Secret

People ask me almost daily, "What is your secret to losing so much weight? What is your motivation?" I really had no idea at the time...Well, I think I finally figured it out. Ready? Here it is:

The Secret to Weight Loss - "When you don't feel like it, do it anyway." What the hell does that mean?? You know how sometimes you wake up in the morning, and you are a bit sluggish. You may be achy. You don't feel like going to the gym before/after work...well, the secret to weight loss is....you do it anyway. You know how you go out to eat and you could just MURDER a bacon double cheeseburger with a mound of fries...and you really don't feel like eating healthy-type fare (i.e. grilled salmon with steamed veggies)? Guess what...you do it (eat the salmon, not the cheeseburger) anyway. There it is, folks - my secret to weight loss. This all came to me as I was in the middle of running the boarwalk yesterday (which I really did not feel like doing!).

My Motivation - Besides the obvious (Angela and the baby), I am motivated by several things on a daily basis:1) Seeing photos of myself a couple of years ago 2) Having clients notice my weight loss and tell me how good I look 3) Being able to shop at normal stores and buy normal sized clothes (I cannot begin to tell you how good that feels after having to either shop at "Big and Tall Male" or order stuff online because no store carries the hugest size possible) 4) Going to the gym/work/store/wherever and seeing overweight, old, bald guys. Now, I know that I can't control or change the baldness or the aging process...but I damn sure don't want to be fat anymore, and THAT I can control.

So there ya go. I guess anytime anyone asks me that question again I will either cut and paste this post or just direct them to my blog...

Oh, and here is the 32-week belly shot!:

Mother's Day

We had off from work Sunday and today, so we decided to do something nice for Mother's Day (while we still can!) - we went up to a Bed and Breakfast in Glenwood, NJ.

The day started off with me deciding to go for a run on the boardwalk - I ran it end-to-end in 39:58. A personal best! After a shower, we headed out, gassed up the Jetta, and headed northward to NJ.
A short 1 hour and 40 minutes later, we pulled up to an idyllic spot, the Apple Valley Inn (www.applevalleyinn.com). We were greeted by the owners of the inn, Lauren and Leigh, and were immediately shown to our room, which was gorgeous and had its own fully functional fireplace!
We also were informed that we were the only guests that night, so we had the whole of the house to ourselves. The house is incredible - built in 1831 (but newly renovated), has a bunch of rooms, including a lounge to relax in, and (of course) the beautiful dining room.
After dropping our stuff off at the room, we headed out to explore the surrounding area. The inn actually is on the border of Northern NJ and NY State - so we headed up back into NY. We went through a lovely town called Warwick and stopped for lunch.
After lunch and a walk around town, we headed to an artsy village called Sugar Loaf. We bought a few things here and headed back towards the inn.
On the way back, we saw the sign for the Applachian Trail...so we decided to stop and go for a walk.






After a 2.5 mile walk, my waddling wifey had just about enough...so we headed back to the inn to relax for a bit, then went out for dinner - at a pub in Warwick. They were super nice and even gave Angela a Mother's(-to-be) Day Rose!

After dinner, we had a little walk around the beautiful property surrounding the inn. After 10 minutes of that, I think Angela (and baby) could walk no longer, so we headed back to the room to settle in and watch Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy (best show on TV!) and drifted to sleep.






We woke up this morning to the smell of bacon cooking. I cannot describe to you how GOOD that was! We went in to breakfast - OJ, strawberries, fresh homemade banana nut pancakes, bacon, banana muffins and lemon-poppy cake. I swear to you, it was the best breakfast I have ever eaten (Angela agrees heartily!). It was EXTREMELY hard for me to decline a second helping, even though it was offered several times - I am still around 20 lbs from my goal after all!! Before we left, we chatted to Lauren and Leigh about the area, being vets, and their cat Calvin. Our picture was taken (below), and we were VERY sad to leave. It felt like we had made friends as well as had a relaxing day away from home.


So, despite getting stuck at the George Washington Bridge for an hour in traffic, it was still an incredible day away. We fell in love with the area - there were farms (including cows, sheep, alpacas and horses that came right up to the roadside), hills, wineries and tiny villages everywhere. It felt like the UK...felt like home. All being well, we hope to move up there in the next few years or so. In the meantime, however, we shall return to the inn when we can...hopefully sooner rather than later!

