Angela

We had a scare last month; Madison had fallen after greeting me and taking the patio stairs to fast. She sat with her butt and hind paw pointing out on one step and the rest of her on the next above. She may have yelped, we did not hear as hubby and I yelped loudly ourselves. Madison looked stunned and when my husband grabbed her collar, she gave us a dirty look, got up and shook herself. We had her checked out and the vet was certain she had not hurt herself. 

However, a week later, my assistant had come by the house and in good doggy fashion, treats were demanded by the 3 of them. Unfortunately, they had also cornered my assistant into a small area and in their eagerness, the younger one must have pushed Madison. When I got to the kitchen, Madison was lying on her side and her left front leg was twitching and she was breathing heavily. I immediately went down, petting and calming her. First, she got herself into the sphinx position and with continued petting and soothing, she got up and looking at my while walking away as she was pitying me, sort of WTF are you doing down there.

We had an appointment for her bone strengthening for the following week but I did not want to wait that long and brought her to the specialist clinic the next day. 

And now the good news: by noon we had a call that her liver enzymes (for which she is on meds) were better than they had been in a year as was her heart arrhythmia. The neurologist did a few tests (the bone cancer as well as chemo could have damaged her system) and found nothing. We still asked to have a scan done. Later that afternoon, the clinic called and asked me to bring her cancer meds - they don't stock them - as they were able to get her an early morning appointment for her bone strengthening, saving us, well her, a trip to the clinic a week later.

While I was on the road, the oncologist called and gave the best news possible: the bone strengthening treatment that was to delay the fracturing of her bones (which would also be the onset of pain), had in fact reversed some of the damage the cancer had caused.

She had this month treatment last week and the results remains so good, we can now go to every 6 weeks instead of every 4 weeks.

We are fully aware, we are on borrowed time. But what for a wonderful time it is. Madison is more outgoing, more playful and more demanding than ever. She looks now always slightly disheveled, sporting her "cancer survivor" bandana; we now nicknamed her the bandito queen.