Please keep your paws crossed for me .... & update

February 7 /09

I wasn't going to mention this, but I'm starting to get concerned and I'm turning to all of you to help me get through this. I'm pretty worried. So is my family, and we really need your support right now.

I have two sores - one on my face and one on my chest. I've had them for a few weeks now and they're not getting any better. (They're not getting worse either which is good, I hope.)

Mama and Papa thought the one on my face might be from frostbite because I've always got my face buried in the snow. And the one on my chest looks like it could be an irritation because it's just about where my collar or tags press into my chest when I'm pulling at the leash, which is often.

My vet saw them and mentioned something about Boxers being prone to skin cancer and she wants to biopsy them. That really scared us. She put me on antibiotics first to see if the one on my face was an infection but it didn't go away. She had Mama disinfect them daily but it didn't help.

My other vet wasn't as alarmed. She measured them and said to keep an eye on them and wants to take another look down the road. She had Mama rub Bag Balm on them to keep them clean and hydrated. Nothing changed.

Today my breeder looked at the sores and he also thinks the one on my face is probably frostbite. And he says to leave them both alone - his dogs have similar skin thingies and it's normal to have them. That helped but it just wasn't enough to calm my fears.

I'm scheduled to go back to my first vet on Tuesday. Since the sores haven't gotten any better, she'll probably want to go ahead and remove them for testing. She wants to sedate me to remove the one on my face because it will be too uncomfortable for me to be awake during the procedure.

Have any of you ever had sores that looked like this? If you've ever seen anything like this, we'd sure like to hear what it was.

As you can tell, we're pretty nervous around here. When it comes to stuff like this, we do not have cool, calm heads - it's worry, worry, worry. So please, cross your paws for me and hope for the best. Thanks.

n n n

P.S. Lacy and Petey sent me over to Joey and Tanner's to take a look at Tanner's dot. It looks pretty much like the one on my chest. And it went away all by itself. I'm feeling a little relieved. I just hope I'm as lucky as him. Thanks Lacy, Petey and Tanner!

Here are his before and after shots. Bleh, that was nasty, Tanner.

February 8 /09

Since I posted this last night, my inbox has just lit up with comments and emails from so many DWBers with messages of support and advice. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to know that there is so much kindness out there. You can't imagine how much it means to me.

Just so you know, during all this time that Chef has had these sores, he is his old self - playful, happy and hungry. He doesn't seem at all sick or uncomfortable. Actually, it is Morrie, Daniel and I who are doing the suffering! So your kind words are so appreciated.

It's been a pretty difficult having different opinions from the vets and not knowing which way to turn. Is one vet, who notoriously over-tests, over-medicates, over-charges, etc., looking to make money by putting Chef through unnecessary tests? Is another vet not being vigilant enough? We don't know. Finally, I decided to not wait and see if the sores disappear or not. As far as I'm concerned, you can't be too careful with something as potentially dangerous as this and I will opt for the biopsies, no matter the cost.

Hopefully, everything will turn out well and these past weeks that have been filled with worry will fade into the past and be forgotten. In the meantime, thank you so very much for being so caring and supportive.

Linda

February 10/ 09

We're back from our vet appointment, which turned out to just be a consult. Chef is scheduled for his surgery Monday morning and I'll be picking him up in the late afternoon. It will take four to five days for the lab results to come back.

I opted for a biopsy instead of the Fine Needle Aspirate. Sometimes the FNA isn't reliable because it only collects cells from an area as small as the point of the needle. It can miss surrounding cells and not always provide an accurate sample.

I'm very happy that Dr. Marlene will be doing the surgery. She owns the clinic and has the most experience. We've known her for years and years and has treated all our pets. For competency, I think she's the best there is in this city and I have complete faith in her. She's also always been kind and caring when we've gone through a crisis with our animals. She's even provided us with her home phone number in case we needed to speak to her during her time off. So I know Chef will be in the best hands.

It's a good thing I'll be kept busy. Valentine's Day, and the days leading up to it, are very hectic for florists. I'll be putting in a lot of hours at work so the time should fly by fast. In the meantime, Chef is being his silly self, acting like a clown and totally full of love and fun. I'm hoping for the best for my sweet boy and I know all of you are too. Thanks again for all your concern.

Linda