Author: Kathryn Trabucco

I have not had much of a chance to update lately because we have been so crazy busy! Aside from everything going on with Bentley, we are also getting married in less than 2 months!! So we’ve got showers, bachelor/bachelorette parties and lots of planning left to do! As I sit here and write all of this, I’m not sure how I even get any sleep at night (not that I really do haha)! As I mentioned in my post last time, Bentley did great with Carboplatin #4 and had great results on our chest scans! We have been trying to get in touch with Dr. Mason at UPenn Vet School in regards to the study she is conducting to develop a vaccine to help to stop/prevent the spread of Bone Cancer cells. I know that alot of you have probably heard of this study, but I also know that the requirements to get into this study are somewhat restrictive so unfortunately I know alot of other babies have not been able to get into it. We went back and forth for a long time trying to decide what to do, but we have finally decided to go ahead and put Bentley into the study! For those of you unfamiliar with the study, more information can be found here: https://www.vet.upenn.edu/research/centers-initiatives/canine-cancer-studies

Of course, as soon as I finally get settled into a routine with Bentley’s routine, medications, supplements, and food – we get a curve ball! However, we love and trust our Oncologist very much, and she feels that this is a fantastic opportunity for Bentley! And although this could not be happening at a worse time, as we have pretty much everyday from now until the wedding planned out with things to do – I know in my heart that I could NEVER forgive myself if we passed up an opportunity like this! So far everything is still on track for us to head to PA Thursday night (about an 8 hour drive) to receive his first vaccine. The only thing we are still waiting on, is the results to come back from a test that they’re doing this week to ensure that his body actually mounts a response to vaccine (they drew blood last week and sent it to Dr. Mason and she said that we should have results back by Thursday).

I will try to keep everyone posted on how everything goes this weekend, and every vaccine after that – but as I said, with how crazy busy we are going to be the next two months (before we even added this into the mix!), my updates may be a little late!

Thank you in advance for all of the prayers, well wishes, and thoughts coming our way on this next chapter of our journey!

 

Healing Hugs from Kate and Sloppy Rotty Kisses from Bentley

xo

WAHOOOOOOO!!! I am sitting here in the Oncologists office while Bentley receives Carboplatin #4, they did his recheck lung scans today and everything came back all clear!!!!!! His kidney levels were slightly high, but his urine is also very concentrated so she thinks that he is just a little bit dehydrated today! We will keep an eye on it of course, but hopefully it means nothing. We are going to head to the pet store to pick up some fun new toys, and then head home to play and snuggle for the rest of the night!!!

Healings hugs from Kate and Sloppy Rotty Kisses from Bentley

xoxo

So, here in Charlotte NC..cold and snow is a rarity. Not only is snow a real rarity, but snow over .25 inches has only happened once since I’ve lived here (2007). Then there was snowmageddon 2014. We’ve been snowed in the house since Tuesday afternoon, and Bentley is LOVING it! We knew this was coming, so we stocked up on all of the essentials (mainly wine and beer), and hunkered down for a long week. We got about 2 inches Tuesday afternoon, 6 inches of snow yesterday, then 1/2 an inch of ice overnight, and 2-3 inches more of snow so far today!! Bentley has been absolutely LOVING every moment of his extra mommy and daddy time, and I have to admit that I’m not hating it either. With everything we’ve got going on, I think mother nature knew that I needed some real family time. 🙂 We spent all day yesterday playing in the snow, had a bonfire and roasted marshmallows last night, and have spent all day today cuddling by the fire and watching movies and are now getting ready to go back outside to build a snowman and play! 🙂 Here are a few pictures from our two snow days!

HALF WAY THERE!

On Thursday Bentley had Chemo #3! His blood work looked fantastic, and Dr. McFadden said that she is amazed at how great he looks and how perfect his levels have stayed – woohoo go Bentley! Next Chemo is scheduled for the 27th, and that will be a big day. We’re going to rescan his lungs and everything to check for mets, which as we all know is BIG..and it also happens to be his 3 month diagnosis date. So, prayers, paws crossed, whatever it is that you do – please do it for Bentley that day!! I am still amazed at this brave boy everyday. It seems everyday he has even more energy than before, he wants to constantly play now – will not leave me alone from the time I get home to the time I tell him we have to go to bed..it’s non stop ball time! 🙂 It makes me wonder if he was really in alot of pain for along time from the cancer, or if part of it was his hips..and now with the plethora of drugs he’s on (Vitamin C & E, Fish Oil, K9 Immunity Plus, GlycoflexIII, Gabapentin, Tramadol, Curcumin, Turmeric, Artemether, Artemisinin, Butyrex, and I’m sure I’m still missing something), something must be making he feel really good! It’s crazy how much cancer can teach us, and how quickly you realize that you were never really living before! We sure are now, we go on adventures every weekend, play NONSTOP, and cherish every moment. 🙂