BONUS PHOTO - We are now doing belly-shots every 2 weeks instead of every 4...so here is the 30 week belly-shot!:

One more race photo with the Jones Beach tower in the background...yes, we are in pain.

I Was Runninnnnnnng!

The title of this post is supposed to be Forrest Gump speaking. You know, that bit in the movie where...ah forget it.

So, anyway, today was the day of my first 5k run, the "Testaverde Race for Spinal Victory" - not actually associated with former NY Jet Vinnie Testaverde, but cool nonetheless. It was a balmy 46 degrees F at race time, and it was pretty damn windy - especially seeing as we were running along the ocean. Mike and his wife Susan met me, Angela and dad at Jones Beach, and we stood outside freezing until race time.

Basically, to make a long story short...I finished in 28:52 (average of 9:18 mile), better than I have ever run a 5k before - I think it had a lot to do with having Mike running with me, the motivation was there to keep his pace, and seeing as he has run a marathon before, I was quite pleased with that. He finished 7 seconds better than me. Not too shabby at all.

I shall now post some photos from the event.

Mike and I pre-race.

The race begins (I am outlined in red, Mike in yellow. Duh.)

Mike finishes. You can see me in the background...

Me finishing.

Me struggling to breathe/walk/live.

In pain...

...just kidding! FOOLED YOU!

Us and the wives post-race.

Me and my pops post-race.

All in all, even though it was difficult, it was an extremely gratifying experience, and I shall definitely be doing it more as the summer progresses. But for now...I am taking a nap.

**Extra added bonus** - 28 week belly shot:

Look at that sucker grow!!! I can hear the little heartbeat now just by putting my ear to Angela's belly - how cool!! Not long now before this balloon gets set to burst...:)

Quick jaunt to the boardwalk today - was too windy to stick around for long!

Reason # 9836 I advised Angela NOT to prepare the nursery yet...I knew this would happen.

Doggie Update

The dog from the previous post went home last night, is currently eating like a champ and starting to get her legs back under her...so, the miracle dog lives! :)

Saving Lives

Despite what most people think, life as a normal everyday vet doesn't involve a whole lot of immediate life-saving. Mostly, our day involves vaccinations, skin problems, vomitting and diarrhea. You get the occasional sick animal that is in need of IV fluids and some medical intervention. Rarely you get a dog that ate a corn cob which gets lodged in its intestines and causes problems (see the post on August 30th, 2005 concerning Kobe the dog for further details on corn cob removal). You also get the occasional bleeding spleen with a tumor on it, intestinal tumor, things like that. Very commonly, at the end of the day, especially on the weekends, we see a lot of euthanasias.

Today was no exception - the last appointment of the day was sitting in its little slot with the dreaded white/yellow/pink slip hanging out of the top. I hate putting animals to sleep, but it's even worse when it is a pet you have never seen before - I just find it awkward to make owners feel comfortable with the fact that I, a complete stranger, will be the one ending their family member's life. It's part of the territory, but I still don't find it easy.

This was the case today - a pet which hadn't been seen at our office in about 3 years, and I obviously hadn't seen her before (seeing as I have only been a vet for 2.5 years or so). I walked into the room to find a nice family and their 14 yr old airedale terrier on the table, completely flat out. I come to find that they have brought her in to be put down because she has not been eating (although she is drinking lots), she is unable to walk on her back legs, her abdomen is distended and she has blood coming from her back end. I start to examine her - her gums are pale and dry. Her heart rate is fast. Her abdomen is distended. She is obviously in shock...I lift her tail and find pus pouring out of her vulva.

"Huh???"

I inquired about whether or not she was ever spayed - she was NOT spayed, and in fact just had a heat a week or 2 ago, and was perfectly fine until 3 days ago.

The bells start going off in my head..."PYO! PYO! PYO!" For those of you reading this that are not vets, a "Pyo" is short for pyometra - an infection of the uterus. It can be very debilitating, deadly in fact...and presents exactly like this dog.

The next dilemma - how do I tell these people my suspicion? They have already got it set in their minds that their dog is dying today. Will they be receptive to an alternative to that? Believe it or not, it can be a very touchy subject - when people bring their dogs in to be put down, they often do not want to hear that there is a chance that their condition is fixable...sounds ridiculous, but I have often had patients brought in for euthanasia that have had problems that were potentially fixable (i.e. diabetics are big ones, because some owners are too squeamish to inject them with insulin daily), but people had already got it set in their minds that it was time to call it a day.

