Friday, January 30, 2015

Goodbye, Sweet Baby Girl.

It is with an extremely broken heart, and many tears, that I am writing this post.  We made the heart wrenching decision to end Lola's pain and said goodbye to the sweetest girl in the world last night.
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Lola ~ Forever our Baby Girl
2002 ~ 2015

Lola is, was, one in a million.  Sure, I'm the crazy dog lady and I love all dogs, but truly... she was very, very special and everyone she came into contact with thought so as well (especially our vet).  Lola had a personality like no other, and a heart of gold.  She loved everyone and everything. She made friends everywhere she went, instantly becoming the center of attention. Lola was so full of love and wanted nothing more than to be with and please her humans.

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She loved her siblings as much as they loved her.  I know their hearts are breaking as well, and I can only hope we can comfort them the way they comfort us.

 2015-01-30_11-40-11 Zeus and Lola enjoying breakfast. You can see how badly the #Osteosarcoma has destroyed her shoulder area. #CancerSucks #BoneCancer #dobermanmix #seniordog #ilovemyseniordog #ilovemydogs #Heartbreaking
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She loved romping in the snow, and her last storm was almost as special as she was.  It breaks my heart that she was not able to run and play in the 30" or so that we received, but she did enjoy a little stroll with her Daddy.

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Her last snow fall and it was epic... #dogstagram #dobermanmix #dobiemix #CancerSucks #Osteosarcoma #BoneCancer #Blizzard #ilovemydogs

I'm going to miss her snuggles and kisses immensely - she knew how to comfort and make any bad situation better.  At night, when I would stretch out on the couch to watch TV, she would climb up and lie down behind me - spooning, so to speak.  She hadn't been able to do that these past few difficult weeks and I can't even begin to tell you how much I missed those bonding Mommy & me moments. 

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Coming home is never going to be the same. Lola won't be there to greet me at the top of the stairs, toy in mouth.  She'd done that since she was a youngster and it always made us laugh... no matter which of her humans was coming home, she'd go and grab a favorite toy and meet us at the top of the stairs (or sometimes down by the door if she was extra antsy to kiss us).  If we brought home any shopping bags, she'd set her toy down so she could inspect the bags... I'd like to think she was making sure there was nothing entering the house that could harm her humans, but I know she was really just looking to grab herself a yogurt or banana. 

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I will never understand why the sweetest girl in the world had to endure such a horrific, aggressive cancer.  Life is not fair.  Cancer sucks.  The holes in our hearts are immense. 

Rest in Peace, sweet baby girl.  We love you and miss you greatly. 

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Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Wordless Wednesday: Spoiling Thru the Heartbreak #CancerSucks

We've been spoiling Lola as best we can... as our hearts break.

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Sisterly love. #dogstagram #houndmix #dobermanmix #dobiemix #rescued #sisters #ilovemydogs

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Spoiling my girl as much as possible... Peanut butter in her #Kong has always been a favorite. #Heartbreaking #Osteosarcoma #BoneCancer #dobermanmix #dobiemix #CancerSucks #dogstagram #instadog

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Snow day + Lola spoiling = peanut butter #Kong #ilovemydogs #dogstagram #instadog #CancerSucks #sisters #adoptdontshop

Tut is doing his best to comfort Lola. I don't know whether to smile or cry. #dogstagram #ilovemydogs #dobermanmix #CancerSucks #Osteosarcoma

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On Saturday, we received a wonderful surprise package of toys and treats from Harper and her family.  It really meant a lot to know they were thinking of us and helped to brighten all of the Lapdogs' spirits.  Of course, it also reminded me of the play dates we put off last fall.  Harper was one of those fosters who really clicked with both Lola and Sophie.  Please, learn from our mistakes and don't put those special moments off.  If there's one thing this absolutely awful experience has taught me, don't put things off... you just never know what can happen, or when.  Live life to it's fullest... all the time.

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Monday, January 26, 2015

Monday Mischief: Senior R-I-D-E

Well, it's been one heck of a roller coaster ride with Lola these past few days.  We've had ups and we've had some downs, and we thought we might actually be making a really tough decision today.  But... we're not quite there yet, so instead of those ugly details, how about a HAPPY post?


We haven't had a lot of fun mischief going on in the Lapdog household as of late, but Friday was certainly an exception.  I was getting Lola ready to go for a little joy R-I-D-E when Zeus decided that whether I liked it or not, he was going too.  He tried to tag along with us earlier in the week as well, but it's not very easy for me to manage two limpy, gimpy seniors on my own.  He didn't seem to mind, and just knew Mommy would figure it out...

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So, off we went for a nice ride with a couple of pit stops.  I didn't take Lola for a double cheeseburger this time, since I wasn't sure how that would go over with Zeus' mega esophagus while on the go.  Instead, we stopped at the post office, then headed to the store for some more special Valentine's cookies.

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While I managed to get them both in the car, I knew there was no way I'd get them both out for any sight seeing, so we just went for an extra long ride instead... taking the scenic route home.  I think they both really enjoyed it.

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There was a lot of relaxing going on at home after their big adventure...

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Here's to a few more blissful days.  Looks like we're going to be snowed in for at least tomorrow... there will be lots of cuddling, snuggling, spoiling, and loving on the agenda.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Lola Update - Riding the Roller Coaster #PowerofThePaw

It's been over a week since I posted an update on the sweetest dog in the world, Lola.  Please excuse the lack of blogging, but I've found my time to be best suited to cuddling and snuggling... and spoiling her like crazy! 