Until next time – Healing hugs from Kate and Sloppy Rotty Kisses from Bentley xo

 

I cannot believe my baby boy is 7 years old!!! Yesterday was his birthday, and we did it up big this year! We spent the morning cuddling in bed (his favorite thing), then went for a long walk, played out back with his favorite fetch toys, and then he helped me bake homemade cancer-fighting pup cakes and liver bites (and I let him lick all of the bowls and utensils!). After that, all of our friends and family, and all of Bentley's friends came over for his party - complete with doggie games and LOTS of presents!!!! He was very tuckered out at the end of the day but we had a great day! It's hard to believe that just 7 years ago he was one of the little annoying puppies next door that used to bit my feet all the time! And today, I couldn't imagine living without him - he is my rock, my protector, my cuddle buddy, and my best friend (don't worry my husband knows. ;) Here are some pictures from the day, and here's to many more cancer free birthdays together!!

Sloppy Rotty Kisses,

Kate and Bentley
xo

Bentley had his second round of Chemo today and is doing great! All of his blood work looked perfect, and he hasn’t lost any weight (which is great because we were switching his diet all around and he had lost some weight which was good because of his hips, but we didn’t want him to lose anymore). It is still amazing to me every single day how great he’s doing. He’s slowly started playing with his younger sisters again like they used to (all 3 of them used to gang up on each other and run a train through our house!). Today they were all running around jumping on the couches and tearing through the house like they used to. As much as I used to curse the havoc they wreak on my house – nowadays, I absolutely cherish this madness! 🙂 They did forewarn us today that they increased his dosage up to the full dose of Carboplatin so we may see some side effects this time that we didn’t see last time. All in all, our handsome man is still doing absolutely fantastic!!! Thank you all so much as always for your kind words and support, here’s to several more years of time with my precious boy!

Sloppy Rotty kisses,

Bentley and Kate

xo

 

Bentley and I hope that everyone had a fantastic holiday!! As I stated in my last post, our Christmas was not quite what we were hoping for since my brother in law was in the hospital..however, we were very grateful this year that we were all together – and that was enough!! My brother-in-law has since come home from the hospital and is on his way to recovery..it’s going to be a long road, but we are just very lucky and extremely thankful to still have him here with us!!! We really enjoyed just being able to spend some time with him at home for the holidays, and Bentley was pretty excited because Uncle Chris got him a lucky totem necklace from his vacation in the Dominican, and a new Wilfork T-shirt for game day!!! We’re very much hoping with the new year will come some quiet time, we’ve pretty much had all the excitement we can handle for a couple years – and would like to get back to quiet weekends and ya know, maybe planning our wedding. 🙂

Bentley is still doing amazing, everyday I am more and more surprised at what he is learning to do – and how he is learning to adapt. This week, our new tricks were: getting up and down from the couch by himself, and mommy also woke up the past three nights with a big Bentley bear in the bed!!!!! I have NO idea how he even gets up there on his own (our bed is pretty high), but he does..and then I have to pick him up and put him on the floor in the AM (which is a good workout for me!). I did not think he would still want to get on the bed (I guess that was foolish on my part!), but since he does I think we may have to buy him some stairs so that he can do it on his own. He has his second round of Chemo on the 15th and hoping that goes as well as the first one. We have also started him on an arsenal of supplements: Artemisinin, Artemether, Butyrex, K9 Immunity Plus, Fish Oil, and Ester-C. Bentley still seems to be doing great, so we’re going to keep on fighting, and taking one day at a time – hoping to be one of the lucky few!

Hope everyone is enjoying 2014 so far!

Until next time..

