we came home with four stitches, a flushed wound, instructions for a larger cone and encouragement to decrease his movement. Hmmm, do they know Taylor? Not like we do! :)

For the record, I was told I was not the craziest pet owner they have worked with and it was good they took a look. Even though I can be a pest. :) They even told me to call if I had any other questions or concerns... they have no idea what they are offering!

A face only a mother could love -
or feel guilty about

Lucky for us the larger cone seems to be slowing the movement and stopping any licking. I am definitely not the most popular person in the house, I'm getting sad eyes every time I peek in on him. But as Jon said... it's worth it now a healthy site later. I agree but it doesn't mean I have to like it - Taylor's eyes are breaking my heart!

We spent the day cutting down the 30cm cone to work better than the 15cm cone we had to give up - it was WAY too long and you would have thought I attached a weight to Taylor's head - I ended up cutting off about 3 inches. I think we finally have a nice compromise... long enough to stop licking... short enough Taylor can move. Andre has been watching us all day and runs from me every time I carry the cone near him... bad memories. He's happy it's not his problem anymore.

We did get some good news... Dr. Clara said the preliminary results are in for Taylor's tissue removal and it is looking like they got all of the tumor. Wouldn't it be great to say we are soft tissue sarcoma - peripheral nerve sheath tumor free?! We aren't throwing a party yet... but this is great news. I can't wait until the final report is done!

This will give me something happy to think about tonight... when I'm up with our night owl instead of sleeping.

A Long Night

"I'm going back to sleep!"

Happy day two of Taylor's recovery from his second surgery. I was reminded before bed last night that Taylor doesn't care for the taste of his pain medicine. I have a system of putting the pill in a hot dog and covering it with peanut butter. Last night something went wrong... he kept tasting the pill and spitting out the hot dog/peanut butter/pill combo. We finally got it down, but I was definitely not the favorite parent. They need to flavor this stuff like the rimadyl. :)

Last night was a long night. They say day two and three after surgery can be the worst... all of the pain medicine seems to wear off. I think this is the case for our Taylor. He struggled to find a comfortable place to sleep... and so did I. The floor is just not as comfy as it was during sleepovers as a kid.

There was a bit of clear fluid blood tinged fluid on his surgical site this morning. According to our trusty patient instructions as long as it is in small quantities, we are ok... this seems to be part of the healing process. I have already done a couple icings and this seems to help keep the swelling down and Taylor actually seems to enjoy it a bit. But, the cone is back on this morning to avoid any unusual problems with the site.

Neither Andre or Taylor were that hungry this morning... I have to say I'm not that hungry either... must have to do with a lack of sleep. They have happily found "their spots" in the house to sleep and I'm going to go find my hot tea and start another day working from home.

A Day of Rest & Relaxation (For Them Not Me)

"Do I have to wear this cone and leash...
other dogs are looking"

What a day, you wouldn't know Taylor had surgery yesterday. He has been "checking out" every noise and outside of the house today. I'm lucky enough to even be alerted when he really doesn't like something.

The boys have enjoyed a day of napping and lounging - I wish I could have joined them!

Taylor has a healthy appetite and overall he is doing great. Again, I am amazed by his will power and persistence. He keeps nudging me with his cone as if to ask, "can it come off yet?" Unfortunately, the answer is no, not just yet... we have learned our lesson... at about day seven the stitches will start itching and bugging him so it will become even more important.

"Would you just let me sleep!"

Andre has spent the day giving me the grunt as if to say "why are you here and why am I barricaded in this house again?" He is not fond of the fact that his brother gets special food and tries every opportunity he can to sneak some and remind me I didn't offer anything to him.

Now we are back to waiting... by now it is well established I'm not patient when it comes to my boys. But, I know Dr. Clara will call as soon as she has news... so I will wait, smile and enjoy the evening.

A New Day

We made it! Last night was fairly uneventful, he was in a bit more pain than last time but that is due to the removal of more muscle tissue. Taylor slept better than I did... but I was up and down checking on him throughout the night. This morning he is back in the infamous cone. Not his favorite but, as we learned last time, if it can speed up the healing process it's worth it!

We are carrying Taylor up and down our main stairs to prevent him from hurting his incision... it's so cute to see Jim carry him! Taylor looks like a half shaved sheep with an expression of "thank you" on his face. It makes me laugh.

