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... morning and a little better each day. Over the last few months, Odin has slowly regained much of his muscle mass and almost all of his goofiness. In fact he seems a little friskier than before his operation. Maybe it's just good to be earache free. New things: He likes to have his not-ear scratched and will rub his head on you like a scary-big cat. He has retained one bad prednisone-driven habit and sniffs the kitchen counters to confiscate whatever is available as soon as we leave the house. Yesterday, it was a yummy baguette of LaBrea bakery bread. (Val says, "godamnit!") Last week it was chicken bones from the garbage can. He never did this before his illness, maybe Davis sent back his evil twin. Maybe he's just a big black and tan truffle pig.

Happily, Odin is well enough to work on a joint project. Coming soon: Odin's Television Movie Reviews. (Preview: He loves Ginger Rogers; she's so contrast-y!)

Monday, April 22, 2002

A huge thanks to Josh, who made the 1000-mile round trip in a single Saturday and brought Odin home to us. O is a little shaved and goofy, but well enough. He's fallen right into his beloved routine, complete with early morning huffs to demand breakfast, constant cat-patrol, a raid of all the shortcakes on the counter while I run to the corner to get coffee, mid-morning sun-bath, early afternoon sofa-drowse, interspersed with TV watching ... Sometimes he is lethargic, but sometimes he has fun while we wait for all the tests to come back. He's made no pain yelps although we are cutting back on the steroids. We are trying to find the lowest effective level, because they are not good for his immune system and muscles. UC Davis is keeping great tabs and called to check his condition yesterday, keeping me feeling good about their attention to detail.

Thursday, April 18, 2002

UPDATE 7:44 PST: Odin got through his procedures with flying colors and will be coming home Saturday, while we wait for 7 to 10 days for histology results. Very preliminary thoughts are that we'll try to control his condition with drugs, because surgery doesn't seem to be an option. As one surgeon said, there's just so much brain-bone you can take out before the brain will just fall out. And we don't want that to happen, so we wait for stuff to grow in his test cultures ... Able assistant and Odin favorite Josh will make the 1000-mile round trip to bring the Big Dog home, leaving at 5 a.m. and returning the same day. Day's pay, gas, and meals on Odin. Thank the gods for able assistance!

Earlier ...

Well, it's a hard thing to leave your big goofy dog in a scary institution — offering no TV and comfy sofa and cream-cheese covered pills — and then get in the Jeep and drive 500 miles away, back home. But the people at UC Davis were professional and caring ... — especially our student contact-person — and I know I am doing my best for our good boy ...Odin will have a CT scan and biopsy today at 1 p.m. PST. Under the same anesthesia, they will be doing nerve testing. Basically, at our appointment, we met our doctor and our cool student contact-person and discussed the mysterious nature of Odin's illness which looks like an infection, but behaves like a tumor. We were also introduced to the possibility that there was an auto-immune disease at work that might be coincidental to the ear/mass/mess problem and that such a condition might account for Odin's loss of muscle. So we ordered up the tests and we're all waiting for the results. Until then we're all — experts, loved-ones and fans — in the dark.

We were treated with concern and respect and are called everyday with updates on the Big O's condition. I saw that, even at a very big and very very busy hospital, everyone can be treated with care.

Well-wheeled road maven Lynette said the trip awakened Odin's inner road dog.

Odin was so good, content and mindful during the trip, that if he comes out of this, I'm promising him a trip to the dog paradise Sheep Dung Estates where he will be able to sniff all the wild sniffs he wants.

Sunday, April 14, 2002

Tomorrow, tax day and the big trip to Davis for the Ultimate Diagnosis. The most wonderful part: friend Lynette will take the drive, so I can keep nursing the back! You know you got a friend when she'll go for a 3-day sick dogathon cross-country to a town whose claim to fame is a Veterinary hospital. (And she has a dog dander alergy!) Odin and I have some mighty good friends. More as more happens

Sunday, April 7, 2002

So we are to enter the labyrinth. Odin has an April 16 appointment with Dr. Gregory of the Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery Department of the UC Davis Veterinary Hospital. The current challenge: the stuff in his head looks like an infection to the radiologists, but it acts like a tumor. In other words, Odin's symptoms are like brain cancer... but the experts still can't say for sure. So we will make the sojourn. About six hours each way, Long Beach to Davis. He will get an exam, a review of his MRI, a CT scan and another biopsy. Then we'll decide what to do next. While all the diagnosis is happening, I hope to be taking lots of pictures of the surrounding countryside for a series of farm landscapes.

