Photos & Macy Updates

So, yesterday was supposed to be the BIG DAY.  We had the appointment, after work, to remove the bandage and also the sutures from Macy’s foot.  K left work a little early and picked Macy up.  I met them both at the vet’s for the joyful occasion.  I was planning a party in my head for when we got home…something along the line of doggie bones hidden thru the house.

Macy’s nurse came and got her, bringing her in back.  And, about 15 minutes later, the vet came out to tell us that Macy’s foot had not yet healed as much as she would want.  The pad of her foot is continuing to separate from the toe area along the line where the incision is.  Apparently this, again, was caused by her putting too much pressure on her foot.  She explained that each time a dog puts pressure on her foot, the pad expands…thats it’s job.  So, when this happens on Macy, it pulls against her stitches.  The vet decided that she needed to re-bandage and put a splint on to prevent Macy from putting the pressure on the pad of her foot.

 10 minutes later, out comes Macy with her new splinted bandage.  Very cute – they did an orange bandage with a black pumpkin:

Here she is sportin’ the new diggs:

We have been feeling bad about the e-collar (cone) because she is desperate to lick the cooch.  Every day she struggles to get to it.  Last night, she even took to licking the plastic which was overlaying the cooch area…it was so sad to see.  So, today, we decided to take off the e-collar for the day while we spent the day with her.  With no exaggeration what-so-ever, this is how she spent the entire day today:

Sorry for the gross shot, but neither K nor I could get over how long one dog could lick for!

A Whole Week?

Goodness, has it been a whole week since I last posted? It seems much more recent… I will give you some high points of the week since I know you are dying to hear it all!

Friday: I took Macy to the vet’s for a bandage change. They removed the bandage and brought me back to the back where they had her laid out, relaxed on the floor. It wasn’t the most beautiful wound that I have ever seen. But at least it wasn’t a big gaping hole! The vet took a look at it and appeared less than pleased with her healing progress. It was a bit pink and was somewhat swollen. Duh! They removed two toes!!! Anway, he suggested that she was using the foot too much … more dopey drugs for Macy!

Saturday/Sunday: We accomplished a lot of little things this weekend. Somehow, we have this problem with completing our “to do” list on a weekly basis. It is because of me, I am sure. This was a good one though – we got to Trader Joe’s, Costco, did the laundry, etc.

The low point of the weekend was when Macy ripped off her bandage on Sunday (late afternoon). I went outside to call her to come in when K and I left for the store…to find her licking her foot and wagging her tail, with shreds of bandage strewn all around her in a semi circle! I couldn’t see bringing her to the emergency clinic for a re bandage when we had one scheduled in the morning, so we made do with what we had – pantyliners, cotton balls, and tape. No joke. Bring on the puppy-cone. We now have a cone-head walking around the house torturing us with constant knocking into our ankles, shins, and knees.

Monday: I brought Macy to the vet’s with her pantyliner bandage. Luckily I didn’t get laughed out of the place. The nurse was very sweet and explained that she had seen worse. The good news is, we got the big thumbs up from the vet! The bandage is to come off & stitches are to come out on FRIDAY! Personally, I feel like that is too soon, but he reminded me that skin heals quickly and I would be surprised on Friday when I saw it. So, I made the appointment for Friday & K can go! Yay!

Wednesday: Acupuncture again. This is fast becoming my favorite day of the week. This was cd13 for me and I forgot to ask B if there was anything different I/we should be doing during my “peak” time. I need to email him about my appt next week because he can’t work late on Wednesday…its Halloween! And he needs to be home to be with his kids trick-or-treating. How cute is he? Although, it does cut into my acu time…but I can share!

Okay, time to sign off and go to work. I seem to have many grumbles at the moment so you may hear from me shortly again. Cheers…

Working From Home

Today, I worked from home.  I couldn’t leave Macy for the day.  Luckily I was able to finagle a second day working from home.  After seeing these doped-up eyes, there was no way I was leaving.

Working from home rocks.  I get so much done with no one bothering me.  I wish I could do it every day!  Um, I do have to admit that I was slightly distracted by my whining dog.  But that doesn’t compare (at all) to the constant flow of craziness in and out of my office on a daily basis.

Oh, also, today was the first day of my Herbs.  CD5.  Took the first dose this morning and will take the second dose tonight.  So far, I don’t feel anything different.  

Speaking fertility stuff, I made a calendar for the kitchen so that K and I are both on the same page…knowing when the important days are.  We both think it will be helpful so that we are both ”in the know” about what will be expected.

Okay, I am done with this tonight.  Tired of the computer.  Here’s one more photo of Macy for a laugh…this was from last night when she was still doped up on the anesthesia as well as a cocktail of other drugs.  Check out the tongue action – she couldn’t keep it in her mouth no matter how hard she tried!

Stage Zero & Out of Surgery

YAY!!!

We received the call from the veterinarian.  Macy came through the surgery just fine and she is waking up right now.  They did x-rays & an ultrasound to see what the stage of the cancer is, and everything came back clear!  All Clear!  This means Stage 0. 

