Kingbob

My effort...

Fortunately being a cross, he's quite large, about 37kg, courtesy of his other half. Lab i think. He seems ok so far. Not even hyper, just happily napping.

Just spoke to the vet. She wasnt overly concerned. Fortunately none of the donuts were chocolate iced! She said he may get a bit hyper soon, and to watch for any vomiting and a bit of diarrhea in the next day or 2. Besides that just feed him boiled chicken and rice for a couple of days to get his digestion back in order.

My dog just managed to help himself to a 6pack of iced donuts a few mins ago. I was in the shower and they apparently smelt too good for him to resist! He's a beagle cross, but about labrador sized. He scoffed the lot. All icing and sprinkles covered, 2 with jam in them. He's basically just eaten more sugar than even i'd personally eat in a sitting! Should I be worried???

My dog Fred had a lump inside his leg. The fine needle aspirate and analysis cost about $100. The results came back as a mast cell tumor, so i decided to get it removed. They had to do a graft from his belly to patch the hole, took about 2 hours apparently. If i recall correctly, the surgery itself cost about $500-600, about $150-200 for anesthesia, about $200 for the histopathology on the removed lump, and some extra for painkillers, etc. So all up about $1400 for a day in the vets, plus the $100 for the aspirate. I dont know if thats high or low, but at least gives you a basis for comparison. The pathology came back and said there were mast cancer cells in the lump, but very scattered, ie: not even a grade 1 tumor. It would have been but i'd caught it very soon. Odds are you're in a similar situation, there are mast cells in it, but not a lot yet hence it only showing up on 1 slide. Sooner you get it removed the better the odds though.

Well he had the rest of his stitches out today, but looks like a couple have gotten infected. He's on antibiotics now and goes back in a week for a checkup. Just never ends!

Gary at Port Kennedy vets.

Had to go see the vet this afternoon I was cleaning Freds wound this afternoon as i was meant to, just saline and cotton buds. Anyway theres a particular tight spot just where the leg meets the belly/side, and had been bleeding on and off, which the vet said it would so i wasnt too worried. But as i was cleaning it i noticed a couple of the stitches seem to have cut the skin a bit, was very tender and Fred didnt like it. Luckily the vet is open till 7pm even on a sunday, so i took him in just to get checked. He agreed that a couple had cut into him, so he removed a whole bunch of stitches to ease the tension. Fred the drama queen whining the whole time of course. He almost had to have a bucket on his head, but while there he tried to lick the spot and cant quite reach it so the vet said he could go without. But he has to stay indoors for the rest of the week so the slow to heal bit doesnt get dirt in it or anything. On thursday he goes back for the rest of the stitches out, and the vet wants to keep an eye on a particular bit of flesh that he said isnt as "pink and lively" as he'd like it to be. So fuzzbutt is out of the woods cancer-wise, but still has a few little issues, but thankfully minor on the scale of things! (Fuzzbutt is his nickname btw)

Thanks everyone. Talk about a HUGE relief! He's pretty much his normal self now, walking fine, jumping for joy when i pick up his lead etc. I think he's just a bit frustrated though, since he still has his stitches for another week, I'm not letting him jump up on the couch, bed, or into the car etc, and I don't let him off the lead when we go for walks so he cant go for a run. All of which could tear a stitch, there's a particular spot that's quite tight that the vet said to keep an eye on. Plus i've had to leave him indoors while at work during the week so he doesnt go and lay in one of his holes in the yard and potentially get his wound infected. He's still a bit careful about laying down and getting up, and he's not yet stretching his back legs when he wakes up from a nap, but all to be expected. He's basically fine in himself, and has no idea how happy I am that hes in the clear! Looks like he just might get that long pampered life he deserves Again thankyou for all the advice and good wishes, and big licks from Fred!

WAHOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just spoke to the vet and it's great news! Apparently although the original biopsy did show MAST cells, when they did the histopathology on the removed flesh, they found that the MAST cells present were very granular, and that most of the lump was swelling from displasia (i think he said). So not only did he get completely clear margins, there were so few MAST cells, and so granular it didn't even count as a grade 1 tumour!!!!! WAHOO!!!!! He said in time it probably would have become a tumor but i've caught it so early that it hasnt had time to aggregate. Basically BEST possible scenario short of being a cyst!! Talk about a weight off my shoulders! Thanks to everyone for the best wishes, they worked! T-bone steak for dinner for Fred tomorrow i think

When they told me the story they said they hoped it didnt put me off him! I had to reply that a dog who escapes for pizza and cake is my kinda dog! And i have LOTS of pics of Fred. Photography is one of my favourite hobbies, and Fred is one of my favourite people, so pics galore!

RMC: Fred is actually a rescue dog. Found him on the petrescue website. When i saw him i knew he was my dog, but in the day between seeing him and emailing them, he'd been adopted. But a week later they gave him back. Seems he'd been adopted by an elderly couple who'd previously had a 15yo silky terrier lapdog. They lived near a shopping centre, and Fred escaped their backyard twice, and was found both times over the road at the local pizza shop! The last straw was when they went to church leaving him in their laundry. There was a sliding door to the rest of the house, and a fresh baked cake cooling on the kitchen counter... you can guess the rest. They got home, he had a full belly and it was back to the refuge the next day! He was actually found originally wandering the streets, no collar, no chip, quite skinny. The ranger picked him up and had him for 2 weeks, then he went to SAFE. They got him neutered, chipped etc, and was with them for a few weeks before that adoption. Then SAFE for a week, then to me. So he'd had a rough time of it before he got to me, had a bit of seperation anxiety to begin with, but got over it. And now this. Poor little fella deserves a break. I spoil him rotten and he truly is my furkid, just hoping he gets to live the long happy life he deserves.

Thursday night and yesterday was hard. He'd be crying and there'd be nothing i could do. But last night he only cried for a little while, and slept mostly through. And this morning he's starting to actually put weight on his leg, so yeah he's bouncing back. I think at the moment his complaining is mostly frustration. He's always been a vocal dog, whinging to remind me its walkies or dinner time etc, very talkative in his way. But today whatever whining he does seems to just be at not being able to do what he wants to do because of his leg. But he's getting there. Thanks for the compliments on the "Day In The Life". Initially it was meant to be me, but Freds more interesting Be interesting to ee others do them I think!

Thanks for the good wishes everyone. Last night was a bit of an ordeal. He sat down once we got home, but couldnt lay down without putting pressure on the wound, so i had to help him lay down. Didnt even want any treats. Then he was reluctant to move from the loungeroom floor, so i ended up grabbing my sleeping bag and and bedding down next to him. I dont know if he was in pain, or just upset or what, but he was crying a lot, like every exhale was vocalised. The vet did say he might have trouble during the night as the painkillers from the say wore off, and said it was ok to give him a pill. He quietened down after that for a good few hours. About 5:40am he started up again, since he was meant to have his next pills at breakfast, i held off for a while. Broke my heart to hear him in pain though But he got up to go outside for a potty break so thats good. then he slept quietly for an hour or so. Gave him his next painkillers at breakfast and we both slept till about midday. Now i know what all these parents go on about when they talk about sleepless nights! But he's my baby and he's worth it. I booked the day off work for just this reason. Hes asleep now, and quit, so just have to wait it out until he starts to feel better. I should get the pathology report on monday, so fingers cossed for a Grade 1 tumor with clear margins!

BIG surgery...

