Angelâs most favorite game is the âyou got itâ game!
Apparently freshly aerated water is all the rage
Itâs 1,000 degrees in the âď¸âŚshe goes out and instantly laid down. She hasnât even pottied yet đ
Angel says itâs time to pull the covers off and share an update.
We met with the oncologist this week and her tumor is very low risk. Despite not having got it all out, she believes we have a 70% chance that it wonât come back.
We discussed the various options available.
1.) Do nothing with this latest tumor.
2.) Scar revision surgery - go back in and try to scoop more out
3.) Radiation (4-6 weeks of daily treatment)
Best estimate, Angel is pushing 10 years old. For a large dog, weâre not expecting more than early teens for total life expectancy. Weâll be grateful for moreâŚItâs just not likely.
3.) For a dog with stranger danger, daily radiation therapy is a last resort. Given the low risk, weâre opting out of radiation.
2.) Angel took 4 weeks to recover from this tumor removal surgery. Additionally, our veterinarian went down to the fascia during the surgery. The only thing left to âscoop outâ to go deeper is muscle and bone (rib cage). At this time, weâre also opting out of surgical revision. The revision surgery would likely take more than 4 weeks to heal and it just doesnât seem fair to keep this kid from fully enjoying life during that time.
1.) We will continue to monitor Angel for new lumps and bumps on a monthly basis. When new ones arise, weâll plan to continue surgically removing them so long as Angel is healthy for surgery. Once removed, they can be sent off for pathology/histopathology to understand the risk/severity of the tumor. Future tumors will be addressed based on risk.
Angelâs momma is a nerdy engineer thatâs risk-adverse. The âDo Nothingâ approach just sounds weird. However, putting together all of the facts, this seems like the right approach, specific to Angel. And if we change our minds tomorrow, thatâs ok too.
Thanks to everyone for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. â¤ď¸
Itâs a nice fall morning with plenty of sunshine âď¸
Since coming home furever, Angel has had 5 surgeries. Each one has been a bit of a setback to integrating her with the rest of the pack. This is a proud momma moment with papa walking Angel (right) and Grace (left) together.
Angel has a few more weeks of rehab from her latest knee surgery. Hopefully sheâll be fully recovered soon and we can continue making progress.
âMommy took off from work the last 2 weeks of the year. I will help her get ready for work this morning with a fun game of tug-o-war.â Love, Angel
Until Angelâs surgical site heals a little further, she cannot run off-leash in the back yard. However, with todayâs fabulous weather, sheâs getting to spend some time outside on the deckâŚwith one of her (many) new toys. â¤ď¸
Angel was blessed during her 9 months of being a shelter dog to have some temporary foster time. It dawned on me last weekend, that her fabulous temp foster may not have heard the rest of her story.
Angelâs former temp-foster-dad was happy to hear from me and learn that Angel had landed softly with us, furever. When he learned about her recent diagnosis, he wanted to send her a gift.
WellâŚhe didnât just send a gift. He sent a whole box of them!
Angel always inspects my purchases when I come home from the store. She was quite intrigued with the unboxing event. I think she even recognized / remembered his scent as we opened the box.
And while at times it seems as though weâre losing humanity, this kind gesture reminds me that there are some fabulous people left in this world. I am so grateful for this kindness and generosity.
Angel had a mast cell tumor removed from her front, right leg last Wednesday. It had grown larger, so the incision had to be larger as well. Itâs a tough area to suture right by the elbow.
Angel has been a champ since the surgery and acts like nothing is wrong. The bottom end of her incision started looking a little poofy, so it was time to get it checked at the vetâs office.
My fearful girl was getting pretty worked up while we waited, so we played the touch game. After stimulating her mind some, she calmed down a little.
The good news is that it was just fluid (no infection) in the poofy-spot. Angel was so good, she let them drain fluid out of there and tonight weâll start some antibiotics for good measure.
We will be working more actively with her and the touch game so that sheâs ready to âhave funâ at the inevitable volume of vet appointments that we foresee in the future.
When itâs supposed to be #sundayfunday and itâs a bazillion degrees out, mommy turns on the sprinkler.
Dying cockroach?
#sundayfunday
