Unfair

It took me a while to find a vet office that I liked and trusted enough with my animals. And honestly I thought that I had found the right place for me and Athena. But after events over the last week I am not so sure anymore.

Last week I was told the sample they took last Monday was not clear enough to read. So I had to bring Athena back in for another needle biopsy. Okay no problem. So we went in on Saturday and she got poked again for slides to go to the lab for her swollen glands. Doc said they'd be back Monday or the latest Tuesday. Tuesday rolls around and I hear nothing. So I call at 2pm  and was told they are in, but the doc has to look at them and will call me back. 5pm rolls around and hear nothing. I wasn't really mad at that point just wanted the results and figured someone would call me first thing today.

So I'm driving home Tuesday from getting dinner and I get a call and it's from the vet office at 5:50 the night before a holiday...It's one of the office techs...calling to tell me Athena has round cell lymphoma and the vet won't be back in until Thursday....I took the news in stride until I hung up the phone then cried all the way home. Then i got pissed. Why the hell was anyone other than the vet calling me to give me this news? esp on the night before they were closed for a day. Seriously? WTF?

The vet basically told me to go see an oncologist for her...I'm not really sure I want to go down the chemo route or just let her live her life as she is now. Is it really worth putting her through 25weeks of chemo only to get 6mo-to a year more? Or maybe just leave her as she is now and get longer. I don't know. The vet didn't give me a stage or how long she could have she only recommended me to a Oncologist. And if I wanted to find out if she has B or T cell then I would have to have additional testing.

This is so unfair. She is a young dog and so healthy and full of life. Blah F you cancer.

Waiting sucks!

I have a hard time waiting or doing things that take a long time to finish. It's one of the reasons I crochet and not knit. It's instant gratification. I can finish a scarf in 2 hours crocheting and knitting...lets just say it probably would never get done.

So waiting to see if the fluid the vet took out of Athena's swollen glands is Lymphoma is becoming one of the worst few days EVER.

I'm hoping with all the fibers in my body that it's just an infection from her bump removal. She's too young to get the big C. She is acting too normal to have the big C.

The vet said Wednesday...It's Wednesday damnit! I want her results!!! If I don't hear back today I swear it will be tequila Wednesday instead of a whole bottle of moscoto Monday.

Ball Hog

Athena seems to think anytime there is a ball around giving it up is one big game. It's about a 10% chance she will give up the ball with out some....well some force..mostly grabbing the ball and trying to shove her head into the pool. Once you get close enough to the water she drops the ball :) Although she will drop the ball consistently when my hands are full with the poop scooper lol. Most of the time when you reach for it she turns her head away or wants you to chase her. But her favorite activity? she will shove her face in front of yours for kisses...all the while taunting you will the ball. The little wench!Love my beast even if she doesn't share very well :)

Best words Eva!

Follicular Cyst!!!!!

Vet called and she said it was a Follicular Cyst! she was confused because it acted like a mast cell at the time...But she said she got all of it and she should heal up and be A ok :) YAY!

Love my beastie :)

Ugh I should have known.....

Yesterday at lunch i noticed a stitch was missing from Athenas wound...I didn't think anything of it she had a zoomie episode day before and thought it was from that. The skin was already mending so i just left it be....

I came home yesterday to her leg without stitches and hanging open...ugh Seriously???!!!! I called the vet at 4:57pm and they told me to come on in and they'd fix it up.

So she got staples this time. I love my dog, I love my dog, I love my dog...right? It's my fault really i should have gotten a cone but she went 4 days with no problems. I even left her over the weekend to do errands and she didn't touch her booobooo.

So now her leg looks like this:

And she is giving me a look like this when the cone is on...

I told my boss I brought her in so I could watch her and he was totally ok with that. I told him I didn't have her cone on because  she isn't licking at the site. He said I should keep it on her because I can't watch her 24/7. Which I understand and when I can't watch her I'll put the cone on, but she can't go in her crate with this huge plastic cone and she just stands there and whines. So I took it off and she is peacefully sleeping in her crate. Maybe at lunch when I go to get more calming pills I'll look for a soft cone so she feels less like the red headed step child!

I would like to say that I LOVE my vet and staff :)

Across the Country we went!

Last month instead of going on a girls trip for my quarterly vacation I helped my aunt move from Florida to Washington. She had been looking to find a job out west for ages and finally she was offered one in a small town on the coast. Getting there was an adventure with one ford freestyle SUV , two humans and two Newfoundland dogs! 


I've had many people ask me "How did you fit them in the car?" Well....like this

One dog on the 3 row seats and one on the floor on a bed. And while it wasn't overly roomy the dogs were perfectly happy. Let me tell you these two are on the go dogs. Even after driving across country in 5 days they STILL wanted to get in the car and GO.

Meet Hoffa...He is such a sweet boy.

And Dozer....his name sure does fit his personality :)

Dozer is the bigger of the two and he is 2 years old and is a wild child! lol He learned that auntie rissa is not all wine and roses and she can and does use the "Mom" voice :).




I had a blast with my aunt and these two and cant wait to bring the beast up to WA once she is healed for some more fun times :) . I have lots of stories from the trip!

Oh Athena...

I think you must have some sort of psychic bond with my savings account...Just when i start to get it built back up you decide to spend it again. Last year it was having a primary molar removed and this year? A mast cell tumor.

I thought it was just another blocked oil gland. It looked and felt just like the one she had last summer. So i just watched it and waited really. Then it got red around the edges. So this morning we made our way to her favortiest place on earth. All was going good. She greeted everyone in the office and even tried to make friends with the house cats. Then after a few pokes and trying to squeeze out what was inside the vet sat back and said "this looks like a mast cell tumor not a cyst." So off we went to the back to have it removed.

Normally i wouldn't go into the back with the vet and tech but after all that poking thinking it was a cyst Athena wanted NOTHING to do with them lol. She planted her feet and refused to move. I guess she was channeling her inner stubborn horse ha. So i went back with her. She was not happy about getting a shot, but soon went under into la la land. The vet said i was more then welcome to stay as long as i didn't pass out. I told her i had seen much worse over the years so i was good to go.

30min and a bunch of stitches later she was stitched up and ready to have her shot back to reality. And my pocket was $400.00 lighter.

Afterward the vet told me that she was confident she got all of the tumor area. And since it was a very small tumor (about 2mm) i shouldn't worry really, but if i want to send it to the lab i could. So i did. Who wouldn't right?  I should get the results back on Sat. Since the bump was close to the edge of her leg and they took a big chunk out it was like she had a mini leg lift :)

She is happy at home recovering from her ordeal and hugging her soft fuzzy blanket LOL

Kids...what i wouldn't do for my beastie!