Thankfully, Jim was up for work this morning so took the first shift taking the boys outside and gave Andre his regular medicine (yes, Andre gets something every morning)... then brought them back to bed with me so I could sleep in a bit. What a guy!!

Our schedule of wake-up, outside, pills and food has started for the day. I'm giving him a quick break and we will move on to the icing. I am wondering, as I have others before this morning, how boring life would be if all we did was feed the dogs and go to work every day.

Taylor's Home!

"I'm going home!"

Three cheers... our furry patient is officially home!

Andre's night as an only child has been cut short. I got a call this afternoon that Taylor was a patient ready and wanting to come home. So around 5:30 p.m. we left the CSU Cancer Center with a happy dog in tow. Sorry Andre, we'll make it up to you!

His surgeon Dr. Clara and our student Jon said he did wonderful! Dr. Clara said she got some good margins and showed us the area (about 3 inches long by 1 inch wide) she removed of his muscle. Ouch! He is so much tougher than I am. The thought of surgery gives me goosebumps. He was sent home with pain pills (Tramadol) and anti-inflammatory (Carprofen/Rimadyl)... this time we are being proactive and have started him on a probiotic and low residue food (bland diet) to help his tummy. I don't know what flavoring is in the Rimadyl but Taylor thinks that is candy... he will actually take it out of a hot dog and chomp it on it's own.

We should have the pathology report in the next 48 hours. Hopefully, we got all of the tumor this time. Dr. Clara felt good, but we have learned our lesson about this disease. Be prepared for everything.

We did have a first today... Taylor met his first cockatoo in the waiting room of the vet hospital. (yes a cockatoo!) We first saw it flapping it's wings this morning but it was back again this afternoon with a cone around it's neck. It was so cute to see Taylor watching this new animal... he just didn't know what to think of it and went running over to Dr. Clara for protection.

"Dr. Clara said I could have SOME food"

Once we got home it was déjà vu... Taylor didn't want to lay down. He just wanted to be in the kitchen with us as we got ready for dinner. He ate a little bit but seemed to be more tired (finally) than hungry. He is now relaxing with Jim and Andre in the living room. It's been a long day and it's only the first of many in our second surgery recovery.

Thanks again to my wonderful work and boss (thanks Jeff!) - I'm going to be able to work from home with Taylor this week and take care of him. We have begun our regiment of pills, icing, food and potty breaks... by now it's like a well oiled machine. Our calendar is out and we everything scheduled on it for the next two weeks. We'll try to sleep and who knows... we may actually get a couple hours tonight.

Sweet dreams and speedy recovery

Cancer is a horrible disease that changes many lives every day... but is those that surround us that get us through. I have learned this first hand many times. Again, I have been taught to be thankful for what I have... not only my three boys... but our extended family, friends and co-workers. The support we have received for Taylor has been amazing and we are so lucky for everybody!

So for now we will enjoy the evening and our time without being coned. Tomorrow will be a new day with new adventures.

The Big Day (again) - Surgery #2

"Do I get to play with that dog too?"

It's another big day! It was a slow start, nobody seemed to want to get up this morning. As I got ready, Taylor looked on relaxing on the bed - it made me smile. It's amazing how tough animals can be. To him it was another morning, last night I walked him though the events of today but he definitely wasn't concerned.

This morning we were at the CSU Cancer Center bright and early for surgery. It was strange... so much quieter than it was last time we were there. Taylor received his patient collar again (I tried to get a photo this time but he was more worried about the other patients than my photo).

We got to meet his surgeon - Dr. Clara. I love Dr. Clara, her Australian accent was so calming. Definitely the type of individual I wanted working on our Taylor today! It's kind of like when you take a trip somewhere and you check out the airplane pilot. She looked rested and relaxed... and Taylor seemed to love her. :) Dr. Clara explained the surgery goals, risks, what to expect and answered questions. She even offered to give me a call when he went into surgery later today and of course after. I appreciate her attention to detail and keeping us informed SO much!

We are expecting him to stay there for observation tonight... but there is a slim chance he will be feeling good enough and ready to come home. I'm not counting on it and that's ok... his health and recovery is the most important.