So...I just came out with it - I said that this is a common presentation for a pyo. The way to confirm it is is via a simple x-ray - the owner quickly agreed, saying they want to give her every chance possible. EUREKA!

We snapped an xray...and suspicion confirmed - abdomen completely filled with pus-filled uterine loops. I brought the x-ray in and showed them. They were suitably impressed...then comes the discussion on whether to do surgery or not. The dog is 14 yrs old - who is to say that even if we get her through this that it won't succumb to kidney failure or cancer or some other horrible disease process in the next year? Month? Week?? Not to mention the cost of this major abdominal surgery - It ain't cheap, folks.

Despite all the negatives, there was one positive - this dog could completely turn around with the procedure, and do fantastically well...if it survives the operation, that is.

The owners decide to go for it. HALLELUJAH!

We take her back, prep her for surgery, and thank god my boss was in, because it was a BITCH of a procedure...but we got it done, and the dog survived the operation. It isn't out of the woods yet, but sometimes you just get a feeling about these things...and my gut tells me this dog is going to do just fine. I called the owners to tell them that she survived the procedure, and we will see how she does tomorrow. They were overjoyed and extremely thankful.

On my way out, after placing her on a fluid pump, piggy-backing an extra bag of fluids and making sure she was comfortable, I said goodbye to my boss on the way out.

He said, "Really good job today Brian - you saved a life."

This kinda hit home for a couple of reasons:

1) It is uncommon for us to get complimented.
2) Praise aside, and much more importantly...its not often that we save lives. Yet, saving lives is all I ever wanted to do. So when I get the chance, and it goes well, it brings a great sense of accomplishment.

Especially when I couldn't do the same for poor little Garfield.

Yes, the little G-man lives on in spirit today - he serves as my inspiration still, to not give up on a patient, even if their death may appear imminent.

Its nice to leave work late on a busy Saturday with a warm fuzzy feeling inside...and a smile on my face.

The Good Ol' Days

Looks like someone was always meant to be involved in the medical profession, eh? :)

Random Thoughts

Yesterday the weather was stunningly beautiful, so wifey and I went for a nice walk on the boardwalk and afterwards stopped at TCBY. I, of course, didn't get anything for fear of wasting my earlier treadmill session, but Angela got a kiddie-sized cup of heaven on earth - White Chocolate Mousse yogurt with Heath Bar topping. I had to sample it, obviously, to make sure it wasn't rotten or poisoned or anything...and it got me thinking - why the hell does everything that tastes SO good have to be SO bad for you?? WHY!??! What cruelty exists in this world! But then I started thinking that things like this are simply tests for us mortals. OK, by "us mortals," I obviously mean people (like me) with a weight problem. This is how I have managed to keep myself from eating this stuff - I look at each temptation as a challenge. I guess that is just my personality, I do not allow myself to think that anyone or anything is capable of bettering me. So...that tiny cup of 400 calorie delight is not allowed to have control over me - I can enjoy 2 little tastes of it and not be overwhelmed with desire to consume the entire supply of it in the Northeast. This is how I am different now than I used to be.

I love to BBQ. It is like the best thing ever. Its kinda weird too, because although I do enjoy eating BBQ'd food, that isn't why I like BBQing. I don't know why I enjoy it so much. Even in my heftier days, I would stand there and run the BBQ for hours at parties in the UK, and maybe eat a sausage or two. It never was about eating the product of my toils - maybe I just like cooking for people. I have no idea, but BBQing is awesome. Ya know what, maybe I just like FIRE. FIREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! (Yelled in my best Beavis impersonation)

I have decided on running the 5K Race for Spinal Victory on Sunday, April 30th at Jones Beach. Be there or be square...or just wish me luck. That would be cool too.

I have this song "Incredible" by The Shapeshifters stuck in my head!!! It's a good song though.

You know what kind of annoys me? Now that Jamie Foxx played Ray Charles in a movie, he thinks he can sing. Kanye West didn't help matters by having him immitate Ray Charles in his "Gold Digger" song either. But now Jamie Foxx releases an album?!? What the hell?? He is crap.

Dammit, now "Gold Digger" is stuck in my head.

And now "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira is stuck in my head. I HATE Shakira, she sounds like a constipated mexican man. And she looks like a monster too.

