SPECTROX BLOG

One of our favorite family members, Duke the dalmatian, has had a pretty rough patch in the last few days.  Due to some surgical wizardry and lots of love, he's on the road to recovery.  We thought we were going to lose him on Sunday, but he pulled through and is now ambulatory!  Duke has a will to live and is fighting back against the cancer that has caused him all this suffering.

Thanks to Christie for the wonderful phone cam pictures that made me smile!  For those not initiated into the ways of vet medicine, the fashionable mesh garment Duke is wearing is not just for aesthetic purposes, it is to help keep swelling down and to protect the sutures on his stomach.  

Thank you to all who have emailed or called with kind wishes for Duke's recovery, it was those good thoughts and prayers that kept him alive through everything. 

Flickr Photoset: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aaron_anderer/sets/72157605311980987/ 

There are other wonderful reasons to smile today, but I'll save those for a later date. 

Update 5/31/2008 - Duke is still doing well, but his rear end is still very tender.  A bit wobbly, but his appetite is back.   

Update 6/3/2008 - Duke's bottom isn't healing like it should.  Most likely another surgery tomorrow. :(

Update 6/5/2008 - He had another surgery yesterday.  Things look really decent and he's in great spirits.  The doctor has us adding metamucil to his food so he'll have more solid stools and has a whole new scheme for using gauze pads to protect the suture sites but still keep it dry and free of fecal matter. 

Update 7/12/2008 - He's out of the woods.  After four surgeries and countless visits to the vet, Duke is on the mend!  He's a bit wobbly, but back to his old self.