Jim and I laughed as we left the building... Taylor and Dr. Clara were headed down the hall and Taylor was greeting everybody he saw. He is definitely the type of dog that would up and walk away with a stranger if they showed him affection... hopefully he would miss us eventually and come home. We are so lucky to have Andre and Taylor. Days like today I am reminded of that.

As for Andre, tonight has been declared Andre Night at our house. With Taylor out of the house he will be pampered and have our full attention. Hopefully it will make the coming weeks easier on him.

Relax, it's Sunday

Well tomorrow is the big day... aren't they all anymore? The surgeons are going to go in and try to remove additional muscle around Taylor's sciatic nerve. They feel confident that this will help remove the microscopic tumors (hopefully they get them all). I just wished I was feeling as good... I'm actually starting to feel a bit sick to my stomach from nerves. Jim keeps telling me to relax... so we did.

After a nice morning of yoga, we took the boys out for a walk. Taylor got to do some running, the boys got to inspect every tree, we even got to enjoy the neighborhood fountain before all of the kids invaded it! Now that we are back, the boys are laying over their designated air conditioning vents cooling down. They sure are pampered in this cool house all day long.

Well, off to a busy day. We need to go pick up turkey dogs (great for bribing a recovering dog to eat his pain medicine in), other fun treats to get us through the week and the basic survival items since I'll be cooped up in the house with Taylor for a couple days.

Post walk: relaxing NEAR the air conditioning

Post walk: relaxing ON the air conditioning

Andre's Morning

"It's my turn... where are we going?"

This morning Andre got his wish... we got to go for a ride (without his brother). Three cheers! It was so much fun!

What he didn't know was that is was to the vet, our favorite place these days, to get his nails trimmed. I sort of feel like Norm from Cheers... I walk in and everybody knows my name. I guess we can't really say this is all due to Taylor, Andre has left his mark there over the years also. In fact, we joke that their recent addition was thanks to him!

On the way home we got to celebrate another good trip to the vet... Starbucks for everybody!

How Handsome

Ahhh... finally groomed! For those that don't know our grooming tradition... good dogs at our house get bandanna (provided by Jay) and a Starbucks Puppuccino as a reward. :)

TGIF!

"Where are we going?"

WOW... What an eventful morning! Taylor is finally getting groomed after eight weeks. He was so happy this morning and will be so handsome this afternoon. Aren't we cute on the way to the groomer this morning? (for the record: I was stopped in the car, we were not driving - yes Jim, this is true!)

We finally were able to confirm our surgery... Monday at the CSU Cancer Center. We better enjoy the relaxing weekend because the next couple weeks are going to be crazy recovering from another surgery.

Smile for the camera!

So I was thinking as I couldn't sleep last night (I think one of our smoke detector batteries is dying)... Just think about what the "typical" pet owner misses out on...

• Sleepless nights, schedule juggling, calenders managing multiple medications, bribing dogs to eat with every item of food in the kitchen...
• Not to mention all of the specialists we have been lucky met over the years. Most dogs just have their primary vet - we have one of those, Dr. Burns (he is really  more like a guardian angel for the boys). Then we are lucky enough to have a dermatologist (Dr. Beadleston), dentist (Dr. Sitzman), ophthalmologist (Dr. Roberts), oncologist (Dr. Beckwith) and oncology surgeon (coming soon!). Not to mention all of the wonderful office staff.
• Oh and wait... our hairdresser (Jay) one of the most important - we need to look good through it all!

The boys and I have decided... being healthy is overrated!

I Have a Plan... Well at Least a Step

Three cheers! I heard from Dr. Beckwith yesterday. She (and the Cancer Center team) got a chance to visit with Dr. Burns and we have a recommended next step... surgery.

Taylor will be going in for his second surgery next week. The details still need to be worked out, but the surgeons felt there was enough tissue left before his sciatic nerve that could be removed. This would give us our best chance of just eliminating the cancer cells all together. I feel so lucky we have a world recognized Animal Cancer Center right in our backyard. This is something we should definitely not take for granted.

Even better, I think I'm starting to see more of a long term plan forming...

1. surgery
2. if margins are clear - we will monitor but there is a good chance there will be no recurrence
3. if margins are not clear OR no tumor cells are found - we will wait and watch

It seems radiation is only going to come into the picture if we find groupings of tumor cells and hopefully it doesn't come to that. I would be nice to not put his body through that type of treatment if not needed. More to come...