All this could have happened this upcoming week, but for the fact that I wrenched my back fixing the damn toilet in the tiniest damn bathroom on the West Coast. (Picture a game of Twister with a large porcelain opponent in a very tiny cave.) The only prescription beyond the careful adjustments by my great chiropractor: _complete_ bed rest, no sitting. I could explode! I just keep telling Odin to hang on and keep trying to fulfill his every little wish. The exception: I can't sanction his repeated and vocal requests for a free-for-all with the cat that comes to poop in my garden (another story for another time).

Meanwhile, Odin is moving slowly, but still moving and he seems to be maintaining his weight. His appetite is hearty and -- though he is mopey some of the time -- he is happy some of the time too. The Prednisone seems to be keeping him pain-free for now. And I know he will _love_ the road trip.

Sunday, March 24, 2002

Okay, we are never talking to these elite vets of Orange County again -- basically they're very much like elite medical people and they really don't want us to be involved in decisions about Odin's care and they really really don't want to be held accountable for, or be questioned about, or even just explain, their decisions. Basically, they want us to pay them *huge* amounts of money, then shut up and get out of their way. Meanwhile, they *do not* want to hear that Odin's condition is worsening while they are playing phone tag with other elite vets. Unfortunately, that is exactly what has been happening.

But, all thanks for our wonderful primary care vets, who are taking the case back from these OC jerks, tracking down the consults and passing on info to us.

Among the things we found out that were not disclosed to us by the elite vet team:

1) Cancer is again a possibility. The missing-in-action radiologist finally came across with an opinion and has said that Odin's cervical vertebrae are, in fact, normal. He now believes that the problem is cancer or an infection. The original biopsy is now in question.

2) Without discussing it with us, the elite vets sent Odin's MRI film to a UC Davis neurologist for a consult that could take more than a week. (Good thing our primary care vet knows this neurologist personally and will be able to have the consult switched to her practice!)

The really bad news is -- although he is not currently in pain, Odin's condition is not good. His equilibrium is off, he limps occasionally and is generally shaky on his feet. He is losing weight despite every snacking indulgence and he is losing muscle mass on his head.

So, it may be another week before we know what is going on, but we have moved into a *much* better care-giving system. Odin is living the life of a little prince while we all hold our breath to see what will happen.

As far as the elite vets are concerned. It's not worth my air to scold them. The Karma of the Marketplace will take care of them. I am moving my concentration back to the Big Dog and letting them bury themselves in their own bullshit.

Tuesday, March 19, 2002

Well, now all we know is that we may not know until Friday. And cuz we're not going to do any vet-bashing in print, we'll just have to leave it at that. We're keeping Odin comfy with Prednisone and waiting until these people get their act together.

Monday, March 18, 2002

The Radiologist is still missing in action, so we're still waiting to hear what the hell the MRI actually means. But the steroids must treating the Big Dog right because we've had no pain-yelps since Saturday. Right now, he's watching old war movies and enjoying extra Milk Bone treats. Suckas!

Sunday, March 17, 2002

Odin finally had his delayed MRI on Friday. It showed both something that could be infection where his ear used to be and two compressed cervical vertebrae. Our vet is having a radiologist confer and may call upon some diagnosticians from UC Davis. We won't know what happens next until everyone weighs in. Meanwhile, yesterday was a bad day with lots of pain-yelps and stumbles, but today is much much better: balance is better, no pain-yelps and no crashes. Could it be the antibiotics are working and it's the infection and not the neck? We don't know yet, still awaiting the word from the experts. Stay tuned.

Previous Odin news

03/13/2002: Fans of Odin might like to keep a good thought

03/05/2002: Kung Fulicious Bruce Lee

02/12/2002: Ever in vogue. Now Odin's on Cipro .

02/09/2002: Something to do while your dog is in a 5-hour surgery

02/07/2002: Odin update: Odin's MRI revealed a bad bone infection in his ear..

02/06/2002: Good boy Odin! Already, the day was not going too...

10/07/2001: Good boy, Odin!

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