What kind of name is Jamie Foxx anyway?? Sounds like a porn star.

My old housemate Caroline emailed me saying I should write a book. I would consider it, but I don't know what I would write about or when I would write it. I also have a problem with editing - I used to write for my vet school's website, and I had to submit my articles to some dude and he would edit them. That pissed me off. I write shit the way I want it written, who the hell do people think they are to change my words?!? I think it is obvious that I also have a problem with authority. I don't like people telling me what to do - why should I listen to anyone else? What makes them think that I have to listen to them? OK, maybe I have to listen to my boss - he does pay the bills - but I hate having to listen to anyone. Of course, I also have zero desire to own my own place, hence the conflict. But, yeah, what should I write a book about? I don't think I am that interesting a person where anyone would want to read about ME. Maybe I can write a weight loss book for the average every day guy. Nah, that is pretty presumptuous that anyone would give a crap about my method for dropping poundage. I don't think I would write a very good novel though, because I feel that I write best from this perspective (i.e. my own), and a novel involves a lot of narrative. Unless of course I decide to revolutionize the entire genre and write a complete novel with no narration, just type and type and type, kinda like I am doing now, and hoping that something interesting will come out. Then again, what sort of fiction would I know enough to attempt a story on? UGH. I could go on like this for days. I guess I will just stick to the blog and being a vet. Who knows, maybe someday an idea for a book will strike me, and then Oprah will feature me. Maybe then I will get to meet Dave Matthews and the rest of the band. That would friggin' RULE.

DAMN James Herriot for writing all of those vet stories, I could have done that!

OK, I finally got all the songs out of my head now, so it is time for bed.

FLAVOR FLAAAAAAAAAAAV. Out.

Another Short Update

Ran a 5K again today (on the treadmill) - finished it in 28:58. 1 minute better than my last attempt. Not too shabby, eh?

Work is busy as hell and, therefore, exhausting, so haven't had much else going on to write about...but will write more about nothing soon.

PEACE OUT.

Done!

Feeling much better today, so went to the gym for the first time in a week - it was hard to breathe rapidly without coughing, so I took it easy. I weighed myself...

The scale read 197.5 lbs!!!

HOLY CRAP!

Angela said that maybe I just need to get sick periodically to jump start my weight loss. Perhaps she is right...

Next goal = 189 lbs.

Jury Doody

Let me pre-empt this story with the fact that I have been getting sicker and sicker with some messed up flu virus that is running rampant throughout the entire northeastern US (that is probably completely false, but everyone at work is sick, ok???) - it started on thursday or friday with a scratchy throat. That progressed to a runny nose. Now I am so congested that it feels as if my upper respiratory tract is constipated. I CANNOT shift this phlegmy mucoid mess, no matter what medication I try. It is infuriating.

I did not sleep 1 single minute last night. I am not exaggerating - I went to bed, laid down, and could not breathe. So I got up and sat on the computer all night, ate breakfast at 4am (my usual cereal, however because of my nasal constipation, I may as well have been eating dried twigs and shrivelled rodent testicles), and got dressed...

...for Jury Duty. Yes, I had to report for Jury Duty today, having had zero sleep in, oh, a day and a half, snot pouring down my face, nostrils reddened from blowing my nose over and over and OVER just trying to get some blessed AIR through my clogged sinuses.......! I did not shave. I did not care. I was hoping someone would take one look at me, and tell me to get the hell out of the courtroom....didn't happen. The following is what walked into the Supreme Court Building this morning (You may wish to avert your eyes...):

You are not imagining things. Yes, that is a white zit at the tip of my nose. I am an absolute frikkin' mess. This photo was not dramatized either: I didn't squint for dramatic effect, I am constantly on the verge of a sneeze and thus my eyes are just shut all the time. My lips are swollen - I don't quite know how to explain that. My facial hair is growing in nicely, I wish I could continue to grow it but the wife has shut that idea down. Notice also, if you will, the rawness of my sub-nostril skin. "Puffs Plus" my ass - might as well have used sandpaper to blow my nose.

So, yeah, I roll into the court building and take a seat. They show us some cheesy video starring Ed Bradley and Diane Sawyer meant to make us excited to spend our day sitting there "participating in the legal system." Um, right. I wouldn't mind it at all if I weren't feeling like a slightly warmed plate of pig vomit, I actually sat on a jury once and enjoyed it. But today? Come on. Give me a break. PLEASE.

