photos


Sophie’s collarAn unexpected side effect started this week. In the middle of the night, Sophie’s jaw started to tremble uncontrollably and make her teeth click violently together. This little tremor would continue for a minute, stop for a while and then start again. We were all scared and exhausted by sunrise.

The vet called this phenomenon “chattering”– it could indicate jaw pain (best case) or small seizures (worst case.) I read somewhere that it could be a side effect of the prednisone, but didn’t find anything authoritative to support that.

The chattering hasn’t stopped but it’s a lot less frequent. We’re hopeful that it’s a temporary side effect and will eventually pass.

Otherwise, Sophie is in good shape. Her eye is drippy but not disturbingly so; she has more saliva but I wouldn’t call it excessive. She’s been tired lately but I attribute that to all that late night chattering. For a dog who got a whole month of radiation, she’s holding up pretty well.

postscript: chattering lessened and then stopped shortly around the same time we stopped using prednisone. 

Sophie at the library cottage

Sophie at the library cottage, originally uploaded by eldera.

We spent Easter Weekend 2007 at Sprindrift. I love this photo. It captures the quiet contentment we felt that weekend. We played in the sand and the ocean in our rain slickers and ran back to the house for hot cocoa when we were thoroughly soaked.

But now, I can’t just enjoy the photo– I analyze Sophie’s face and wonder: if I look carefully, can I see the first signs of a tumor? Nasal tumors are mostly symptom-free; in fact, we wouldn’t have gone to the vet except for the crazy sneezing. Still, I wonder…