Sloppy Rotty Kisses

xo

As I lay here in bed unable to sleep – tears suddenly rush down my face. Tears of happiness, gratitude, love, awakening, and most of all -admiration. As I think about our life right now, I can’t help but cry happy tears. Happy you ask?!? We haven’t slept in our own bed in 2 weeks, haven’t slept for more than 6 hours in a night in 3 weeks, have completely drained our savings, canceling our honeymoon, have to nickel and dime everything we do and cut back everywhere we possibly can to pay for Bentleys cancer treatments (hello Ramen noodles and sperm donations haha!)…and lets not forget that my brother in law was rushed in for emergency open heart surgery this week after being told that his aortic wall was paper thin and about to burst! But I am crying happy tears…..why? Because, despite the fact that we will be eating lobsters in a hospital room on Christmas this year, and Brandon and I have no idea how we’re going to afford to eat for the next 12 months – this is undoubtedly going to be the best Christmas ever, and so too will every one we have together after this.
I’ve always been the type to cherish the small things, the invaluable things – a baby’s laugh, summer sunsets on the island, hugs from family, snuggles from Brandon. But this year…this year I have learned that those things are even more precious than we ever acknowledge. These last 3 weeks (and especially the last 3 days), have been the craziest/scariest emotional roller coaster I’ve ever been on. Even with that, I find myself truly amazed and my heart full of love and admiration. Admiration for how strong Bentley has been and continues to be. Unaware what is even going on inside him, everyday he teaches me how to live in the moment and take one day at a time and cherishing the little things..a walk in the backyard when he stops to smell the fresh air, the big smile on his face and nubby wagging whenever I come home (or come in from getting the mail for that matter!), and my favorite – cuddles at night while he dreams peacefully (despite his non-stop gas from his new food and Chemo). For the amazing doctors that repaired Chris’s aorta, and gave him back to us for years to come. Admiration for the love of a new wife – who undoubtedly saved his life and hasn’t left her husbands side…showing unwavering love, strength, and fight. Amazed by the strength of a single man..a man who cannot be kept down, a man with pure fight in his veins – not just to live another day (and thousands more), but to do it heroically. But mostly..a heart full of love. An unwavering love and admiration for my family, and a sudden sharp realization that no matter how much SHIT you are dealt..love and family are all that matters. And if you have that..you are truly among the richest. My only wish for Christmas this year is that everyone take the time to be grateful for what TRULY matters. Never hesitate to say I Love You. Lay in bed an extra 10 minutes to snuggle in the morning. Never waste a breathe on anger. Cherish your loved ones and every moment spent with them – those little moments..those are gold. Work less, play more. Help those that are less fortunate than you. Say hello to a stranger. Count your blessings, everyday. Hug a little longer, laugh a little more. Make everyday ‘the best day’, because you just NEVER know what tomorrow will bring.
This is my Christmas wish.<3

Hello All!

It has been awhile since we last posted – we have had ALOT going on. Say nothing about the cancer and adjusting to life as a tripawd, but my brother in law was rushed in for emergency open heart surgery this week. It has been one hell of a week that is for sure!! He is doing great now, but it was the longest 24 hours of my life. I know they say that you’re not given anything that you can’t handle, but damn – when are we gonna catch a break?? The last three weeks have been absolutely crazy for my family – we are very much looking forward to welcoming 2014 you could say!!!

With that being sad, Bentley is an absolute rock star!! He had his sutures taken out at day 11 post-amp and doc said everything looks amazing! His incision looks great, and he is doing amazingly at getting around! His lymph node came back clear wahoo, and all of his blood work looks perfect so we went ahead and did his first Chemo treatment yesterday! He seems to be un-phased by it thus far, but I know that day 3-4 is where it can be ugly. I’ve heard for the most part they will be great, so we’re hoping for that! 🙂 Christmas is going to be extra special this year, after the hell that we’ve been through the last week – it’s really made me sit back and think about what really matters. I have always been the type to care more about the little things in life anyway, but now even more so than ever before. We know that we’re fighting a monster here, but right now all of the odds are in our favor, and Bentley is one tough little man! We’re definitely going to enjoy family time this holiday season – looks at though we’ll be doing it from my brother in laws hospital room, but I don’t even care. We are all alive, and fortunate enough to be able to be together – so we’re going to celebrate that! 🙂

We’re heading back out to Greenville to be with Chris tomorrow, so will probably not write again until after the holidays so Bentley and I want to send sloppy Rotty kisses to all!!! We hope everyone has a fantastic holiday sharing time with loved ones!!

xoxo

Hello all and Happy Monday!! So Bentley seems to be doing great at home, he is doing much better than I expected – but the verdict is that Bentley is stubborn as hell! He has been holding his pee for 16 hours, then when we take him out he doesn’t want to go. We bring him in, get him laying back down and the second you turn around he’s gotten up and is trting to walk to the door!!! I guess it’s a good thing bcuz he obviously feels good and is starting to get the hang of it – but doc says we shouldn’t let him walk alone yet bcuz of incision..he is making it very difficult though!! He literally will just stand there if you put sling on like screw you I am not a puppet..then if you have your back turned he’ll get up and  try to walk on his own! He only gets a couple steps before he needs to stop and rest, or he sometimes wobbles and falls. :/
So, I’m not sure what we should do – I got NO sleep last night because I was terrified that he’d get up on his own and hurt himself..so literally every time he’d so much as move a toe I sit straight up in bed. Those of you with big dogs, how did you deal with this? Is this normal that he’s already over it and trying to get up and go? Im just so afraid he’s going to hurt himself, but it’s also impossible to sit and watch him 24/7 – as it is we have to have someone to come stay with him this week because I have some stuff I need to done for work. I’m just trying to figure out how not to hold him back, but also don’t want him getting hurt – and mama bear needs to sleep, so what we did last night isn’t going to work!

 

And just for some good laughs..this was last night after he went out to pee, playing and being silly with his sisters. 🙂trim.F944AA2D-A406-4E22-9FC7-653E70630594