Greetings from Balloon Juice world HQ, where my new pet horse is begging for her 87th meal of the day:
Every time I stand up I get the “Is it time to eat again I know it’s time to eat again you know how I know it’s because I WANT to eat again food glorious food” look. Tomorrow is our appointment with the oncologist and I guarantee she has put on several pounds this week.
This is an entirely new side of Lily- she was never motivated by food in the past. Although if she keeps eating like this, I’m going to be seeing a lot of new sides of this dog.
Gawd I love her.
*** Update ***
Bonus Steve with me watching the Homeland finale:
Shell
She’s probably thinking, “Hey, those days I spent in the ICU, I need to make up that lost time!”
Mathguy
It is impossible to deny such a creature sustenance. I wonder if she has some Italian Greyhound in her–I have not met one that A) doesn’t have that look she’s giving you now, and B) Wasn’t a chowhound (though in her case, it’s the drugs). What a great dog.
Justin
I’ve been reading this site for years, including the comments, and I enjoy it all immensely (though I’ve never commented), but the coverage of Lily over the past couple weeks has been some of my favorite reading ever on this little piece of the Interwebs. My mom’s pup Jaxson died suddenly a few weeks ago from cancer, and his symptoms at the end were very similar to Lily’s. As devastated as mom’s been the past few weeks, it’s nice to see that you have been fortunate to see a different outcome, for however long you have it, John. Thanks for welcoming me into your home through this site.
MomSense
She has beautiful eyes but I can’t get over those ears. The cutest.
khead
Very happy Lily has rebounded.
CNN ran the Parts Unknown season opener about my home county tonight. I have…. mixed feelings.
TaMara (HFG)
Pretty Lily is pretty!
@MomSense: I had a greyhound, ears just like that. We called them airplane ears. When he was interested in something, one ear would go straight up, If he was REALLY interested, like say, a rabbit nearby, both ears would go up. It never ceased to be adorable.
Mary G
Lily girl, looking good. Fingers crossed for tomorrow. Update us ASAP.
Yarrow
Lily! She is such a sweetie. The cutest. So glad she’s got a good appetite. Are you still feeding her canned chicken? I could not resist feeding her whatever she wanted.
Mike J
I hate thinking she’ll be gone soon, but that’s what we always have to think about any pet. We treasure the time we have instead of grieving the time we don’t.
RoonieRoo
Yay for a killer appetite!
Yutsano
LILYPUPPEH!!!!
I don’t have too much beyond that tonight. Surgery went well but I’m still excited from the stay.
Joeg
Who can resist that face?? Lily deserves beef liver at 20 minute intervals.
Mnemosyne
@Yutsano:
Is the machine working so far?
eclare
@TaMara (HFG): I call them floppy-overs, as opposed to sticky-uppies (which my dog has). Best of luck to John Cole and Lily tomorrow!
Aleta
I love the slight change in their look of expecting to receive instead of only asking.
Thanks for this. Beautiful picture.
Mingobat (f/k/a Karen in GA)
Give Lily all the food.
CaseyL
Oh, that face. Such faceness. IIRC, Lily’s always been a slim little lady. If she’s put on multiple pounds in the last week, and is still that narrow from the ribs down, I shudder to think of how much weight she lost during The Week From Hell. Fingers crossed for a good appointment tomorrow!
OT: Is anyone here watching Westworld? I’d love to obsess over it with a fellow jackal…
hitchhiker
Goodness.
I experience goodness every time you write about Lily. Feels wonderful.
rikyrah
Lily is so beautiful ??
Steve looks like he’s asleep awaiting a massage from you, Cole.
Mnemosyne
I got sucked into an episode of “Columbo” that stars and was directed by Patrick McGoohan. Columbo first figures out that the victim could not have been kidnapped because she didn’t feed her puppy as soon as she got home.
Amir Khalid
Lily is beautiful, as ever. I like that we’re now getting a picture of her every day.
A moment of pedantry: it’s pease pudding. (One item, no comma between the words.) I return you now to regular programming.
Omnes Omnibus
@Amir Khalid: Someone could have been talking about peas and pudding.
Amir Khalid
@Omnes Omnibus:
Or maybe not. Pease pudding and saveloys (a saveloy is a sausage similar to a frankfurter) was a commonly-eaten meal in Britain well into the 19th century.