Well, he's home. And what a very sad and sore boy he is He' on 3 kinds of pain killers and a sedative. Rather grumpy though, getting him out of the car was an ordeal, he almost bit my head off, literally! Because they had to take the surrounding tissue from around the tumor, the skin wasnt close enough to stitch closed, so they had to take a graft from his belly, so he has a line of stitches a good 20-30cm long! Fingers crossed the pathology on the tumor comes back ok, breaks my heart to see him in this much pain when this morning he was jumping for joy at the mention of walkies. He's asleep now, took a while to get him to lay down, he didnt want to move from sitting. He's sort of pant/whining, obviously in pain, but i think the painkiller the vet said to give him is kicking in now. My poor boy

Well, its Freds big day. Dropped him off at the vets a little while ago. He didnt even notice me leave! The Beagle in him was too busy sniffing at all the smells as the nurse took him out the back, but i'm sure he'll have fretted once he noticed I wasnt there. I have the day off and the house is so empty without him This is the first time i've been home and he's not been here. So odd to go and do something and not hear him tap tap tapping away as he follows me (floorboards). Fingers crossed it all goes well.

He already gave him a dose of anti-histamines when he took the biopsy.

Thanks for the offers. I'll keep you all updated on his progress. I'm sure like everyone else here, i'll do anything I can to keep my furry little buddy alive and well. When I told the vet about seeing it swell/shrink and then re-appear, he asked if it had changed size, which it hadnt. He said thats a good sign that at least it isnt growing. So it's fingers crossed he'll be around for me to take lots more "day in the life" type photos

I'm in Perth, so pending the results of Freds operation, i'll have to have a look around and see whats available to help him. Of course i'm hoping its a grade 1 tumor and that he can look forward to a long and happy life anyway Most of which he'll probably spend nappng!

Photography is one of my hobbies so i have a whole lotta of photos of him. Last year some friends and I all did a "Day In The Life" thing where we each basically just documented our day in photos. Since my life is fairly boring, I did a day in the life of Fred, from Freds point of view. I think its still online, i'll dig it up. Edit: Found it. This is from August last year. A Day in the life of Fred (lots of pics warning)

I generally feed Fred a raw meat/bone diet. I go shopping saturday afternoon and buy whatever the butchers/supermarkets have on special. He'll have beef, lamb, or pork mince, lamb or mutton chops, chicken necks, wings or drumsticks, and the odd chicken carcass (had a turkey drumstick for christmas dinner), gravy beef, blade steak (with or without bone), even a roast if its going cheap! His favourite would be lamb off cuts, a good 400-450gm chunk of lamb with a bone, keeps him busy for a while. He gets a can of dog food a week for the vitamins etc, and does get RAW patties, again once or twice a week. I do add mixed veggies, cauliflower, snowpeas, carrot, broccoli, capsicum, even a bit of pineapple. (i buy a frozen stir fry veggie pack). He'll get some rice mixed in whenever i have some, about once a week. And he gets a raw egg once or twice a week. He'll generally leave 75% of the veg behind, except when they're coated in egg! With the exception of chicken necks and carcasses, i could happily cook up what i feed him and eat it myself. In fact there are nights he eats better than i do! Buying it on special like that is generally cheaper than dog food, and he loves it far more! Tonight he had a 300gm blade steak with bone in that i got for $1.57. Can you tell he's spoilt rotten? I'm sure the vet will recommend a few things, but are there any additives i should consider?

Spoke to the Vet a little while ago, and confirmed, it is a Mast cell tumour. Wont know the grade until they get it out. Thanks for the good vibes, we really appreciate it.

That second photo is my all time favourite photo of him. Not only because he's gorgeous in it, but because it's the very first photo i took of him, on the first day i got him.

It sounds like a Mast cell tumor, because the vet did mention the anti-histamines. It was the fact it's gone up and down which was the big suspect, initially such a small thing, shrinking i assumed it was an insect bite. But as soon as I saw it had returned off we went to the vet. I'm sure Fred has absolutely no idea whats going on, but it's got me reduced to tears! Fingers crossed for the surgery, i'm taking the day off work as theres no way in hell i'd get anything done anyway thinking about him in surgery.