I sit in a haze of exhaustion. For hours. Hearing names blared over the sound system. None of which are mine. I brought a book to read - all the letters swam across the page sleepily to form little pictures of rainbows and ponies and machine guns and..."...for those of you whose name has not been called, you are excused until 2pm for lunch. Thank you for your patience." Great, so now I have to go waste some more time in a public place trying to ingest some more food I can't taste. Super duper.

I go to The Source Mall because there is a food court and an Old Navy. I go to Subway and buy some sort of chicken sandwich - may as well have been horse meat for all I knew - I ate around half and threw the rest away. As I sat and tried to take in my surroundings, looking for any way to wake my sorry ass up, I noticed something strange. Every single table around me was full of retarded people. Some with helmets. SERIOUSLY. What the fuck?!? Was I hallucinating? I looked all around me, and I swear I felt like I was in the middle of a Corky Thatcher Convention. It wasn't Downs Syndrome that these folks had though, it was some other disorder...and they all went their separate ways, it wasn't like they were all there together either. So it couldn't have just been some big day trip, they had all come from different places. I was astonished. I then felt the urge to relieve myself.

I got up, went to the bathroom, and again, I couldn't believe what was happening. Every urinal and bathroom stall had a retarded man using it with his pants around his ankles. The stall doors were all open. OPEN. These were not kids, they were men. I had to leave. Now.

So I left. Drove back in a haze to the parking area of the courthouse. Went inside and used their facilities. No retards there. Whew. Not that I have a problem with retards, but enough already. Sat down and resumed "reading." At 2:45pm I vaguely heard my name called over the loudspeaker to go to Room 3. So I went and sat down. Some lady came in and said that they had been waiting for a judge for a criminal trial that we would have been the jury for, but the defendant had accepted a plea bargain and we were free to go. THANK GOD.

I drove home. I don't know how on earth I made it to the courthouse and back, I honestly don't. I kinda fell asleep for a little while when I got home. I ingested some sort of food (still cant taste anything). I called in sick for work tomorrow...OK, I had Angela do it for me because I am a pussy and she loves me. Luckily, the boss is cool with it. I don't blame him. Would you want infected boogers dripping into your pet's surgical site? Didn't think so.

I shall now go take some Nyquil and see if I can induce myself into a coma. Hopefully I don't revisit that bathroom in my dreams. Or nightmares. Whatever. UGH. I HATE BEING SICK.

VIVA CORKY THATCHER!

Belly Shot time again, folks. Here we are, just about 24 weeks pregnant. It's getting HUGE! :)

Razor Burn

The other day I was looking in the mirror, when I decided to assess my baldness. I used a couple of mirrors at different angles so I could see the back of my head, and GOD DAMN am I bald. I mean BALD. Think of a cue ball...or perhaps an oversized slightly lumpy white bowling ball with a scar across the middle and freckles on it, et VOILA, that's my cranium. So...I decided to embrace it. Who needs hair anyway?? How nice it is to wake up in the morning and have to do NOTHING to your head! And just think of all the money I am saving on combs and other hair products!

As most of you know, I have been buzzing my head with an electric hair clipper for years now. So, I decided to take it a step further...

...that's right! I AM SHAVING IT! I figured that tonight was a good time to do it as we have 3 days in a row off from work, so if I don't like it, some will have grown back by the time work resumed.

Let the shaving begin...

The finished product! It feels pretty weird not having sideburns for the first time since I was 16 years old, but I think it looks pretty good. Anyone else care to share their opinions? Be honest!

Bowling anyone?

How cute, they are sleeping in the exact same position!

Run Forrest! Ruuuuuun!

The weather here was pretty nice today, so I decided to take it to the streets - that's right, rather than run on the treadmill, I decided to hit the boardwalk. I figured I can easily run 3 miles on the treadmill, so the boardwalk (which, for those of you who aren't familiar with it, is 2.2 miles long, thus "running the boardwalk" = 4.4 miles) should not be that much harder, right?

Wrong.

I hadn't done any running other than on the treadmill, and it certainly was harder than I thought it would be...you don't have the treadmill to keep your pace, you need to do it yourself. You don't have the shock-absorption of the treadmill to protect your knees either - and admittedly, the boardwalk is surely better than concrete, but still...I was feeling it.