In the mean time, Taylor gets groomed tomorrow... it's been eight weeks and he is furry! With the heat we have been having it will be nice to be trimmed up again. Watch out Jay... we're on our way!

And then there's our Andre. Poor guy doesn't know what's coming... more barricades in the house and even worse... I'll be working from home for a bit to help Taylor recover. This is really going to mess up is routine and schedule. I think he actually likes having the house to himself while we are away at work.

Why a Blog?

I mentioned we did a lot of reading while waiting for our appointment at the CSU Cancer Center... Jim was so kind to read me the "What Now?" brochure in the consult room. It talked about the irritability, lack of sleep, moodiness and emotional feelings owners may feel when their pet is diagnosed with cancer. The fact that he was laughing the whole time he was reading is a good indicator I was the perfect example.

So I asked, what do they recommend for stress relief?

1. The first was easy - yoga. I love yoga! I try to go three to five times a week - I'm on a roll already.
2. The second was writing in a journal - hmmm... I didn't really like diaries when I was a kid except that they looked cool and had a cheap lock you could pretend worked. But, what about blogging...

I had been inspired by reading other owner's blogs and experiences while researching Taylor's type of soft tissue sarcoma. So maybe a blog wasn't a bad idea.... Jim agreed (I think he just wants me to be distracted). Since we aren't really dealing with a "quick fix" here - I figured I would give it a try.

Let the blogging continue...

Back to Our Alma Mater

Waiting for the doctor at the CSU Cancer Center

Last week we took our first trip to the CSU Cancer Center. What an experience! After working in health care for a long time it's amazing to see how similar our hospitals and an animal hospital work. I have been telling people, imagine one of our waiting rooms and just attach a leash with an animal to each patient. The hospital really is a zoo!

Taylor officially has a case number and received a cute patient collar (just like the patient bands you get at the hospital). We were assigned a wonderful student Allison and oncologist Dr. Beckwith. Just like human hospitals we got to do a lot of waiting and reading.

They visited with us to learn Taylor's health history, about the tumor and what we expected from this initial consultation... I happily shared that we wanted to understand our treatment options and determine next steps. We chose to run an additional chest x-ray and aspiration of the site to better understand what we were dealing with. We left Taylor at the Cancer Center for a couple hours for these tests and to visit with all of the specialists.

During that time, Jim and I were able to enjoy a break at our Alma Mater - Colorado State University. After getting lost (although I still stand that I pretty much knew where we were), we found the clothing at the bookstore so I could update my tattered sweatshirt from my sophomore year. Then back to the vet hospital to pick Taylor up.

It sounds like we have three primary options that will be considered when making the recommendation for next steps:

1. wait and watch
2. exploratory surgery (since the tumor is currently gone)
3. radiation

I was hoping to leave the Cancer Center with a complete care plan. I am coming to terms that I'm not going to get a plan, most likely just a next step. Now, we just patiently wait for the call from Dr. Beckwith with their recommended next step (and I'm still hoping for a plan).

Patience... not that's something I'm not really good at!

Taylor's Journey Begins

The Bump
The first trip was easy, I had called the vet because I had found a small bump on Taylor's left hip a few weeks earlier. It was summertime and Taylor can be clumsy so I wanted to make sure it wasn't just a bruise. We scheduled an appointment to check it out "just to be sure." We had a fine needle aspiration and went on our way.

What Next?
The next Monday we got the call, Dr. Burns explained we didn't know for sure... but something wasn't right and it may be a soft tissue sarcoma. After talking for a while and trying to understand what we might be facing, I scheduled his biopsy. It all happened quickly, we scheduled surgery and the next thing I knew the big day was here.

"Do I have to wear the cone?"

Biopsy Surgery
The morning of surgery was one of the hardest mornings we have ever had with Taylor. The goal was to remove as much of the tumor as possible along with surrounding healthy tissue to get clear margins. I was so happy when we got the call that surgery was done. Just a little bit longer and we could bring him home to recover. Dr. Burns said surgery went well, he couldn't be happier.

What can I say... Taylor is much stronger than any of us ever gave him credit for. He came home with a three and a half inch incision on his back right hip. He was tired and medicated but wanted so badly to stay awake with the family.

