Holding onto hope!

Thanksgiving and Christmas have pasted but how nice it was to enjoy some quality family time, many wonderful meals with all the fixings and some much needed down time because we sure had a very busy Spring, Summer & Fall. Christmas around our house was wonderful like always, much laughter and of course gummy lifesavers under the tree….yes Bandit’s favorite and every year he is so excited for Christmas moring so he can finally dig around through all the presents until he finds that wrapped bag of lifesavers. He’s worse than a little kid in fact this year I had put the presents out a bit earlier than usually and while I’m standing the kitchen I hear someone going through the gifts, I go in the living and there is Bandit and his side-kick Wally both have their large gift bags out from under the tree pulling out toys left & right and then “jackpot” Bandit whips out the wrapped bag of lifesavers, so funny! He usually waits until Christmas morning before digging but I think he couldn’t take it this year, I really watch his diet now because I don’t want any extra pounds sneaking up on him so he hardly ever get any treats like that but it’s Christmas and Christmas would not be Christmas to him if he didn’t get those darn gummy lifesavers! “How cute is this I thought to myself as those two are up to no good under that tree”….yes they got to have a few early!

A few weeks ago Bandit had his first visit back to the Vet in months for his rabbies shot and while there we asked about a very small lump on his hock it’s right where a callus is (same side as the amputated leg) I had just noticed the day earlier, the Vet said to just keep an eye on it. Over that week it was getting bigger and you could tell it hurt him so we made another appointment to go back in, she drew some blood from it and looked at it and said, “she didn’t see any abnormal cells” and put him on an antibiotic for 10 days and if it didn’t get better she will schedule surgery to remove it and keep her posted. Well mid-week last week I called and told her that it hadn’t changed and I could tell it bothered him so they scheduled him for tomorrow morning for surgery to either remove it or see what’s going on. Over the weekend it became very red and looked like it hurt and it kinda opened up a little and was draining a clear fluid (which I’m kinda happy it opened up it looked like it needed to) and late last night it looked better and this morning it is still draining a little clear fluid, is red and a bit more swollen than last night. I have a call into her this morning to ask her a few things because I’m hoping that the clear fluid draing out means that it’s white blood cells working to heal it up on it’s own….guess we’ll wait to hear back from her. As for Bandit, it does seem to bother him but he did go out this morning with me to do some chores like always and he was actually very playful last night and this morning so that’s a good thing!! I hoping it all goes good….holding onto hope that’s all we can do and have been doing for over a year and half!!

  Love~ Misty & Bandit

 2010 was good to us and for Bandit well he did so great and I can honestly say I feel very blessed as to just how well he did. You know from time to time someone will say, “why did you cut his leg off” and I can tell some people may not agree with the choice I’d made but I just think to myself, “well it wasn’t your decision to make, that was up to me, our family and what I felt in my heart what was right for my best friend.” You know at first I used to wonder what people thought and now I don’t care they haven’t lived a day in my life, walked in my shoes nor really looked into Bandit’s eyes to know what decision was the best for him. I have no regrets and I honestly believe that I did make the right decision. It’s taken sometime especially when there are ups & downs, bad days & good days along this very long emotional road but I can finally say without a shadow of a doubt that….”it was the right choice for Bandit and I am a very lucky girl to still be able to have him in our lives, to have him want to follow me around while outside doing chores and playing, to have him cock his head from side to side with a sparkle in his eye as I speak to him and to have him still want me to lay down on the floor next to him everynight for some playtime!” So for any of you out there who question yourself as to what to do the best advice I can give is….follow your heart, lead with your head, cry in a different room, be strong for your best friend, no that the decision you’re making will change everything you thought you knew, don’t take it for granted, be grateful for a friendship like that and pay attention to their eyes because like humans those eyes are the window to their soul!  Oh and pray!! Love~ Misty & Bandit

~ by band09 on January 10, 2011 .