However...I did it. Ran the whole thing - it took me around 45 minutes, which wasn't super fast, but I ran the whole damn thing. Kinda cool. When I got to the end, it was a very strange feeling - my legs were kinda on auto pilot, so it was difficult to make them stop. Once I convinced them to do so, my left knee started to ache, as well as my left hip joint. Yikes...I started having visions of strained ligaments and physical therapy and pain and....and....and....and then, about 2 minutes later the pain stopped completely. Guess the ol' joints just aren't used to such abuses. Perhaps running 3 days in a row didn't help matters.

All in all, quite the accomplishment if I do say so myself. It hurt, yes, but I will continue to do it as the weather improves. Maybe if I do it on a less windy day (I forgot to mention that I was running into the wind on the initial half of the run), as well as after having rested my limbs a few days, then it will hurt less. Either way, I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams that I could run the whole boardwalk...and in 45 mins no less. Pretty damn cool.

Fossils, Fossils, Fossils. I win.

I was reading this month's Playboy (yes, I actually read it!), and came across a big series of articles on Creationism vs. Evolution (yes, Playboy actually contains many intellectually stimulating articles amongst the T & A). My favorite of these articles was from a comedian called Lewis Black - I laughed all the way through. This guy tells it like it is, and I happen to wholeheartedly agree with every word. So...I scanned it and cropped it...and here it is. Feel free to have a read, it is definitely worthwhile.

On To Happier Things...

Here I am, today, waiting for Angela to come home with her new Jetta! Here she comes...

What a beauty! I will be driving it later, but I am assured that she drives like a dream. And we got a hell of a deal on it!
Here we are, happily gesturing in front of the new car.

And, so as not to be left out, my freshly washed little girlie...she knows I love her the best. :)

R.I.P. Garfield

Geezus, it seems that most of my posts in the last month or so are titled "R.I.P. someone," which obviously means that this hasn't been a great month. The latest casualty happens to be one of the nicest cats EVER - Garfield.

Garfield was like a dog in a cat's body. Ever since we adopted him 12-13yrs ago, there was something special about this little guy. He started out skinny as a rail, seeing as he was mistreated by his previous owners. Upon being brought into the house, he proceeded to eat anything (and I do mean ANYTHING) edible. Pebbles (mom and Marty's other cat) never really liked Garfield, but they co-existed peacefully. Occasionally they would chase each other around, and these episodes usually ended in Pebbles smacking Garfield in the face and hissing at him. Garfield, very non-chalantly, would ignore her display of aggresion and turn away from her, tail held high, and strut off down the hall.

He had his share of problems - at around 6 yrs old, tipping the scales at over 21lbs, he became diabetic (when I said he would eat, believe me I meant it). We were, however, able to control his diabetes solely with diet, and over the last few years since I qualified and took over as his vet, I actually got him to lose weight - he was a healthy 11 lbs before his latest illness. He would chase his treats around with vigor once we thinned him down, he was loving life.

Unfortunately, right around the time of my grandma's passing, mom and Marty noticed him drooling excessively. I had a look at him, and I knew as soon as I touched him that it was trouble - his jaw was swollen, and he was drooling. We lifted his lip and saw it - a growth in his mouth. This is ALWAYS trouble in cats. Even in dogs it is bad, but cats it is usually very big trouble. Basically, around 3 days later the mass had tripled in size and he was having trouble eating. I knew it wouldn't be long, but we decided to try to debulk the mass to give him some comfort for a while. We removed it with a laser, and sent it off for biopsy. By the next day, it was back at full size. The biopsy came back as expected, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, and I knew then that his time was short. We attempted some last resort homeopathic remedies which did nothing but stress the poor boy out as it was poured down his throat. I went to see him yesterday, and all he did was lie there, dehydrated and sad, and I knew it was his time. We put him to sleep today at 1:26 pm, right on his favorite couch where he spent so many hours in comfort and joy.

All of this happened within 2 weeks - from diagnosis to euthanasia. Did I tell you tumors in cat's mouths were bad or what??

G-man was a supremely sweet boy, and to say he will be missed is an understatement. I feel the final gift I could give him was relief from his suffering. We will remember him always for the joy he brought to us - he is, of course, irreplaceable...but I will see what I can do to liven up mom and Marty's lives with a kitten or two soon. Of course, Pebbles might have something to say about that...

Rest in peace, G-Funk. We will always love you.