Some very good news

Some of you know my older dog Java had to have surgery several weeks ago for a lump that turned out to be mast cell cancer. We found another lump on her the other day. She had surgery yesterday and it was only a fatty cell tumor, nothing serious at all.

She's doing fine. The lump was on her right front leg. She's a little grumpy today and has the despised conehead again but ate like horse yesterday and this morning and is friskier than after the first surgery.

This is a photo from a couple of years ago. What a smile, huh?

Wishing Java a speedy recovery!

She's doing great, Chris and thanks for your good wishes. She's recovering a lot faster this time. Today she was doing zoomies all over the yard - running full tilt. Looked pretty funny with the monster Elizabethan collar on her.

Dog just love those collars don't they...NOT!!!! Do you know they make soft ones that bend, one of my little dogs had one when he had surgery for a small growth near his eye. The soft one still drove him nuts, I took it off when I was home to watch him, if he even started to look like he was going to itch or rub the collar when back on.

This one is made out of pretty thin, clear plastic. It has some flex to it. When they sent her home with it last time, I swear it was left over from the horse part of the vet's practice. LOL She couldn't walk - it was longer than her legs - or get through a door because it was wider than the doorway.

I did a little surgery on the collar to cut it down to a more reasonable size so she gets around with it pretty well now

The doctor is never going to hear the end of sending my poor dog home with an Elizabethan collar for a horse. LOL He swears it was not.

*whew!* Glad to hear a good report on Java -- she's such a sweetie! You've got me chuckling at the image of that poor pup wearing such an enormous collar... glad you were able to cut it down to a more reasonable size for her!

love her smile !

Thanks, Sally and Critter. I love her smile too.

I wish I had thought to take a picture of the monster collar. It wasn't that size for long, I can tell you. LOL I'm hoping she'll be able to get out of it pretty quickly this time.

Glad to hear that Java's recent surgery wasn't anything serious - our dog, Summer, used to have problems with those fatty cell tumors and it was scary. We were always thinking it was something worse!

The first one was something worse, Deb. That's why I totally freaked when we found the second one just a few weeks after the first surgery. I can't tell you how relieved I was to find out it was benign.

I hear you! Summer's first one was worse also - the Vet had to remove two of his toes on his back foot to remove all the cancerous tissue :( However, the next time we discovered the lumps they were nothing serious=benign :)

Poor Summer! You certainly know what I mean when I say we were extremely relieved.

Hi Hart,
I just saw this thread and am hoping Java is doing really well now. What a freak-out! I know how I would have been if it were Lady.

How is she now?

She's doing great. Of course she likes to brag to the other dogs and show off her scars. LOL Seriously, so far no other lumps (keeping fingers crossed) and she's fully recovered from the surgeries.

Scary stuff. I'm happy and relieved for your outcome.

Hi Hart, I'm glad that Ms. Java's no worse for the wear. How old is she?

Our Sophie got one of those harmless fatty lumps when she was a "senior citizen," but I think of Java as being middle-aged at most, no?

That's wonderful news.

I'll continue to keep your babies in my prayers.

Blessings,
Patti

Sweet baby girl that Java is....big ole hugs to her!!

Aaawww! I'm so happy to hear that Java is doing so much better! Thank goodness she had the surgery and removed that nasty lump that turned out to be mast cell cancer! Yes, those Elizabethian collars are a royal pain! Penny had to wear it after she had the same thing removed from her side. She was bumping into everything!

Thanks everyone. Java is sending many doggy kisses. Heck, she'd send doggy kisses to everyone for any reason anyway. LOL

Wrightie, she's about 6 years old. Apparently, from what I read, they can get both the mast cell tumors and fatty tumors at any age. Some breeds are more prone to them too.

Aha. I only dealt with them once and the vet' lead us to believe that it was an 'old age' thing. It's not really here nor there, but I appreciate you letting me know that they can show up at any age. I'm just glad that Java's wasn't/weren't serious.

E collars- ha ha, had one on my cat recently, what a riot at his expense, poor thing. You almost thought he was deliberately running into the furniture!
(before anyone starts to worry, bunch of animal lovers that we are, he is fine, just had a little, possibly infected,scrape on his chin. $68 dollars little.

I had one of those masses removed from my wonderdog, Butch, years ago. The vet said they do come back. I kept Butch's for a long time in formaldahyde (courtesy of the vet) and used it for school, but when I moved long distance, I gave it away. He did get others, but I left them. Lady at 16 has a couple of them too, but they are not worth the risk of surgery to remove.

LOLOL ... I just threw up in my mouth a little bit at the thought of that jar, 4paws!

hehheheheeehhh...
Pint size, wide mouth.

snort. that's nasty. (what - were you raised in the hillz of nys or something?)

yep, wrightie and watch out! I'm heading to your coast again next week.....
lol


This message was edited Jan 24, 2008 6:36 PM

Wrightie, the fatty tumors aren't serious at all, the mast cell tumors are very serious. They very often recur and then spread to internal organs, we're just hoping it will be never or a long time from now and not soon.

This site has the best information I found anywhere.
http://www.kateconnick.com/library/mastcelltumor.html

Laura, one of the perennial school trips when I was a kid in northern Virginia was the Army medical museum in DC. I have no idea what it's called nowadays. It was cabinets full of assorted limbs and so forth in formaldehyde. That was my lifetime supply of yucky things in jars, thank you. LOL

I can imagine. If it wasn't benign, I'd have been crazy with worry. Perhaps it was like having an amulet around. As it was, I lost Butch to kidney failure at the age of 13, so when I mentioned it, I also got a little teary-eyed, because when it was removed, I was a freaked out as you must have been at Java's first mass.

Then for a second, I felt sad I didn't still have it, since I didn't have Butch. :-)Parden me, please, if I seemed wicked.

Ugh, it's hard to watch them experience any medical scares, isn't it? One of my cats and my horse have both had minor ailments recently, but it hasn't stopped me from worrying or thinking scary thoughts about losing either of them. *sigh*

4paws, where will you be next week?

Yes, it is...

(Wrightie, I'll be in North Carolina, going up a little into VA, too.)