Dear Diary...

I had a good weekend. I felt good and played with mom and dad a lot. We played with the squeaker ball, and I even chased and caught it a few times.

On Monday, I didn’t feel so good. My cheeks and legs were fat, and I wasn’t hungry. When mom came home from work, I got excited. When we were going to walk into the house, I almost fell over, but dad caught me. I’ve heard them say that excitement can make the tumor cause dizziness. I guess that’s what that strange feeling is that I get before I fall. Mom and dad were really upset today because they found out that Hank lost his battle to kidney failure. Hank is their friend’s golden angel, and he went to heaven. When mom was packing her lunch, I was waiting for red peppers, and she asked what she was going to do when I’m not here to make her feel better. I tried to tell her I’ll always be with her, but I don’t think she heard me.

Today, (Tuesday) my cheeks swelled over night. I felt like I didn’t have any energy. Dad was out of the shower so we went downstairs. He wanted to feed me, but I didn’t feel very hungry again. I do like the beans though. I just pick them out of the bowl when I’m not very hungry. Dad got a big stick for me this morning. It was very crunchy. I ripped the branches apart real fast. It was fun! Later dad took me to Daytimers so he could get something in a plastic bag. I couldn’t smell anything. This afternoon dad took me to see Dr. Donna. She said the weight of the fluid is pulling on my muscles. As usual, she made me feel better. She tried to drain the fluid, but it went right back into my legs again. She did get it out of my face though. She said mom and dad should keep working the fluid out of my legs and face. Dad asked her what she thought because Dr. C (my vet) thought I would go to heaven (like Hank did) sometime in April. She said she could feel more fluid in me since last week when she saw me. It could keep building or it could stay like this for a while. None of them really know. Mom and dad say I’m a miracle dog. I'm not ready yet. I still have a few more lessons for them.

Oh, I almost forgot. Tomorrow is my birthday! I'll be 11. Wonder what they'll get me?