The next couple days were rough... although hungry, Taylor got colitis, but thanks to Dr. Foster was back on his feet and eating normally quickly. I worked from home (thanks Jeff!) for a week to maintain his schedule of ice, food and trips outside. Thanks to my mom we even got a break to take my dad to the rodeo for his father's day gift.

As Taylor started to recover he often looked as his scar, I often call the tattoo or battle wound, as if to say... "I went to sleep, woke up, what did I do to get this?"

Surgery Results
We finally got the call, I had been on pins and needles all week just waiting for the surgery results. The big question... did we have clear margins? The answer from Dr. Burns would be no. The biopsy resulted in great horizontal margins but the tumor had some of those tiny roots that went further into the muscle. Unfortunately, because this tumor is just above Taylor's sciatic nerve, additional surgery may be a challenge.

But we had goals in the surgery:

1. diagnosis: soft tissue sarcoma - more specifically a peripheral nerve sheath tumor
2. cure if we can: the tumor was focally deep with good side margins - more treatment will be needed
3. prognosis and grade: grade 1 (least malignant) - in most cases good prognosis with treatment

Finally, we started to have answers, a type A and flaming gold personality like me needs to be organized and know what we are dealing with. Now that we know what we are dealing with we can create a plan. A plan! I love plans! Now we just need to know our next steps. Dr. Burns is going to talk to the Colorado State University Cancer Center... Taylor will need a consultation from one of their oncologists and surgeons.

More appointments, but this is just the beginning of our new journey. Right now I am trying to remember on of the lessons I have learned from Andre.  Lemons and lemonade... I think I need a lemonade smoothie right now.

The good in it all?
Taylor is happy and running around like his old self. Nobody has told him he is sick and I think it's best if we keep it that way. Let's keep playing and cuddling and enjoy every day.

How Lucky We Are

Looking back nine years ago when Jim and I got married, I could have never imagined how our world would change with Andre and Taylor in our lives. I have seen what bravery is, learned to enjoy the squeaky toys life brings you and play even when life seems tough.

Andre
It had been a busy day and stressful week in October 2001 when I got the call from Jim... "hurry home from work today, there is something I need you to see." When I got home that afternoon, I was surprised to see a tiny ball of fur running around like a Tasmanian devil in our apartment living room. Suddenly it stopped and looked at me, it was love at first sight! Andre was special from the start.

It wasn't long before we started noticing his itching and itching and itching (even losing his fur)... thanks to our amazing vet Dr. Burns, we were referred to Dr. Beadleston - our animal dermatologist. Andre was diagnosed with allergies ranging from meats, mammals (yes this includes humans), the black mold that grows when it's wet outside and juniper trees. Thanks to years of Dr. Beadleston's care and a weekly regiment of allergy shots and steroid pills, Andre grew back all of his hair and turned back into that Tasmanian devil and unstoppable personality. He often reminds me of Pig Pen from Charlie Brown... a bit messy but endearing.

Over the years, we have faced challenges from root canals to emergency eye surgery (thank you Dr. Roberts!). But, more valuable than what we have experienced is what we have learned from our Andre. When life brings you lemons, you have no choice than to make lemonade... how important this lesson will become.

Taylor
It was February 2003 when Taylor unexpectedly joined our family. He was that "unplanned child" but, life wouldn't be the same without him. As a puppy, Taylor wanted nothing more than to be Andre's best friend... if only Andre had felt the same way. This ball of energy and fur quickly grew into the most lovable and quirky dog I had ever had.

Taylor watches over his family like we are all sheep - needing to know where we are in the house at all times. Those big brown eyes and loving personality have a way of melting the heart of anybody. Thanks to our monthly trips to Jay, he always looks handsome with his bandannas and ready for adventure. He is sensitive and seems to have a way of knowing when you just need a cuddle.

I always laughed and called Taylor our "healthy dog." After going through so much with Andre the worst thing we had ever had with Taylor was a kinked neck (from sleeping on his back) or injured paw from the winter cold. It was all about to change, with that small bump on his back right hip and a trip to visit Dr. Burns...

We often say, Taylor is the reason Andre got his hair back and returned back to "normal" (I use this loosely). The vet told us to socialize him more... and we brought home a brother... I'm not sure that is what he was talking about but it worked! Now it's Andre's lessons of strength and courage that will help Taylor on the journey we are about to take.