Climate change notes, and cancer care

1) Fairbanks used to be known for warm, dry summers and cold, deep, still winters with moderate amounts of dry snow.

Now we have rain all summer, milder temperatures in winter, very little snow, and much more wind.

I'm okay with most of the changes except for the lack of snow. I hate not having snow. :(

2) Booger can't have her tumor removed any more. The 5th time was the least successful. He never could, even prior times, get it all, but this time there was so much remaining it hardly seemed worth the pain to Booger. Also, the skin was getting so thin and stretched and laced with scar tissue after all of the surgeries, the vet said there was almost nothing left to close a further incision with. We did flirt with the idea of amputation. It's really rare to do on an old dog, but the vet said she'd likely recover well, and she was in such good shape otherwise it seemed a shame to let one leg end her life. We even planned to fit her with a doggy prosthetic, to minimize the impact damage that would be done to the opposite shoulder were she to spend life as a tripod. She's also a happy! Happy! Happy dog who would take it in stride. However, even as the conversation proceeded, tumors started growing higher up her leg, and the next time the vet saw her, he nixed the plan. He said, there wouldn't be enough stump left to fit a prosthetic well, and he wouldn't amputate above the elbow on an old lady, no matter how strong and bouncy said old lady is.

Thus, we are allowing Booger's tumors to take their course now.

The original one is growing huge, and multiplying. The skin is stretched and thin. Parts have gotten abraded during walks:




But fortunately, the abrasions do heal! It's not like the skin is completely dead and raw. We got Extra Large size dog booties and cut off the ends. Leg warmer, like the 80's! They work a charm!


For Booger's part, she is still bouncing around like a lamb. So she's going to keep on truckin'! She still enjoys long-ish (5 mile) walks, especially now that the weather is getting colder! :)