Absolutely nothing beats this right now... It took some convincing, but I got Lola up on the couch to cuddle in my lap for awhile. She used to get up on the couch with me every night, whether cuddling in my lap or laying behind me. I'm really going to mis

We have indeed been tossed on that roller coaster ride that the holistic vet warned us about.  I won't lie, my emotions can go from 0 to 60 in .5 seconds flat.  Devastated.  Heartbroken.  Angry.  Screaming WHY.  Pissed Off.  Wondering why the hell life can be so damn cruel.

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The IV treatment, which we did 2 weeks ago today, did not work as we had hoped.  Hannah believes it most certainly did something, but the cancer is still attacking her shoulder area at an alarming rate.  Perhaps this means we might have already had to say goodbye had we not done the treatment... I'm not sure.   

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Despite the visible signs, Lola still remains quite strong and determined.  Nothing keeps her from eating, and while she can't get around as easily as she would like, she manages to surprise me greatly.  Like last week when the UPS truck came and she not only got up to bark at it, she actually got up on the box in front of the window to see out and bark at it (something she hadn't done in weeks)!  The roller coaster was going up again...

Today's happy moment... Sure the pic is grainy because I was sitting across the room with Zeus, but this just happened... The UPS truck came and Lola got up to look and bark at it! This has not happened in a couple weeks! Apparently she's feeling a little

Then we hit a downward slide when I got home from work on Thursday and noticed her lower leg was quite swollen.  After describing it to Dr. C, she felt it was edema, and confirmed that Friday morning.  Either the bone destruction is blocking the lymph node from draining, or the cancer may actually be in her lymph node now.  Talk about a major punch in the gut.  Watching her leg and paw continue to get bigger and bigger, I honestly thought we weren't going to make it through the weekend.  It doesn't hurt her at all.  If anything, she seems a little annoyed by her super-sized leg/paw.  Thankfully it didn't continue to swell at such an alarming rate and seems to be somewhat stable... if anything about this process can be stable.

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The humans took Lola out for a R-I-D-E on Saturday and made a couple of pit stops for some photos.  It was freezing, but Lola was so happy to be out for a ride.  She began to tire after our second photo stop, but seemed to have a blast.  I haven't downloaded the photos from the camera yet... but hope we managed to capture some precious moments.

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On Tuesday I went home early from work, not feeling so great and hoping to take a nap on the couch.  I was expecting to find Lola acting rather lame, as I've been worrying about things even more since Friday.  Instead, she greeted me with a toy in her mouth (something she used to do every single time either of her humans came home, but hasn't in weeks), obviously excited to have Mommy home early.  I *might* have said the word "ride" and she immediately hopped as fast as she could to the stairs and began going down all by herself (much to my horror... her leg is at high risk for fracture at this point and normally she not only needs help getting down the stairs, but occasionally some bribing to get her there as well).  When we got outside, she demanded to go for a ride... and despite me feeling like crap, there was no way I would deny her request. 
Lola loved her double cheeseburger! #dogstagram #dobermanmix #dobiemix #seniordog #ilovemydogs #ilovemyseniordog #CancerSucks #Osteosarcoma #McDonalds

We headed off to Mickey D's for burgers, then over to one of our local pet boutiques for a special cookie.  I thought about getting her out to walk around for a bit, but the temperatures were dropping very quickly, so instead we took a longer-than-usual ride home.  She was thrilled... and I smiled bigger than I have in a long time. 

Yum! Got Valentine cookie? #dogstagram #dobiemix #dobermanmix #ilovemyseniordog #seniordog #ilovemydogs #ilovebigmutts

We are truly cherishing every.single.minute. with the sweetest girl in the world.  Completely unsure just how much precious time we have left, I continue to shed spontaneous tears, and she continues to comfort me by licking them away.  I will never understand why this nasty, nasty disease attacked my baby girl.  Simply put, cancer sucks. 

Lots of cuddling going on today. Tut and Lola. <3 #dogstagram #ilovemydogs

As you can see, Lola's siblings have been doing their best to comfort their big sister.  I can't help but smile and cry at the same time... seeing Sophie and Tut go over and lay with her... I can't even put it into words.  Zeus has been doing his best to stick close by as well, although he's been having some rough days with his mega esophagus and not feeling so great himself. 

Thank you to each and everyone of you who continue to keep Lola in your thoughts, comment on our posts and send well wishes our way.  It truly means the world to us.  (and please excuse any rambling, typos, etc.)

ETA: I pre-wrote this post yesterday.  I must add in that we had a really rough evening with Lola, and Zeus had another bad night with his mega-e.  I'm honestly not sure what today will bring for my sweet baby girl.  While she is still very alert, and really interested in eating, things are going downhill quickly when it comes to her pain threshold.  Please, keep the good thoughts coming.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Wordless Wednesday: Quality Time

Happy Wordless Wednesday.  Please excuse the sporadic blogging (we do have several review items to get up.. eventually), and especially my lack of reading other blogs, as we continue to cherish each and every day with Lola. 

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Lola and Tut checking out the fresh snow... #dogstagram #instadog #snow #winter #rescued #dobermanmix #coonhoundmix #seniordog

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