Mary G
@CaseyL: I watched the first episode, but I can never understand what’s going on. The acting, especially Jeffrey Wright, is aces.
ruemara
Lily looks strong and ready to tackle you for another sammich.
@Justin: I’m so sorry for your mom, that’s pretty hard. Send her our condolences and we’re glad you found some joy in Lily’s story.
Omnes Omnibus
@Amir Khalid: You are the expert. I will defer to you and go to bed.
Amir Khalid
Is Steve really watching Homeland, or is he just sitting there all blissed out because he’s with Dad?
Planetpundit
Steve and Lily! Glad to see sweet Lily doing so well.
justawriter
Interesting piece about doggo DNA https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/dog-spies/what-a-dog-geneticist-wants-you-to-know-about-dog-genetics/
Surrounded by kitties myself (GO STEVE!) but I thought others here would be interested.
suezboo
@Amir Khalid:
Oh, really ? I will have you know that, as a mere child in London in the 1950’s, I enjoyed saveloys and pease pud from the local fish&chips shop every Friday night. It was delicious and fabulous.
Amir Khalid
John Cole’s retweet about that nametag snafu reminds me of the time when I wrote AMIR KHALID HUSSAIN on a conference registration form, in block letters, and they gave me a nametag for AMIR KHALIB JUSSAIM.
Amir Khalid
@suezboo:
Okay. Into the mid-20th century, then.
Mnemosyne
@Amir Khalid:
I quite honestly am going to be using a pen name for my novels in part because NO ONE can correctly pronounce or spell my first and last names in combination with each other. I don’t want to spend my whole second career correcting people over and over (and over) again anymore. I’m sick of it.
Aleta
@Amir Khalid: Still available in delis w/butcher.
eta At least in northern England
jl
Thanks for handsome and intrepid horse pic. Looks like that cute dog, Lily.
Cole never told us he got a horse. But, thanks again.
SectionH
@jl: Stay classy, jl.
SectionH
@jl: damn. It Was Cole. I apologize for the snark.
Nikolita
That is a glorious picture of Steve.
stinger
So happy to see all three of you looking good. Best wishes for the vet visit today.
Pogonip
Cole, I think you should assemble your pet essays into a book.
kindness
Sometimes critters as they age become food focused. They become less active and as such there are less fill their soul’s activities but food is always there and food is a really strong attraction to filling that empty spot in their soul. For about an hour. Then it’s back to the grind. My 10 yo shepard/mutt has come to that point in life. I’m saddened that he isn’t the young pup any more but it’s all good. Love the guy so….
LAO
Best of luck today!
PS — my dog isn’t motivated by food either and when she is, I know the poor girl is starving.
eric U.
our oldest dog has liver cancer. I have been cooking him chicken, but he can only eat small portions because his liver pushes on his stomach. This morning, he was in the kitchen begging, which is not allowed. I made him his breakfast and he didn’t eat anything. The begging is habit, I guess. He usually rejects breakfast, but eats later in the day. I figure he’s only alive because the food got a lot better when he stopped eating a couple of months ago, he has always really loved food.
Nicole
Yay Lily picture! Eager (and hopeful) to hear how the oncologist visit goes.
My pooch started hassling me to go out for her second walk of the day at 10AM. Conveniently, she had a 10:15 vet appointment. She was not happy about where the walk ended up. She’s snoring indignantly on the bed now.
Ella in New Mexico
Like I said a few posts ago, it’s the steroids making her hungry. Problem is, if she needs to be on them long term, you’ll have to resist the urge to feed her 87 times a day or she’ll turn into a bloated beached whale of a pup. ;-)
J R in WV
Beautiful puppy, cat.
Best of luck today!
WaterGirl
@Ella in New Mexico: I think they usually start with a pretty high does of steroids and then decrease them to find the lowest possible effective dose. Not sure if that will be the case here, but it seems likely enough. So hopefully Lily will be on a low enough does that she won’t be starving all the time.
bluefish
@Justin: That was nice. Thanks.
Happy to see Lily looking so in the here and now! Steve seems to be reflecting my own thing when it comes to Homeland but always best not to assume nothing. Cheers — pulling for all of you there at Dr. Doolittle’s.