He explained that it didn’t necessarily mean that there would never be any other cancerous lumps.  But it did mean that there wasn’t anything else right now.  Phew.  At least that’s a start, right?

After the staging, he went in to remove the tumor on the foot.  In order to be as agressive as possible so that we would hopefully not be here again, he had to amputate two toes.  They are her outside toes (the ring finger toe and the pinkey finger toe on her hind leg). 

Just waiting for the call to find out if we can bring her home tonight…

Officially Surgery

Okay – quick update.  I spoke with Dr. S today and he explained (in his defense) that the results get faxed to both the regular vet and his office at the same time.  Apparently, he was in surgery all afternoon yesterday and wasn’t available to call until today.  Dr. M jumped the gun. 

Results:  The tumor is officially a Grade 2.  (Moderately malignant behavior)

What does this mean?  We have scheduled Macy for surgery to remove the tumor.  It is likely that they will also have to remove one or two toes surrounding the tumor.  We scheduled the surgery for Monday the 15th.  We will bring her in at 7:30am and they will do blood work, x-rays, and an ultrasound to be sure that there are no other tumors to remove.  Then, they will do the surgery to remove the tumor…and other tumors if found. 

Apparently, Mast cell tumors that haven’t changed for 2 months, often have a good prognosis.  This is good for us.  Also, the recurrence rate for “grade 2″ is only about 20% with agressive surgery.  Again, good.

 Tonight begins the pre-surgical prescription cocktail.  Benadryl & Prednisone…morning and night until Monday. 

Pets, Work & Birthday Wishes

I just got home from work and there was a message on the answering machine:

Hi there, its Dr. M from Almaden Vet’s and I am calling for Macy.  I received the results from the biopsy that Dr. S did and I wanted to give a call.  I think that you will need to be intouch with the Oncologist at the office where you had the surgery done.  But, give me a call back and we can discuss.  Oh, and I will be out of the office for the next couple of days so if you would like to speak to me, please call here today or Thursday.  Or, feel free to contact Dr. S’s office.

This message was from our vet.  Not from our surgeon at VSA.  How is this possible.  She wasn’t involved at all in the diagnosis.  Why would she get the call before me?  When, the staff had both my cell phone and work phone number?  Grrr.   It frustrates me unbelievably that we now have to wait until tomorrow morning to find out more information. 

Okay, that vent is done…

My next frustration of the day is work.  Why is it that I can’t find anyone to hire on my team that is able to think ahead of the current ‘to do’ task?  If I ask you to prepare this presentation, is it too much to ask that when you are done doing the work, that you would double check your work and also make sure that all the extras are included?  By extras, I don’t mean things that we have never done, I mean, the little extra bits that make it look great rather than thrown together.  I need to figure out how to explain my expectations.   Grrrr.

Okay, now that one is done…thats enough for one day. 

On a happy note, today is my Uncle G’s birthday.  I called to wish him a happy birthday this morning on my way to my appointment in San Francisco.  We chatted most of the way.  He is just the cutest uncle.  In a constant struggle with his computer.  And always somehow gets his ass kicked by the technological world…maybe in the way of an online reservation going arwy…or a cell phone mishap…or some other item of frustration.  He is great chatter though.  I can always call him when I am looking for a good chat.  He and I could speak about nothing for hours.  And he loves my little girl.  He hates our cats…but loves my Macy.  Anyone who feels like I do about her has a special place in my heart.  Happy Birthday Uncle G.

A Second Biopsy Done

Yesterday afternoon, we brought Macy to the Veterinary Surgeon’s office and he examined her.  Dr. Staatz suggested that the best course was to take another biopsy:  an incisional biopsy.  Apparently, a needle aspiration biopsy (like Macy had done last weekend) is able to show that there are mast cells in the area, but the cytology report provided isn’t able to show the severity or layout of the cells.  Dr. Staatz explained that if this tumor were somewhere in a more “fleshy” area of the body, he would suggest to remove the tumor completely plus remove an inch (or greater) margin around the tumor.  There would be no incisional biopsy needed and he could just send the entire thing to the lab once it was removed.

 In Macy’s case, with the tumor between her toes, there is no extra “margin” to remove around the tumor.  Therefore, if this were to be a higher grade tumor, we might have to make a decision about removing more around the tumor, i.e. a toe or maybe more.  Now, if it is a grade 1 tumor, then they can just excise the tumor as they see it and not worry about anything further.

So, we decided to go with Dr. Staatz’s suggestion.  I dropped Macy off this morning for an incisional biopsy.  Not so surprisingly, she was pissed with me.  She thought that we were going for a fun ride in the car and then we showed up at the vet’s.  Anyhow, she went in and I left.  When I returned to pick her up in the afternoon, she was dopey but happy to see me.  We are supposed to know more on Tuesday.  Apparently, pathologists take the weekend off. 

