Menu Monday #51 and Daisy Update

Whew. It was a tough weekend for us. We've been trying to come to terms with the news we received at the vet's office on Wednesday. Daisy has not been feeling well lately. She's suffered a loss of appetite, lots of vomiting and diarrhea. So, it was time for a visit to the doctor. After performing x-rays, the doctor was concerned with a mass she saw in Daisy's belly, where she should've been visualizing her kidneys. She suspected an enlarged lymph node and a probable lymphoma diagnosis (due to the high incidence - 1 in 4 - of this disease in boxers). Because she couldn't see it well enough on x-ray, she referred us to a specialist in Asheville who has extensive ultrasound training for these sorts of things. Despite nearly reaching the average life span for a boxer, and the fact that we should be prepared for this, of course we're not. Daisy has been our baby girl for the past 8 years. She has been as much a part of our family as our children. We've taken her everywhere we can with us - she's probably more traveled than our children! She's eaten dinner with us at at a restaurant in downtown Chicago, enjoyed a plush personal doggy bed at the downtown Westin in Cincinnati, and has commanded quite the presence in our king-sized bed (as in, took up over 1/2 the bed) the past 7+ years (though we swore we'd never have a dog that slept in our bed! Haha!). We've made several dog-friendly beach vacations just so that she could join us and enjoy herself, too. Though she's more of a people-person than a dog-person, she loved her friendship in Kentucky with a miniature Australian shepherd, Penny, and currently with her cousin, Pickle. We've made countless beautiful memories with her and we'll soon most likely face some difficult decisions. She hasn't been feeling well for weeks now, not interested in eating her food or playing. She has been very sick and you can tell that she doesn't feel well. It's heartbreaking. We just want her to not be in pain anymore.

She had a really rough day Friday, so we stayed in that night to be with her. On Saturday, she seemed to be feeling better, gobbling up some boiled chicken, so we wanted to do something fun with her, especially since it was such a beautiful day. We decided to take her to Warrior's Path park for a walk and some pictures with the boys, followed by a cool ice cream treat. We got some great shots of them that I know we'll treasure forever.

Her appointment with the specialist went well. She was a real trooper and didn't require any sedation for the procedures. The vet even commented that he needed to employ her in the office to show the other doggies how to behave. We wouldn't expect anything less of her. We've always joked that she's our best-behaved child, but really we're only half joking because she is so perfect. We couldn't have asked for a better doggy all of these years. We used to joke about cloning her back in the day, too, because we wanted more dogs just like her. Oh how I wish we could now. So, they shaved her little side, and did the ultrasound. They found 2 masses. One was near the liver, so they stayed away from that one, but aspirated the other one. We'll receive the results of the aspiration in 24-48 hours and at that time we'll know what we're dealing with for sure. We're preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best. I think it'll be easier that way. Until then, we need to try to get her to eat some canned food, as she is only interested in boiled chicken. :/

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

Sunday: Blackened salmon, brown rice, roasted asparagus

We had our favorite fish meal and Daisy got to enjoy some salmon skin - her favorite treat!

Monday: Flour tortilla tacos

With Josh off work for the day, it'll be easier to get these made. The boys gobble them up!

Tuesday: Spiced chipotle honey chicken with sweet potatoes

I wanted to try some new meals this week and this one looked easy and delicious. Sweet and spicy is always a great combo, so I'm sure this will be delicious!

Wednesday: Skillet lasagna
Another new recipe, it sounds fairly quick and easy, too! Annie's Eats is one of my favorite food blogs and her recipes never disappoint. The boys love pasta and cheese, so I don't think we can go wrong with this one.

Thursday: Parmesan ranch chicken with pasta and roasted cauliflower

Yet another new one to try, I don't think this one could be bad when you combine ranch and panko crumbs to coat the chicken! Pasta is always a hit and we've been loving the cauliflower.

Friday: Out to eat

We'll probably go out, or order something in.

Saturday: TBD

We'll see how things are doing. Ethan will be attending a birthday party at a park for another preschool friend that afternoon, so we may make it another picnic dinner if the weather is nice!

What's on your menu this week?