Three Strikes and You're Out

Did you ever run away from home when you were a kid? I did. I was about four and got mad about something. I packed a suitcase with a book, my doll and a peanut butter sandwich and left. We lived in the country and I wasn't allowed to cross the street, so I put my suitcase down at the end of the driveway and sat on it for what must have been hours. OK, it was actually about five minutes, but it sure seemed like hours. I guess in that time my anger dissipated and I went back inside and unpacked. Well, today I again had the urge to run away. It's been a rough week in Portieville.

Strike 1....
Thursday morning I let the dogs into the back yard as I prepared their breakfast. Then they all came in to eat but I got that sense that something was wrong. I took a good look at Sebastian and saw that the white part of his left eye was swollen on the inside corner. It was also turning a lovely shade of pink. I took him upstairs to show Rob and by then it was even more swollen and looked truly awful. He was also trying to rub his eye with his paw which couldn't be good. I'm squeamish about eyes, so Rob took him to the clinic. Dr B  wasn't in that day but Dr M stained his eye to check for scratches. There were none but it appeared that the tear duck was blocked.

We're using a steroidal eye drop three times a day and today his eye looks pretty normal.

Strike 2.....
Friday was a big day for Fudge. Early in the morning we dropped him off for surgery. He was being neutered and this stud tail was being addressed. I also pointed out three growths to Nurse Sara and said to show them to Dr B. I left it up to him whether to remove them or not. I came home and paced. When I pace, my pack paces with me so it was an unsettling morning. I got a call in the late morning that Fudge had come thru surgery very well, his blood pressure and oxygen levels had remained good and he was starting to wake up.

At 4 when we picked him up the doctor gave me the good and bad news. First, he had removed the three growths, one on his back, one on his chest and one on the side of his face. They were all OK. He had performed the neuter and it went well, but there was a tumor in one testicle. It may be what was causing his recent personality changes. It was completely removed and should cause no further problems.

 The tail is a different matter. The correct term for this condition is supracaudal gland hyperplasia. It's an infection in the scent glands at the base of the tail. In un-neutered dogs (and cats) the gland can be overstimulated by hormones and as in Fudge's case adenomas can form. If left unattended these can become malignant. Fudge had an adenoma and Dr B wanted to remove it. The problem is that the tail is a tight area, not a lot of extra skin to work with. He removed the adenoma and as much of the bad skin as possible leaving enough to close the incision, but he's not sure he got it all. He and Dr M both looked at it and just can't be sure. We're hoping it's gone and his tail will heal and because the hormones supporting the tumor aren't an issue any longer, that his tail will be fine from now on. BUT, there's always a but, if the adenoma starts returning, probably withing the next three months, Fudge will become a bob-tailed Portie. The only way to protect him will be to dock his tail. This doesn't please anyone, but you do what you have to do.

Strike 3....
Sydney, my crazy dog, is totally obsessed with squirrels. When she sees a squirrel, she doesn't see or hear anything but that squirrel. This morning after the other dogs were fed, I went outside to call Syd in for breakfast. She was staring at the tree and yes, there was a squirrel on the branch. I called her but she didn't even glance at me. The squirrel began to run thru the trees and onto the back fence with Syd in hot pursuit. I heard the thud when she hit the fence and I heard the scream of pain.

Rob rushed Syd to the clinic while I stayed home with the other invalids. When they returned after almost three hours, I heard the news. She has a partial dislocation of the right shoulder and she hit so hard that she ruptured a blood vessel. She's now on pain meds and is getting complete crate rest. She only goes out on leash to potty, then back to bed.

Does anyone want to adopt me?