She came home with three stitches in the foot to close up the incision from the biopsy.  In order to keep it closed up and tight, they thought it best to wrap it up tight.  So, in addition to three stitches, Macy has a big honkin’ bandage on her foot keeping her little toes together.  (There are a few photos on flickr that show it.)  It should be entertaining to see how long that all stays together.

Here she is, sleeping soundly once she was safe on the couch:

The Interdigital Mast Cell Tumor

The vet called us this afternoon.  The short story is that according to the cytology report from the lab, Macy has a Mast Cell Tumor.  We need to have it removed as soon as possible. 

Canine mast cell tumors account for up to 20% of all skin tumors in dogs. While they often appear small and somewhat insignificant, they can be a very serious form of cancer in the dog. Some mast cell tumors are easily removed without the development of any further problems and others can lead to a life threatening disease. Proper identification and treatment are very important in controlling these tumors. [peteducation.com]

I did a little research and found the vetsurgicalcentral.com site for Mast Cell Tumors.  It was very informative since I didn’t even know what mast cells were to begin with.  Apparently, they are normally found in the tissues of the body but they are just out of control.

So, after a quick consultation with K, we decided to call VSA.  They were the ones that did Macy’s TPLO surgery last year and we had an amazing experience with them.  We have an appointment scheduled for Thursday afternoon at 4:30 in their Campbell office with Dr. S.

Our Furry Lovey

We took Macy to the vet today.  You would think that since I am a veterinarian’s daughter, it would be less of an ordeal for me.  But, since dad lives across the country, we have to bring her to another vet.  Someone that we don’t know.  And, in seven years of living in this state (five years of having her in our lives), we still haven’t found a veterinarian that we love. 

How is this possible?  Maybe I set the bar a little high?  Amazingly, no vet and no set of office staff seem to be able to live up to our expectations.  In all honesty, I don’t think that I am looking for too much.  We want our vet to be caring and patient and we also want him/her to take a few minutes with us when we bring a pet…we don’t want to feel like we are being rushed in and then out the door again.  And, is it too much to think that the staff should be nice, knowledgeable, and communicative?  Or, possibly even remotely accurate in the information they provide?

The place we visited today was new to us.  Recommended by a co-worker who said wonderful things about the vet.  She described him so that he sounded similar in thoughts and attitude to my dad.  So, at 11:15am, we circled the troops.  Macy came rushing in from outside as she heard the jingle of her leash.  When K mentioned that we were going for a ride in the car, she literally shook with excitement.

Together, we drove along the side-streets until we got to the freeway.  Once the jeep rounded the ramp and got up to speed Macy leaned to the side and put her paw up onto the window sill, leaning against the sill onto her elbow.  So chilled out.  As we pulled into the parking lot, her ears went back.  How did she sense it when we had never been there before?

So, we entered the office and Macy sighed and panted.  I spoke with the receptionist and explained that we needed the vet to look at Macy’s toe.  It took a couple of attempts for me communicate this so that she understood.  Somehow, the words “she has a lump between her toes on her right rear foot” were a little to hard to understand.  Anyway, into the exam room we went.  And then we waited.  Finally, the vet came in.  He was a very nice guy and was definitely very similar in demeanor to my dad. 

This was the good part.  We talked briefly about Macy’s health history and that she had her TPLO surgery on her right rear leg last February.  He was very attentive and interested in her history.  I explained that my dad is a vet and that we had consulted him about this lump…and went on to chronicle everything that we had tried:  hot compresses, warm water soak, and even a round of antibiotics.  With all of this knowledge, he suggested that the best way to proceed was to perform a needle aspiration biopsy.  This would give us the most accurate information about the lump so that we would know what the next step should be.

K and I exchanged a glance.  Neither of us wanted to put her through that but we both knew that we needed to do it.  For her, right?  Really, for us.  She is our life.

So, in comes the dumb-ass vet tech with the muzzle, the shaver, the syringes, and the microscope slides.  She walks to the head of the exam table (on Macy’s right side) and yanks the muzzle onto Macy’s face.  Macy’s head literally flipped back with the force.  Then, as Macy stands on all four feet on the exam table, this girl reaches across the table under Macy’s belly and grabs her left rear paw and yanks it towards her (to the right) and Macy, in turn, falls with a thud to the table.  Quite literally, she pulled Macy’s feet out from under her.  I nearly lunged across the room at this chick.  The vet stopped her and told her to take care because Macy had gotten the TPLO surgery last year.  I don’t think that she even knew what it was.  While the vet carefully aspirated the lump, he had to tell this chick (TWO more times) to be gentle with Macy’s leg.

Finally, we were finished.  K took Macy outside to relax and I stayed inside to pay up.  It took a while for the gal to figure out what needed to be charged…and what instructions to give me.  Finally, she figured it out:  The results should be back by Wednesday and someone will call you then.  I know, that was kind of tough to figure out.  To her benefit, she did remember to ask me for my phone number.

Did I complain too much?  Am I expecting too much?  This dog is like my child.  No exaggeration.  Are pediatrician’s techs as idiotic?